Movies

The death and ostensible resurrection of the great American city of Detroit has been the subject of so many feature pieces of journalism over the last 10 years (at least) that an outsider might be inclined to believe those events are recurring in a sort of temporal loop. The actual experience of living there day in and day out is credibly conveyed in the director Andrew James’s documentary “Street Fighting Men.”Eschewing interviews and even identifying titles, James interweaves portraits of three men. James “Jack Rabbit” Jackson is a retired cop who keeps neighborhood watch in an area blighted by break-ins and vandalism. Luke Williams is working on restoring a vacant home, but is short on money and resources. Deris Solomon, a new father, wants to get off the street and stick to the straight and narrow for the sake of his child. The religious leader Malik Shabazz, who was the central figure in James’s short film “Community Patrol,” is also seen here.[embedded content]
From the beginning there’s an undercurrent of weariness, of the wear and tear of living in a place to which the rest of the world — or rather, the movie strongly implies, the white world, the money world — has grown indifferent. “Tired of being a superhero?” a friend asks Jackson over coffee. A harsh winter and an instance of sabotage — or is it just paranoia? — provide a major setback for Luke. The death of the founder of the Young Detroit Builders program devastates Deris.It’s not a dismissal of this movie to say that its narratives are familiar. That’s more an indictment of the society that produces such scenarios. What makes the movie compelling, then, are not so much the stories that ebb and rise from despair to hope, like the tides, but the portraits of the people living them.Street Fighting MenNot rated. Running time: 1 hour 43 minutes. Watch on OVID.tv and Vimeo On Demand. More

Here are a few of the best events happening Thursday through Tuesday and how to tune in (all times are Eastern).Melissa McCarthy and Ben Falcone Teach Script WritingThursday at 9 p.m. on ZoomIs now the time for finally finish that screenplay? If so, the actors and comedians (and Hollywood power couple) Melissa McCarthy and Ben Falcone, along with the screenwriter Steve Mallory, want to help. The trio will host a special live-streamed class, “Writing for TV/Film,” to help raise money for the Groundlings, a Los Angeles-based improvisation and sketch comedy theater and school. (The class costs $50, and all proceeds go to the Groundlings.) Attendees will get tips on storytelling, structure and creating memorable characters. The discussion will be followed by a Q. and A., and the class will be limited to 250 attendees.When: 9 p.m.Where: Zoom. Enroll here.Finneas and Phoebe Bridgers Get NoiseyThursday at 8 p.m. on YouTubeIf you’ve had one too many quiet nights in, Vice’s second installment of its livestreamed concert series, Noisey Night In, might be just the thing. Finneas, Phoebe Bridgers, Claud, Alex Lahey, Beach Bunny and Faye Webster will perform, and the show will benefit the Sweet Relief Musicians Fund.When: 8 p.m.Where: The Noisey YouTube channelPepe Romero Live From SpainThursday at 7:30 p.m. on 92Y OnlinePepe Romero, a classical guitar virtuoso and member of the Romero Guitar Quartet, will perform live from his house in Spain. The show will open with a Bach transcription by Romero himself. Also on the program: pieces by Barrios, Tárrega, Torrobo and Rodrigo. Stay tuned after the concert for a chat with Romero and Performance Today’s Fred Child. Tickets are $10.When: 7:30 p.m.Where: 92Y Online. Register here.‘Unstoppable: Sean Scully and the Art of Everything’Thursday at 3 p.m. on Cinema OrangeIf you ever wondered what a year was like in the life of Sean Scully, one of the world’s most successful living painters — he once identified himself to a MoMA desk attendant by saying, “Sean Scully’s my name, painting stripes is my game” — tune in to this documentary. In it, the Irish-American painter, who has had works in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art and London’s Tate, flies around the world to open 15 major exhibitions. This event is hosted by Cinema Orange, a screening series from the Orange County Museum of Art.When: Thursday at 3 p.m. through 3 a.m. SundayWhere: R.S.V.P. here to receive the access link on the day of the screening.A 10-Day Global Film Festival Kicks OffFriday at 7 a.m. on YouTubeAs stressful as months of social distancing have been, events like this one offer a silver lining. How many of us would be able to attend a free 10-day film festival otherwise? This program from YouTube and Tribeca Enterprises, called “We Are One: A Global Film Festival,” will include more than 100 films — curated by more than 20 