The fall film festival season is upon us, and thanks to the dedicated organizers at FilmScene, Iowa finally has a venue to participate. This year’s Refocus Film Festival provided Hawkeye State cinephiles the chance to see exciting films, hear from a panoply of artists and bolster a thriving community of people whose passion has been […]
Adam Sparks
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Werner Herzog joins John Irving in lineup for Refocus Film Festival
Organizers announced on Friday that renowned film director Werner Herzog (Aguirre, the Wrath of God, Fitzcarraldo, Grizzly Man, Cave of Forgotten Dreams) is coming to Iowa City as part of the Refocus Film Festival, Infinite Dream and the Iowa City Book Festival on Sunday, Oct. 15. His appearance, scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at the Englert […]
Posted inEastern Iowa
Q&A: Ukrainian filmmaker Maksym Melnyk on his debut doc ‘Three Women’
As a self-described “movie guy,” I’ve often found documentaries a tough genre to break into. My biases often paint them as bleak or sterile looks at how the human race is failing one another. Movies are my means of escaping those harsh realities. Maksym Melnyk is not interested in painting that picture though. His portrait […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Movie Review: ’65’ is a 90-minute romp that’s more ‘Cocaine Bear’ than ‘A Quiet Place’
I was lucky enough to see the trailer for 65 with no context. It spelled out a familiar tale: High-tech space explorers crash land on an unidentified planet where danger lurks in the shadows. If you’re familiar with the work of co-directors Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, you know that’s their specialty. But unlike their […]
