A Classic ‘Feel Bad’ Movie About Progress
The new documentary “Surviving Progress” takes a cautionary view of modern advancement and sees major problems at every juncture.
Documentary Frames Graphic Art’s Political Ferment
A stirring compilation of instances where the pen, or brush, was equivalent to the sword raises the question of whether it can compete with the keyboard.
Study: More Black Juveniles Sentenced to Life Without Parole
As the U.S. Supreme Court gets ready to examine life without parole for juvenile killers, a new study identifies the racial and sociological backstories of the existing prisoners.
From Modern Albania, A Feudal Tragedy
“The Forgiveness of Blood” looks at a Balkan nation that has left behind feudalism and then communism but not the traditions of the blood feud.
A Masterful Look at Anti-Apartheid
South Africa’s painful journey from white minority domination to democracy, and the roles played by the rest of the world, is chronicled in a five-part documentary airing on PBS.
Two Russian Films Give Differing Views of Motherland
"Khodorkovsky" and "Hipsters," two wildly different films currently making rounds of U.S., suggest that each step forward in Russia is greeted with one step back.
Searing Look at Rio’s Homicidal Police
As Brazil prepares to host two high-profile global events, filmmaker José Padilha suggests that while improving security is a worthy goal, its methods and rationale are deeply flawed.
Reintroducing Paul Goodman, the ‘Public Intellectual’
A new documentary film, "Paul Goodman Changed My Life," tells the at-times risqué story of the seminal public intellectual of the American left whose impact evaporated after his death in 1972.
‘American Teacher’ Argues for Increasing Salaries
"American Teacher" argues the best prescription for the United States' ailing public schools is paying the educators a better salary.
Film Recalls U.S.’s First Overseas Guerilla War
The latest headlines from Afghanistan repeat the old stories Americans first heard from the Philippines, suggests the newest movie by independent filmmaker John Sayles.