Austin Pendleton and Ann Whitney on “Calumet”
The mind boggles when attempting to summarize the careers of Austin Pendleton and Ann Whitney. They are two of the finest actors ever to grace the stage in Chicago, and […]
Category Archives: Indie Spotlight
Masterful 1990 German Film “The Nasty Girl” is Frighteningly Timely
“Such a nasty woman…”—Donald Trump, interrupting Hillary Clinton during their final presidential debate I must’ve been four or five when I viewed a trailer on a rented VHS tape that […]
Writing for RogerEbert.com: Vol. 4
A surreal and wonderful event occurred during my coverage of the 90th Academy Awards for RogerEbert.com. I was in the official press room surrounded by 200 other journalists, including Ebert […]
Indie Outlook: Sixth Anniversary
When people ask me for advice on how to be a writer, I always encourage them to find a way to write about what they love, regardless of what their […]
The Wizardry of Frank Oz: Why You Must See “In & Of Itself”
It has been exactly one month since I saw Frank Oz’s “In & Of Itself” at the Daryl Roth Theatre in New York City. Ever since that unforgettable evening, not […]
Elisha Christian on “Columbus” and “Everything Sucks!”
Out of all the performances I saw in 2017, my very favorite was delivered by Haley Lu Richardson in “Columbus,” the brilliant directorial debut of ace video essayist Kogonada. As […]
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, […]
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 […]
Indie Outlook 