Baz Luhrmann’s film Elvis and Danny Boyle’s miniseries Pistol are both overly fixated on the influence their respective musicians’ managers had on them.
Biography
Posted inFilm
They Tried to Make a Sexy Movie About the Eiffel Tower Engineer
Eiffel inadvertently paints its protagonist not as a great man worthy of scrutiny or praise, but as the Elon Musk of his day.
Posted inFilm
A Portrait of Trans Masculinity in the Story of a Jazz Musician
The documentary No Ordinary Man is not just a biography of Billy Tipton, but also a critical lens on how culture has depicted trans men.
Posted inBooks
Yayoi Kusama Gets Her First Graphic Novel Biography
In this excerpt of Kusama: The Graphic Novel, illustrator Elisa Macellari time travels to Kusama’s life in 1960s New York City, when the artist became “the high priestess of love and pacifism.”
Posted inFilm
A Documentary’s Attempt to Protect Flannery O’Connor at All Costs
Flannery expresses the author’s genius but goes to tortured lengths to excuse her racism.
Posted inBooks
A Writer’s Portrait of Louise Bourgeois
Now, Now Louison is a book that will trouble purists who believe in strict categories, such as biography, art criticism, and novel.
Posted inBooks
Ruth Asawa’s Life and Legacy, in Both Art and Education
Marilyn Chase’s new biography sheds light on Asawa’s contributions to San Francisco’s public schools and its artistic community at large.
Posted inBooks
How Alexander Calder Made Modern Art Move
In the second volume of a definitive biography, the art critic Jed Perl recalls how the innovative artist revolutionized sculpture.
Posted inBooks
A Poet Takes Up Biography
Baron Wormser offers empathetic but unflinching portraits of a diverse group of historical figures.
Posted inFilm
Linda Ronstadt’s Passionate Life of Song
Like its subject, the documentary Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice builds on familiar elements to make something new and beautiful.
Posted inFilm
Kronos Quartet Tells Its Story in a Live Documentary
The venerable string quartet is touring A Thousand Thoughts, playing live accompaniment for a documentary about its history and music.
Posted inOpinion
Celebrating Marriage Equality in the US with Tom of Finland
Today the United States Supreme Court ruled that same-sex marriage — henceforth known simply as “marriage” — is protected by the Constitution.