After six years of launching with undercooked comedies, pint-sized documentaries, and one scorching drama made by relative unknowns, the Milwaukee Film Festival will for the first time kick off with a movie directed by a major international figure. Paolo Sorrentino’s “Youth,” which stars Michael Caine and Harvey Keitel as entertainment legends trading jokes and wisdom […]
Introducing the 2015 Milwaukee Film Festival Read More »
As always, the TCM Classic Film Festival did not disappoint on any level this year, be it the quality of the prints (whether archival celluloid or shiny new digital restorations), the quality and diversity of the guests (famous, knowledgeable, and often both rolled into one), the operation of the festival (seldom did a presentation start
2015 TCM Classic Film Festival: Wrap-Up Read More »
Los Angeles is home to hundreds of film-related events every year, and even though purist cinephiles often bemoan a lack of access to older films compared to New York, our repertory circuit stacks up pretty well: Cinefamily, the New Beverly, the Egyptian, the Aero, UCLA’s Billy Wilder, LACMA, the list goes on. But nothing in
2015 TCM Classic Film Festival: Preview Read More »
For nearly 40 years, Denny’s Grand Slam breakfast has been America’s go-to favorite for the most important meal of the day, whatever time it’s eaten. But now Denny’s, America’s diner, is taking the Grand Slam and using it to brighten your day no matter where you are! Denny’s has partnered with Stoopid Buddy Stoodios, the
Sponsored Video: Denny’s Grand Slam Webisodes Read More »
On July 7, 2010, Lonnie Franklin Jr. was arrested at his South Los Angeles home in connection with the “Grim Sleeper” murders — at least ten, but potentially several more, homicides that occurred from 1985 to 1988 and then, after a long hiatus, from 2002 to 2007. DNA evidence connected Franklin to the murders, and an
AFI Fest 2014 Review: “Tales of the Grim Sleeper” Read More »
If you didn’t know going into “Blind” that the film marks the directorial debut of a longtime screenwriter— Eskil Vogt, who most notably penned the Joachim Trier-directed “Reprise” and “Oslo, August 31st”—you will rapidly develop a hunch for this as the film progresses. Reminiscent of the ensemble-based work of Paul Haggis, another scribe-turned-filmmaker, the film
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If the essence of cinema lies not in dialogue—a relic of previous art forms—but in the gestures, the movements, the compositions, and the editing, then Miroslav Slaboshpytskiy’s “The Tribe” should not feel like it is missing anything. The film is conducted entirely in Ukranian sign language, without the assistance of subtitles or narration, leaving the
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Film festivals are about seeing tons of movies, sure, but they’re also about hanging out with people who love talking about all those movies. Not long after the curtain fell on the 2014 Milwaukee Film Festival, Critic Speak contributor Eric Beltmann and The Cinemaphile blogger Shelly Sampon decided to continue a dialogue that started between
Conversation: Eric Beltmann and Shelly Sampon React to the 2014 Milwaukee Film Festival Read More »
“I’m going to yell at him when I go back to Iran,” Maryam Sepehri said while we chatted in the lobby of the Downer Theatre. She was referring to Mohammed Rasoulof, whose risky new feature “Manuscripts Don’t Burn” screened at this year’s Milwaukee Film Festival. Maryam, a documentary filmmaker from Tehran, knows Rasoulof but was
2014 Milwaukee Film Festival: Eric Beltmann’s Top Five Read More »
Guitar gods, of course, only play after the openers are through. No wonder the Milwaukee Film Festival saved its Centerpiece selection, a biopic starring Outkast’s André Benjamin as legendary musician Jimi Hendrix, for its final week. “Jimi: All Is by My Side” is written and directed by Mequon native John Ridley, who earned an Oscar
2014 Milwaukee Film Festival: Week Two Picks Read More »
