SLUG Contributor Limelight
March 5, 2020
Contributor Limelight: John Ford
At SLUG, Community Development Manager John Ford puts in the hours day in and out. Not only does he help put our lovely advertisers in front of our dear readers, but he also assists and orchestrates countless operations so that we may perform the full breadth of our events programming and distribution throughout Northern Utah. The dude is even the Production Manager for our sister nonprofit, Craft Lake City! Ford helps keep the lights on around here in both our physical office space and in spirit with his dogged positivity and commitment to SLUG. He loves to hit each Disney amusement park he can during his brief in-between moments, sure as the wind blows to bring back a tasty treat to share. Anyone with a relationship with John Ford is lucky to have such a present friend committed to supporting them however he can—we sure are.
Articles by contributor
Review: Nine Inch Nails – Hesitation Marks
The first few times listening through Hesitation Marks, all I could focus on were the poppy, electronic-ish elements that must have rubbed off on Trent Reznor from spending so much time in How to Destroy Angels. It just didn’t feel like a NIN album. … read more
Local Review: Sweet Tooth – Create Your Fate
Ogden-area local Logan Smith (aka Sweet Tooth) combines gothic style with an ’80s-era rock sound in his debut album, Create Your Fate. If Brian Warner had entered the music scene in the glory days of butt rock, he might have ended up sounding much like Sweet Tooth. … read more
Review: Elusive Parallelograms – Fragments EP
Elusive Parallelograms = Animal Collective + Deerhunter … read more
Review: Evan Ønly – No Matter What EP
In his debut solo EP, Evan Brody takes an old sound and makes it new again. Most of No Matter What could easily be mistaken for classic ’80s music, which, as far as this writer is concerned, the world needs more of. … read more
Review: David Bowie – The Next Day
I still remember pulling Ziggy Stardust from the vinyl sleeve, the phrase “TO BE PLAYED AT MAXIMUM VOLUME” challenging me from the lower corner of the back cover. Every second of “Starman” forevermore altered my musical outlook. That said, I was skeptical as hell when I heard Bowie was releasing another album. Mainly because it’s been a decade since his last release, but also because his last album, Reality, fell a little short (in my opinion). Fortunately for us all, The Next Day meets the high expectations that Bowie sets by being, well, Bowie. … read more
Review: The Walking Dead Volume 23: Whispers Into Screams
On a scale of One to Rad, this latest volume earns a solid “meh.” The sad thing is that this is actually a fairly decent volume, but after the set up at the end of Volume 22 (my review of which began with, “HOLY. FUCK.”), this feels like a massively missed opportunity by writer/creator Robert Kirkman. … read more
Review: Batkid Begins: The Wish Heard Around the World
As amazing as that day was, and even with how much this doc focuses around that day, Batkid Begins is not about the Batkid story. … read more
Review: The Newsroom: The Complete Third Season
As a fan of The Newsroom since the epic first 8 minutes of the pilot episode, I have to say I’m disappointed that the final season was shortened to just six episodes. … read more
Hasa Diga, Offended People: This is The Place for The...
The floodgates have been opened and comedic rivers now runneth over through the “Sal Tlay Ka Siti” valley: The Book of Mormon is finally playing in Utah! … read more
Review: Monopoly – Game of Thrones Edition
Are you a low-to-moderate Game of Thrones fan and an average fan of board games? Then you are gonna lose your shit over this new Monopoly Collector’s Edition. Any above-moderate Game of Thrones fans, on the other hand … perhaps not so much. … read more
Slamdance Film Review: To The Bone
In yet another Slamdance World Premiere, To The Bone brings a glimpse into the difficult lives of migrant farmworkers. Eleven-year-old Valencia (Naomie Feliu), her father (Jaime Alvarez) and her eight-year-old little brother, Marcos (Carlos C. Torres), work long, hard days for next to no pay—just to give their family a chance at a better life—while all Valencia wants is to go home. But will her attempt to do so have unforseen aftereffects that cause more harm than good? … read more
Slamdance Film Review: Big Words
Set against the backdrop of the 2008 presidential election in beautiful Brooklyn, New York, Big Words revolves around three friends who, 15 years ago, were once members of an unsuccessful hip-hop group. John (Dorian Missick), aka Big Words, is a lyrical genius who, perhaps subliminally, expects himself to fail and thus puts success out of his own reach. … read more
Slamdance Film Review: Fynbos
In his first feature-length film, Harry Patramanis presents a story of mystery and doubt. Richard (Warrick Grier) is nearly finished building a lavish glass house in a remote area in the Western Cape of South Africa, but the expense of it all has brought him near bankruptcy and he is now hopelessly running out of time to sell the property. … read more
Slamdance Film Review: Glory Days
Glory Days tells the story of a dead-beat dad’s attempt to remain in the past. Jack (Mike Lubik) hauls his two young children (Cory Nichols and Paige Elizabeth Smith) to a New Years Eve party that clearly wasn’t intended for little kids.
