What do you have to say to the Russian people in the event of your death? Filmmaker Daniel Roher (“Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and the Band”) asks his subject, Russian political dissident Alexei Navalny, at the beginning of his engrossing new doc “Navalny.” “C’mon,” Navalny scoffs, dismissively, as if highly attuned to Roher’s “gotcha” question he could frame posthumously in the case of the political agitator’s untimely death.

Continue reading ‘Navalny’ Review: Russian Dissident Doc Plays Out Like An Entertaining Thriller [Sundance] at The Playlist.

When Martin Scorsese released “The Last Waltz” in 1978, it was more than just a love letter to a musical group, it was a eulogy to an era. Ostensibly about the 1976 farewell concert for The Band, the documentary touched on tour fatigue, the group’s history, 60s nostalgia, and to the keen observer, the effects of substance abuse on functioning addicts. “Once Were Brothers” picks up the story 40+ years later, and while it has a number of notable music industry luminaries to contextualize The Band, the absence of any members of the group outside of Robbie Robertson gives it a narrow focus its predecessor lacked.

Continue reading ‘Once Were Brothers’ Tries To Take ‘The Band’ for One Last Waltz [Review] at The Playlist.

Just hours after the Venice Film Festival revealed its 2019 opener, the Toronto International Film Festival has wasted no time announcing its first premiere. TIFF 2019 will kick off with Daniel Roher’s “Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band,” a documentary about one of Toronto’s musical heroes. The film will have its gala debut on Thursday, September 5 at Roy Thompson Hall.

READ MORE: Hirokazu Kore-eda’s ‘The Truth’: Catherine Deneuve & Ethan Hawke Drama Will Opening The 2019 Venice Film Festival

In a statement, Cameron Bailey, Artistic Director and Co-Head of TIFF remarked, “This is one of Toronto’s great stories of a hometown hero.

Continue reading ‘Once We Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson & The Band’ Is Opening 2019 Toronto Film Festival at The Playlist.