Everything that distinguished director Zhang Yimou’s famed opening ceremony for the 2008 Olympics feels either lacking or missing altogether here.
sports
Posted inFilm
Ava DuVernay Tells Colin Kaepernick’s Life Story with a Mix of Documentary and Sitcom
The Netflix miniseries Colin in Black & White takes an unusual approach to the controversial football player’s biography, but ends up more odd than anything else
Posted inFilm
Japan’s Offbeat Olympics Opening Ceremony
The opening ceremony is a giant “Welcome!” party thrown by the host country. How did Japan welcome the world this year?
Posted inFilm
How Tennis Star Naomi Osaka Handles the Pressure of Competition
Garrett Bradley’s Netflix docuseries explores the tennis star as a vessel for other people’s love and aspirations.
Posted inArt
Alvin Armstrong’s Black Bodies in Motion
Armstrong’s paintings explore the role of Black athletes as agents of social change even as white fans push back.
Posted inFilm
The Witches of the Orient Pits the Fantasy of Sports Movies Against the Reality of Hard Practice
Now playing at MoMA’s Doc Fortnight, the exciting documentary chronicles the Japanese women’s volleyball team’s path to victory at the 1964 Summer Olympics.
Posted inFilm
Professional Wrestling Takes a Cinematic Turn Amid the Pandemic
Having to put on shows without crucial audience participation is forcing new evolution within wrestling.
Posted inNews
After Decades of Activism by Native Americans, DC’s Football Team Ditches Its Name
Formerly known as the “Redskins,” the team will change its name and logo.
Posted inFilm
Reclaiming the Legend of Bruce Lee
The new ESPN documentary Be Water seeks to both reassert Lee’s legacy and humanize him.
Posted inFilm
Michael Jordan’s Flawed Hero Narrative
One of the key lessons of ESPN’s series The Last Dance is that people learn to adore brutal tyrants, and will only fall further into that admiration as long as the tyrant is uniquely talented, powerful, and wins.
Posted inFilm
Explaining Your Favorite Gifs and Translating Video Games: Web Docs to Watch
Check out video essays and shorts about making terrariums, the history of the Seattle Mariners, and more.
Posted inFilm
Separating the Man From the Myth of Diego Maradona
Asif Kapadia completes his trilogy of documentaries on fame with a portrait of the notorious footballer.