Sundance Film Review: Lilting

Sundance Film Review: Lilting
By

 Director Hong Khaou beautifully captures the unique story of Junn, a woman whose son—her only connection to the world around her—dies tragically, leaving her in discomfort and suspension in a rest home as her deceased son’s boyfriend, Richard, struggles to help her while coming to terms with his own loss and guilt. … read more

Think of the Children! Tumbleweeds Joins Forces With Sundance

Think of the Children! Tumbleweeds Joins Forces With Sundance
By

With the Tumbleweeds Film Festival, now in its fourth year, already making waves with its age-appropriate programming with locals, the efforts of Patrick Hubley and his colleagues were noticed by an even larger organization, the Sundance Film Festival. … read more

DIY or Die: An Interview with Peter Baxter of Slamdance

DIY or Die: An Interview with Peter Baxter of Slamdance
By

“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

Salty Horror International Film Festival 2013

Salty Horror International Film Festival 2013
By

The Salty Horror International Film Festival was conceived by Mario DeAngelis four years ago as an avenue for local and international horror filmmakers to bring their dark and deranged ideas to cinematic life.  … read more

The Voodoo Music and Arts Experience

The Voodoo Music and Arts Experience
By

Nowhere else will you see local legends like Dr. John and Preservation Hall Jazz Band perform on the same stages as worldwide phenomena such as The Cure, Nine Inch Nails and Pearl Jam, all the while catering to a younger culture of music lovers with headliners like Bassnectar, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Calvin Harris and Paramore at the Voodoo Music Festival in New Orleans.  … read more

Bonkers for Banzai: Anime Banzai 2013

Bonkers for Banzai: Anime Banzai 2013
By

 The last panel I went to was “Mega Man: Powered Up!” and was by far the most heated panel of the three. Things got a little out of control when a man dressed in a full-on My Little Pony jumpsuit stated that Mega Man would always be superior to Zero, because supposedly they keep bringing Zero back, while Mega Man is a constant, which caused the other members of the audience to simultaneously start yelling that they agreed or disagreed with this guy’s theory, and why he was right or wrong. … read more

Salt Lake Comic Con @ The Salt Palace 09.07

Salt Lake Comic Con @ The Salt Palace 09.07
By

Unless you just flew in from the darkest reaches of Romulan space, you may have heard about a little convention our fair city had last week, a convention that shattered records and expectations and huffed new life into the suffocating lungs of local geekdom. Dan Farr Productions’ Salt Lake Comic Con was a blazing fucking success by all accounts—especially financially—and has set the stage for Salt Lake to become a new mecca for the culture. … read more

Uproar Festival 2013: Rockstars and Wannabes 09.02 @ USANA Ampitheater

Uproar Festival 2013: Rockstars and Wannabes 09.02 @ USANA Ampitheater
By

Typically anchored by fairly recognizable and boring headlining acts like Disturbed or Shinedown, this year those acts consisted of the strange combination of Circa Survive, Coheed & Cambria, Jane’s Addiction and the legendary Alice In Chains – strange mix, but finally compelling enough for me to begrudgingly make it to an Uproar date. Make no mistake, though, I’ve got a lot of generic bullshit to tear apart before we get to the good stuff.  … read more

Crucialfest Day Four @ Shred Shed and Wasted Space 06.29

Crucialfest Day Four @ Shred Shed and Wasted Space 06.29
By

It’s Year Three, Day Four of SLC’s amazing musical orgasm CrucialFest, and I step off the Trax stop at Courthouse to get myself some delicious pizza and beer from The Pie Hole before the festivities start. Heat’s in the triple digits, and I pity the poor fools even more who chose Warped Tour over CF. … read more

Crucialfest Day Two @ Killby Court 06.27

Crucialfest Day Two @ Killby Court 06.27
By

On the second day of Crucialfest 3, the music gods looked upon Kilby Court and decided, “This is where the rock shall be.” A little slice of all-ages paradise, Kilby Court is a great venue tucked away in the back of an alley. The only downside is a serious lack of air conditioning, but fantastic lighting and sound makes up for it. Besides, it’s the summer—if you’re not sweating, then you’re not trying hard enough. One of the most fun things about Kilby Court that doesn’t really translate to a lot of venues is also the easygoing, casual vibe. “Casual” is the best way to describe Kilby all the way around, with the open garage door in back and courtyard full of stickers with a firepit flanked by park benches. Not a half bad way to catch some tunes and make some new friends. … read more