The Storm Clouds Broke
“No bags allowed,” said the theater attendant. Initially, I was shocked. I had carried my laptop bag with me to film screenings for the last several years, but today was […]
Tag Archives: Indie Outlook
Mirror Images: “American Sniper” and “Selma”
The following essay was written by film critic John Marks, a contributor at Movie Mezzanine.com. Is Oscar-bait good for the movies? This was the question asked by Slate’s S.T. VanAirsdale […]
To Infinity and Beyond: Top Ten Pixar Movies
Perhaps only John Lasseter could’ve transformed an ordinary table lamp into the next Mickey Mouse. In his Oscar-nominated 1986 short, “Luxo Jr.”, Lasseter ingeniously brought a lamp to life by […]
Seen and Felt: The Magic of Roger Deakins
You know great cinematography is working its magic on you when it delivers a visceral jolt to the senses. You’re no longer a passive observer but an active participant within […]
First 20 Interviews for RogerEbert.com
One of the most incredible and humbling parts of my job at The Ebert Company has been the opportunity to write for RogerEbert.com. It’s an honor simply to have work […]
Indie Outlook: Third Anniversary
Nothing excites me more than discovering an artist whose work is unlike anything I’ve seen before. The third year of Indie Outlook, my labor of love devoted to covering cinema’s […]
Joanna Arnow on “Bad at Dancing,” “i hate myself :)”
There’s a scene in Joanna Arnow’s galvanizing 2013 documentary, “i hate myself :)”, where her ex-boyfriend, fearless poet-provocateur James Kepple, defends his use of offensive words, arguing that they exert […]
Stephen Cone, Cole Doman, Nina Ganet, Pat Healy and Elizabeth Laidlaw on “Henry Gamble’s Birthday Party”
“Henry Gamble’s Birthday Party,” the seventh feature from director Stephen Cone, is a masterpiece of nuance. It assembles a large cast of characters, observes their behavior as they interact during […]
Cheer Up Charlize: Eight Essential Roles
Few performers in modern cinema have managed to reinvent themselves with as much spectacular success as Charlize Theron. Her various transformations over the last two decades have been astonishing to […]
Jeffrey Westhoff on “The Boy Who Knew Too Much”
There were three film critics whose work I read on a weekly basis while growing up in Northern Illinois: Roger Ebert at the Chicago Sun-Times, Michael Wilmington at the Chicago […]
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