independent Archives - Page 5 of 6 - The Spool (Page 5)

Brooklyn Horror Film Festival Dispatch, Part 1: Tower. A Bright Day, Empathy, Inc., Antrum

This piece was originally posted on Alcohollywood As horror continues its gradual moving away from traditional monsters and slashers to rawer, more unsettling scares that are COMING FROM INSIDE THE HOUSE, we can look forward to more internet discourse about whether a movie qualifies as “horror.” This requires the sort of pedantry that is the ... Brooklyn Horror Film Festival Dispatch, Part 1: Tower. A Bright Day, Empathy, Inc., Antrum

Unraveling pop-culture one thread at a time
The Spool is an irreverent, informative source for film and television coverage, focused on diverse, thoughtful opinions that seek out a greater understanding of the media we love.

Trouble Review: A Modest Small-Town Dramedy With an Overqualified Cast

While Theresa Rebeck’s low-budgeted rural hangout comedy sports a fine cast, they can’t quite elevate the proceedings beyond the occasional modest laugh. This piece was originally posted on Alcohollywood Movies that are remembered are generally on a spectrum of cinematic triumph to shoddy exercise for an inexperienced rube’s hubris. Then there are the films that ... Trouble Review: A Modest Small-Town Dramedy With an Overqualified Cast

Trouble: Writer/Director Theresa Rebeck on Wrangling Low Budgets and Big Stars (Interview)

This piece was originally posted on Alcohollywood Novelist, screenwriter and Pulitzer-nominated playwright Theresa Rebeck is a woman of many hats – the latest of which is the director of the independent ensemble comedy Trouble. A film with modest ambitions but no small amount of charm, its tale of a small-town sibling rivalry is bolstered by tremendous ... Trouble: Writer/Director Theresa Rebeck on Wrangling Low Budgets and Big Stars (Interview)

All About Nina Review: Mary Elizabeth Winstead Struggles to Succeed in the Standup Boys’ Club

Mary Elizabeth Winstead lashes back at the stiflingly male-dominated world of standup comedy in Eva Vives’ acerbic, stunning debut. This piece was originally posted on Alcohollywood “Isn’t it great how all of the sudden they know that we’re funny?” comedy club owner and former stand-up Pam (Pam Murphy) tells her younger counterpart, Nina Geld (Mary ... All About Nina Review: Mary Elizabeth Winstead Struggles to Succeed in the Standup Boys’ Club

3100: Run and Become’s Sanjay Rawal on Running as Prayer (Interview)

We sit down with the director of the upcoming long-distance running doc 3100: Run and Become to talk about the spirituality of running and their responsibilities toward the marginalized communities they highlight. This piece was originally posted on Alcohollywood The Self-Transcendence Race in New York City is a grueling, unrelenting 3,100-mile race held every year ... 3100: Run and Become’s Sanjay Rawal on Running as Prayer (Interview)

Film Review: Netflix Explores the Metaphysics of Love with The Laws of Thermodynamics

Mateo Gil’s Spanish rom-com mockumentary tumbles toward entropy with beautiful visuals, but a scattered story and weak protagonist. This piece was originally posted on Alcohollywood As any science fiction nerd can tell you, people can be rudimentarily broken down into either Kirks or Spocks. One uses cold logic to solve situations, while the other acts ... Film Review: Netflix Explores the Metaphysics of Love with The Laws of Thermodynamics

Film Review: Searching Is a Riveting, Screens-Only Missing Persons Thriller

Anchored by a layered lead turn from John Cho, Aneesh Chaganty’s screens-only thriller explores the formal implications of laptop cinema in new and exciting ways. This piece was originally posted on Alcohollywood (We previously reviewed Searching in our coverage of the Chicago Critics Film Festival. Read our capsule review.) While ‘laptop cinema’ films like Unfriended and Open Windows are becoming ... Film Review: Searching Is a Riveting, Screens-Only Missing Persons Thriller

