Thirty years after its release, Baltimore gives its most famous film the respect it deserves
Earlier this year, when Vanity Fair marked the 30th anniversary of Diner by proclaiming the Baltimore-set movie, written and directed by native son Barry Levinson, “the most influential movie of the...
Ramona Diaz looked through the lens as Filipino teachers learned the ABC’s of Baltimore’s public schools.
Documentary filmmaker Ramona Diaz has always loved looking through a lens. "In high school, I had a camera at all times and was the photo editor of my yearbook," she says. "Even then, I loved the...
Indie director's latest ode to Baltimore opens this month.
When Baltimore's own Matt Porterfield becomes a big star—and we have no doubt it's going to happen—you want to say that you were with him from the start. So, first check out his wistful and...
Delegate Keiffer Mitchell Jr. is at a cafe, being interviewed for this story, when his cell phone rings. "Hang on a sec, I've got to take this," he says. He leans away and answers the phone. He's...
As new owners run the show, the Senator gets a facelift.
When Baltimore’s celebrated Senator Theatre closed its doors, the city went into collective mourning. The Art Deco theater had been a beloved fixture of the city since it opened in 1939, representing...
How the Maryland film industry went from bustling to bust and its chances for a revival.
"Gooood morning, BAAAL-ti-more!" burbles Tracy Turnblad, the zaftig heroine of Hairspray, as she skips down a Highlandtown block in the opening song-and-dance number of the 2007 movie-musical. The...
Josh Charles is excited about his new hit TV show, but what he'd really like is more time in Baltimore.
Josh Charles is living proof that you can take the boy out of Baltimore, but you can't take Baltimore out of the boy. A working actor since he was 15, Charles left his hometown to work when he was 16...
Matthew Porterfield and a new crop of local filmmakers utilize Baltimore as both setting and muse.
It was a father-and-son bonding experience, one that would forever chart the arc of a kid's life, but it wasn't exactly playing catch in the backyard.
"Dad would rent a print of Lili from the Pratt...
At last, Michael Sragow gives Victor Fleming the biography he deserves.
Everyone loves Victor Fleming movies, although most people don’t know they do. Baltimore Sun film critic Michael Sragow is working to change that. ¶ For those unfamiliar with his legacy, Fleming is...
A new documentary chronicles Cal Ripken Jr.'s mission to introduce baseball to China.
In America, Little Leaguers would be ecstatic to get a clinic from Cal Ripken Jr. In China, they don't even know who he is. So when Ripken went to the country last fall to conduct baseball clinics...
