Arts
Movie Review: The Comedian
In The Comedian, De Niro takes on the role of Jackie Burke, an aging comedian running from the sellout skeletons in his closet. … read more
Sundance Film Review: The Incredible Jessica James
Director Jim Strouse decided to write an entire film tailor-made for Jessica Williams in the lead. The result is a lighthearted indie comedy that shines—especially through the effortlessness with which Williams commands each scene. … read more
Sundance Film Review: The Hero
Brett Haley is one of the few filmmakers who appears genuinely interested in the lives of people over fifty. In this year’s The Hero, he takes another close look at faded glory and second chances. It’s a quiet film with well-placed spurts of humor and vulnerability, and it’s a continuing testament to the acting abilities of the legendary Sam Elliott.
Sundance Film Review: Bushwick
It doesn’t take long for Bushwick’s visceral action to kick in—after about five minutes of everyday routine, our characters are thrust into a deadly conflict that is raging across Brooklyn. … read more
Sundance Film Review: Manifesto
In Manifesto, Cate Blanchett takes center stage in a stunning homage to some of the most emphatic declarations of 20th-century art and art history. Blanchett takes on 13 different roles, examining how these truths hold up in our contemporary world. … read more
Slamdance Film Review: Hotel Coolgardie
Pete Gleeson’s documentary, “Coolgardie,” is about a remote town in Western Australia. After getting their credit cards stolen and travel savings drained in Bali, Finnish travellers Lina and Steph decide to work in the town’s pub, hoping to replenish their funds. Coolgardie, however, isn’t anything close to what Lina and Steph were prepared for. … read more
Sundance Film Review: The Big Sick
The Big Sick is a story that deftly balances comedy and drama. It’s time to another funny and unexpectedly powerful film in the Apatow collection. … read more
Slamdance Film Review: On The Sly: In Search of the...
Starting innocently enough as a documentary of a fan trying to score an interview with their favorite musical artist, On the Sly turns into a decade-long search for Sly Stone, the frontman of Sly and the Family Stone and composer of hit classics like “Everyday People” and “Thank You.” … read more
Slamdance Film Review: Kate Can’t Swim
“Kate Can’t Swim,” directed by Josh Helman, can almost be described as a post-coming of age film as Kate (Celeste Arias) starts to feel unsettled right as her life is seemingly falling into place. Artistically, all of the elements are in place for a visually stunning cinematic experience. “Kate Can’t Swim” shows on Jan. 22 at 7:30 p.m. in the Ballroom and Jan. 24 at 10:30 a.m. in the Gallery. … read more
Slamdance Film Review: Jia (The Family)
Patient and poised, Shumin Liu’s feature-film debut is a measured masterpiece. From muted start to wrenching denouement, Shumin Liu brings a considered and stylish sensibility to the ordinariness that imbues The Family’s story. … read more
Slamdance Film Review: The Children Send Their Regards
The Children Send Their Regards is relentlessly eye-opening and excruciatingly detailed in its examination of the corruption that pervades throughout the clergy—and throughout a society with a legal system and statue of limitations that protects the abusers over the abused. … read more
Slamdance Film Review: Weather House
“Weather House” depicts a post-apocalyptic world where humans are driven to the brink of extinction via extreme and sudden temperature shifts. While the film does not give us many clues as to how the world came to be this way, it does show what a certain, cult-like group does in order to ensure its survival. … read more
