Willem Dafoe is no stranger to unhinged performances. Perhaps that’s why he plays both creepy and villainous so damn well. But what if a filmmaker were to take that extraordinary talent and energy, and force the Oscar-nominated actor to act alone, essentially portraying a character who is penned up? That’s the starting point for “Inside,” which sees Dafoe’s art thief Nemo become trapped inside ... more >
NEWS
‘Inside’ director Vasilis Katsoupis discusses creating an environment for Willem Dafoe to thrive
Dafoe plays an art thief who becomes trapped inside a luxury penthouse
“It defied everything that you thought about them”; the Cheech Marin “CHAMPIONS” interview
Mush, you filthy huskies
Starring Woody Harrelson, Kaitlin Olson and Matt Cook
Directed by Bobby Farrelly
Cheech Marin loves sports, both in movies and real life. In 1996 he paired up with Kevin Costner for the golf romp “Tin Cup,” and in the weeks to come he will be seen in “The Long Game,” a real-life tale about a young Chicano golf team in Del Rio, Texas, in the fifties. Meantime, Marin is co-starring with Woody Harrelson in “Champions,” a touching basketball comedy in which Harrelson plays a ... more >
The last of Sundance, on the horror tip: “SORCERY”; “IN MY MOTHER’S SKIN”
Foreign language horror double feature
In Christopher Murray’s artfully grim “Sorcery,” justice and revenge walk hand in hand for Rosa (newcomer Valentina Véliz Caileo) after her father is murdered by their employer. The tragic tale unfolds on the island of Chiloe, off southern Chile. Young Rosa is a servant at the house of Stefan (Sebastian Hulk), head of a German immigrant family. One morning Stefan finds his entire flock of sheep ... more >
Sundance: “PIANOFORTE” | FILMMAKER INTERVIEW
"There were like 160 young artists competing [...] I asked all of them to record a home video [...] that’s how I could meet them all (Jakub Piątek)
The Sundance documentary “Pianoforte” follows some of the world’s best young pianists as they compete at the renowned International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw. Among them are Vladimir Ashkenazy, Mitsuko Uchida, Krystian Zimerman and Kevin Kenner. They are teenagers, in that netherworld between youth and adulthood, and finding their way while simultaneously giving expression to their ... more >
Sundance: “MURDER IN BIG HORN”
Premieres
Razelle Benally and Matthew Galkin’s harrowing “Murder in Big Horn” sounds an alarm, one that has been going off for decades. So many Indigenous women and young girls from the Cheyenne and Crow Nations have vanished from Montana’s Big Horn and surrounding counties; an area that has been dubbed the most dangerous place for Indigenous women in the U.S. As one woman says, “I fear for my daughter. ... more >
Sundance: “THE STARLING GIRL”
U.S. Dramatic Competition
Coming of age in a strict religious sect, sinners and saints, right and wrong, impossible expectations, unwanted crushes and dangerous love, this is the imperfect storm hitting seventeen year-old Jem Starling (Eliza Scanlen) in writer/director Laurel Parmet’s “The Starling Girl”. A member of a rigid Kentucky fundamentalist Christian community, Jem has given her soul to God and her dedication to ... more >
Sundance: “MAMACRUZ”
World cinema dramatic competition
Patricia Ortega’s latest film “MAMACRUZ” is a frank and honest film that speaks to the embracing of one’s sexuality, especially late in life. Spanish actress Kiti Mánver is excellent as Mamacruz, a seamstress, wife, mother, and grandmother, who accidentally clicks on a porn link. Stunned at first, the clip plants the seed of a sexual reawakening within. Instead of denouncing it as sinful (as ... more >
