Wes Anderson The Director Gives Us a Guided Tour of The Grand Budapest Hotel by Brad Balfour On the surface, the narrative driving Wes Anderson’s eighth film is pretty simple. During the fictional glory days of The Grand Budapest Hotel (starting back in 1932), its exacting Concierge Monsieur Gustave H. (Ralph Fiennes) fiercely maintains its … Continue reading
Jessi Teich – Twisted Soul (Madame Freak) You know an artist has some diverse tastes when she covers both Tom Waits and Justin Timberlake on her album. This young Philadelphia-based jazz singer certainly lives up to this wide range in her latest CD, recorded live in studio in Paris. Teich refers to Twisted Soul as … Continue reading
ZERO MOTIVATION (2014) Starring Dana Ivgy, Nelly Tagar, Shani Klein, Heli Twito, Meytal Gal, Tamara Klingon, Yonit Tobi, Yuval Segal and Elad Scemama. Screenplay by Tayla Lavie. Directed by Tayla Lavie. Distributed by Zeitgeist Films. 100 minutes. Not Rated. There is a long history of films mocking the drudgery and soul-crushing bureaucracy of military service. … Continue reading
Keira Knightley – The Actress (and Now Singer) Has a Grand Slam Year by Brad Balfour The great thing about having a bunch of good-to-great films out in one year is that you land in front of audiences so often that they think of you during award season. Certainly, that’s been the case with the … Continue reading
George Lucas Master Filmmaker Stirs Up Strange Magic by Brad Balfour When director/writer/producer George Lucas was pitching the concept of Star Wars after he had a hit with American Graffiti, his nostalgic paean to boys in cars, the studios didn’t want to hear of it, let alone produce and release his space adventure. Boy, did those who passed … Continue reading
Bradley Cooper Transforms Himself into an American Sniper by Brad Balfour Master director Clint Eastwood’s latest feature, American Sniper, offers a taut yet complex portrait of the late Iraqi war vet Chris Kyle. With over 160 kills, Kyle was the most lethal sniper in U.S. military history. Uncannily portrayed by two-time Oscar nominee Bradley Cooper … Continue reading
Ava DuVernay – Returns the Struggle for Civil Rights to Selma by Brad Balfour On the occasion of Martin Luther King Day, the film Selma is further in the spotlight because both director Ava DuVernay and lead actor David Oyelowo were not nominated for best director and actor Oscars respectively. Though the film was nominated … Continue reading
FanRave is the latest tour for fans of YouTube, Vine and other social media. Formed by Nick Swenson, known best for his work with the Magcon Tour, FanRave will be bringing some of your fave social media stars to a town near you. Their inaugural events kicked off along the east coast in January 2015 … Continue reading
LITTLE ACCIDENTS (2014) Starring Boyd Holbrook, Elizabeth Banks, Josh Lucas, Jacob Lofland, Travis Tope, Chloë Sevigny, Alexia Rasmussen, James DeForest Parker, Beau Wright, Randy Springer, Tim Gooch, Katie DeLuca, Mike Bizzarri, Peter Herrick and Louie Lawless. Screenplay by Sara Colangelo. Directed by Sara Colangelo. Distributed by Amplify. 105 minutes. Not Rated. Is it that bad … Continue reading
STILL ALICE (2015) Starring Julianne Moore, Kristen Stewart, Alec Baldwin, Kate Bosworth, Hunter Parrish, Victoria Cartagena, Erin Drake, Shane McRae, Stephen Kunken, Seth Gilliam, Erin Darke, Daniel Gerroll, Orlagh Cassidy, Quincy Tyler Bernstine, Maxine Prescott, Rosa Arredondo, Caleb Freundlich and Charlotte Robson. Screenplay by Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland. Directed by Richard Glatzer and Wash … Continue reading
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