Back to Sölöz (IndiePix Films DVD)
French Armenian director Serge Avedikian composed Back to Sölöz from footage taken during several visits to his ancestral village in Turkey. Color film taken in the 1980s and ‘90s is masterfully edited into scenes from 2019 shot in somber black and white. Those then-and-now juxtapositions are thought-provoking, signifying Avedikian’s musings on time and aging. He met many of the same villagers over the years and often engaged them in the painful history of the genocide that drove Armenians from the village during World War I. Avedikian’s quest to recover suppressed historical memories (Turkey denies that the genocide occurred) butts against the villagers’ ancestral memories of being deported after World War I from their homes in Greece. Back to Sölöz is a thoughtful mediation on identity, false narratives and the ability to find common ground. (David Luhrssen)
Deep Blues (Film Movement Classics DVD)
In 1990, Dave Stewart took a break from his tour with Eurythmics, went to Memphis and met with an authority on American music, writer Robert Palmer. Stewart wanted to record the sort of blues musicians that had inspired him (long before becoming half of the chart-topping pop duo). Also at their meeting on Beale Street was acclaimed music documentarian Robert Mugge, whose footage of the ensuing trek across blues country became the film Deep Blues.
Stewart comes across as the hipster in search of authenticity and Palmer as the music nerd with encyclopedic insight. As they walk together, Palmer derides the “urban renewal” that razed the original Beale Street (which was eventually replaced with a tourist simulacrum) and brings Stewart to the lone remnant of old Beale, a dry goods store whose owner describes the properties of John the Conqueroo and shares memories. Hiking the North Mississippi countryside, they find R.L. Burnside on his sagging porch, playing hard-hitting solo electric blues (he kindly shows Stewart some licks).
Palmer also introduces Stewart to a funky fife and drum band whose roots extend across many generations and whose cadences midwifed the birth of the blues. At a juke joint, Junior Kimbrough and band jam on a beautiful hypnotic groove, almost psychedelic for its time-taking electric intensity. And that’s just the start of an absorbing look into the surviving roots of much what’s now called Americana. (David Luhrssen)
The Hating Game (Limited theatrical release and streaming on Apple TV, Dec. 10)
The film adaptation of Sally Thorne’s debut novel is an R-rated comedic take on the fine line separating love and hate. Since their publishing companies recently merged, Lucy (Lucy Hale) and her nemesis Joshua (Austin Stowell), each continue working for their respective CEOs in a shared office. Lucy despises her rival. Seated at desks across from one another, the pair’s daily interactions include the staring game, the mirror game, and the HR game, intensely played with cruel one-upmanship. Therefore, when the two compete for a big promotion, it’s utterly inconvenient that Lucy also recognizes their undeniable mutual attraction. Critics applaud Thorne’s acerbic wit, stating her dialog recalls classic Hepburn-and-Tracy banter. (Lisa Miller)
West Side Story (In theaters Dec. 10)
This Steven Spielberg-directed remake expands on the original script to illuminate its characters motivations. Rachel Zegler portrays Maria, a Puerto Rican girl courted by white Tony (Ansel Elgort), whose gang is at war with the Puerto Ricans. An Oscar-winner for her supporting role in the 1961 version, Rita Moreno appears as the pivotal character Valentina, a neighborhood grocer who sings an unexpected, transcendent song. Winningly colorful costumes and exquisitely choregraphed numbers only deepen our admiration for Leonard Bernstein’s timeless music, with lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. This story, adapted from Romeo and Juliet, mines the joy and heartache of its star-crossed lovers. (Lisa Miller)
