That Moment When You Realize You Are Agent Cooper
“I believe that these mysteries are not separate entities but are, in fact, complementary verses of the same song. Now I cannot hear it yet, but I can feel it, […]
Category Archives: Indie Spotlight
Elizabeth Wood on “White Girl”
Nothing about the cinema of Elizabeth Wood could in any way be defined as timid. I’ll never forget the experience of seeing her solo feature debut, “White Girl,” at Chicago’s […]
Anne Zohra Berrached on “24 Weeks”
The topic of late-term abortion carries such a formidable taboo that few filmmakers have been brave enough to tackle it. German director Anne Zohra Berrached’s fearlessness was already on full […]
180 Essential Films by Female Directors
Yesterday, Greta Gerwig became the fifth woman ever to be nominated for Best Director at the Academy Awards. This richly deserved achievement arrives 41 years after Lina Wertmüller made history […]
Jumping the Wall: Andrew Droz Palermo’s “One & Two”
Timothée Chalamet and Kiernan Shipka are two of the best actors of their generation. The camera can hold on their faces for an indefinite amount of time and be constantly […]
CIFF 2017: Jakob Lass on “Tiger Girl”
The cinema of German filmmaker Jakob Lass is characterized by an intoxicating energy. His camera and characters are always on the move, involving us in their adventures with such playfulness […]
Six Soundtracks Worth Blasting Out Your Window On Halloween
Ever since I deemed myself too old to trick-or-treat, my favorite Halloween tradition has been to conjure the spirit of the holiday through the realm of music. When I was […]
Why Darci Lynne Farmer is 2017’s Entertainer of the Year
Before I wanted to be a writer, a filmmaker or even a film critic, my first dream job was that of a full-time puppeteer. I grew up marveling at the […]
James Fotopoulos on “The Given,” “There” and More
Four summers ago, I met filmmaker James Fotopoulos at a screening in Chicago. I was so taken with his thoughts regarding cinema that I agreed to visit the set of […]
Indie Flashback: Paul Dano, Zoe Kazan, Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris on “Ruby Sparks”
To commemorate the fifth anniversary of the underrated and utterly sublime gem, “Ruby Sparks,” I am sharing my interviews with the film’s writer/star Zoe Kazan, her co-star Paul Dano and […]
