Aspiring to New ‘Heights’: Emotional, upbeat film recalls old Hollywood
By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski | June 5, 2021
“In the Heights” stars Olga Merediz and Jimmy Smits say their musical masterpiece is the perfect antidote to a rough 18 months.
“It’s balanced with emotional and deep moments,...
No More ‘Lucking Out’: Sedona film festival gets cautious with pandemic
By Connor Dziawura | June 5, 2021
Sedona International Film Festival organizers lucked out with last year’s event.
Set just weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic led to mass shutdowns of businesses and cancellations of events, the...
An Ideological Crisis: ‘Synonyms’ is a wild, radical portrait of nationalism gone wrong
By Glenn Heath Jr.
Yoav (Tom Mercier) arrives in Paris seemingly out of thin air, like some nomadic ghost searching for a place to haunt. In the phantasmal opening sequence of “Synonyms,” he breaks into...
All He Could Say: Shannon Hoon film outlines his life through his eyes
By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski
Before Blind Melon lead singer Shannon Hoon died, he traveled with a video camera. Everywhere he went, he documented his life, almost like a video diary.
Director Danny Clinch was given the tapes...
The Phoenix Film Festival returns for its 18th year
By Tuesday Mahrle
Calling all movie fans! The 18th annual Phoenix Film Festival returns from Thursday, April 5 to Sunday April 15th. Since its inception, the festival has exceeded attendance records every year. The 2017...
Blurred Lines: ‘Villains’ packs entertainment punch
By Joseph J. Airdo
Late, famed film critic Roger Ebert once said each film is only as good as its villain. “Since the heroes and the gimmicks tend to repeat from film to film, only...
Building a Community: Peoria Film Festival returns after pandemic hiatus
By Connor Dziawura | September 8, 2021
Peoria Film Festival Executive Director Jason Carney sees film festivals as fostering their own little community.
“There’s just that sense of comradery from film lovers,” Carney describes. “It’s not...
Granite Mountain Hotshots immortalized in ‘Only the Brave’
A Story to Tell
Connor Dziawura
When the Yarnell Hill Fire resulted in the deaths of 19 of the Prescott Fire Department’s Granite Mountain Hotshots in 2013, millions across the country were stunned. The tragedy was...
Difficult Times: ‘Marriage Story’ offers updated look at old struggle
By Connor Dziawura
The comparisons that have been made between Noah Baumbach’s “Marriage Story” and Robert Benton’s 1979 film “Kramer vs. Kramer” aren’t without merit. From certain plot elements right down to the posters, the...
‘Dare to Dream’: Jerry O’Connell visualized a ‘Secret’ role, and landed it
By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski
Actor Jerry O’Connell was on a set of a TV show and frequently complaining about his life, when a coworker gave him a copy of the book “The Secret.”
“I said, ‘Oh brother....
