Skip to content
The Spool

The Spool

Unraveling Pop Culture One Thread at a Time
Main navigation
  • Podcasts
    • More of a Comment Really
    • Hall of Faces
  • Movies
  • TV
  • News
    • Awards
  • About
  • Contact

indie

CIFF 2019: Minhal Baig on “Hala”, “Dune”, and Returning to Chicago

Minhal Baig
T T Read More

The director of the Sundance favorite discusses her coming-of-age tale Hala.

Clint Worthington Posted on December 5, 2019December 6, 2019

CIFF 10/24: “Seahorse”, “First Rainbow Coalition”, “Vast of Night” & More

CIFF Seahorse Rione Sanita August Rainbow Coalition Vast of Night
T T Read More

Seahorse, The First Rainbow Coalition, and debut feature The Vast of Night highlight our last day of CIFF capsule reviews.

Matt Cipolla Posted on October 25, 2019October 25, 2019

The Dead Center Review: Who Wants to Live Forever?

The Dead Center
T T Read More

Upstream Color’s Shane Carruth stars in a haunting, atmospheric horror film about what lies beyond the pale.

Marshall Estes Posted on October 12, 2019October 12, 2019

Reeling: “The Garden Left Behind” Is Powerful Trans Filmmaking

T T Read More

Flavio Alves’ story of a trans immigrant in New York City may be rough around the edges, but it serves as important advocacy.

Clint Worthington Posted on September 27, 2019September 27, 2019

Before You Know It Review: Judith Light Makes the Baby Go Blind

Before You Know It
T T Read More

Hannah Pearl Utt tackles the timeless theme of family with a solid directorial debut.

Theo Estes Posted on September 6, 2019September 6, 2019

Brittany Runs a Marathon Review: Running Toward Responsibility

Brittany Runs a Marathon
T T Read More

Jillian Bell whips her life into shape in a fitness-focused dramedy that largely sidesteps the pitfalls of inspiration porn.

Clint Worthington Posted on August 28, 2019August 31, 2019

Box Office Report: “Good Boys” Prove R-Rated Comedies Aren’t Dead

Good Boys Box Office
T T Read More

The Seth Rogen-produced kiddie-raunch comedy starts strong, in an August that’s been largely underwhelming for the box office.

Douglas Laman Posted on August 19, 2019August 19, 2019

The Peanut Butter Falcon Review: Navigating Disability With Grace

The Peanut Butter Falcon
T T Read More

It’s a little Sundance-y, but Tyler Wilson and Michael Schwarz craft a smart, balanced indie that avoids the usual pitfalls of the way movies tend to treat disability.

Michael Snydel Posted on August 12, 2019August 12, 2019

The Daring Ambiguity of the “Before” Trilogy

Before Trilogy
T T Read More

Linklater’s Before Trilogy – Before Sunrise, Before Sunset, and Before Midnight – is an eye-catching crystallization of how relationships change over time.

Jonah Koslofsky Posted on August 11, 2019August 11, 2019

Slacker: How a Low-Budget Film Inspired an Entire Subculture

Slacker
T T Read More

Richard Linklater’s directorial debut about colorful weirdos introduced both a new word into the American vernacular & a talent to be reckoned with.

Douglas Laman Posted on August 6, 2019August 7, 2019

Them That Follow Review: Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?

Them That Follow
T T Read More

Despite its stellar cast, including Kaitlyn Dever and Olivia Colman, this indie cult drama slithers away from itself a bit too often.

Clint Worthington Posted on August 3, 2019August 3, 2019

Fantasia 2019: Adam Stein, Zach Lipovsky, and the Unlikely Origin Story of “Freaks”

Freaks Adam Stein Zach Lipovsky
T T Read More

The writer/directors of Fantasia fave Freaks, talk about the lo-fi origins of their unconventional superhero story.

Clint Worthington Posted on August 2, 2019August 2, 2019

August’s Filmmaker of the Month: Richard Linklater

Richard Linklater
T T Read More

In honor of Where’d You Go, Bernadette?, we take a closer look at the prolific indie pioneer.

Clint Worthington Posted on August 1, 2019September 3, 2019

Mike Wallace is Here Review: Memorializing a Bulwark of Journalistic Integrity

Mike Wallace is Here
T T Read More

Avi Belkin’s split-screen view of the firebrand 60 Minutes reporter offered a flawed, but empathetic picture of one of journalism’s last great titans.

Dusty Wilson Posted on August 1, 2019August 1, 2019

Fantasia 2019: “Sator” Offers Big Chills on No Budget

Sator
T T Read More

Jordan Graham’s minimalist supernatural horror will get under your skin in ways you won’t see coming.

Gena Radcliffe Posted on July 21, 2019July 22, 2019

Review: “Leaving Home, Coming Home” Shines a Light on Robert Frank

Leaving Home, Coming Home: A Portait of Robert Frank
T T Read More

Gerald Fox’s 2005 documentary on the acclaimed documentarian finally sees the light of day.

Dusty Wilson Posted on July 18, 2019July 18, 2019

Sword of Trust Review: Mumblecore Meets Civil War

Sword of Trust
T T Read More

The South rises again thanks to the effortless comic charms of Lynn Shelton and Marc Maron.

Jonah Koslofsky Posted on July 17, 2019July 17, 2019

“The Farewell” is A Poignantly Funny Goodbye

The Farewell
T T Read More

Culture clash and end-of-life issues collide in Lulu Wang’s scintillatingly heartfelt drama “based on an actual lie.”

Caroline Siede Posted on July 12, 2019July 12, 2019

Posts navigation

Previous1 2 3 … 6 Next
© 2019 The Spool. Podcast logo by Josh Hollis. Made with love by Pixelgrade
Footer navigation
  • About
  • Contact
Secondary navigation
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Mail
  • Feed
  • Search

Begin typing your search above and press return to search. Press Esc to cancel.