Edge-of-your-seat suspense. Sky-high stakes. Psychological intrigue. Queasy cinematography. And enough unadulterated fear to make your heart pound and palms sweat. Perhaps FilmScene’s most viscerally frightening showing this month is ‘Free Solo,’ a documentary about the death-defying free solo rock climber Alex Honnold.
FilmScene
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‘We the Animals,’ based on the novel by UI alumnus Justin Torres, premieres at FilmScene
There was no way FilmScene wasn’t going to get its hands on We the Animals. The film is not only based on a novel of the same name by Justin Torres, a graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, but Torres worked closely with the film’s director to realize his story onscreen.
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Eight things Michael Moore blames for the rise of Trump in ‘Fahrenheit 11/9’
Michael Moore is back to remind us just how fucked we all are. His new documentary, Fahrenheit 11/9, starts showing today at FilmScene, just over two weeks out from its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. The film’s villains are more numerous, and not all quite who you’d expect. Here are Michael Moore’s primary targets.
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‘Sorry to Bother You’ is weird, cool, but not quite wonderful
There’s something extraordinary about Sorry to Bother You. Maybe it’s rookie writer-director Boots Riley’s unique take on science fiction. Maybe it’s the timely discussion of the evils of capitalism and importance of labor unions. Maybe it’s the practical special effects, hearkening back to early sci-fi with a contemporary, satirical sheen. Maybe it’s Lakeith Stanfield’s stellar performance, or Tessa Thompson’s badass hair, make-up and wardrobe.
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‘Three Identical Strangers’ takes the idea of ‘stranger than fiction’ to a new level
A cursory glance at the story prompts a thousand questions, one of the prevailing being, “Where are they now?” Enter Three Identical Strangers, a documentary that takes you through the triplets’ story detail by detail. The exceptionally fascinating film is now showing at FilmScene.
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‘BlacKkKlansman’ collapses past and present into a powerful statement of black reality
When I went to see ‘Sorry to Bother You,’ directed by Boots Riley, last month, I had thought it was one of the best pieces of absurdist cultural commentary I had seen, even considering Childish Gambino’s “This is America.” Including Spike Lee’s newest, ‘BlacKkKlansman,’ we now have three pieces of art that provide a stark exposition of the racist nature of American power.
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Compassion drives Bo Burnham’s ‘Eighth Grade’
I had never heard of Bo Burnham, who wrote and directed ‘Eighth Grade’ (currently screening at both FilmScene and Marcus Cinemas in Iowa City and Cedar Rapids), but found it fitting that my child — who just completed that educational milestone — was quite familiar with his work.
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Refining and redefining home: ‘Leave No Trace’ strips contemporary notions bare
Debra Granik’s newest movie ‘Leave No Trace’ is a poignant meditation on the meaning of family and home in an all-too-familiar America where well-meaning officials create the problems that they want to resolve.
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‘Hearts Beat Loud’ intertwines musical and human connections
The newest movie from Brett Haley (I’ll See You In My Dreams, The Hero) offers audiences an opportunity to explore the complications of modern life, especially through the lens of family dynamics, and ways that art — music in particular — can provide balms of consolation without needing to fix or solve situations.
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FilmScene first cinema honored as an Iowa Arts Council Cultural Leadership Partner
The Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs announced their 2019 grant recipients, and included among the eastern Iowa honorees is FilmScene — the first cinema to be named as an Iowa Arts Council Cultural Leadership Partner. More than 200 organizations were awarded a total of over $2 million by the Department of Cultural Affairs this year, […]
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‘Won’t You Be My Neighbor?’ brings heart and light to FilmScene
I left this movie feeling like it was one of the most important, most beautiful and most inspiring pieces of art I had ever witnessed.
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‘American Animals’ combines documentary and drama to explore a real-life art heist
“American Animals”, starting a run today at FilmScene, stars Evan Peters of “American Horror Story,” Barry Keoghan of “The Killing of a Sacred Deer,” Ann Dowd of “Hereditary”…And surprisingly enough, it’s not a horror movie. “Animals” is a crime drama, following a group of four college-age men looking to spice up their life by planning and executing an art heist at the library of Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky.
