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Sundance Review / Union: The Uphill Battle for Workers at Amazon

In the nearly three decades since its founding as a bookseller, Amazon has become a giant in the world. So many rely on two-day Amazon Prime free shipping for anything they could possibly need, and it’s become nearly impossible for brick-and-mortar establishments, not just bookstores, to compete with their prices and ability to deliver products…

Sundance Review / As We Speak: The Criminalization of Rap

Rap is a music genre like so many others, and yet it’s not regarded that way by some. An experimental survey that utilized a folk song from the 1960s got predictably skewed results when respondents thought its lyrics came from a rap song and assigned malicious real-life intent to many of its words. That rappers…

Sundance Review / Ghostlight: Family, Grief, and Shakespeare

People process grief in different ways. Some may dwell on a loss without being able to process anything else, while others seek to bury themselves in work or other activity so they rarely have time to stop and remember what’s gone. Ghostlight showcases a family unit that’s grappling with a devastating tragedy and can’t quite…

Sundance Review / Black Box Diaries: Shiori Ito Leads a Brave Fight for Female Justice

Privately grappling with systemic iniquities that arise from their personal experiences linked to sexual assault is a harrowing enough experience for survivors. But journalist Shiori Ito is amplifying her courageous fight for justice for not only herself, but all victims, in the new biographical documentary, Black Box Diaries. Ito, who made her feature film directorial…

Sundance Review / Krazy House: Stay Far, Far Away 

Most movies have at least some redeeming elements. Even if not everything works perfectly, there can be a saving grace. But when a concept flails and it only gets more absurd as the film goes on, it can be hard to find something worthy of praise. Krazy House, screening in the Midnight section at the…

Sundance Review / Love Lies Bleeding: An Extreme Yet Romantic Horror Film Noir

Compulsive love and the intense crimes that accompany it are two of the leading signs that a relationship is toxic in real life. But in a film noir piece like the new romantic drama, Love Lies Bleeding, those characteristics make such a connection titillating and exciting. The action-adventure movie is an intense, unconventional queer love…

Sundance Review / Thelma: June Squibb Carries Hilarious Comedy

No one likes to be told that they’re not capable of being in charge of their own life. But as people age and faculties begin to diminish, those who have previously taken care of themselves may need to depend on someone else. That can be a difficult transition, especially for someone whose mental capacity remains…

Sundance Review / A Real Pain: Jesse Eisenberg’s Look at History

People want to know about where they come from, especially if all they know about it comes from stories and relayed memories. In his second time directing, Jesse Eisenberg presents a look at the kind of trip that many descendants of Holocaust survivors make, traveling to a European country from which their families were deported…

Mia McKenna-Bruce Astounds in ‘How to Have Sex’ / Review

People tend to romanticize the concept of sex, building it up as something life-changing that is sure to be satisfying and perfect on the first try. That’s rarely the case, and building an emotional relationship with someone doesn’t always go hand-in-hand with a sexual experience. But it’s also not what everyone wants, eager to simply…

Sundance Review / A Different Man: A Surreal Tale About the Desire to Self-Actualize

©Photo by Matt Infante/Matt Infante-Sundance Institute The most intriguing characters are often those who are bound by the empathic limits of their own lived experiences. That’s certainly true for Sebastian Stan’s protagonist of Edward in the new psychological sci-fi thriller, A Different Man, as societal expectations fuel his internal turmoil and sense of truth. The…

Sundance Review / Never Look Away: The Story of Margaret Moth

Journalism can be a dangerous profession, and the risks are amplified by the stability of the place news is being covered. Many hostile regions freely target members of the press, who typically travel in vehicles and clothing marked with their designations to hopefully shield them from harm. Covering war is never easy, but some still…