Sundance Review: Tracing the History of the Police in ‘Power’

By Abe Friedtanzer 

Police reform is a hot-button issue, with calls from the left to "defund the police" and responses from the right that “blue lives” matter. Complicating those concepts is the fact that every American has grown up with the police as an established reality. Considering what something else could look like requires an acknowledgment that it hasn’t always been this way and perhaps shouldn’t be. Yance Ford’s documentary Power looks at the history of the police and how that’s shaped where we as a country now.

So much of present-day policing stems from racist institutions, beginning with slave catchers as the original model for police forces, which first began in Boston and quickly spread throughout the country...

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Almost There: The Return and the Unlucky Thirteen

by Cláudio Alves

Everybody's fighting about Oscar "snubs" since nominations were announced.

It's been a while. The last time I wrote an Almost There piece was nearly a year ago, last February, still reeling from Danielle Deadwyler's lack of an Oscar nomination. Since then…nothing. Personally, I needed a break from the format, and maybe you did too. While the race for gold can be used to contextualize and remember films and performances of yesteryear, it also limits what one can discuss and how. In any case, the series has been on pause for enough time, so let's welcome its return on the heels of the latest batch of Oscar nominations. 

That reminds me - this comeback merits some oomph. Because of that, I'm planning something special for the following weeks…

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"Ode to a Snub". Plus nominations that had us reeling on Tuesday

While Oscar nomination morning (this past Tuesday) brought its share of happiness -- which we'll get to soon. It also brings small shockwaves (never large, really) at unexpected nominations and sadness in the form of beloved favourites missing from the "Best" conversation, however unthinkable that may be in the moment. So we polled Team Experience asking them for their saddest snub* and nominations that had them reeling for various reasons.

"Past Lives"

Their answers are after the jump and we hope yours are in the comments shortly...

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Drag Race RuCap: "The Mother of All Balls"

For the next few months, Nick Taylor and Cláudio Alves will be following and recapping RuPaul’s Drag Race season sixteen…

CLÁUDIO: Dear readers, it feels only polite to apologize for the delay in posting this much belated RuCap. Although the next Drag Race episode is almost upon us, there are still 42 runway looks and a whole episode full of shenanigans to discuss. Then again, the Oscar nominations were just announced, so there was a lot to do this past week, when awards fever reached its boiling point. So excuse us and let’s move on to “The Mother of All Balls,” a rather smashing hour of drag competition that overcomes the hurdle of coming too soon in the season. 

NICK: Yeah. Sorry we’re late, the Oscar noms happened. I just woke up from a medically induced coma, and when I saw Margot Robbie missed I immediately went back under in sheer distress. Don’t believe me? Good. Go fuck yourselves . . . .

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Who Should Win?

A round of applause to all of the newly minted Oscar nominees for their achievements! Hooray. Now, it's time to begin the daily "Who should win" voting on the individual charts. Vote daily for your favs in each category. (The charts will become more robust as we add details) ...and while you're doing the first round of voting why not sign up for the substack It's not active right this second but Oscar season is a good time to make it into a weekly thing. 

Okay VOTE on the charts... PICTURE | DIRECTOR | ACTRESS | ACTOR | SUPPORTING ACTRESS | SUPPORTING ACTOR | SCREENPLAYS | VISUALS | MUSIC | INTERNATIONAL | ANIMATION AND DOCS