Monologuist Spalding Gray talks about the great difficulties he experienced while attempting to write his first novel, a nearly 2,000-page autobiographical tome concerning the death of his mother. Among his many asides, Gray discusses his problems in dealing with the Hollywood film industry, recounts the trips he took around the world in order to avoid dealing with his writer’s block and describes his ambivalence about acting as stage manager for a Broadway production of “Our Town.”
Tag: UK
In late-1970s suburban London, Chris and Marion have settled into a comfortable yet all-too-predictable middle-class existence. Chris receives an unexpected visit from his free-spirited friend Toni, a reunion that reminds him of a more carefree time in 1960s Paris. Now, with lingering doubts about his marriage bubbling up, Chris must make the choice between revisiting his youthful abandon with Toni or facing the here and now with Marion.
Set in the American Southwest, Othello is a wandering evangelist who happens onto Iago’s remote commune. There he marries the lovely Desdemona much to the chagrin of Iago, who also loves her. The conniving commune leader then manages to quietly pressure Othello until murder and tragedy ensue.
This movie portrays British poet/author Stevie Smith and her life with her beloved aunt through direct dialogue with the audience by Stevie, as well as flashbacks, and narration by a friend. The movie mainly focuses on her relationship with her aunt, romantic relationships of the past, and the fame she received late in her life.
A black and white production concerns the efforts of two bored social workers, Shahid and Ash, who reluctantly agree to reunite the cast of legendary Bollywood musical ‘Pappa Kehta Hain’ for a return performance at the Pakistan Centre where they work. Starting with an elderly singing barber they manage to locate most of the actors but the hardest part is tracking down the elusive hero Sajid Hussain.
Matilde Landeta entered the flourishing Mexican film industry in the 1930s, working her way up from script girl to direct 110 shorts and, in the late 40s, to produce and direct three features, including LA NEGRA ANGUSTIAS. In this engrossing documentary filmed in Mexico City, a vibrant Landeta, now in her 70s, recalls those years. Interviews with Mexican directors Marcela Fernandez-Violante and Maria Novaro enrich this illuminating tribute.
Peter Howson is one of the world’s most collected living artists, his work hanging on the walls of galleries and museums and in the homes of rock stars and actors. In 2008 he received the biggest commission of his career – to paint the largest-ever crowd scene in the history of British art – but the commission is fraught with so much difficulty its completion is in jeopardy from day one.
Flo and Kay are the only female identical twin autistic savants in the world – they can remember an extraordinary amount of details including dates, record names and even what they have eaten on any given day over the last 30 years. News anchor and former DJ Dave Wagner has been following their lives and filming them for 13 years – his footage makes up much of this documentary.