If there’s one thing that all cinephiles share, it’s that excited feeling when the house lights turn down low, the screen lights up, and the possibilities are endless for the adventure to come. It doesn’t really matter if you’re in… Read More ›
In Theaters
Animated action caper “The Bad Guys” asks what makes a good being a good being.
July 15th, 2015, saw the release of Aaron Blabey’s kids book “The Bad Guys: Episode 1.” It introduced the world to Mr. Wolf, Mr. Piranha, Mr. Snake, and Mr. Shark and their quest to shift how the world sees them… Read More ›
Kate Tsang weaves magic and grief throughout “Marvelous and the Black Hole.”
**Trigger Warning: Brief scenes of self-harm.** When loss occurs, there is no single right way to grieve. There’s no time limit on how long, no requirement beyond what your community expects. For Jews, for instance, there’s a tradition of sitting… Read More ›
“We’re All Going to the World’s Fair” but should we?
Before anyone asks: no, this is not a spiritual musical successor to Rodgers and Hammerstein’s 1945 musical State Fair, so don’t get your hopes up like I did. The internet — a beacon of hope and knowledge in modern human… Read More ›
“Chariot” misses on almost all of its potential.
Sometimes what sounds good on paper does not necessarily translate well past that. What is worse than an idea that doesn’t fully flourish is when the plot description that is plastered over the internet gives away the entire movie itself… Read More ›
Warm and unimposing, yet “Mothering Sunday” withers under its less conventional approach.
Working at the box office of an independently owned arthouse cinema gives you insight to a lot of things, mostly that not many people want to come to the movies anymore, which is a damn shame. However, there are still… Read More ›
Rita Moreno is the teacher you love to hate in Maureen Bharoocha’s “The Prank.” [SXSW Film Festival]
School days offer bored kids the opportunity to imagine wild scenarios about notable teachers. Students love to speculate on the personal lives of their instructors and wonder what goes on after the bell. What if the rumors turn out to… Read More ›
Nadine Crocker’s drama “Cont;nue” explores venturing on when all seems lost.
**Trigger Warning: The film involves self-harm and suicidal ideation.** There are two phrases that repeat often in my head. The first is an old one, “depression lies.” Not sure where it came from — a meme, a research article, a… Read More ›
Minimalism speaks volumes in Bishrel Mashbat’s dramatic romance “Beloved.”
אֲנִי לְדוֹדִי וְדוֹדִי לִי (I am my beloved’s, my beloved is mine). – Song of Songs 6:3 These are the words inscribed upon the wedding bands my wife and I share, the phrase split between the bands. I forget how… Read More ›
Mary Wall’s documentary “The Fan Connection” will have even those disinterested in sports cheering ‘Let’s Go, Buffalo!’
Almost every town in the world has something that they pride themselves on, something that they can hang their hat on that no one else can. For my hometown, Roanoke, Virginia, it’s being called the Star City of the South,… Read More ›
Addison Heimann’s “Hypochondriac” is horror as therapy. [SXSW Film Festival]
Addison Heimann deals with the ghosts in his past by bringing them to light, inviting scrutiny from whoever chooses to open the Pandora’s box that is Hypochondriac. While few directors probably choose to enter the game with an exposé into… Read More ›
Cooper Raiff continues to deliver strong crowd-pleasing stories in his second feature, “Cha Cha Real Smooth.” [SXSW Film Festival]
There’s always *that* Sundance film each year that comes out the festival the most triumphant one way or another, whether it be from the awards it won or the stars it has within it or the amount of money a… Read More ›
“The Cow” fails to deliver on an intriguing concept. [SXSW Film Festival]
There was a viral tweet going around a few days ago from E! News with some truly stunning pictures of Anne Hathaway and a caption that read “Did Anne Hathaway make a deal with the devil? She is literally aging… Read More ›
Drama “To Leslie” offers another powerful leading role for Andrea Riseborough. [SXSW Film Festival]
Every gay has their actress, or at least the one that we consider “our own” in a way the mainstream doesn’t fully. Sure, we all generally love Gaga and Meryl and Glenn, and so many other classic gay icons, but… Read More ›
The horror of “Soft & Quiet” is in the truth of it, for better or worse. [SXSW Film Festival]
It’s often said that money is the root of all evil, and while over the course of all human history that might be true, in the modern era, it’s becoming more clear that white supremacy is the root of all… Read More ›
Sam Green’s experimental documentary “32 Sounds” is something you listen with, not to. [SXSW Film Festival]
What does it mean to sit in a moment? For some, it means to be present, to actively engage in the “now.” It implies an action, a movement made in order to seize what’s before you. It’s the difference between… Read More ›
Pete Ohs’s “Jethica” offers an approach to forgiveness and grief we’d all be better to consider. [SXSW Film Festival]
Jethica is a film that wastes no time in laying its narrative out on the table with a refreshing efficiency. No padding, no filler, no three hour runtime, just a film that has a statement to make, makes it, and… Read More ›
Aisha Dee slays in Australian horror comedy “Sissy.” [SXSW Film Festival]
We’ve all had our experiences with bullies. Some more than others, certainly, but looking back on the pitfalls of adolescence in the light of adulthood, there’s always that nagging voice in the back of your head telling you “If you… Read More ›
The supporting cast steals the show in comedy “Spin Me Round.” [SXSW Film Festival]
Jeff Baena has written a lot of things over the last few years that have broken the mold and done something new for the comedy genre by not delivered the typical trope movies. He and his now wife, Aubrey Plaza,… Read More ›
“Spaz” explores the failed success of cinematic CG artist Steve Williams. [SXSW Film Festival]
Steve Williams. This is a name anyone who loves movies should know, but how many people can honestly say they know of Steve Williams, or Spaz as he was known to friends? He is the reason why James Cameron’s Abyss… Read More ›