When you’re raised in a musical theatre loving family, you often are served a delicious buffet of Broadway talent. From the classic tunes of Rodgers and Hammerstein (Oklahoma!) to the ‘80s stylings of Andrew Lloyd Webber (The Phantom of the… Read More ›
In the year 2005, when I was just a young lad (12, I know I am dating myself here), I was at the theater and experienced the closest thing to a proshot I would have encountered up to that point…. Read More ›
1975: A movie bombed. This would not be the first time a film would release into theaters and get destroyed financially upon release and it certainly wouldn’t be the last. However, something odd happened — people who did enjoy it… Read More ›
“Art can save your life … Entertainment will never be your salvation … .” – Comedian Josh Jackson. In 2020, as COVID-19 resulted in lockdowns around the world, twin siblings Ari and Ethan Gold began corresponding with their father, Herbert,… Read More ›
Trigger Warning: Photosensitive viewers should take precautions before viewing as they are several brief sequences and two longer sequences involving flashing lights. “… to comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable …” There’s a long tradition of using stories to… Read More ›
Back in 2003, I had the pleasure (much like the rest of New York) of getting to see a new musical called Wicked. In the mind of this then-13-year-old, seeing a story about a misunderstood witch from the land of… Read More ›
What is a soul worth? If one believes that it’s not a thing that can be manifested on its own, that comes to us naturally, or that it is a gift instilled in us by our creator, well, that’s three… Read More ›
Redemption stories come in a great many forms. Time loops stories utilize the constriction created by a repeated day(s) to force introspection and change, the loop broken in comedies (Groundhog Day), dramas (The Map of Tiny Perfect Things), and horror… Read More ›
Musicals about the apocalypse or the end of the world are certainly not new territory, but they all succeed to various mileage. While there is no world where a Mad Max-type movie is going to put to song, Joshua Oppenheimer’s… Read More ›
When a movie is pitched as “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) meets Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) meets Les Misérables (2012),” there is something that immediately grabs my attention because a musical that is zany and over-the-top… Read More ›
When looking at the history of popular music, no artist was (or will ever be) quite like Prince Roger Nelson. With his unique stature, confidence, incredible wardrobe, and even more impressive musical skills, Prince would become an icon in every… Read More ›
In this edition of Meet Me at the Movies: Open Dialogue, Thomas Manning sits down with actress KiKi Layne to discuss her work in the beautiful character drama Dandelion. Directed by Nicole Riegel, Dandelion also stars Thomas Doherty and features original… Read More ›
Dandelion opens in a small number of theaters this week where it will undoubtedly achieve the height of its success because of the tragedy of the era into which it is released. It’s an independent film about a desperate musician… Read More ›
“Remember what the MPAA says; Horrific, Deplorable violence is okay, as long as people don’t say any naughty words! That’s what this war is all about!” – Sheila Broflovski, South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut It’s been 25 years since… Read More ›
At the peak of the DVD/VHS era, studios would often release worse, extended, “unrated*” cuts of films with more boobs and cursing to trick a few customers into purchasing the film a second time. That’s what Francis Ford Coppola (The… Read More ›
The original Mean Girls starring Lindsay Lohan (Freaky Friday), Rachel McAdams (Game Night), Amanda Seyfried (Jennifer’s Body), and Lacey Chabert (Not Another Teen Movie), was released almost exactly 20 years ago on April 30, 2004. Inspired by Queen Bees and… Read More ›
Beau Bridges & Rob Mayes star in Freestyle Releasing and Mountain Movies’s The Neon Highway. The two talk with Noel T. Manning II on Open Dialogue about music and mentors. The Neon Highway explores second chances, relationships, risks and remembering… Read More ›
How could one describe the timeless story of The Color Purple? A story about struggles, adversities, power, love and, ultimately, forgiveness? A story about a marginalized and abused woman gaining her voice and learning to enjoy life? Three women sharing… Read More ›
After a world premiere at Sundance 2024, co-directors and operators of Magic Society Pictures, Nicole Daddona and Adam Wilder (Sexy Furby; The Mundanes) bring their animated horror short The Bleacher to SXSW for its Texas premiere. Looking like stop motion… Read More ›
When not compared against the bountifulness of time, 100 years is a long time. Within the last 100, three generations of Davidsons followed the arrival of my grandfather. We have fought in two world wars (nearly crossed the line into… Read More ›