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American Independent Cinema

This category contains 118 posts

’30 Days of Night’ (2007): An Action-Horror Extravaganza Undone by Inexplicable Cinematography

y Directed by: David Slade || Produced by: Sam Raimi, Robert Tapert Screenplay by: Steve Niles, Stuart Beattie, Brian Nelson || Starring: Josh Hartnett, Melissa George, Danny Huston, Ben Foster, Mark Boone Junior Music by: Brian Reitzell || Cinematography: Jo Willems || Edited by: Art Jones || Country: United States || Language: English Running Time: … Continue reading

How the Other Half Lives… ‘The Diary of a Teenage Girl’ (2015) & ‘Lady Bird’ (2017)

Directed by: Marielle Heller [Diary], Greta Gerwig [LB] || Produced by: Miranda Bailey, Anne Carey, Bert Hamelinck [Diary], Scott Rudin, Eli Bush, Evelyn O’Neill [LB] Screenplay by: Marielle Heller [Diary], Greta Gerwig [LB] || Starring: Bel Powley, Alexander Skarsgard, Christopher Meloni, Kristen Wiig [Diary], Saoirse Ronan, Laurie Metcalf, Tracy Letts, Lucas Hedges, Timothee Chalamet, Beanie … Continue reading

‘Us’ (2019): Jordan Peele’s Horror Expands

Directed by: Jordan Peele || Produced by: Jason Blum, Ian Cooper, Sean McKittrick, Jordan Peele Screenplay by: Jordan Peele || Starring: Lupita Nyong’o, Winston Duke, Elisabeth Moss, Tim Heidecker Music by: Michael Abels || Cinematography: Mike Gioulakis || Edited by: Nicholas Monsour || Country: United States || Language: English Running Time: 116 minutes If you … Continue reading

How the Other Half Lives… ‘Edge of Seventeen’ (2016) & ‘To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before’ (2018)

Directed by: Susan Johnson [Boys], Kelly Fremon Craig [Seventeen] || Produced by: Brian Robbins, James Lassiter, Will Smith [Boys], James L. Brooks, Richard Sakai [Seventeen] Screenplay by: Sofia Alvarez [Boys], Kelly Fremon Craig [Seventeen] || Starring: Lana Condor, Noah Centineo, Janel Parrish, Anna Cathcart, Andrew Bachelor [Boys], Hailee Steinfeld, Woody Harrelson, Blake Jenner, Kyra Sedgwick … Continue reading

An American Neo-Frontier Sampling: ‘Hell or High Water’ (2016), ‘Wind River’ (2017), & ‘Hold the Dark’ (2018)

Directed by: David Mackenzie [HHW], Taylor Sheridan [WR], Jeremy Saulnier [HD] || Produced by: Sidney Kimmel, Peter Berg, Carla Hacken, Julie Yorn [HHW], Matthew George, Basil Iwanyk [WR], Russell Ackerman, Eva Maria Daniels, Neil Kopp [HD] Screenplay by: Taylor Sheridan [HHW, WR], Macon Blair [HD] || Starring: Jeff Bridges, Chris Pine, Ben Foster, Gil Birmingham … Continue reading

M. Night Shyamalan’s ‘Unbreakable’ Trilogy (2000, 2016, 2019)

Directed by: M. Night Shyamalan || Produced by: M. Night Shyamalan, Barry Mendel, Sam Mercer, Jason Blum, Marc Bienstock, Ashwin Rajan Screenplay: M. Night Shyamalan || Starring: Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson, Robin Wright Penn, James McAvoy, Anya Taylor-Joy, Betty Buckley, Sarah Paulson Music by: James Newton Howard (U), West Dylan Thordson (S, G) || … Continue reading

‘Bird Box’ (2018): One of the Goofiest Cinematic Fads of the 2010s

Directed by: Susanne Bier || Produced by: Chris Morgan, Scott Stuber, Dylan Clark, Clayton Townsend Screenplay by: Eric Heisserer || Starring: Sandra Bullock, Trevante Rhodes, Jacki Weaver, Rosa Salazar, Danielle Macdonald, Lil Rel Howery, Tom Hollander, Colson Baker, BD Wong, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Sarah Paulson, John Malkovich Music by: Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross || Cinematography: … Continue reading

‘Widows’ (2018): When You Overthink Your Movie

Directed by: Steve McQueen || Produced by: Steve McQueen, Iain Canning, Emile Sherman, Arnon Milchan Screenplay by: Gillian Flynn, Steve McQueen || Starring: Viola Davis, Michelle Rodriguez, Elizabeth Debicki, Cynthia Erivo, Colin Farrell, Brian Tyree Henry, Daniel Kaluuya, Jacki Weaver, Carrie Coon, Robert Duvall, Liam Neeson Music by: Hans Zimmer || Cinematography: Sean Bobbitt || … Continue reading

‘Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (2010): An Action-Musical Tour de Force

Directed by: Edgar Wright || Produced by: Eric Gitter, Nira Park, Marc Platt, Edgar Wright Screenplay by: Michael Bacall, Edgar Wright || Starring: Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Kieran Culkin, Chris Evans, Anna Kendrick, Alison Pill, Brandon Routh, Jason Schwartzman, Brie Larson, Ellen Wong, Aubrey Plaza Music by: Nigel Godrich || Cinematography: Bill Pope || … Continue reading

‘Pitch Black’ (2000): The Definition of an Antihero

Directed by: David Twohy || Produced by: Tom Engelman Screenplay by: Jim Wheat, Ken Wheat, David Twohy || Starring: Vin Diesel, Radha Mitchell, Cole Hauser, Keith David, Lewis Fitz-Gerald, Claudia Black, Rhiana Griffith, John Moore, Simon Burke Music by: Graeme Revell || Cinematography: David Eggby || Edited by: Rick Shaine || Country: United States || … Continue reading

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