festivals like Tribeca, Cannes, New York and Sundance — as well as music, comedy and panel discussions. Talks will feature Francis Ford Coppola with Steven Soderbergh, Song Kang-ho and Bong Joon Ho, Guillermo del Toro, Jane Campion and Claire Denis. Each program will have a first screening at a scheduled time, but many will be available on demand over the course of the festival. Viewers can donate to Covid-19 relief efforts throughout.When: Friday at 7 a.m. through June 7.Where: The We Are One YouTube channel.Dropkick Murphys and Bruce Springsteen Team UpFriday at 6 p.m. on YouTubeThe lights will be on in Fenway Park on Friday. And while the stands will be empty, the field won’t be. The Dropkick Murphys, an American Celtic punk band, will livestream a full concert from the infield diamond of the Boston ballpark. Bruce Springsteen will join them remotely for what the band is calling a “Fenway Double Play”: playing one song of Springsteen’s and one of theirs.When: 6 p.m.Where: The Dropkick Murphy’s Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Twitch channels.Ariana Grande and Martin Short in ‘Hairspray Live!’Friday at 2 p.m. on YouTubeIf you missed “Hairspray Live!,” a television special originally broadcast by NBC in 2016, now is your chance. The show — based on the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical, which is based on the 1988 John Waters film — stars Maddie Baillio, Harvey Fierstein, Jennifer Hudson, Martin Short, Derek Hough, Ariana Grande, Andrea Martin and Kristin Chenoweth. Rosie O’Donnell and Sean Hayes also make special appearances.When: 2 p.m., and it will be available for 48 hours.Where: The Show Must Go On YouTube channel.A Legendary Led Zeppelin PerformanceSaturday at 3 p.m. on YouTubeLed Zeppelin and YouTube have teamed up to stream the renowned concert film “Celebration Day,” which chronicles the rock band’s 2007 tribute concert at London’s O2 Arena for the Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun. It was the band’s first headlining show in 27 years and was highly anticipated, with 20 million people applying for tickets through a worldwide lottery. Founding members John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant were joined onstage by Jason Bonham, the son of the late Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham. Video and audio of the concert were released in 2012, winning a Grammy for best rock album.When: 3 p.m., and it will be available for three days.Where: The official Led Zeppelin YouTube channel.David Guetta SpinsSaturday at 7 p.m. on FacebookDavid Guetta, one of the world’s most famous D.J.s, will livestream a performance in New York on Saturday to benefit the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City, Feeding America, the World Health Organization and Fondation Hôpitaux de Paris-Hôpitaux de France. The event, called “United at Home,” will begin after the evening clap for the city’s front-line workers.When: 7 p.m.Where: Guetta’s Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Twitch, TikTok, Instagram and VK channels.Banding Together for ColoradoSaturday at 8 p.m. on iHeartThe Avett Brothers, Brandi Carlile, The Lumineers, Dave Matthews and many more musical artists are banding together for the Colorado Music Relief Fund, to help all those in the Colorado music industry affected by Covid-19. The three-hour event will include performances and storytelling by musicians, road and stage crew members, music industry veterans and Colorado personalities.When: 8 p.m.Where: The KBCO iHeart channel and the CBSN Denver website. For those in the Denver area, the first hour will be broadcast on CBS Denver.‘Holiday Inn, The New Irving Berlin Musical’ Watch PartySaturday at 8 p.m. on BroadwayHD.comGather the whole family for this one. Concord Theatricals — on behalf of The Irving Berlin Music Company and in coordination with BroadwayHD, the Roundabout Theater Company and Playbill — is hosting a live viewing party of “Holiday Inn, The New Irving Berlin.” The 2016 musical stars the Tony Award nominees Bryce Pinkham and Megan Lawrence, as well as Lora Lee Gayer, Danny Rutigliano, Megan Sikora and Corbin Bleu. The production, by BroadwayHD, was captured on 14 high-definition cameras at Roundabout’s Studio 54. Follow along with the Irving Berlin Twitter and Instagram, and the Playbill Twitter and Instagram, for trivia, fun facts and giveaways throughout the event.When: 8 p.m., and it will be available to stream for free for 48 hours.Where: The BroadwayHD website.Smithsonian Kicks Off Pride MonthSunday at 8 p.m. on YouTubeA panda eating a rainbow cake? Where do I sign up? On the eve of Pride Month, the Smithsonian is introducing Project Pride, a virtual concert and digital time-capsule celebration of L.G.B.T.Q. heritage, culture