The Brothers Olson: the blogosphere’s answer to the Coens

Troy Olson (left) with Tieryn and Kevin Olson at the Oregon State Fair in 2009

Note:  This is the eighth feature dedicated to bloggers who have made a huge difference to the on-line community.

by Sam Juliano

Literature gave the world the Brothers Grimm and the Brothers Karamazov.  Music gave us George and Ira Gershwin and and the Brothers Sherman.  The cinema has yielded the talents of Joel and Ethan Coen.  In the age of the internet two blogging brothers from the Salem, Oregon area have enriched the film community with their unique insights, specialized tastes, and some of the finest on-line writing available to readers.  Troy and Kevin Olson have matched their long-running and prolific activity on the film boards with the nearly four-year stewardship of two popular sites, Hugo Stiglitz Makes Movies and Elusive as Robert Denby: The Life and Times of Troy.  Both the elder Troy and his younger sibling Kevin (the two have a third brother who resides in San Diego) have also written for other sites  and for a very long time have been regular contributors at the homes of others, furnishing many of their colleagues with some of the most valued commentary under film reviews and features.  Troy has reported on his travel, family additions and domestic events at a site aptly dubbed ‘Olson Family Matters,’ while Kevin has been a contributor at a Western blog launched by fellow writer Jon Lanthier. 

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Tribeca Film Festival, Stage Play “High” with Kathleen Turner, and films “The Conspirator,” “Le Quattro Volte,” “The Princess of Montpessier” and “Moneyball” on Monday Morning Diary (April 18)

Robert Redford's surprisingly compelling drama about Lincoln conspirator Mary Surratt starring James McAvoy and Robin Wright

by Sam Juliano

Here in the Big Apple the Tribeca Film Festival gets underway this coming week, and through the efforts of one of the event’s chairpersons, Pete Torres, Wonders in the Dark has been granted press passes for about a dozen of the highlight features.  The connection with Mr. Torres was made by none other than our dear friend and impassioned commentator Dennis Polifroni via his position as dispatcher for Scotty’s Cab Company.  I have tentative plans in place to see about ten films, starting on Thursday evening, April 23, and continuing through to April 30.  Hence this seven-day span will be quite a hectic time.  A full report will be posted in early May, though I am certain a few individual reviews will be appearing beforehand.  Broadway Bob and Lucille will be alternately appearing as my free guest for the trips into Manhattan.  Many thanks to Pete Torres and to Dennis for making this happen.

The film noir countdown has now reached the Top Ten, and congratulations are in order for the good-natured and humble proprietor of this major venture, Maurizio Roca of Brooklyn.  Roca has penned some of his finest reviews over the past week for a bevy of the genre’s masterpieces, including Nightmare Alley, The Night of the Hunter, The Third Man and Sweet Smell of Success.  The film noir countdown has attracted remarkable site traffic, and tons of comments, nearly all uniformly knowledgeble and enthusiastic.  It’s been an amazing ride for all of us, and an accomplishment of epic proportions from this passionate adherent of this revered cinematic form.

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