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Category Archives: Film
Last Days in Vietnam Not To Be Missed on American Experience
I’ve always been fascinated by the offspring of super achievers. If their moms, dads, grandparents or great grandparents are heavy hitters in politics, the arts, medicine, sports, the military or scholarly pursuits, these kids have quite an act to follow. Independent filmmaker Rory Kennedy, … Continue reading
Children of Giant Takes a New Look at an Old Film on PBS
Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson, James Dean, Dennis Hopper, Sal Mineo and film director George Stevens. Through the years, it’s been hard to dodge the after-hours buzz on this stellar crew. It’s also hard to imagine them playing second fiddle to anyone, but that’s what … Continue reading
HBO’s Living with Lincoln Reveals One Family’s Magnificent Obsession
My dad was a hard-core Lincoln buff. And, frankly, he didn’t have to work very hard to get me on board the Abraham Lincoln bandwagon. When Ken Burns’ groundbreaking miniseries, The Civil War, debuted on PBS, my dad and I shared that experience and every … Continue reading
Posted in Books, Cable, Film, Photography, Publishing
Tagged Abraham Lincoln, Brian Oakes, Children's Books, Dorothy Meserve Kunhardt, Family Relationships, Frederick Hill Meserve, HBO, Ken Burns, Living with Lincoln, Meserve-Kunhardt Foundation, Pat the Bunny, Peter Kunhardt, Photography, The Civil War, U.S. Presidents
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Scientology and Sinatra: All or Nothing at All on HBO
Director Alex Gibney is on a roll. The Oscar and Emmy Award winner’s latest two documentaries landed prestigious back-to-back premiere time slots on HBO, and deservedly so. I’m still shaken by Gibney’s riveting exposé, Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of … Continue reading
Posted in Cable, Film, Music, Radio, TV
Tagged Alex Gibney, American Songbook, Frank Sinatra, HBO, Lauren Bacall, Lawrence Wright, Mia Farrow, Music and Musicians, Sinatra All Or Nothing at All, Singers, The Rat Pack
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It’s Me, Hilary: The Man Who Drew Eloise Debuts on HBO
“Skeezix sleeps in a bowl under a lamp in Hilary Knight’s memento-filled Manhattan apartment. Skeezix is a cat that looks like a raccoon. Eloise would feel at home here.” Almost 20 years have passed since I penned that lead-in to my interview … Continue reading
Seymour: An Introduction
It may have an unassuming title, but Seymour: An Introduction, the new documentary directed by Ethan Hawke, is anything but humdrum. Hawke, the gifted Oscar-nominated actor (Training Day; Boyhood) and screenwriter (Before Sunset; Before Midnight), who has also enjoyed a career as a director and … Continue reading
Posted in Film
Tagged Composers, Education, Ethan Hawke, Mentors, Music, Music and Musicians, Music Education, Pianists, Seymour Bernstein, Seymour: An Introduction
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August Wilson: The Ground on Which I Stand Debuts on PBS
“He wrote about the frustration and the glory of being black.” This curtain-raising assessment of playwright August Wilson by his friend and colleague, actor/writer/director Ruben Santiago-Hudson, pretty much sets the tone for August Wilson: The Ground on Which I Stand. The latest installment in … Continue reading
Men, Boyhood and Oscar
It’s hard to recall a richer, more creatively satisfying year for men and boys than 2014. Of course, I’m referring to the fascinating male characters and performances that flooded the cinema, circa 2014: American Sniper, Birdman, Boyhood, Foxcatcher, The Judge, The Grand Budapest Hotel, … Continue reading
The Big Burn Lights a Fire on PBS
“The question of forest fires, like the question of slavery … sooner or later, it must be faced.” So said Gifford Pinchot, the zealous conservationist who founded the U.S. Forest Service in 1905. The back story and legacy of the … Continue reading
Ricky Jay: Deceptive Practice Bows on American Masters
Lon Chaney may have won fame and fortune as the “Man of a Thousand Faces,” but Ricky Jay has built a successful career on the world stage with his hands… or sleight-of-hand to be more precise. The master magician has also cornered the … Continue reading
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