Last weekend marked the 5th Annual Treasure Island Music Festival, a rock and dance festival that takes place in the middle of the San Francisco Bay. Set against the stunning backdrop of the city skyline sandwiched between the Bay and Golden Gate bridges, this festival has become a staple of the Bay Area, offering a charming, low-key, and boisterously fun two days jam-packed with consistently good live sets and breathtaking views. … read more
The Sound of Small Things
Peter McLarnan presents a gut-wrenching look into the young marriage of Sam and Cara as they struggle to maintain trust and communication despite Cara’s recent deafness. A group of visual artists’ first foray into narrative filmmaking, The Sound of Small Things uses lush cinematography to capture the nuances of human interaction. … read more
From Water Tower to Wind Power
Trolley Square has become one of the finest examples that can be found in Salt Lake City of rebirth, or bringing the new and the old together to create something amazing. … read more
The Invisible War
The Invisible War offers an intimate glimpse into one of America’s deepest secrets. Sexual violence against women in the military has reached epidemic levels, and high-level officials are systematically sweeping these cases under the rug. … read more
Afro-punk Death to Hip Hop Showcase: Ninjasonik, Cerebral Ballzy and Death @ Music Hall of Williamsburg 10.18
At the tail end of August, the free Afro-Punk music festival was canceled due to Hurricane Irene’s untimely arrival in New York City. Luckily, no pending natural disasters derailed their highly successful and entertaining CMJ showcase. … read more
Detropia
Creating a documentary focused on a place, rather than a person or an event, is no easy task. Detropia could have easily been an incoherent mess of interviews with unemployed autoworkers and cutaways to the often-photographed crumbling buildings of inner city Detroit. Luckily, Ewing and Grady have created something that moves beyond the typical clichés of Detroit. … read more
CMJ Day Two: From Indie Pop to Hip Hop
Day two of CMJ started as mellow as possible. It was fitting for my hangover from the night before and the overcast rainy weather that had infiltrated the city. … read more
Napalm Flesh: Katatonia Interview
I nearly jumped on the ceiling when I heard that Sweden’s Katatonia were finally making their way to Salt Lake City—even though they’re supporting Opeth. Read on for my words with the founding guitarist of Katatonia, Mr. Blakkheim himself, exploring not only Katatonia, but also the work he’s put in with the likes of Bloodbath, Diabolical Masquerade and Bewitched. We also have exclusive reviews of new albums from Black Tusk, Mr. Death and Wizard. … read more
Marina Abramovic The Artist is Present
Following performance artist Marina Abramovic during her three-month 2010 MoMA exhibition, this beautifully executed documentary gives the audience an intimate look into the life of one of the most influential artists of the 20th Century. … read more
Excision
In his directorial debut, Richard Bates racks up multiple points for the fucked up in this twisted horror-story-meets-teen-comedy. AnnaLynne McCord steps out of her usual “vixen” roles to play Pauline—a greasy, acne-ridden teenager with bizarre sexual fantasies centered on performing surgery on strangers … read more
Tasty Craves and a Cool Buzz: Spedelli’s Restaurant
Spedelli’s is a must stop on the route home. Although some things haven’t changed from its predecessor, many things have, including the interior, which now sports the art of Dave Doman and Alex McAdoo. … read more
The Ambassador
Mads Brügger returns to the world of documentary filmmaking with another voyeuristic hidden camera journey that transports viewers into more undesirable territories. His latest secretive expedition covertly places audiences in the middle of the Central African Republic while Brügger poses as a foreign business diplomat attempting to set up a faux organization in order to leave with a briefcase full of diamonds.