The Trailer for Gaspar Noé’s ‘Climax’ Does the Danse Macabre: Watch

Gaspar Noe’s kaleidoscopic Cannes favorite gets a new trailer and poster promising all the Satanic dance mayhem the French provocateur can muster. This piece was originally posted on Alcohollywood Gaspar Noé is no stranger to deeply weird, bold, provocative films – Enter the Void and Irreversible are practically the poster children for confrontational, arguably sexist European New Vulgar cinema. His ... The Trailer for Gaspar Noé’s ‘Climax’ Does the Danse Macabre: Watch

Skate Kitchen Is a Sun-Baked Celebration of Realistic Adolescence

Crystal Moselle’s narrative debut brings her documentary sensibilities to a fun, heartfelt story featuring the real members of Long Island’s most badass boarders. This piece was originally posted on Alcohollywood Skate Kitchen offers something that’s been sorely missing from the world of coming-of-age films: a story that tells self-discovery not as a hero’s tale with ... Skate Kitchen Is a Sun-Baked Celebration of Realistic Adolescence

Oscars Changes Add a “Popular Film” Category, Cuts Down to Three Hours

The Academy’s board of governors approves new changes for next year’s Oscars, including a three-hour telecast and the addition of new categories. This piece was originally posted on Alcohollywood Next year’s Oscars are going to go through a few shakeups. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences have sent ... Oscars Changes Add a “Popular Film” Category, Cuts Down to Three Hours

En el Séptimo Día Is a Naturalistic, Humanistic View of the Immigrant Experience

Jim McKay’s tale of the plight of undocumented workers in America is soulful, sensitive, and a potent rebuke to modern rhetoric about the humanity of immigrants. This piece was originally published on Alcohollywood It’s easy to demonize an entire group of people when you know nothing about them. Murderers, rapists, thieves, and drug-dealing gangsters are ... En el Séptimo Día Is a Naturalistic, Humanistic View of the Immigrant Experience

Fantasia 2018: Lifechanger is a Bleak & Eerie Story About Identity & Never Letting Go

Justin McConnell’s lean, fascinating horror-drama blends an intriguing structure with some novel investigation into the psychology of its shape-shifting horror monster. This piece was originally posted on Alcohollywood There’s stalking, and then there’s what the narrator of Lifechanger does. Canadian horror-drama from writer-director Justin McConnell, it jumps right into the action right away, with Drew, ... Fantasia 2018: Lifechanger is a Bleak & Eerie Story About Identity & Never Letting Go

Fantasia 2018: Lifechanger’s Justin McConnell on Shape-Shifting, Memory and Toxicity

The writer/director of Fantasia-debuting horror film Lifechanger talks about the origins of the project and getting into the mind of his film’s main monster. This piece was originally posted on Alcohollywood Lifechanger is a sneakier, more fascinating thriller than it might seem at first glance – the tale of a man doomed to feed off and ... Fantasia 2018: Lifechanger’s Justin McConnell on Shape-Shifting, Memory and Toxicity

All the Queens Horses Interview: Kelly Richmond Pope on Rita Crundwell and Documentary as Education

This piece was originally posted on Alcohollywood (This review and interview originally ran as part of On Tap’s previous run as its own separate feed. We’re re-running it here in conjunction with All the Queen’s Horses’ release on Netflix.) This week for our On Tap minisode, Clint discusses the new indie doc from Kartemquin, All the ... All the Queens Horses Interview: Kelly Richmond Pope on Rita Crundwell and Documentary as Education

Disobedience Review: A Mesmerizing Tale of Religion and Forbidden Love

Sebastian Lelio’s sensitive, multifaceted adaptation of Naomi Alderman’s novel is a beautiful exploration of the restrictive nature of traditional communities, anchored by a trio of heart-stopping performances. This piece was originally posted on Alcohollywood Chilean director Sebastián Lelio is a master of arthouse empathy – his Oscar-winning film A Fantastic Woman, about the struggles of a ... Disobedience Review: A Mesmerizing Tale of Religion and Forbidden Love