Paris is Burning - The Criterion Collection (Blu-ray) by Tyler Foster Shot over the course of several years between 1986 and 1989 and whittled down to a lean 76 minutes out of roughly as many hours of footage, the landmark LGBTQ documentary Paris is Burning, which dives into the world of NYC "ball culture," has been restored and reinvigorated by the UCLA Film and Television Archive, with support from the Sundance Institute, Outfest, and The Criterion Collection, culminating with the film's Blu-ray debut, arriving in time to celebrate the movie's 30th Anniversary. Despite the three decades between the film's original theatrical release and today, this is as vibrant and vital a social portrait as it ever was, with the intervening years only adding further depth and richness to the many funny, beautiful, unique, and bittersweet things Livingston managed to capture on film. Although Livingston talks to a wide range of performers and community members, the film is ...Read the entire review »