Doc Corner: Raoul Peck's 'Silver Dollar Road'

By Glenn Charlie Dunks

Raoul Peck has proven himself several times over to be one of the great workers of non-fiction today. Whether its biography or history lesson, he applies a deeply clinical look at his chosen subjects without the tar of stale formula or compromised intent. In the Haiti-born filmmakers latest work, he has taken a ProPublica article by Lizzie Presser, “Their Family Bought Land One Generation After Slavery. The Reels Brothers Spent Eight Years in Jail for Refusing to Leave It”—a title too long for a film, but which tells you exactly what is at the heart of its story.

For Peck, Silver Dollar Road is actually part biography and part history lesson, taking in a large family tree and the forces that came together to break their connection to the place they’ve known as home since emancipation.

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Doc Corner: 'Last Stop Larrimah' and 'Mister Organ' are a return to true crime

By Glenn Charlie Dunks

The popularity of true crime as a subgenre appears to have subsided dramatically in the last couple of years. Following the boom times, it seems following the uber-success of Tiger King, the film, television and podcasting staple has receded somewhat from public consciousness. Although there is no shortage of new titles littering the catalogues of streaming services week on week, two new titles with antipodean links feel like a modest but successful return to the spotlight.

Speaking of Tiger King, the first of these two films is one that appears to very much takes some inspiration from that Floridian nightmare. It does it better, though, I would say.

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What's the Best Concert Film?

by Cláudio Alves

With Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour coming to theaters today and Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé set to arrive in December, 2023 could signal the return of the concert film in full force. At the very least, both projects are bound to break records. Swift's movie is already on the way to becoming the most profitable concert film in history, close to surpassing Michael Jackson's This Is It just with advance ticket sales. Hopefully, this triumph will be reflected in the picture's quality, though, with such titles, success is measured more in terms of the artists' popularity than the piece's cinematic verve. Still, it'd be erroneous to dismiss concert films for this reason – there are many masterpieces to be found in the non-fiction subgenre. 

So, dear reader, what's your favorite concert film? My pick is after the jump…

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Queer Lisboa '23: Sweden's "Opponent" and other festival highlights

by Cláudio Alves

Soon after completing my Toronto Film Festival Coverage, it was time to dive into another fest experience. This turn, it was closer to home, Queer Lisboa being the oldest running film festival in the Portuguese capital, now on its 27th edition. This year, it offered a program rich in stories of marginalized identities and desires, with a particular emphasis on art intent on decolonizing our collective thought and promoting a more progressive view on the labor and lives of sex workers. There was even something for the awards nuts among us – Sweden's official Oscar submission for the 96th Academy Awards, Opponent.

To mark the occasion, let's dive into a selection of titles, starting with that Scandinavian drama, winner of a Jury Special Mention and the Audience Award…

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7 More Films (Some Surprises) Join the International Oscar Race

by Nathaniel R

While Denmark and Germany have been Oscar's two favourite countries in the past 20 or so years, they weren't always the biggest draws. Four traditionally powerhouse countries in the International Oscar Race -- France, Italy, Sweden, and Spain -- haven't had as much consistent pull of late but underestimate them at your own peril. All four have now announced their horses for the Oscars so it's an exciting week for news in this category. And they weren't the only countries to share their golden news this week. The charts are updated but let's talk about 7 of the new submissions... 

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