Arts
Sundance Film Review: The Hero
Brett Haley is one of the few filmmakers who appears genuinely interested in the lives of people over fifty. In this year’s The Hero, he takes another close look at faded glory and second chances. It’s a quiet film with well-placed spurts of humor and vulnerability, and it’s a continuing testament to the acting abilities of the legendary Sam Elliott.
Sundance Film Review: Beatriz at Dinner
Selma Hayek delivers a spellbinding performance as Beatriz in Beatriz at Dinner, allowing her to beam with energy and balance amid an aggravating situation. … read more
Sundance Film Review: Sueño en Otro Idioma
In Sueño en otro idioma, linguist Martín travels to a rural area of Mexico to record conversations between the last speakers of Zikril. … read more
Sundance Film Review: Bushwick
It doesn’t take long for Bushwick’s visceral action to kick in—after about five minutes of everyday routine, our characters are thrust into a deadly conflict that is raging across Brooklyn. … read more
Sundance Film Review: Brigsby Bear
For many career comedians, the transition from sketch comedy to motion pictures isn’t always successful. Usually we end up with a decent idea that is frantically held together by dick jokes, but that’s not the case with Brigsby Bear. … read more
Sundance Film Review: Manifesto
In Manifesto, Cate Blanchett takes center stage in a stunning homage to some of the most emphatic declarations of 20th-century art and art history. Blanchett takes on 13 different roles, examining how these truths hold up in our contemporary world. … read more
Sundance Film Review: Person to Person
Comprising a series of vignettes shot entirely in a nicely textured and nostalgic 16mm, Person to Person brings an unassumingly hilarious and real, life-sized take on several characters as they contend with both the humdrum and the unexpected. … read more
Sundance Film Review: Bitch
Bitch is a film for anyone who has felt trapped by the societal pressures that somehow still manage to dehumanize us. Marianna Palka has a unique and refreshing voice, and it will be interesting to see what she comes up with next. … read more
Sundance Film Review: Axolotl Overkill
Axolotl Overkill is a character study of Mifti, a teenage girl who feels disaffected by the life that people her age are supposed to lead. … read more
Sundance Film Review: XX
Creating and distributing an anthology of short films is extremely difficult to pull off. XX fights that battle admirably—despite its pitfalls, it remains a solid vision of female-driven horror—but ultimately falls victim to the dangers of anthology filmmaking. … read more