Maria Dragus on “Graduation” and “The White Ribbon”
When Cristian Mungiu wrote the script for his Cannes prize-winner, “Graduation,” he had only one person in mind for the film. It was Maria Dragus, an actress he had first […]
Ross Partridge on “Lamb”
When you read that Ross Partridge’s remarkable film “Lamb” is about a 47-year-old man who meets an 11-year-old girl and decides to take her on an impromptu road trip, you […]
Indie Flashback: Piper Laurie on “Carrie,” “The Hustler” and Fumio Yamaguchi
The following interview was originally published on November 29th, 2011, at HollywoodChicago.com. Few character actresses have proven to be as effortlessly versatile as Piper Laurie. Her Oscar-nominated turns as Paul […]
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 […]
Indie Flashback: Kimberly Peirce on “The Godfather,” the Apollonia Moment and “The Knife”
The following interview was originally published on HollywoodChicago.com on October 10th, 2011. If Robert K. Elder’s book, “The Film That Changed My Life,” is indeed providing a blueprint for the […]
Michael Gibson on Musicality
“Baby get moving / Why keep your feeble hopes alive? / What are you proving? / You’ve got the dream but not the drive.” So sang Michael Gibson, bringing down […]
Rokhsareh Ghaem Maghami on “Sonita”
Few moviegoing experiences from last year rivaled the sheer emotion of taking two of my cousins to see Iranian filmmaker Rokhsareh Ghaem Maghami’s Sundance prize-winning documentary, “Sonita,” at the Chicago […]
My Letter from Mister Rogers
Though I attribute my happy childhood wholeheartedly to my parents, there were two people on television who enriched it beyond measure: Jim Henson and Fred Rogers. I simply couldn’t get […]
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 […]
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 […]
Indie Outlook 