Community
Slamdance Film Review: Elliot
In a stunning tribute to amateur filmmaking, this documentary follows Elliot—an overwhelmingly amateur filmmaker who is on a journey to become a cult icon as Canada’s first action hero.
… read more
Sundance Film Review: Locke
I can’t believe I watched 85 minutes of a man driving a car, at night, by himself, without getting bored. Ivan Locke, played by Tom Hardy (The Dark Knight Rises)—the sole visible actor in the film—begins driving home from a construction site the night before the biggest job of his career as a successful construction foreman. If I had known this film was just a guy in a car, I wouldn’t have seen it. The writing, directing and acting were all spot-on. I could have ridden around with Hardy and listened to him talk for another half-hour, at least. … read more
Slamdance Film Review: Copenhagen
Shot in the beautiful city of (you guessed it) Copenhagen, Denmark, the film follows 28-year-old William (Gethin Anthony) as he searches for his grandfather with nothing to guide him besides a letter.
… read more
Sundance Film Review: Only Lovers Left Alive
Only Lovers Left Alive is Jarmusch’s take on the vampire genre, and the Jarmuschian way of underplaying the “mainstream” draw is the film’s strength. Any violence and seduction that usually defines the myth is all implied. … read more
Slamdance Film Review: Waiting for Mamu
In Kathmandu, Nepal, the children of convicted citizens are sent to prison with their parents until they are old enough to make it on their own or until their parents are released.
… read more
Sundance Film Review: Lilting
Director Hong Khaou beautifully captures the unique story of Junn, a woman whose son—her only connection to the world around her—dies tragically, leaving her in discomfort and suspension in a rest home as her deceased son’s boyfriend, Richard, struggles to help her while coming to terms with his own loss and guilt. … read more
Think of the Children! Tumbleweeds Joins Forces With Sundance
With the Tumbleweeds Film Festival, now in its fourth year, already making waves with its age-appropriate programming with locals, the efforts of Patrick Hubley and his colleagues were noticed by an even larger organization, the Sundance Film Festival. … read more
Ring Rats Anonymous: UCW Zero TV Taping @ UCW Arena...
I’ve got to say, Bronson is seriously hitting his stride right now and his character just keeps getting better and better. Full-on freak-outs, shouting matches with pre-pubescents and the occasional self-inflicted slap on the noggin may seem like lowbrow entertainment to most, but in the eyes of this writer, it’s Shakespearean-level artistry. … read more
DIY or Die: An Interview with Peter Baxter of Slamdance
“I think that over the years, the gatekeepers—the studio gatekeepers—have now become fewer, because I think with a film festival like Slamdance, the way that it’s programmed has shown that you don’t have to then be anointed, as it were, by a studio member to say that you can come in and now you can do this. Slamdance has played its part in helping to break down that barrier.” … read more
Salt 9: Jillian Mayer
Jillian Mayer, a south Florida–based artist and Sundance Film Festival alum, is the ninth artist to be featured in the Utah Museum of Fine Art’s ongoing Salt series, which highlights contemporary work from emerging artists. Much of Jillian Mayer’s work investigates the fragmenting consequences of Internet usage through some of its most ubiquitous media—catchy pop songs, humorous YouTube videos, chat rooms and ephemeral linkages. … read more
Gay Marriage: The Bread and Circus Show
What has been called by some as “a true Christmas miracle,” gay and lesbians can now “officially” get married in the state of Utah. Yet, despite this supposed “fight won against evil,” to quote a Facebook friend, is there anyone else feeling a little conflicted by the events of this past week? … read more
Gheybin Comish and her Merman Obsession
Comish points out her overall inspiration—she says, “I like the primitive act of fighting. I am into Inuit things and figures. I like the plump, fleshy figures.” I could not help but feel privileged to see notes, doodles and observations that she takes with her everywhere, a private insight to her whimsical imagination. Comish’s talent runs deep, and when she casually mentions that she was a child-prodigy pianist, I don’t bat an eye and enviously mumble under my breath something to the effect of, “Oh, of course you were.” … read more
