‘Streets of Fire’ as Global Myth
Streets of Fire boldly rejects conventional genre boundaries, merging action, rock opera, MTV video, and neo-noir into an audacious and stylized urban myth that resonates globally.
music
British Identity Interrogated in Three Films
Where Roddam’s Quadrophenia asks of British identity, “Who am I?” and Anderson’s If…. asks “Can I be myself?”, Cammell and Roeg’s Performance declares, “There is no self.”
James Cotton Blues Documentary Is Pitch Perfect
Harmonicist blues musician James Cotton was a powerhouse performer, and Bestor Cram’s documentary Bonnie Blues captures his essence with great admiration.
Mick Jagger and James Fox’s Disorienting Fever Dream
Performance, starring Mick Jagger and James Fox, thrives on disorientations, making this time-capsule movie a timeless puzzle that resonates.
Berlinale Part 3: The Best Films You Usually Don’t See Coming
After 10 days of fanfare and celebrity mayhem, the 75th edition of the Berlinale closes with some poignant, idiosyncratic releases from directors Richard Linklater and Radu Jude.
Berlinale Part 1: Bob Dylan, Trauma Drama, and Time-Shifting Romance
The 75th edition of Europe’s preeminent film festival, Berlinale, kicks off with politics center stage, an efficient new director, and more celebrities than ever before.
The Listening Garden’s Cultivation of Audiophile Culture
Amidst the rise in hi-fi bars and resurgence of audiophile culture, pristine audio is only one component of what makes The Listening Garden’s music experience distinct.
Bob Dylan Film ‘A Complete Unknown’ Is a Folk anti-Western
In wandering hero terms, Bob Dylan film A Complete Unknown is less a George Stevens’ Western like Shane and more an Akira Kurosawa’s Yojimbo – with guitars.
Sundance Film Festival 2025 Is at a Crossroads
While the Sundance Film Festival still uplifts under-the-radar films in an increasingly challenging market, its future may be in doubt.
The Best Books of 2024
PopMatters Best Books of 2024 include a broad range of nonfiction, many books on music, short fiction, a novel that turns a Mark Twain classic inside out, and much more.
Music in Haruki Murakami’s ‘The City and Its Uncertain Walls’
In Haruki Murakami’s The City and Its Uncertain Walls, music’s presence and absence are central to the concrete and metaphysical spaces the characters migrate between.
Bruce Springsteen Documentary ‘Road Diary’ Takes a Familiar Route
Bruce Springsteen documentary Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band gets you there by taking a familiar yet still enjoyable route.