Festival Reviews

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Written by Alice Telios Thursday, 11 November 2010 09:26

Numerous animation styles reveal Tulip’s layers as a childlike “mistress of the house,” a companion and a puppy-making prostitute.

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Written by Pete Timmermann Thursday, 11 November 2010 09:16

I feel safe in saying that Natalie Portman’s performance in Black Swan is the best yet of her young and already much-celebrated career (though, unlike Aronofsky, her best work is still hopefully in front of her).

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Written by Joe Hodes Thursday, 11 November 2010 02:54

Exhuming the past is a dangerous business in another excellent pair of films: Hong Kong’s Prince of Tears and the Czech Republic’s Kawasaki’s Rose.

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Written by Sarah Boslaugh Thursday, 11 November 2010 02:41

The don’t-miss-it film of the festival is the guerilla-filmed My Tehran for Sale (11/16 Tivoli 7:00 pm), directed by avant-garde poet Granaz Moussavi.

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Written by Sarah Boslaugh Friday, 29 October 2010 12:26

I’d argue that on the whole documentary films are a force for good whose consumption should be encouraged—so there’s no harm in gorging yourself on them now and then.

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Written by Sarah Boslaugh Tuesday, 26 October 2010 12:09

The Sari Soldiers doesn’t take sides; there are plenty of atrocities to go around, and it’s hard to say who really profited from ten years of violent conflict.

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Written by Sarah Boslaugh Friday, 22 October 2010 10:27

The problem, it seems, is that no one can figure how to market this film because it doesn’t fit into any of the standard entertainment industry molds. 

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Written by Sarah Boslaugh Thursday, 14 October 2010 12:15

This year Citizen Jane will be held on October 15-17 and offers screenings of many films you may not get to see elsewhere.

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Written by Sarah Boslaugh Thursday, 07 October 2010 17:41

If you can’t make it to opening night there’s lots more to come at the festival, which runs through Oct. 21 and includes over 150 films, as well as numerous panels, parties and other special events.

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Written by Sarah Boslaugh Wednesday, 02 June 2010 00:51

One of the most memorable images in sport is that of a barefoot Ethiopian, Abebe Bikila, winning the marathon in the 1960 Rome Olympics.

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Written by Sarah Boslaugh Wednesday, 02 June 2010 00:51

SIFF includes several archival presentations, and I took advantage of the opportunity to see two works by a filmmaker new to me.

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Written by Sarah Boslaugh Wednesday, 02 June 2010 00:51

Reykjavik-Rotterdam, directed by Oskar Jonasson, is a fast-paced, classy thriller already slated for an English-language remake with Mark Wahlberg in the lead role.

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Written by Sarah Boslaugh Wednesday, 02 June 2010 00:51

As Cargo goes on and the borrowings from other well-known films pile up, you start to wonder if there is a single original idea in the entire production.

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Written by Sarah Boslaugh Wednesday, 02 June 2010 00:36

Lots of winners in this report.

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Written by Sarah Boslaugh Wednesday, 02 June 2010 00:27

If the subject of a documentary is interesting enough the film may be worth seeing even if it’s not that well made. Case in point: Visionaries: Jonas Mekas and the (Mostly) American Avant-Garde.

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Written by Sarah Boslaugh Tuesday, 25 May 2010 11:18

This part of the festival brought us several “must-see” films, some maybes and a definite “don’t bother” category.

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Written by Sarah Boslaugh Friday, 14 May 2010 00:00

Another diverse set of films from SIFF, this time featuring a handful of directorial debuts.

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Written by Sarah Boslaugh Friday, 14 May 2010 00:00

Winter's Bone is respectful of the mountain culture while pulling no punches in terms of the hard choices people sometimes have to make to survive.

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Written by Sarah Boslaugh Friday, 14 May 2010 00:00

Countdown to Zero, directed by Lucy Walker, wants you to know that the world is threatened by nuclear weapons.

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Written by Sarah Boslaugh Wednesday, 12 May 2010 22:09

SIFF is the largest and most attended festival of its kind in the United States. 

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Written by Sarah Boslaugh Wednesday, 12 May 2010 22:09

Documentaries don’t come more enjoyable that The Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls

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Written by Sarah Boslaugh Monday, 26 April 2010 12:58

A preview of the St. Louis convention built with the neglected diehard horror fan in mind.

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Written by Sarah Boslaugh Thursday, 01 April 2010 11:20

Day 2 at QFest presented two contrasting films, each worth seeing although perhaps not necessarily appealing to the same audience.

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Written by Sarah Boslaugh Thursday, 01 April 2010 11:05

QFest serves up an eclectic mixture of films which offer something, if not for everyone, at least for a lot of people.

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Written by Jason Green Thursday, 19 November 2009 02:38

A fascinating portrait of an often overlooked era in the musical history of the city.

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Written by Adrienne Jones Thursday, 12 November 2009 09:44

Certain things will always remind me of fall, including sitting in a darkened theater surrounded by strangers and watching a movie I may never have heard of.

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Written by Pete Timmermann Thursday, 12 November 2009 09:40

But what am I to do this year, when there is a bigger-than-usual St. Louis presence in my international film festival?

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Written by Sarah Boslaugh Thursday, 12 November 2009 09:33

Negotiating the St. Louis International Film Festival requires making hard choices or cloning yourself like Michael Keaton in Multiplicity.

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Written by Joe Hodes Thursday, 12 November 2009 09:27

I found the films were still excellent, but smaller and more focused on the tension and occasional horror of just getting through life.

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Written by Jason Green Thursday, 12 November 2009 04:31

PLAYBACK:stl's own Kevin Renick, whose song "Up in the Air" appears over the closing credits of the film of the same name. "I feel honored to be part of a movie, even if a small part, that has something worthwhile to say, and that makes really good use of a song I care about."

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Written by Sarah Boslaugh Friday, 23 October 2009 03:43

Organizers Kerri Yost, Paula Elias and Polina Malikin put on a fine combination of local, independent and big-budget films directed by women.

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Written by Sarah Boslaugh Thursday, 15 October 2009 15:11

Bondy's production is eclectic, combining an essentially spare approach in the sets and costuming with some additional bits of stage business which are true to the characters.

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Written by Joe Bowman Saturday, 14 March 2009 04:12

While none of the films sink to the level of offensiveness seen in Another Gay Movie and Another Gay Sequel, that alone isn't much of a compliment.

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Written by Adrienne Jones Friday, 14 November 2008 06:05

As usual, no matter what you fancy when the theater lights go down, this years' festival has something for you.

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Written by Joe Bowman Friday, 14 November 2008 06:02

It looks to be a pretty strong year for the festival, so don't feel bad about exhausting either yourself or your wallet.

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Written by Joe Hodes Friday, 14 November 2008 05:55

From the experimental to the mainstream, the SLIFF can introduce you to some of the best in the cinema.