The Filtered Excellence: November 20, 2020

Mangrove. Academy Award winner Steve McQueen co-wrote and directed Small Axe, an anthology film series that tells the personal stories of London’s West Indians  of how they encountered – and overcame – rampant racism and discrimination from the late 60s through the mid 1980s.  It launches with Mangrove, which recounts the events leading up to, during and after the trial of the Mangrove 9.  The film is shown through the eyes of Frank Crichlow (Shawn Parkes), the owner of a restaurant in the west London neighborhood of Notting Hill.  It’s become a community rallying spot for the West Indian residents, much to the chagrin of Constable Pulley (Sam Spruell).  Tired of the constant raids and overall harassment, Crichlow teams up with British Black Panther leader Altheia Jones (Leitia Wright) – organize a protest against the police.  When the protest grows violent, its 9 organizers –  including Crichlow – find themselves on trial for inciting a riot.  But rather than buckle under and accept a plea deal, they become their own attorneys and effectively put a racist British criminal justice system on trial.  McQueen, the son of Grenadian and Trinidadian parents, shows why he’s one of the best filmmakers working today, capturing the nuances of the West Indian community of the time, with such an accuracy that it feels more like a documentary than a feature film.  Wright, whose performance in Black Panther was so memorable that she’s on track to take up the Panther mantle, is outstanding as BBP leader Jones, with such a strong, confident presence, she becomes the group’s moral center.  But the film really belongs to Parkes.  He portrays Crichlow as a passionate, yet reluctant leader, who stands with his community but wrestles with the notion that a rigged system will deliver justice.  It’s a star making performance that should be recognized during awards season.  With great direction and a compelling story, this is a killer kickoff to what promises to be a killer film series.  Mangrove is available now on Amazon Prime, with a new film in the Small Axe anthology rolling out each Friday through December 18th.

30 Years Of The Film Foundation.   In 1990, Martin Scorsese founded The Film Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting and preserving movies that are considered critical in motion picture history.  Since then, The Film Foundation, working with archives and studios, has restored over 850 films, with new screenings happening at festivals, museums and other institutions worldwide.  To coincide with their 30th Anniversary, The Criterion Channel will stream some of The Film Foundation’s greatest rescues.  It will include Sergio Leone’s epic western, Once Upon A Time In The West; It Happened One Night; The Red Shoes, Shadows, Shirley Clarke’s The Connection; The Big Country and much more.  There’s also a new conversation between Scorsese and Ari Aster discussing the origins of The Film Foundation and the importance of preserving their vital pieces of cinematic history.  It’s must see for any film fan.  30 Years Of The Film Foundation is available now at The Criterion Channel.

Other Music.  For 20 years, Other Music was a haven for record collectors and album buyers looking for music that you wouldn’t find in any of the big chain stores. When skyrocketing rental costs forced Other Music to close in 2016, the East Village community closed it out in grand style with a New Orleans funeral and a concert at Bowery Ballroom featuring many of the artists they helped support.  Directors Puloma Badu and Rob Hatch-Miller look back at Other Music’s legacy in this new Amazon Prime documentary.  They speak with owners Chris Vanderloo and Josh Madell about how they were able to build a small record store located directly across the street from Tower Records into a neighborhood institution.  We also get to meet some of the colorful employees whose passion for their jobs was only matched by their musical knowledge and love for the music they sold.  The doc also includes musicians (Martin Gore of Depeche Mode, Tunde Adebimpe of TV On The Radio, Regina Spektor, James Chance) and actors (Jason Schwartzman, Benicio Del Toro) on board to sing Other Music’s praises.  Told with warmth, candor and a whole lot of love, Badu and Hatch-Miller have put together a documentary that celebrates community, perservance and the overwhelming power of music.  Other Music is available now on Amazon Prime.

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Starting Over by Chris Stapleton.  The transition from songwriter for hire to established singer-songwriter was gradual one for Chris Stapleton.  Dealing with ‘overnight sensation’ status was harder.  Looking for a clear-headed perspective, Stapleton re-located from Nashville to Muscle Shoals for his new album.  With the title track setting the musical tone, Stapleton moves from blistering Southern rock (Devil Always Made Me Think Twice, Hillbilly Blood, Whiskey Sunrise), country-dipped soul (Cold, You Should Probably Leave), and even an ode to his late dog (Maggie’s Song) that would make The Band proud.  There’s also a couple of Guy Clark (Worry B Gone, Old Friends) and John Fogerty covers (Joy Of My Love) that Stapleton just crushes.  Working as a continuation of his success and a bold new chapter, this album reaffirms his status as one of the best singer-songwriters in the game.  One of the year’s best.  Starting Over by Chris Stapleton is available now through Amazon, Apple Music and all major streaming outlets.

Film Music 1976 – 2020 by Brian Eno.  Brian Eno’s solo output always sounded like movie soundtracks, but since 1976, the acclaimed producer and sound alchemist has scored music for over 20 films.  Now some of his cinematic soundscapes are part of this new collection with a couple of added bonuses.  It includes his work on Trainspotting (‘Deep Blue Day’), Heat (Late Evening In Jersey), Married To The Mob (a cover of William Bell’s You Don’t Miss Your Water), the original Dune, and his collaboration with U2 on the Michaelangelo Antonioni’s Beyond The Clouds (Beach Sequence).  There’s also 7 unreleased tracks of material from Eno’s work on the first two seasons of Top Boy and  Peter Jackson’s Lovely Bones.  Perfectly sequenced, it’s great mood music from one of the best in the business.  Film Music 1976-2020 by Brian Eno is available now through Amazon, Apple Music and all major streaming outlets.

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