'Press Play With Madeleine Brand': Talking Sundance, 'Sundown' and 'Cyrano'

I was on KCRW this week, alongside Shawn Edwards, to review new movies. But I also gave Madeleine a preview of some Sundance films worth keeping an eye on. You can hear our whole chat down below.

Telluride 2021: 'Cyrano' Review

Do we need another version of Cyrano de Bergerac? If it stars Peter Dinklage and features music from the National, sure. My review of Cyrano is over at Screen International.

The National - "Dark Side of the Gym"

I've reached a stage of my life where I half-like every new National album that comes around. Sleep Well Beast is very National-y in certain ways -- moody, melancholy, you know the deal -- but "Dark Side of the Gym" really is lovely. And the video is even more so. (The story behind the clip is worth reading.)

'Mistaken for Strangers' Review

Now that I've explored my feelings about competitiveness and male rivalry in regards to Mistaken for Strangers, here's my Paste review of the documentary. I think the National's fans will love it -- but you don't need to be aware of (or even like) the band's music to get a lot out of this movie.

'Mistaken for Strangers' and Male Competitiveness

The National are releasing a documentary this Friday called Mistaken for Strangers. It's not really about the band, though: It's about the simmering sibling rivalry between lead singer Matt Berninger and his dopey screw-up of a younger brother Tom who tags along with the band during a European tour. The movie affected me in a personal way: As a competitive person who sometimes has problems with male friendships, I found myself feeling for both Matt and Tom. So I devoted this week's Culture Club column at Playboy to the phenomenon of male rivalry. I really hope I'm not alone in feeling these feelings -- and I hope you like the piece.