Regarded as one of the most important documentarians of the last couple decades, Alex Gibney has focused his camera on con-artists and fallen heroes in films such as The Armstrong Lie, Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief and The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley. His 2007 doc Taxi to the Dark Side
Emma McClatchey
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Springtime for Hitler, Germany and Jojo: Taika Waititi’s quirky coming-of-age comedy opens at FilmScene
Nazis are bad, right? Right. Taiki Waititi assumes you already understand this if you’re sitting down to watch his latest film, Jojo Rabbit. If you know anything about this movie, it’s that it’s about a kid who has Adolf Hitler as an imaginary friend. Maybe you even heard that it’s directed by the Thor: Ragnarok guy. Oh, and it’s divisive as hell.
Posted inCommunity/News
Local food pantries, health providers and farmers team up for the region’s first Veggie Rx Program
There are any number of reasons why a person would choose to eat a bag of chips over a mixed-greens salad. Snack-food cravings aside, chips are cheaper, more readily available, easier to prepare and have a longer shelf-life than fresh veggies — factors that can override one’s best intentions to eat healthy. “It’s heavily ingrained in society
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Rachel Grimes explores her roots and Kentucky’s checkered history in ‘The Way Forth,’ a folk opera and film
A few years back, siblings Rachel and Edward Grimes were faced with a difficult but rather common responsibility: transitioning their parents into a nursing care facility. This required the pair to sort through decades—and, it turned out, centuries—worth of stuff in their parents’ Kentucky home. “Both of my parents had a really wonderful trove of photographs
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‘Joker’ is dreary fan-fiction, but you could see worse horror movies this October
I fell down a Wikipedia rabbit hole a few months back and stumbled upon the page for the “‘My Way’ killings.” Apparently, in the ’00s, at least a half-dozen karaoke singers were killed while singing Frank Sinatra’s “My Way” at bars in the Philippines. Fighting is not uncommon at these bars, but for whatever reason, “My Way” seemed to be an especially
Posted inFood & Drink
Prost! A guide to local Oktoberfest beers and celebrations
Early fall may only be the second most popular time of the year for nuptials, but it was a wedding that kickstarted one of the world’s favorite autumnal traditions: Oktoberfest. On Oct. 12, 1810, Bavarian Prince Ludwig married Princess Therese, and the people of Munich, Germany celebrated this joyous union with days of drinking, feasting […]
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Elizabeth Moen to perform new songs at the Englert Saturday, joined by Penny Peach Jr. and Dana T
There’s a touch of destiny, or perhaps buddy comedy, about Elizabeth Moen and Penny Peach Jr.’s artistic partnership. Originally from Norwalk, Iowa, Peach — her real name Elly Hofmaier, previously known by the stage name Elly h. — was about to start her freshman year at the University of Iowa when a friend played her some of Moen’s music.
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As Oscar season approaches, FilmScene’s fall lineup is ripe for the picking
A Jeff Goldblum-led drama about a lobotomy-happy physician; a documentary on beekeeping traditions in Macedonia, and another chronicling the fraught one-child policy in China; a remake of a 2006 Oscar-nominated foreign film, starring Julianne Moore and Michelle Williams; a quiet thriller about a Pentecostal snake-handling cult
Posted inCommunity/News
Adopt or shop: The specter of puppy mills looms over local debates about pet stores
How does a dog become a pet? The ways in which an owner may meet their new best friend are as varied as dog breeds, ranging from a meticulous, months-long quest to claim a corgi from a rescue organization states away, to a neighbor casually asking if you want to pick a pup from their mutt’s latest litter. But debates around dog ownership
Posted inCommunity/News
Humanize My Hoodie receives a shout-out from John Legend
By outfitting the world in sweatshirts bearing the phrase “Humanize My Hoodie,” Jason Sole and Andre Wright hope to spark conversation about the intersection of fashion, prejudice and violence. That conversation has been furthered by none other than John Legend, after the 10-time Grammy winner posted shout-outs to Sole and the Humanize My Hoodie movement on social media Tuesday
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The South won the war, and this sword proves it! ‘Sword of Truth’ milks conspiracy theory for comedy
You don’t have to believe a conspiracy theory to buy into it. Sword of Trust, the latest film from indie queen Lynn Shelton, follows four adults who dabble in the world of Deep State conspiracy in hopes of a pay-out — and, adversely, a little enlightenment. The tight 90-minute comedy is now playing at FilmScene.
Posted inCommunity/News
Binky for joy! The Iowa City Animal Center is full of bunnies
Many animal shelters see a sad trend in late spring and early summer: an influx of rabbits, bought from pet stores during the Easter season only to be abandoned after the novelty — along with the leftover chocolate bunnies — was gone. This isn’t the case with every bunny currently housed at the Iowa City Animal Care and Adoption Center, but all six still await a permanent home.
