Harlan Jacobson reviews Hillbilly Elegy directed by Ron Howard
Hillbilly Elegy came a callin’ on Netflix in time for Thanksgiving to remind us about how complicated the notion of family really is.
Reviews
Harlan Jacobson Reviews Invisible Man directed by Leigh Whannell
Writer-director Leigh Whannell’s The Invisible Man is only “inspired by” HG Wells’ original 1897 novel. And it’s not a remake of James Whale’s classic 1933 film starring a young Claude Rains as Dr. Jack Griffin, a murderous scientist. It’s not about the discontents of an invisible man at all, in fact. It is anything but.
Harlan Jacobson reviews Ma Rainey's Black Bottom directed by George C. Wolfe
Just the sound of the title, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, as it rolls off the tongue, promises some kind of lusty commitment to a life of defiance, like we’re in for a wild ride in a convertible careening out of control.
Harlan Jacobson's Pays Tribute to George Floyd
In all my years reporting on cinema, I have never seen 8.5 minutes of footage that has sparked a global call to action, as we’ve witnessed with the killing of George Floyd in Minnesota.
Harlan Jacobson's post-election reflections: The Queen's Gambit and On The Rocks
After all that has been said about Mssrs. Biden and Trump and how they differ from soup to nuts, in that order, the one thing they shared as candidates and men was being old, part of a generation that is leaving the stage, gracefully or otherwise. And which is devoutly being anticipated by younger generations—as we saw from the primaries through the general election.
Harlan Jacobson's Tribute to the Legendary Little Richard
R&B, ROCK & GOSPEL legend Little Richard left us this year. You can spend some time listening to him or even looking at him on film. There’s a wonderful scene in Get On Up, director Tate Taylor’s 2014 biopic of James Brown, as played by Chadwick Boseman, when Brown crosses the orbit of this live wire, Little Richard, somewhere down South.
Harlan Jacobson reports from Tribeca Film Fest 2019
Tribeca continues to be this blast of energy radiating from the downtown media hub on Varick Street, including the Regal multiplex in Battery Park through the SVA Theatre on W. 23rd up through some events at the Beacon on the UWS.
