For the Milwaukee Film Festival, the Times they are a-changin’. The festival is shaking things up for its sixth year, most notably by adding the Times Cinema in Washington Heights to its roster of sites. The cozy, single-screen theater has been a community treasure since 1935, making it a natural fit for a festival that […]
Introducing the 2014 Milwaukee Film Festival Read More »
As I anticipated in my preview piece, this year’s TCM Classic Film Festival was a sublime experience. The festival keeps growing year after year, and it’s easy to see why: great movies, lovely audiences (despite the fact that they seem to clap an unhealthy amount for Ward Bond), entertaining guests, grand theaters, perfect projection. And
2014 TCM Classic Film Festival: Wrap-Up Read More »
San Diego wouldn’t be one of the first cities that come to one’s mind when thinking of places with vibrant film cultures, nor should it be. Returning to Los Angeles for graduate school has only reminded me what a dearth of cinematic opportunity my hometown offers for a metropolis of its size, with its parade
Notes from the 2014 San Diego Latino Film Festival Read More »
The question on everybody’s mind at last year’s TCM Classic Film Festival was: Is this the end of Grauman’s Chinese Theatre as we know and love it? There was a collective feeling of uncertainty as festival-goers filed into the grand old movie palace for the closing night presentation of Buster Keaton’s “The General,” the final
2014 TCM Classic Film Festival: Preview Read More »
With the re-release of “Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues” in a new “Super-Sized R-Rated Version” complete with “763 new jokes,” we at Critic Speak thought it would be appropriate to interview one of the film’s cast members and have them convince us why we should spend our hard-earned money to go see a film we
Everything you need to know about the R-rated version of “Anchorman 2” Read More »
Rest assured: this is the only Oscar predictions post you’ll see on Critic Speak all year. While the rest of the Internet film community becomes obsessed with statuettes come November, writing almost exclusively about precursors and frontrunners and “Oscar buzz” for the next four months, we pride ourselves on keeping the focus on real criticism.
Our 2014 Oscar Picks and Predictions Read More »
Bret Easton Ellis recently declared 2013 the worst year in the history of cinema. If that’s true, I didn’t notice. For months, I’ve walked out of film after film, saying to myself or whoever I was with, “Well, that’s a potential top 10 candidate,” so pleased I was with what I just saw. When the
James Frazier’s Top 10 (+10) Films of 2013 Read More »
2013 wasn’t a bad year for movies, but it felt like it at times due to the dearth of big surprises. Of my top 10 films, nine were made by established auteurs, eight of whom produce work I routinely praise. Where was the earth-shattering debut from an exciting new voice, or the big blockbuster that
Danny Baldwin’s Top 10 Films of 2013 Read More »
On my final night attending this year’s AFI Fest, I hustled across the Chinese multiplex lobby from a screening of Hong Sang-soo’s “Our Sunhi” to another of “Borgman,” the reportedly highly disturbing Dutch film that made waves at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. I was too late to secure anything better than a second-row seat,
AFI Fest 2013: “The Unknown Known,” “The Past,” “Our Sunhi,” & “The Green Inferno” Read More »
When a film festival includes previously released films on its schedule, especially older films, they are usually great achievements in cinematic history or straight-up crowd-pleasers. AFI did a gala presentation of “Mary Poppins” this year to coincide with its Opening Night Film, “Saving Mr. Banks,” the New York Film Festival debuted a restoration of “The
AFI Fest 2013: “The Marriage of Maria Braun” (1979) Read More »
