The year is thankfully winding down, and I wish all of you a graceful exit from 2020 and undisturbed
Dec 25, 2020 • View in browser
Film
The year is thankfully winding down, and I wish all of you a graceful exit from 2020 and undisturbed entry into 2021. This week, Hyperallergic has a meditation on remote teaching, a look at a biography of trans jazz musician Billy Tipton, a review of Pixar’s latest, and more. Enjoy! Merry Christmas to all who celebrate!
– Dan Schindel, Associate Editor for Documentary
A Year of Teaching Cinema With Zoom
Robert Greene conducts a class over Zoom
Robert Greene conducts a class over Zoom
The pandemic has forced a good deal of learning to become remote, which poses unique challenges to students and teachers alike. But Robert Greene discovered unexpected advantages to the format, as he discusses in his consideration of the year.
Latest Reviews
Four Teachers Decide to Just Be Drunk All the Time
Four Teachers Decide to Just Be Drunk All the Time
The Danish dramedy film Another Round is a dark but very funny movie about alcoholism.
Dan Schindel
With "Soul", Pixar Attempts to Make a Radically Different Kind of Animation
With "Soul", Pixar Attempts to Make a Radically Different Kind of Animation
Warm depictions of Black life and music-making aside, Soul ultimately shortchanges itself with what feels like a lack of confidence in its core character.
Kambole Campbell
A Portrait of Trans Masculinity in the Story of a Jazz Musician
A Portrait of Trans Masculinity in the Story of a Jazz Musician
The documentary No Ordinary Man is not just a biography of Billy Tipton, but also a critical lens on how culture has depicted trans men.
Caden Mark Gardner
A Tale of Colonial Development Versus Primeval Magic
A Tale of Colonial Development Versus Primeval Magic
The gorgeous Irish animated feature Wolfwalkers is perfect holiday family viewing.
Dan Schindel
What to Stream
From "The Muppet Christmas Carol"
From "The Muppet Christmas Carol"
This week’s streaming roundup brings together the best adaptations of Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol. (As you might guess from the header image, the one with the Muppets is of course my favorite.)
You can also check out some great animated shorts via the online program Melting Animals, hosted by the Memorial Art Gallery at the University of Rochester.
And the Newport Beach Film Festival is presenting the new documentary Sisters With Transistors, a look at female pioneers in electronic music.
For the final weekly video essay of the year, here’s a look at how the empty streets of quarantine made the Nerdwriter think of Giorgio de Chirico:
When The World Became A de Chirico Painting
When The World Became A de Chirico Painting
Until we can see you in the theater again, stay safe!
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