Greg Ptacek Born as a way of redeveloping New York’s Lower Manhattan in the wake of 9/11, Tribeca Film Festival 16 years later is an international film event held over 12 days, April 19-30. Truth be told, most of the film screenings don’t happen in Tribeca anymore, but the can-do, all-inclusive spirit of the festival embodies New
In the ancient entertainment industry ritual known as the Awards Season, the Santa Barbara International Film Festival is the last stop along the Oscar pilgrimage. The festival falls after the Oscar nominations are announced but before the deadline for Motion Picture Academy members cast their ballots. Added bonus: Many of the Academy members live permanently
It’s not without irony that two feature-length documentaries creating film fest buzz last week in Park City were about the coming fresh water crisis — even as Utah and other states in the western U.S. currently are experiencing record snowfall. Both cautionary tales, however, make the case that the world’s fresh water supply is in
Among the first films at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival to generate real buzz among audiences and the industry is director Jim Strouse’s cheekily titled The Incredible Jessica James. The narrative dramedy revolves around the title character played by Jessica Williams, the American actress-comedian best known for her television work on the third season of
One of the most anticipated films of the 2017 Sundance Film Festival was Taylor Sheridan’s directorial debut, Wind River, which is essentially a fictional crime procedural story set in the real-life eponymous Indian reservation in Wyoming. Sheridan, best known as a screenwriter of feature films including Sicario, understands cinematic movement, and the dramatically beautiful wintertime
Shall we take a moment to sing the praises of Cate Blanchett? The chameleon-like actress, heiress to crown of Greatest Living Film Actress currently worn by Meryl Streep, can seemingly excel in any role from Elfen Queen (Lord of the Rings) to oppressed lesbian socialite (Carol). Still, even the 13 separate roles in director Julian
Sundance over the last four decades has become the film industry’s annual winter treatment. It’s a gathering place at the beginning of the new year where artists, investors, managers, producers, executives and everyone in between see the year’s first new crop of cinema, compare notes, and otherwise have a helluva good time attending myriad corporate
On the new side, Tribeca Film Festival’s embrace of interactive programming – both digital and non-digital – is exciting and trailblazing. On the digital side, much of VR – especially the kind that is designed for full-body motion (mainly, waving your arms) is still rudimentary, filled with trite Technicolor landscapes and amorphous, lava lamp-like shapes.
You know you’re not in Kansas anymore when you’re hanging on Halloween Night at Mary Pickford’s theater for a screening of the original “Dracula” starring Bela Lugosi, with Phillip Glass’ hypnotic original score performed live by the exquisite Kronos Quartet. The annual Black & White Ball was hosted by The Black Tux, held Saturday, October
For M&C by Greg Ptacek and Carolyn Schroeder With the 2014 Oscar nominations still ringing in our ears, the question on everyone lips about the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, which begins next week, is which of the 200+ films screening there will be the next “Whiplash” and Boyhood”? We refer, of course, to the two