Nearly 40 years after its release, Sex, Lies, and Videotape will play at Varsity Cinema in Des Moines as part of the theater’s “Declarations of Independence series: Celebrating America’s 250th Anniversary with early films from independent filmmakers.” The film follows a sexless married couple, Ann (Andie MacDowell) and John (Peter Gallagher) — or at least, […]
Varsity Cinema
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Christmas mirth and murder, a Seyfried/Sweeney showdown and all the films you need to see in local theaters this month
Hey folks, welcome back to Little Big Screen: On the Big, Big Screen, where film columnist Benjamin McElroy recommends five screenings happening at Iowa’s independent movie theaters. Keep scrolling for the full list of this month’s big screenings. The Holiday (2006) Directed by Nancy Myers Kate Winslet is approached by more mothers and more daughters […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Aliens invade Des Moines, Ethan Hawke commits to the comb-over and other cinematic moments to see in local theaters this month
Hey folks, welcome back to Little Big Screen: On the Big, Big Screen, where film columnist Benjamin McElroy recommends five screenings happening at Iowa’s independent movie theaters. Keep scrolling for the full list of this month’s big screenings.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
As filmmakers compete this festival season, DSMUFF offers a DIY, low-pressure alternative
It is far too cliché to begin this story with the same overdone explanation that cool arts stuff does, in fact, occur in the Midwest. So I won’t start there. But I will rant about the thrill of discovering something underground, especially when it’s in a place you least expect it. It feels special, uncovering […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Des Moines welcomes back a now-classic, Kurosawa arrives in Iowa City (in 4K), PTA’s first action flick drops and more screenings this month
Hey folks, welcome back to Little Big Screen: On the Big, Big Screen, where film columnist Benjamin McElroy recommends five screenings happening at Iowa’s independent movie theaters. Keep scrolling for the full list of this month’s big screenings.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Newman’s cold one of choice, Jamiroquai’s ‘Canned Heat’ and all the films you need to see in local theaters this month
Hey folks, welcome back to Little Big Screen: On the Big, Big Screen, where film columnist Benjamin McElroy recommends five screenings happening at Iowa’s independent movie theaters. Keep scrolling for the full list of this month’s big screenings.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Tattooed baddies, British daddies and all the films you need to see in local theaters this month
Hey folks, welcome back to Little Big Screen: On the Big, Big Screen, where film columnist Benjamin McElroy recommends five screenings happening at Iowa’s independent movie theaters. And keep scrolling for the full list of this month’s big, big screenings.
Posted inStatewide
‘The arts are being systematically attacked’: Iowa arts orgs lose federal funding as Trump administration terminates NEA grants
After making massive cuts at the Institute for Museum and Library Sciences and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), and rescinding grants awarded by those agencies, the Trump administration brought its sweeping and arbitrary DOGE-style cuts to the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) last week. The NEA sent out emails on Friday to […]
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The Iowan-produced ‘Bob Trevino Likes It’ premieres at Varsity Cinema, FilmScene Friday
What does it mean to foster a chosen family? To find a community so welcoming, it becomes another unit of intimacy altogether? For film producer Edgar Rosa, it meant cultivating a hub of artistry at an early age. Born in California, but raised in Iowa, Rosa was involved with the Des Moines Playhouse by age […]
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Valentine’s Day at the movies: Sweet and sour date stories at local cinemas
Growing up, everyone urged me to never have my first date at the movie theater. It simply isn’t the ideal location! There is little room for conversation, and a first date should promote learning about the other person.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Move over, Oppenheimer: Barbie meets Gilgamesh in this University of Iowa business class
These days, the summer of 2023 feels like it was 4,000 years ago, but actually, it was less than two. If you need hard evidence of this, go check your closet. There is a significant chance you will find the hot-pink pantsuit or suit jacket you wore to the Barbie screening that July (followed perhaps by Oppenheimer).
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Iowa’s indie theaters have a flurry of David Lynch screenings in store for February
“Believe it or not, the answer is yes, I do have a fondness for David Lynch,” begins Ben Godar, Executive Director of Varsity Cinema in Des Moines. Losing Lynch, who passed away on Jan. 15, 2025, has highlighted just how many people agree with this sentiment.
