Top 100 Favorite Films: 2017 Edition
A few years ago, I was asked by a friend to rank my Top Five Favorite Films. It was so daunting to limit my list to only five titles that […]
Category Archives: Indie Spotlight
Indie Outlook Picks the 2016 Nominees
With Oscar prognostications in full swing, I’m presenting my annual list at Indie Outlook of the five nominees I would personally select in nearly every category, including one that I […]
Top 20 Films of 2016: Part II
I’ve often referred to my all-time favorite films as the gifts that keep on giving. These aren’t pictures that can be fully experienced upon an initial viewing or even the […]
Top 20 Films of 2016: Part I
As we close the book on 2016, a year many of us would rather forget, it’s worth reflecting on the parts of it that are worth savoring—namely, the movies. This […]
Laura Bretan on Her Extraordinary Year
Of all the joyous moments on television this year, few were as memorable or as awe-inspiring as the audition of Northbrook’s own Laura Bretan on NBC’s “America’s Got Talent.” Her […]
Jackey Neyman Jones on “Manos: The Hands of Fate”
“DO SOMETHING!” Joel Hodgson shouted at the screen while viewing Harold P. Warren’s staggeringly awkward 1966 curiosity, “Manos: The Hands of Fate,” on his hilarious program, “Mystery Science Theater 3000.” […]
Joost van Ginkel on “170 Hz,” “The Paradise Suite”
The structurally audacious, vividly nuanced work of Dutch filmmaker and playwright Joost van Ginkel has been one of my most cherished discoveries this year. His first feature, 2011’s “170 Hz,” […]
Gaite Jansen on “Supernova”
There are few films that provide as fitting an accompaniment to the waning days of summer as Tamar van den Dop’s “Supernova.” It was made and released in the Netherlands […]
Michael Glover Smith on “Cool Apocalypse”
There is no foolproof guidebook on how to make a living as an artist. For Michael Glover Smith, his passion for film has taken him many places before he arrived […]
Amy S. Weber on “A Girl Like Her”
When I was in high school, I often dreamed of directing films that would make kids my age feel less alone in the world. Adolescence can be a time of […]
