Even if you think the whole enterprise of basketball is a bit silly—putting a ball in a hoop, really?—the rivalry between Indianapolis Pacers and the New York Knicks transcends the confines of the court.The two teams hate each other like the Smiths and the McCoys and no one embodied this vendetta more than Reggie Miller, the Haman to legions of Knick fans. This film, by Crazy Love director Dan Klores, is as much about the epic rivalry, fit for an amphitheater, as it is about the game. Read more Read it in print

Zoe Kazan is contemplating suicide. No, not in real life, where she’s doing just fine, thank you very much. But she’s had it with that dubious realm of interactivity known as Facebook. So it may be time for online suicide. Read more Read it in print

EVERYONE HAS THEIR wakeup moment about the Academy Awards: A moment when you put away childish belief and realize it’s not at all about art but about popularity (as Sally Field once indicated and then got lambasted for her clarity). Mine happened back in 1977 when Rocky won Best Picture and Taxi Driver did not. No plainer illustration of art vs. commerce is imaginable, but the reality has been blurred ever since. Read more Read it in print

Why is it that avant-garde film cloaked as educational garb is dismissed so easily? Thus the truly revolutionary work of Al Jarnow, seen on everything from 3-2-1 Contact. Read more Read it in print

Samba is the shuffling beating heart of Rio de Janeiro, the soundtrack of long hot nights that don’t end until 4 a.m. This film, part of the Cinema Tropical festival, follows the velha guarda,. Read more Read it in print

Don’t talk about 2009 movies unless you’ve seen Jan Troell’s comeback film. Everything that makes movies matter is in Everlasting Moments, but its virtual blackout and small (New York only) distribution by IFC proves how difficult it has become to survive Hollywood’s juggernaut—especially if you claim you love movies. Alienated from our own affections this way, we all become avatars. Read more

Nina Paley’s Sita Sings the Blues has been well received at film fests by critics through her own distribution efforts and a diehard group of supporters. When Paley couldn’t secure the music rights for the Annette Hanshaw songs integral to the film’s storytelling, it looked like it may never been seen by a wide audience. The film is now released on DVD this month (Indiepix) and will begin screening at the IFC Center this Friday (Dec. 25-31). Earlier this year Felicia Feaster spoke with Paley about the film, Sita’s “bodacious boobs” and her next project: viral animation shorts about artistic freedom. Read more

THE SUN HAS set in East Williamsburg, but the street is bathed in light. As I exit the Montrose stop on the L train slightly after 10 o’clock on a Tuesday night, I find myself in the midst of sudden activity. The occasional Latin-American celebration blazes through the neighborhood. This is different: It’s never this quiet. Tonight’s crowd has gathered on Meserole Street in absolute silence. People poke their heads out of darkened buildings, hypnotized by the bright lights. I approach with caution. It’s not some FlashForward plot made real, but a movie set—a big one. I notice papers on a nearby piece of equipment identifying the production: Boy Wonder. It appears to have a sizable budget and actors with major TV cred. Read more Read it in print

Though it may be a stoner’s film, the THC in X:THC refers, heavily, to The Human Condition.This multimedia extravaganza—a film featuring music by a band of the same name—delves deep into the HD world of depression. Read more

During La Danse: The Paris Opera Ballet, director Frederick Wiseman’s leisurely immersion into the rhythms of the POB, the world outside of the company’s grand, historic home is irrelevant. If the company was not seen rehearsing The Nutcracker—along with several premieres and a repertory staple—one would have no idea what time of year it was. Wiseman and his crew roamed the studios, stage, offices, corridors, as well as the rooftop and the catacombs of the venerable Palais Garnier for three months in late 2007. In this eminent documentary filmmaker’s trademark style, the film offers an elegantly edited compilation without any information beyond what we see and hear, as though we too had an open pass to observe behind the scenes. Read more