Top 10 Performances in a “Star Wars” Movie
It sure is a great time to be a “Star Wars” fan, and it sure is a lousy time to be George Lucas, at least according to George Lucas. The […]
Tag Archives: Lena Dunham
Bel Powley Amazes in “The Diary of a Teenage Girl”
There are about a million or so ways Marielle Heller’s “The Diary of a Teenage Girl” could’ve flown clear off the rails. While leaving the screening room, I ran into […]
Seven Scenes by Joe Swanberg
In a recent interview with Moviemaker Magazine, Chicago’s trailblazing indie auteur Joe Swanberg was praised by writer Sean Hood for creating a “sustainable production model” based on creative tribalism. The […]
How to Train Your Human
Interesting how two of this summer’s most entertaining and expertly crafted blockbusters are ultimately about the same thing. Dean DuBlois’ “How to Train Your Dragon 2” and Matt Reeves’ “Dawn […]
Twenty-Five Anticipated Films at Sundance 2014
The 2014 Sundance Film Festival, held from Thursday, January 16th, to Sunday, January 26th, in Park City, Utah, offers an embarrassment of riches for any self-respecting cinephile. Merely attempting to […]
Top Twenty Films of 2013: Part I
Audacity reigned at both mainstream multiplexes and art house theaters in 2013, proving once and for all that cinematic storytelling is best experienced on a big screen with a large […]
Joe Swanberg Preserves Style on Bigger Budget in “Drinking Buddies”
I’m always perplexed by critics who complain that nothing happens in Joe Swanberg’s films, as if a more straightforward plot structure would serve as an improvement. Swanberg’s films don’t have […]
Beyond Mumblecore: The DIY Generation
As a longtime scholar and champion of indie filmmaking, it is a great thrill and honor to announce that I, Matt Fagerholm, will be teaching a six-week class entitled “Beyond […]
Indie Essentials: Greta Gerwig
There’s no one in modern cinema quite like Greta Gerwig. Not only is she one of our great screen beauties, she’s also one of the most uninhibited comedians since Lucille […]
Ry Russo-Young on “Nobody Walks”
From Amy Jellicoe on “Enlightened” to Hannah Horvath on “Girls,” there are a growing assemblage of female characters cheerfully breaking conventions and stereotypes while refusing to fall into the trap […]