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Slamdance Film Review: Shale
Shale is a short film that examines the importance of a balance of power within a relationship. John (Walter Dalton), the owner of a shale pit, is being divorced by his wife, Sheila (Sandra Seacat), and is prepared to destroy everything he owns rather than split things with her. … read more
Slamdance Film Review: Kohlhaas
After production pulls the funding for his 16th-century film about Hans Kohlhase, director Lehmann (Robert Gwisdek)—yes, the director in the film is named after the director of the film—refuses to abandon his dream and begs his cast and crew to help him finish filming. … read more
Slamdance Film Review: Best Friends Forever
Harriet (Brea Grant), a young comic book artist living in Los Angeles, has just been accepted to a college in Austin, Texas, and decides to road trip there with her BFF, Reba (Vera Miao). As they make their way across the country—in a ’76 AMC Pacer—the nuclear apocalypse begins with four nuclear explosions happening in major US cities. … read more
Slamdance Film Review: The Dirties
Constantly being bullied by a group of kids—known as “The Dirties” because it’s the name of the bullies’ band—at their high school, Matt (Matt Johnson) and Owen (Owen Williams) decide to film a movie about getting revenge. But as Matt gets more and more serious about the idea, Owen begins to worry his friend might take things too far. … read more
Slamdance Film Review: What Isn’t There
At the age of 10, Gibson (Dominic Roco) saw his twin brother die, and he hasn’t spoken since. Now 20, Gibson returns home to Manila for the holidays and finds his family growing slowly more and more distant. … read more
Slamdance Film Review: My Name is Faith
Following a young girl named Faith—who suffers from Reactive Attachment Disorder— and her family, the Junkers, through two camps designed to help families with children who have various attachment disorders, My Name is Faith documents the difficulty of dealing with these very real issues—both as a child and as a family.
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Slamdance Film Review: The Institute
Following the storyline of a massive reality game created by Jeff Hull, The Institute searches for the boundry that separates what is real and what is fiction.
Slamdance Film Review: Without Shepherds
Following the lives of six very different people, Without Shepherds provides a fresh, encouraging view of the occasionally tumultuous country of Pakistan. The film weaves together stories from Imran Khan, a former cricket star and rising politician; Vaneeza Ahmad, a feminist-empowering fashion model; Arieb Azher, an enlightened musician; Mohammed Ibrahim, a student and ex-mujahid; Laiba Yousafzai, a female reporter/journalist; and Abdullah Khan, a truck driver providing for his large family. … read more
Slamdance Film Review: Terms and Conditions May Apply
In this eye-opening documentary, Cullen Hoback draws viewers’ attention to the plethora of reasons of why we should take a second look before clicking the “I Agree” button on the various Terms and Conditions documents we’re constantly bombarded with online. From things like GPS data being sold to police departments to Carrier IQ—a software program that documents everything you do on your smartphone—to the massive NSA eavesdropping center in Bluffdale, UT, there are many reasons for us to rethink all the personal information we upload on a daily basis. … read more
Slamdance Film Review: Domestic
In this heartfelt film, Romanian director Adrian Sitaru takes us along on his investigation of humanity’s relationship with the animals we love, the animals we eat and the difference between the two. Focusing on the lives of a small, tight-knit Romanian community, Domestic is a charming examination of how relationships with animals can help us deal with life, and with death, without taking itself too seriously. … read more
Slamdance Film Review: The Brotherhood of the Traveling Rants
Opening with Gavin McInnes—the “Godfather of Hipsterdom” and one of the co-creators of Vice Magazine—going around and asking famous comedians how to be funny, The Brotherhood of the Traveling Rants is a lot of fun. After turning his book tour into a comedy tour, McInnes gets his BFF from high school, Steve Durand, drunk and takes advantage of him… I mean, gets him to agree to go on the tour with him… yeah, that’s it. … read more
Slamdance Film Review: Where I Am
In 1999, writer Robert Drake was brutally attacked by two local men and left for dead in Sligo, Ireland. The assault left Drake horribly crippled: unable to walk without a sense of balance, he is now confined to a wheelchair, and has difficulty speaking or paying attention for long periods of time. … read more
Slamdance Film Review: Joy de V.
