Lots of filmmakers, but especially documentarians, split their time between commercial gigs that keep the lights on and more personal works. Mary Lambert, whose ladies-of-the-U.S. Senate doc 14 Women had its world premiere last night at SILVERDOCS, is no different. Her resume includes the 1989 Stephen King adaptation Pet Sematary, some TV and direct-to-video stuff with awesome titles like My Stepson, My Lover and and Halloween II: Kalabar’s Revenge, plus music videos for the likes... more ›

In their first feature film, Unknown (which opened at the E Street Cinema on Friday), director Simon Brand and screenwriter Matthew Waynee demonstrate that they have absorbed the lessons of thrillers like Reservoir Dogs, True Romance, Memento, Pi, Sixth Sense, and The Usual Suspects. That is, a thriller's thrill comes from delaying the audience's understanding of the real circumstances and motivations of the characters as long as possible. If the screenplay can keep the characters from knowing much about it either, so much the better. Unfortunately, that is just not possible without some believable gimmick. Unknown may not be not as good as any of the models listed above, but it is a solid first attempt at the genre. Enough for the Weinstein brothers to distribute the film independently, in a select few locations, as well as by video-on-demand through IFC Films. more ›

This past Sunday, celebrated Washington Post music writer Jay Dot Freedom of the Lake wrote up a superb article on Ryan Schreiber, who, while deeply contemplating farm implements some years ago, hit upon the idea for the sine qua non online guide to the indie rock universe—Pitchfork Media. Launched from the Minneapolis home of his folks, Schreiber’s baby has since become something of a kingmaker. Cluttered with inside jokes and boasting writing several degrees more... more ›