The history of cinema is littered with career defining debuts. From Orson Welles’ seismic Citizen Kane to François Truffaut’s autobiographical The 400 Blows; from Terrence Malick’s poetic Badlands to Martin Scorsese’s raw Whose That Knocking On My Door? They don’t … Continue reading I BELIEVE IN UNICORNS
In 2012, Missy Franklin—a swimmer from Centennial, Colorado—caught the attention of the Olympic world. The fresh-faced phenom became the first female to qualify for seven Olympic events and ended up collecting one bronze and four gold medals while setting two … Continue reading TOUCH THE WALL
From jean to shining jean Proper cinema doesn’t highlight the differences that separate us, but the things that connect us. Blue Gold is one of those documentaries. It works hard to show us how tradition and culture can spread across … Continue reading Starz Denver Film Festival: Day 10–12
Long live freedom! Enrico (Toni Servillo) represents the leftist party in Italy, and no one seems to like him. When he tries to give a speech, a woman yells at him, accusing his of killing the party. Enrico suffers from … Continue reading Starz Denver Film Festival: Day 9
Lost in America The residents of Los Angeles have a nickname for the Antelope Valley. They not-so-lovingly refer to it as “The Awful Valley,” and that’s not far from the truth. A residential development from the 1960s, Lake Los Angeles … Continue reading Starz Denver Film Festival: Day 8
The best laid plans of horses and men… Most film festivals boast a couple hundred features, an equal amount of shorts and a handful of panels to attend. Out of all of these, only two, possibly three are truly great. … Continue reading Starz Denver Film Festival: Day 5 – 7
Day 2 of SDFF37 started with a bang and ended with a fire alarm. Halfway through The Clouds of Sils Maria, the fire-alarm went off and the theaters were evacuated (most likely due to a nearby beauty shop, which was flooding as … Continue reading Starz Denver Film Festival: Day 3 & 4
It’s been 37-years since Ron Henderson and his friends started the Denver Film Festival, and the city and it’s citizens have benefitted greatly. Now with a premier sponsor, Starz Entertainment, the Starz Denver Film Festival boasts 12 cinematic days in the … Continue reading Starz Denver Film Festival: Days 1 & 2
At last year’s Starz Denver Film Festival, I entered a theater playing the movie Grigris with no knowledge of what it was about, who made it, what country it came from, or anything other than it was screening, and I was free. … Continue reading Step Into the Story: Dispatches from the 37th Starz Denver Film Festival
Michael J. Cinema 