In her debut feature film, Nadia Szold presents a nostalgic look back at the classic film noir period. Joy de V takes place in a version of New York heavily shrouded in organized crime, where Roman (Evan Louison), a small-time con-artist whose biggest scam is receiving disability checks by pretending to be crazy, and his seven-month-pregnant wife, Joy (Josephine de La Baume), live happily in a small apartment.
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Slamdance Film Review: Vipaka
Former therapist/current life coach Thomas Carter (Anthony Mackie) has just released his self-help book and is on the road to success when his brother, Ben (Mike Epps), shows up and threatens to unearth haunting moments from Tommy’s past. In an attempt to make some quick cash to pay off his troubled brother, Tommy adds several additional days to his book tour and takes on a new client named Angel (Forest Whitaker). … read more
Mika @ In the Venue 03.30
Usually when an artist or band opens with your favorite song of theirs, it’s all downhill from there—but, luckily for me, this was a special situation. You see, before this concert, I’d only heard about a third of Mika’s work. Which was basically the reason I’d decided to review the thing in the first place—I’d liked what I’d heard, and I wanted to hear more. So, when Mika opened with “Grace Kelly,” a fun song that’s really just a “fuck you” to record execs, I knew there was a good chance of things improving from that point. … read more
Green Jell-O and Prescription Pill Empowerment: The Righteous and Very...
Utah’s newest theatre production company, Alligator Press Productions, has opened its first theatrical season with The Righteous and Very Real Housewives of Utah County—a world premiere containing six strong female roles. … read more
The Days God Slept: Short Film Review
What secrets do we keep from those who love us? And how different is our perspective of our interactions with those around us compared to those whom we’re interacting with? The Days God Slept dives into these questions and more with some beautiful visual metaphors and poignant music. … read more
DIY or Die: An Interview with Peter Baxter of Slamdance
“I think that over the years, the gatekeepers—the studio gatekeepers—have now become fewer, because I think with a film festival like Slamdance, the way that it’s programmed has shown that you don’t have to then be anointed, as it were, by a studio member to say that you can come in and now you can do this. Slamdance has played its part in helping to break down that barrier.” … read more
Slamdance Film Review: Waiting for Mamu
In Kathmandu, Nepal, the children of convicted citizens are sent to prison with their parents until they are old enough to make it on their own or until their parents are released.
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Slamdance Film Review: Copenhagen
Shot in the beautiful city of (you guessed it) Copenhagen, Denmark, the film follows 28-year-old William (Gethin Anthony) as he searches for his grandfather with nothing to guide him besides a letter.
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Slamdance Film Review: Elliot
In a stunning tribute to amateur filmmaking, this documentary follows Elliot—an overwhelmingly amateur filmmaker who is on a journey to become a cult icon as Canada’s first action hero.
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Slamdance Film Review: The Republic of Rick
Opening with one of the most elaborate—and arguably historically inaccurate—reenactments of the Battle of the Alamo ever put together, The Republic of Rick is awkwardly hilarious right from the get-go.
