Authors: Alex Springer
Sundance Film Review: The Overnight
While The Overnight has a few flaws in its execution, the chemistry among the principal actors comes close to making up for them. It’s not a perfect film, but it offers a unique and funny story about what people are willing to do in order to strengthen a marriage. … read more
Sundance Film Review: Christmas, Again
While there is value in creating cinema that captures the everyday human experience, Christmas, Again overshoots that mark by being so real that it’s boring. At the very least, films should tell stories about interesting characters. … read more
Sundance Film Review: True Story
The terse chemistry between Hill and Franco is gripping to watch—it’s never quite clear who is using whom until the film’s final moments. These two actors deftly play out their characters’ battle for psychological dominance. … read more
Sundance Film Review: City of Gold
City of Gold chronicles the career of a quietly rebellious food critic as he gleefully eschews the stereotypical snobbery that most food critics share. This film is an excellent treatment of a talented critic’s passion for diverse food—and it comes equipped with a restaurant guide in the end credits to boot. … read more
Sundance Film Review: Slow West
In what may be one of the most aptly-named films at this year’s festival, Slow West is in no hurry to tell the story of Scotsman Jay Cavendish and his continent-spanning quest to find Rose, the long-lost love from his hometown. … read more
Sundance Film Review: Me & Earl & The Dying Girl
Upon seeing Me & Earl & the Dying Girl, I was reminded that movies can be commercially successful and good at the same time—and that’s okay. The film chronicles the senior year of Greg, his friend Earl, and Rachel, who has been diagnosed with leukemia. … read more
Sundance Film Review: Glassland
Glassland is both a love story without sex, and a crime story without violence—a decided anomaly among just about every other film about life in an Irish slum. … read more
Sundance Film Review: Chuck Norris vs. Communism
While the Romanian people struggled under their political restraints, a few upstarts started passing around dubbed VHS copies of Western films. Through this, the Romanian people learned about the world outside of their country’s oppressive borders. Chuck Norris vs. Communism is a charming little doc for those of us who believe that movies can be a sanctuary in our darkest moments.
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Carleton Bluford: Just Another Mama’s Boy
The ancient Greeks had their tales of Apollo and Artemis slaughtering the 14 children of Niobe in defense of their mother’s honor; Hamlet’s relationship with Gertrude has fueled literary discussions for hundreds of years; even Buster Bluth’s fixation on his mother Lucille has been weirding us out since 2003. … read more
Adventure Time: The Wasatch Mountain Film Festival
While browsing among the latest outdoor recreational gear at this year’s Adventure+Gear Expo is enough to get the blood pumping, it takes a bit more to become truly inspired. With that in mind, local outdoorsman and film enthusiast Stuart Derman has partnered with Wasatch Mountain Arts to create the first annual Wasatch Mountain Film Festival. … read more
City Weekly’s Pizza Party @ The Gateway 04.25
Like a vigilant night watchman, pizza was there when you and your friends wrote the very last line of code for your very first video game, or when you needed comfort after some asshole took an emotional shotgun to your heart. Pizza has been the unsung companion to all of our victories and defeats over the years, and thanks to City Weekly’s First Annual Pizza Party, the noble pizza pie was properly celebrated. … read more
Review: Waking Austin
After spending some time on Dama Spirit, I found that I was left with more questions than answers—and maybe that’s the point. Perhaps the originators of a site that describes itself as “a creative source dancing with the rhythm of life; moving to inspire and create good vibes” are really on to something. … read more
