If the essence of cinema lies not in dialogue—a relic of previous art forms—but in the gestures, the movements, the compositions, and the editing, then Miroslav Slaboshpytskiy’s “The Tribe” should not feel like it is missing anything. The film is conducted entirely in Ukranian sign language, without the assistance of subtitles or narration, leaving the …
Film festivals are about seeing tons of movies, sure, but they’re also about hanging out with people who love talking about all those movies. Not long after the curtain fell on the 2014 Milwaukee Film Festival, Critic Speak contributor Eric Beltmann and The Cinemaphile blogger Shelly Sampon decided to continue a dialogue that started between …
Conversation: Eric Beltmann and Shelly Sampon React to the 2014 Milwaukee Film Festival Read More »
“I’m going to yell at him when I go back to Iran,” Maryam Sepehri said while we chatted in the lobby of the Downer Theatre. She was referring to Mohammed Rasoulof, whose risky new feature “Manuscripts Don’t Burn” screened at this year’s Milwaukee Film Festival. Maryam, a documentary filmmaker from Tehran, knows Rasoulof but was …
2014 Milwaukee Film Festival: Eric Beltmann’s Top Five Read More »
Maybe close your eyes and start throwing darts at the program guide. It’s tough to choose movies to see from among the 276 feature and short films being presented at this year’s Milwaukee Film Festival. Selecting at random can be a rewarding methodology—after all, the potential return rises with an increase in risk—but there’s equal …