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Slamdance Film Review: Meet My Rapist
A comedic satire that criticizes rape myths and attacks the stereotypes of how victims should “get the fuck over [their] shit”? COUNT ME IN.
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Slamdance Film Review: The Chaperone 3D
Excellently using a combination of animation, stop-motion, live-action, puppetry and exploding piñatas, The Chaperone tells the “hand drawn true story” of teacher/chaperone Ralph, DJ Stefan and the-kid-at-the-concession-stand Peter as they kick ass and take names after a motorcycle gang invades a Montreal youth dance that they’re watching over.
Slamdance Film Review: Skanks
If I had a nickel for every documentary about an original musical from a community theater in Birmingham, Alabama, I’d have one nickel and one hilarious documentary.
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Slamdance Film Review: The Sublime and Beautiful
I once took a writing class where the teacher told us that the best way to get readers to care about your characters is to make terrible things happen to those characters, forcing some type of reaction. The Sublime and Beautiful is the greatest example of this that I’ve ever seen.
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Slamdance Film Review: La Bare
In his directorial debut, Joe Manganiello (HBO’s True Blood, Magic Mike) offers an inside look at La Bare, an all male revue club in Dallas, TX that’s been in operation since 1978.
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Slamdance Film Review: Glena
In this rousing and inspirational documentary, first-time director Allan Luebke follows amateur MMA fighter Glena Avila as she works, fight by fight, towards reaching pro status.
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Slamdance Film Review: Sometimes I Dream I’m Flying
Opening with an incredible visual metaphor—a slow-motion horse race with close ups on the legs and muscles of the horses, representing ballet dancers—and moving through the film with gorgeously-shot scenes, Sometimes I Dream I’m Flying visually feels much more like a feature narrative than a documentary.
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Slamdance Film Review: Wizard’s Way
If I’m being completely honest, I’m a little done with the “found footage” types of faux documentaries. That being said, Wizard’s Way is able to move beyond the cliché it starts in because of the superb character portrayals provided by Kristian Scott as Julian “Windows” Andrews and Socrates Adams-Florou as Barry Tubbulb.
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Slamdance Film Review: I Put A Hit On You
After Harper proposes—with a ring for herself instead of a ring for him—and Ray turns her down, Harper goes on a drinking binge in her apartment to get over it. Oh, and did I mention that Harper puts out a hit on Ray via the Internet in her drunken stupor? And that a potential killer answers the ad? Yeah, that happened, too.
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Slamdance Film Review: Glass Eyes of Locust Bayou
Director Simon Mercer provides a look at the lifetime of work by amateur filmmaker Phil Chambliss. Toiling from a (very) small town in Arkansas, Chambliss has been using his friends and fellow citizens—and the striking Arkansas backdrop—to fashion films of his own, unique creation for over 30 years.
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Slamdance Film Review: Love Letter
Using a combination of live action, animation and puppetry in this short film, Lindsey Martin offers the tale of a young girl who creates an imaginary earth-worm friend to help her make sense of a strange “love letter” from her father to her mother, but as the worm points out her concerns and fears around her parents’ seemingly doomed relationship, the girl must face the worm head on or risk being consumed by her own worry.
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Slamdance Film Review: Forever Not Alone
Walking into this documentary about a group of immature, teenage girls, I can honestly say I had very low expectations, and, if I’m being completely honest, I only reviewed this film because I lost a coin toss. Now, that being said, I was completely blown away by Forever Not Alone.
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Slamdance Film Review: We Keep On Dancing
In this touching short film about reminiscence, Jessica Barclay Lawton reminds her audience that the things we keep in our memories and our hearts are never truly gone from our lives. When Alan brings in a very old, very out of condition VW to the mechanic Danny, we soon learn that the car was much more to Alan than something to get him from A to B.
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Slamdance Film Review: Three Night Stand
Trying to get away for a weekend and focus on their relationship, Carl takes his wife Sue to a mountain lodge for some skiing and wine tasting. Unfortunately for Carl, upon arrival, he discovers that his ex-girlfriend Robyn—who he used to bring quite often to the same lodge back in the day—is now the owner of the lodge. Wackiness ensues as Carl tries to keep as much of his previous relationship hidden from his wife as possible.
