Category Archives: Music

“Tale of Tales” – Once Upon a Time…

Posted on April 30, 2016 by Ted Hicks

Tale of Tales presents three dark and bloody fairy tales — truly fantastic and quite wonderful flights of the imagination — yet it feels very real. Directed by Matteo Garrone, this is a lucid dream of a movie, an elaborately … Continue reading →

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What I Saw Last Year: Best Documentaries 2015

Posted on January 23, 2016 by Ted Hicks

It was a great year for documentaries. Listen to Me Marlon is my personal favorite, but the others on my list are equally  strong in a variety of ways, and very human. ______________________________________________________ Amy (Asif Kapadia, director)  I don’t think … Continue reading →

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“O Brother, Where Art Thou?” – As Good as It Gets

Posted on October 6, 2015 by Ted Hicks

Last week the New York Film Festival held a 15th anniversary screening of Joel and Ethan Coen’s O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000), which I hadn’t seen it since its initial release. I remember liking it, but it didn’t get … Continue reading →

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“Black Mass” & “Sicario” – Heavy Metal

Posted on September 23, 2015 by Ted Hicks

Last Friday I saw Black Mass and Sicario at the AMC Loews Lincoln Square multiplex here in New York. I don’t necessarily recommend seeing two films back-to-back, especially on four hours’ sleep, but they’d just opened that day and I … Continue reading →

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Les Blank & Leon Russell – Gumbo Stew

Posted on June 29, 2015 by Ted Hicks

Les Blank’s A Poem Is a Naked Person is a very strange animal, a film that resists easy classification. I’ve seen it three times so far at press screenings, so I guess you could say I’ve been hooked. Ostensibly, it’s … Continue reading →

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“Grey Gardens” – Then & Now

Posted on March 9, 2015 by Ted Hicks

I first saw Grey Gardens nearly 39 years ago at the Film Society of the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. I saw it again last Friday when it opened for a one-week run at Film Forum. For the current release, Grey … Continue reading →

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Elaine Stritch – No Pants, Bela Lugosi, and Godzilla in a Stalled Elevator

Posted on July 21, 2014 by Ted Hicks

In a review of Woody Allen’s September (1987), People magazine referred to Elaine Stritch in that film as a “…roaring presence, like Godzilla in a stalled elevator…” I like that vivid image, which really captures something about Elaine Stritch. Her … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Home Video, Music, TV | 4 Comments

Christopher Walken & Talkin’ (& Dancin’)

Posted on May 25, 2014 by Ted Hicks

Everyone knows Christopher Walken, or thinks they do. He is a singular presence in American film, largely due to his uniquely eccentric line readings and vocal mannerisms, filtered through a frequently deadpan affect. Walken has cultivated this over the years, … Continue reading →

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“The Departed” – Shoot ’em in the Head

Posted on February 22, 2014 by Ted Hicks

It seems that my “Best of 2013” recaps keep getting pushed back by films that jump in my face and demand to be dealt with. That’s definitely the case with this one. Last Thursday through Saturday the Ziegfeld Theater here … Continue reading →

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“The Broken Circle Breakdown” – Beauty, Sadness & Bluegrass

Posted on February 9, 2014 by Ted Hicks

The Broken Circle Breakdown has been playing in New York since last November, and though initial write-ups made me very interested, mainly because of the bluegrass-in-Belgium angle, I didn’t get around to seeing it until a week ago. I went … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Home Video, Music | 3 Comments