and history — with gems from the National Zoo and other Smithsonian museums spanning the Smithsonian Pride Alliance. Indigo Girls, Rufus Wainwright, Pet Shop Boys, Jake Shears, Tig Notaro, Roxane Gay and others will participate.When: 8 p.m.Where: The Cooper Hewitt YouTube channel and the Smithsonian’s Project Pride website.Andrew Barth Feldman’s ‘Virtual Celebration!’Sunday at 7 p.m.The young Broadway star Andrew Barth Feldman, who recently concluded his yearlong turn as Evan in the Tony Award-winning musical “Dear Evan Hansen,” is hosting a one-night-only virtual event to raise money for the soon-to-be renovated Barbra Barth Feldman Performing Arts Center, (renamed after Feldman’s late mother) at his alma mater, the Lawrence Woodmere Academy in New York. Originally scheduled to be an in-person concert, the event has been restructured to be virtual. The evening will feature prerecorded and live musical performances, skits, original music and many surprises. Skylar Astin, Gaten Matarazzo, Erika Henningsen, Taylor Trensch, Antonio Cipriano, Alex Boniello, Gabrielle Carrubba and more will participate. Tickets go for a suggested donation of $10 to $30.When: 7 p.m.Where: Those who purchase tickets will receive a private link to stream the event.A Star-Studded Evening From the Public TheaterMonday at 8 p.m. on FacebookThe Public Theater is holding a one-night-only virtual fund-raiser on Monday to support itself during the pandemic. The evening — hosted by Jesse Tyler Ferguson (“Modern Family”) — will be packed with performances from and conversations with stars of stage and screen, including Meryl Streep, Sandra Oh, Antonio Banderas, Anne Hathaway, Sting, Daniel Craig, Jane Fonda, Alicia Keys, John Lithgow, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Elvis Costello, Claire Danes, Glenn Close, Oscar Isaac, Audra McDonald, Danielle Brooks, John Leguizamo and Phylicia Rashad. The event is directed by the Tony winner Kenny Leon.When: 8 p.m.Where: The Public Theater’s Facebook and YouTube channels, and its website.National Premiere of ‘Parkland Rising’Tuesday at 8 p.m. on FacebookThe feature-length documentary “Parkland Rising,” a look at the students — including David Hogg, Jaclyn Corin and Emma Gonzalez — who energized a movement for gun safety after the Parkland school shooting, will premiere in the United States on Tuesday, to coincide with National Gun Violence Awareness Day. The film will be introduced by Katie Couric and will.i.am, executive producers on it, and a conversation will follow with its director, the Emmy winner Cheryl Horner McDonough, Manuel Oliver, Greg Kahn, Manju Bangalore and will.i.am, moderated by Couric. Music was provided by the Black Eyed Peas, Bob Dylan, Pearl Jam and others. An encore screening will be broadcast on June 5 at 7 p.m.When: 8 p.m.Where: The “Parkland Rising” Facebook page, and Pearl Jam’s YouTube channel.‘Let’s Stay (In) Together’: A Benefit for the ApolloTuesday at 7:30 p.m. on the Apollo Theater website“Captain” Kirk Douglas of The Roots, Kool & the Gang, Gary Clark Jr., Robert Randolph, Lil Buck, Dionne Warwick, Doug E. Fresh and more will participate in “Let’s Stay (In) Together: A Benefit to Support the Apollo Theater.” The evening will highlight the theater’s 86-year contribution to arts and culture, with guests performing the music of Apollo legends like B.B. King, Patti LaBelle and Stevie Wonder. It will also include special tributes, and a series of poems and performances dedicated to the memory of those who have lost their lives because of Covid-19. The benefit is part of the theater’s campaign to raise $4 million to safeguard its future. When: 7:30 p.m.Where: The Apollo Theater website.Peter Libbey contributed research. More

In the sensitively observed drama “I’m No Longer Here,” the mellow rhythm of cumbia music is the soundtrack to the life of Ulises (Juan Daniel García), a laconic 17-year-old in Monterrey, Mexico. He belongs to Los Terkos, a youth dance crew in the area, and his style and grade-A dance moves make him a leader among the group. But when a misunderstanding with a local cartel puts Ulises in their cross hairs, he is forced to leave Mexico or risk being killed.Now streaming on Netflix, the film opens on its lead character saying goodbye to his homeland. The story then intercuts between his lively days in Monterrey and his struggle to survive as an immigrant in the New York City neighborhood of Jackson Heights, Queens. There, Ulises is treated as either an unwelcome outsider or an object of cultural fascination. He finds an eager friend in the 16-year-old Lin (Angelina Chen), who becomes entranced by Ulises after she finds him sheltering on the roof of her grandfather’s bodega.