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Haim @ The Depot 05.22 with Tennis
The Haim sisters take their usual layout—Danielle in the center, Alana to the audience’s left and Este to their right—which I imagine they’ve been holding down since their childhood days, back when they played with their mom and dad as Rockinhaim. … read more
Pride Festival Recap
Love equals love. That was the theme at this years Pride, and it couldn’t have been more fitting. The theme calls back to the 17 days—from December 20, 2013 to January 6, 2014—when same-sex couples could legally marry here in the state of Utah after Judge Robert J. Shelby struck down Amendment 3 as unconstitutional, and it draws attention to the current legal limbo same-sex couples have been stuck in as the appeals process against Judge Shelby’s ruling slowly grinds forward. But the love equals love theme does even more than that: It also calls to how things should be, how everyone should be treated and how important equality truly is. … read more
Wrighting A Lark: An Interview with Playwright Jennifer Kokai
“I was there in New York for a week with six other playwrights—we called it ‘playwright camp.’ Everybody got a director—a professional director—professional actors and 10 hours of rehearsal. The Lark is a really great space for playwrights—they’re really great people.” … read more
Slamdance Film Review: The Resurrection of Jake the Snake
Fans of the golden age of wrestling should not miss out on this earnest documentary about Jake “The Snake” Roberts. … read more
Slamdance Film Review: Bloodsucking Bastards
In the first feature film written by the comedy genius team Dr. God, Fran Kranz plays Evan, an overworked call center employee who can’t seem to find his way up the corporate ladder. … read more
Slamdance Film Review: Trees That Walk (Alberi che Camminano)
Trees That Walk follows the path of wood as it’s cut down, cut up, shaped and turned into lumber for homes, works of art, musical instruments and more. … read more
Slamdance Film Review: Batkid Begins: The Wish Heard Around the...
Batkid Begins shows us what is possible when people work together, care about each other and create true community with one another. … read more
Slamdance Film Review: Sweet Micky For President
In this musically-satiated documentary, Michel ‘Sweet Micky’ Martelly begins his political journey to become Haiti’s President. … read more
Slamdance Film Review: I Am Thor
With a music career spanning five decades, Jon Mikl Thor is perhaps one of the legends of rock and metal that you definitely need to be aware of. … read more
Slamdance Film Review: They Look Like People
It boggles my mind that the slight movement of someone’s jaw, a bottle of sulfuric acid and a nail gun combine for the most terrifying film I’ve seen this decade. … read more
Slamdance Film Review: Clinger
In this extraordinary tribute to ’80s horror, director Michael Steves will make you laugh till you die.Gather up a few buckets of blood and go see this film. … read more
Slamdance Film Review: Ratter
A ratter is a type of hacker who breaks through the security of your computer, mobile device or webcam to take control of that device—more specifically, the device’s camera. … read more
Slamdance Film Review: Yosemite
With her second feature length film, director Gabrielle Demeestere presents the Slamdance Film Festival with a striking representation of childhood and friendship. … read more
“It’s All Heartfelt and Shit”: Best Friends Forever Takes Slamdance
Best Friends Forever is an indie film that blends together dark comedy, sci-fi and horror into a road trip—in a ’76 AMC Pacer—which takes place during a nuclear apocalypse. Co-written by Brea Grant and Vera Miao, BFF is an examination of what’s truly important in life. In a video from the film’s website, Miao describes BFF by saying, “It’s all heartfelt and shit,” and anyone who has had a “BFF” before knows that’s a perfect description of a good friendship. … read more
The Skanks are Coming to Slamdance
Documentary filmmaker David McMahon grew up in one of those pockets of open-mindedness and tolerance in the South. “It was a real lifesaver for me, growing up there. I got exposed to like-minded people and supportive people,” he says. So when he found out playwright Billy Ray Brewton was going to do an original musical called Skanks In A One Horse Town, he decided to give it a shot and turn the experience into a documentary, premiering at the Slamdance Film Festival this month. … read more
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