Theodore Collatos on “Tormenting the Hen”
There are two gorgeous landscape shots during the end credits of Theodore Collatos’ “Tormenting the Hen” that I assumed were still images upon first glance. It wasn’t until I peered […]
Category Archives: New Releases
“Writer’s Block” and “The Puppy Trials” Delight at Pens to Lens 2017
Most of us have a movie that we dream of making someday. It’s what we fantasize about in the midst of our daily routine, imagining what an audience’s response might […]
Why the Choreography of Ryan Heffington Has Become My New Obsession
Edgar Wright’s “Baby Driver” is the most euphoric cinematic mix tape I’ve seen since Quentin Tarantino’s “Kill Bill.” Its hero, Baby (Ansel Elgort), copes with his chronic tinnitus by blaring […]
The Angels, They Forgot Her: The Tragedy of “The Blackcoat’s Daughter”
“Just because someone isn’t alive anymore doesn’t mean your exploration of the relationship you have with that person doesn’t continue,” observed filmmaker Osgood “Oz” Perkins during our interview this past […]
Brad Jones on “Jesus, Bro!”
The YouTube videos of Brad Jones couldn’t have come into my life at a more crucial time. It was 2014, the year where Harold Cronk’s deplorable yet hugely profitable propaganda […]
Bobbi Jene Smith on “Bobbi Jene”
It’s impossible to watch dancer Bobbi Jene Smith perform without feeling utterly electrified. She’s at her strongest when she’s at her most vulnerable, stripped of all the material garments and […]
Peyton Kennedy on “American Fable,” “XX” and “Odd Squad”
Millie Bobby Brown in “Stranger Things.” Angourie Rice in “The Nice Guys.” Ella Ballentine in “The Monster.” Dafne Keen in “Logan.” All excellent examples of performances by young women who […]
Alexis G. Zall on “Coin Heist,” “Ouija” and YouTube
Amidst all the hate-spewing trolls and alternative facts flooding the internet on a daily basis, there are people seeking to unify and uplift those lucky enough to come across their […]
David Paterson on “The Great Gilly Hopkins”
I honestly didn’t expect much from the film “Bridge to Terabithia” when I saw it back in 2007. I hadn’t grown up with the 1977 novel by Katherine Paterson, which […]
CIFF 2016 Preview: “La La Land,” “Moonlight” and More
Movie lovers in the Windy City have a massive treat in store for them when the Chicago International Film Festival kicks off this week. Boasting the strongest line-up in recent […]
Indie Outlook 