Did you know Joss Whedon loves Shakespeare? I certainly didn’t, so when I first heard about his adaptation of one of Shakespeare’s most popular comedies, “Much Ado About Nothing,” I really wondered what it would be like. I was pleasantly surprised. Using the original Shakespearian language, Whedon sets the story in modern day, and the entire project was filmed in and around his own home in Los Angeles. [Read more...]
April 29, 2013 1 Comment
April 29, 2013 Leave a Comment
IFFBoston ’13 Review: This is Martin Bonner
“This is Martin Bonner” is the second feature from writer/director Chad Hartigan. The film stars Paul Eenhorn as the titular character, and is a steadily paced character-study shot slowly and beautifully.
April 28, 2013 Leave a Comment
IFFBoston ’13 Review: 99% Occupy Wall Street
The Occupy Wall Street movement was a fascinating event in our recent history, and was covered extensively by the media. In the documentary “99% – The Occupy Wall Street Collaborative Film,” filmmakers Aairon Aites, Audrey Ewell, Nina Krstic, and Lucian Read, set out to tell the story that wasn’t covered by news outlets, showing the movement through the eyes of the people on the ground. [Read more...]
April 27, 2013 Leave a Comment
IFFBoston ’13 Review: Our Nixon
“Our Nixon” from director Penny Lane is a film composed entirely of archival footage following Richard Nixon through his presidency. The footage comes from various news outlets and, most interestingly, from home video captured by top Nixon staffers. The private footage was seized durring the Watergate investigation and has never been seen before.
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April 26, 2013 Leave a Comment
IFFBoston ’13 VIDEO: Before You Know It Panel Discussion
This panel discussion with BEFORE YOU KNOW IT features director PJ Raval, and was held following the screening of his film at UMass Boston as part of the Independent Film Festival of Boston 2013. Check out our review here.
April 26, 2013 Leave a Comment
IFFBoston ’13 Review: The Punk Singer
The early 90s was quite the time period for revolutionary music: acts like Nirvana and Sonic Youth defined the new generation of music. While popular music shifted toward grunge and alt rock, the underground music scene spawned the feminist punk rock movement. At the forefront were artists like Kathleen Hanna, subject of the documentary “The Punk Singer.”
April 26, 2013 Leave a Comment
IFFBoston ’13 Review: Before You Know It
“Before You Know It,” a documentary by director PJ Raval, chronicles a subject that I haven’t seen covered in any medium: the lives of gay seniors. All over the age of 65, Raval’s three subjects have dealt with so many diverse issues in their time – from sexual identity to politcal controversy – and are now navigating the challenges of elderly life. [Read more...]
April 26, 2013 Leave a Comment
IFFBoston ’13 Review: The Way, Way Back
“The Way, Way Back” marks Nate Faxon and Jim Rash’s directorial debut. The team is best known previously for their writing work on Alexander Payne’s “The Descendants.” This film is a coming of age story about 14-year-old Duncan (Liam James) and his summer with his mom (Toni Collette) and her difficult new boyfriend, Trent (Steve Carell). [Read more...]
April 25, 2013 Leave a Comment
IFFBoston ’13 VIDEO Q&A – The Spectacular Now
Following the screening of excellent film, The Spectacular Now – Director James Ponsoldt and co-writer Michael Weber had a Q&A with the audience on the opening night of the Independent Film Festival of Boston.
April 25, 2013 Leave a Comment
IFFBoston ’13 Review: The Spectacular Now
We live at a time where teenagers in cinema are portrayed in a few very distinct ways: you have fantasy-filled “vampire” movies, highly stylized “High School Musical”-type movies, and high school sex comedies in the vein of “American Pie.” While I’m not looking to make a commentary on the quality of these films, they typically deal with “teenage problems” through metaphor or humor, and the characters rarely feel like real kids facing real issues.
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