Eight days of events provide opportunities for connection, celebration and learning around the 1969 Stonewall riots — LGBT community demonstrations against a police raid of the Stonewall Inn in New York City that helped launch the gay liberation movement.
The Story: A reverend with a depressing back story and an even more depressing congregation contemplates extreme measures as his church, funded by a malignantly narcissistic oligarch, prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary.
The Lowdown: A spiritual sequel to Taxi Driver that places the emphasis on the spiritual, as writer/director Paul Schrader returns to form.
In Brief: For his 1963 suspense film High and Low, Akira Kurosawa seems to have been actually trying to draw the wrath of those who find his work too “Western” by choosing the Ed McBain novel King’s Ransom for his source material. What could possibly be more Western — indeed, more downright American — than…
Starring: Erik Odom, Andie Morgenlander, Dustin Whitehead, Luke Beavers, Mondy Carter, Mary Katherine O'Donnell
The Story: A struggling screenwriter confronts his demons after meeting a young musician while promoting his script at a film festival. The Lowdown: A locally produced independent drama that makes the most of its budget — and its picturesque Asheville setting — while telling an emotionally resonant story.
Starring: Victor Mature, Hedy Lamarr, Angela Lansbury, George Sanders, Olive Deering, Russ Tamblyn, Henry Wilcoxon
In Brief: Cecil B. DeMille's historical epics are an acquired taste in my book, but even those with accepting palates may find Samson and Delilah (1949) hard to swallow. Despite its (mostly) remarkable cast and suitably grandiose scale, it's perhaps the most forgettable of DeMille's biblical films. Sure, Hedy Lamar looks gorgeous and George Sanders gets to be sleazy,…
