NewYorker.Com Review: Richard Brody on The First Man

“The one scene that embodies the sixties onscreen is, to my mind, among the most contemptible scenes in recent movies. It takes place midway through the action, when Congress begins to question the value of the space program. Neil is dispatched to represent nasa in a meeting at the White House, where senators fret about “taxpayer dollars,” and while there he is summoned to the phone and informed of the deaths of three astronauts in an Apollo test. The point is clear: that the astronauts are risking their lives while Congress is counting beans and playing politics. 

The Cinema Isn’t a Place; It’s An Idea (NewYorker.Com)

EXCERPT: “The cinema isn’t a place, it’s an idea. When Fassbinder made “Martha” for German TV or Steven Soderbergh made “Behind the Candelabra” for HBO or Bruno Dumont made “Li’l Quinquin” for Arte, the resulting works were movies, no different in kind from their films “Ali: Fear Eats the Soul” or “Magic Mike” or “Humanité,” which premièred in theatres. The aesthetic and the artistry are the same. … Yet that’s why the changes augured by the Times’s new policy won’t do much to clear space for independent-film releases. With coverage expanding to on-demand and online releases, the clutter—and the demands on a movie critic’s attention—will only increase. The changes in critical coverage make critical judgment all the more crucial. Only a discerning sense of what’s important—artistically and therefore journalistically and even historically—will enable a critic to bring a little-marketed film of great merit to the attention of readers and viewers. Without that exacting taste, no change in policy will ever help.”

Complete piece HERE.