“I did not murder Mommy on purpose,” John Boyle Jr. insists. He stares at his son, Collier Landry, through thick glasses. “That’s not my intention, I did not plan that.”

Collier Landry faces his father in an overwhelmingly taupe prison room. “Did you want me as a son?” he asks curtly. “Did you want a child?”

Boyle responds as if by rote. “Sure.”

So goes Landry’s futile quest for fatherly approval, the journey at the heart of illustrious documentarian Barbara Kopple’s latest project, “A Murder in Mansfield.” The film follows Landry as he returns to his Ohio hometown to uncover the truth about his mother’s murder.

Continue reading Barbara Kopple’s Overwrought & Emotionally Unsatisfying ‘A Murder In Mansfield’ [DOC NYC Review] at The Playlist.

There’s a quickly edited introduction to the force of nature that is Sharon Jones that opens Barbara Kopple’s documentary “Miss Sharon Jones!” It’s a quick run-through of the struggles that Jones faced as an aspiring singer — she sang in a wedding band and worked as a Riker’s Island corrections officer after being told by a music executive that she was “too black, too short, too fat” to make it in the music industry.

Continue reading Barbara Kopple’s Inspiring & Heartfelt ‘Miss Sharon Jones!’ Leaves You Wanting More [Review] at The Playlist.

If you’ve ever had the pleasure of seeing Sharon Jones And The Dap-Kings perform, then you already have witnessed the joyful ferocity of her performance. She’s a soul singer like no other at the moment, a true powerhouse that can get thousands up off of their feet and dancing. And even more, she’s packed houses around the world without a single traditional radio hit. Her story is a remarkable one and its being brought to big screen in the appropriately named “Miss Sharon Jones!

Continue reading Trailer For Documentary ‘Miss Sharon Jones!’ Celebrates A Soul Sensation at The Playlist.

Continue reading Spike Lee, Richard Linklater, Albert Maysles & More Directing ’30 For 30′ For ESPN at The Playlist.