[embedded content]The writer-director Fernando Frías de la Parra, whose directing credits include the first season of the HBO series “Los Espookys,” renders Ulises’ difficulties with an admirable light touch. Through wide shots and long pans, the film surveys the character’s distinct environments, highlighting the gap between his community in Monterrey and his alienation in Queens. Music also serves as a symbol of the culture Ulises left behind; on multiple occasions, he tries to share cumbia with American acquaintances who can’t quite engage in its joy.At points, the story drags. But “I’m No Longer Here” offers an authentic portrait of a boy adrift from home. The film is most alive while plumbing teen counterculture in Monterrey, where Los Terkos — played by nonprofessional actors — are as natural haggling with a local shopkeeper as they are dancing to their favorite tunes. Frías de la Parra is thoughtful and precise in conveying the cultural identity of these young people, and their spirit pulses through the story.I’m No Longer HereNot rated. In Spanish, with subtitles. Running time: 1 hour 45 minutes. Watch on Netflix. More

LOS ANGELES — The coronavirus pandemic complicated what may have been the most crucial weeks of Sarah Aubrey’s Hollywood career. As the head of original programming at HBO Max, the streaming platform that went live on Wednesday, she has the power to say yes to shows and films that will be seen by millions. But she has also had to contend with 30 productions that were shut down and three homebound children, ages 6, 10 and 17.In the week leading up to the launch of an ambitious on-demand video service built to challenge Netflix, Aubrey made sure the children had their breakfasts and were ready for school, via Zoom, by 9 a.m. Then she got back to work, checking in with showrunners and filmmakers like Steven Soderbergh.His first film for the platform, “Let Them All Talk,” starring Meryl Streep, will be ready later this year. He may also be the first HBO Max filmmaker to restart production. To Aubrey, his decades behind the camera make him the perfect candidate. And it doesn’t hurt that he was the director of “Contagion,” the 2011 film that now seems oddly prescient.“I think it would be borderline malpractice to send someone who is not an experienced hand onto a set right now,” Aubrey said during an interview at her Los Angeles home. “You need your 10,000 hours to manage this kind of situation.”And Aubrey would know, for the producer-turned-studio executive earned her own 10,000 hours producing films and television shows for over a decade before transitioning to the corporate suite.Dressed in a salmon jumpsuit, metallic Birkenstocks and white socks, she looked more like a bohemian denizen of her Studio City neighborhood than a powerful executive. Even at the pandemic-appropriate distance of six feet, the charm on her necklace was not hard to see: “1973,” the year of the landmark Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade.“It often elicits interesting conversations,” Aubrey said. “Plus, it’s an easier way to talk about feminism without me having to wear my ‘Feminist AF’ T-shirt.”Aubrey is the highest-ranking woman at HBO Max. She works under Kevin Reilly, the head of content, Robert Greenblatt, the head of entertainment, and Jason Kilar, the division’s recently named chief executive. A main order of business for AT&T, after its purchase of Time Warner for $85.4 billion, was the creation of a major digital platform that would unite all the disparate units of Warner Media: Warner Bros, HBO, Cartoon Network, CNN and TNT, among others, in one service. The company plans to invest more than $4 billion in HBO Max, which has arrived late to the streaming party at a cost of $15 a month, a higher price than Netflix, Disney Plus, Apple TV Plus and Hulu.Aubrey, 48, said she sees her role as an opportunity to build a team that can help move the company into the future. “I have some kick-ass, adult, really ambitious, kind people who work for me,” she said. “And it’s like 80-percent female.”She considers herself fortunate to be in digital media at this moment.“This is a once-in-a-career opportunity, to be on the ground floor of something like this,” Aubrey said. “It’s not only streaming — which is where everyone wants to be — but I know everyone inside this company. There is jet fuel sitting here.”Programs that have received the green light on her watch include “Love Life,” an unapologetic rom-com series starring Anna Kendrick, and “Legendary,” a competition show set in the underground ballroom scene. The first film she commissioned, “Tokyo Vice,” from the director Michael Mann and starring Ansel Elgort, was shut down after five days of shooting in Japan because of the virus. Aubrey thinks it, too, has a chance to start up again soon. More