Author Archive
Indie Film Review – Back to the Garden
In 1988, filmmaker Kevin Tomlinson took a road trip that led him through the Okanogon Valley in eastern Washington state. There, he came across many dozens of people who might be described as hippies, taking part in a “healing gathering” in the middle of a…
READ MOREMost Anticipated Films of 2011 – Brandi’s Picks
Though I have nothing against the line-up of comic book films, big budget explosive sequels and such and the like coming along this year, most of the films I’m actively looking forward to in 2011 don’t fit that mold. Also, a lot of them don’t…
READ MOREFilm Review – Somewhere
It’s a common criticism of Sofia Coppola that she seems to be trying to point out that being rich and famous is very hard. Being a person is hard, and being rich and famous is what Coppola knows, so maybe there’s some truth to that.…
READ MORETop 10 Films of 2010 – Brandi’s Picks
I love best, worst and “most” lists of all sorts. Whether they can ever escape the inherent flaws of being somewhat arbitrary and never all-encompassing, they are fun. They can make your opinion feel validated, or spark a lively argument, or both. I’ve read dozens…
READ MOREFilm Review – The King’s Speech
Most of us know the feeling of having no choice but to perform a duty you feel you’re ill-equipped for; luckily for most of us, our tasks aren’t quite so high profile as those of a member of a royal family, and our failures don’t…
READ MOREFilm Review – True Grit
One of the many inconveniences of being a 14-year-old girl in the 1880s was that if you had a death to avenge, you were going to need to hire some help to do it. This obstacle is no deterrent to the central character of Joel…
READ MOREDialogue Review – How Do You Know
Brandi Sperry: How Do You Know, the latest film from writer/director James L. Brooks, is a romantic comedy with an A-list cast that seeks to explore the question: when you are faced with a big choice, how do you know you are making the right…
READ MOREIndie Film Review – Marwencol
In April of 2000, at age 38, Mark Hogencamp was attacked outside of a bar by five young men, and beaten so severely that he spent nine days in a coma and another month in the hospital after waking up. He had brain damage to…
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