— by ALLISON HIGGINBOTHAM — Oregon director Tom Bertling is a perfectionist when it comes to filmmaking. His 70-minute film “Lexie Cannes” — about a deaf transgendered person who is being stalked — spent years in post-production before it was finished. He not only[...]
Author Archive
Under Review: ‘Lexie Cannes’
— by ALLISON HIGGINBOTHAM — The deaf community by and large has been ignored when it comes to the film industry. Occasionally, a main character will have a relative or friend who is deaf, but you’d be hard pressed to find a deaf main character. In fact, the movie’s title[...]
Under Review: ‘The Yacoubian Building’ (aka ‘Omaret Yakobean’)
— by ALLISON HIGGINBOTHAM — One great thing about foreign films is you get to see different production and storytelling techniques. Watching too many Hollywood films can leave you with a jaded feeling. You know that if it’s rated PG-13 an f-bomb won’t be dropped. If there’s a hunky[...]
Trailer Talk: ‘The DeVilles’
— by ALLISON HIGGINBOTHAM — Musicians seem to have the most passionate love lives: Sid and Nancy, Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love, John Lennon and Yoko Ono. Is it the music that builds the passion or is the music a by product of the passion? Of course, when these couples fall, they fall[...]
Under Review: ‘The Last Station’
— by ALLISON HIGGINBOTHAM — Leo Tolstoy is famous for his stance on passive resistance and belief that all men should be equal. In “The Last Station,” however, the path to these things is not easy. “The Last Station” takes place during the last few days of[...]
Short Film Theater: ‘Old Fangs’
— by ALLISON HIGGINBOTHAM — With so many animated movies being 3D (but not actually playing in 3D), it’s nice to see films with 2D drawings. The short film “Old Fangs” looked more like a cartoon you’d see on Nickelodeon than a Pixar movie. “Old Fangs” tells the story of a[...]
14 Clips from ‘Valentine’s Day’
— by ALLISON HIGGINBOTHAM — When I saw the trailer for “Valentine’s Day,” my first thought was “Huh. So it’s an American version of ‘Love Actually’?” Judging from the clips below, my assumption wasn’t wildly off. They both star A-listers and center around love[...]
The Top 5 Soundtracks of the Past Decade
— by ALLISON HIGGINBOTHAM — Everyone likes to say they have a soundtrack for their lives. There is a song that reminds you of how happy you were with your ex-girlfriend or one that helps you feel better. Movie soundtracks try to evoke emotions in the films, but the process of picking[...]
Under Review: ‘When in Rome’
— by ALLISON HIGGINBOTHAM — The title of the film “When In Rome” is taken from the saying “when in Rome, do as the Romans do.” With this film, however, it was more like “when making a romantic comedy, do as all other romantic comedies do.” “When In Rome” centers[...]
Trailer Talk: ‘Cyrus’
— by ALLISON HIGGINBOTHAM — Am I the only one who enjoys John C. Reilly, no matter what the role is? Look at his filmography: from “Gangs of New York” to “Talladega Nights,” that man has range. Of course, this doesn’t mean I’m going as far as seeing something like “The[...]
Trailer Talk: ‘Frozen’
— by ALLISON HIGGINBOTHAM — From the trailer, it looks like “Frozen” has an air of Hitchcock about it: a woman does something wrong and she is punished. The girl’s sin? Lying to get her and her two guy friends on the ski lift for free. Her punishment? All of them being stranded on [...]
Trailer Talk: ‘I’m Here’
— by ALLISON HIGGINBOTHAM — Spike Jonze is the undisputed king when it comes to directing quirky movies with great visuals. From “Being John Malkovich” to “Adaptation” to his more recent venture, “Where the Wild Things Are,” his movies are always a treat for the eyes and[...]
Trailer Talk: ‘The Four-Faced Liar’
— by ALLISON HIGGINBOTHAM — Oh, the thrilling game of “Never Have I Ever.” It’s an exciting way to learn fun and dirty facts about your friends and get lots of drinking done at the same time. Unfortunately, it can also make you feel pretty uncomfortable if you’re the[...]
Three Clips from ‘Fish Tank’
— by ALLISON HIGGINBOTHAM — I can appreciate anyone who practices their hip hop dance moves in an empty apartment room. No one wants to be caught off guard when it comes time for a dance off and practicing in front of other people can lead to embarrassment. Though it looks like in the[...]