There is something in the air at the 39th Denver Film Festival (DFF), something musical. Be it Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling channeling the spirits of Rogers and Astaire in the opening night film La La Land, the swinging jazz musicians … Continue reading A Couple of Clowns: Dispatches From the 39th Denver Film Festival
ACTOR MARTINEZ If acting is reacting, what is Actor Martinez? Blurring the lines between documentary and fiction, a Denver-based actor, Arthur Martinez (playing himself), hires two indie directors, Mike Ott and Nathan Silver (also playing themselves), to make a movie about … Continue reading The 39th Denver Film Festival — Day 4 & 5
CALIFORNIA TYPEWRITER California Typewriter takes its title from one of the last typewriter repair shops in America. Located in Berkeley, California Typewriter was opened over 30 years ago by Herb Permillion, an IBM repairman. Apple released the personal computer one year … Continue reading The 39th Denver Film Festival — Day 3
DFF39 eases us into Day Two with only 11 movies, all of which are featured at the Sie Film Center on Colfax. From here on out, it gets crazy, but for today let’s all convene at Henderson’s for a drink … Continue reading The 39th Denver Film Festival — Day 2
For better or for worse, rock ‘n’ roll has always been a commodity. Before there can be a movement, there must be equipment, electricity, and some semblance of musical skill. The songs are written, performed, recorded, produced, promoted, distributed, and, … Continue reading GIMME DANGER
The 39th Denver Film Festival gets underway tonight with the opening night film La La Land, a modern-day musical set in the City of Angels where some dreams are realized while others are crushed underfoot. The movie stars Ryan Gosling and … Continue reading The 39th Denver Film Festival — Day 1
Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor. —Exodus 20:16, King James Version The eighth commandment of the Roman Catholic faith (the ninth in the Protestant) is largely interpreted as “Thou shalt not lie,” but for Kieślowski and Piesiewicz, … Continue reading DEKALOG 8
The beauty of cinema is that nothing is what it seems. Images are not literal explanations, but visual descriptions of an emotional experience, and few cinematic genres drive this point home like the horror film. Full of bloodletting, carnal terror, … Continue reading THE HOWLING
Thou shalt not steal. Exodus 20:15, King James Version Can you steal something that belongs to you? —Majka Coming off of an impressive one-two punch with Dekalog Five and Dekalog Six, Dekalog Seven is a surprising—but somewhat understandable—misstep. The story revolves around Majka (Maja Barelkowska), … Continue reading DEKALOG 7
Michael J. Cinema 
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