Richard Russo’s vision of small-time life in a Maine mill town comes boldly to life this weekend on HBO. “Empire Falls,” which airs in two parts at 9-11 p.m. Saturday, May 28, and 9-10:30 p.m. Sunday, May 29, on the premium cable channel, successfully captures… Read More
When famed jam rockers Phish staged IT last August at the former Loring Air Force Base in Limestone, roughly 60,000 fans, as well as a cadre of journalists (including myself), flocked to the willywags of northern Maine to attend the three-day carnival of music, camping and good vibes. Read More
Ziad Hamzeh has done an admirable job illuminating racism in America. The Massachusetts filmmaker’s documentary “The Letter,” which chronicles the 2002 racial turmoil in Lewiston, will be shown this weekend at the Seventh Maine International Film Festival in Waterville. While it tells the story of… Read More
The star of “Wilderness & Spirit: A Mountain Called Katahdin” is Katahdin (or Ktaadn, meaning “great mountain,” in Penobscot). From the new documentary’s opening sequence of views of the mountain filmed from various locales and in different seasons, we rarely stray far from its steep slopes and rocky… Read More
Film fanatics and baby boomers remember 1966 as the year of “The Endless Summer.” The documentary about surfers’ global quest for the perfect wave became a hit on college campuses and in art movie houses around the world. Bangor High School graduate Carey Zolper, 24,… Read More
EDMUNDSTON, New Brunswick – Seraphin Poudrier was an old miser who used his money and his stature to manipulate people in the tiny Quebec village of Sainte-Adele during the 1890s, according to legend. Poudrier, who was the village’s mayor and undertaker, became a folkloric character among the French-speaking… Read More
BAR HARBOR – An insightful new documentary airing Thursday night introduces viewers to the man behind an institution that many people from away find synonymous with the state of Maine. Surely, some have wondered who J.C. Penney and Sears and especially Roebuck were. The premiere… Read More
In Sherman Alexie’s new feature film “The Business of Fancydancing,” which plays at 7 nightly through Thursday, Aug. 29, at Railroad Square Cinema in Waterville, the main character is a Spokane Indian homosexual poet who returns to his reservation for the funeral of a childhood friend. Throughout the… Read More
In a summer of explosive blockbuster sequels, there’s a kinder, gentler alternative for families. E.B. White’s famous mouse returns in “Stuart Little 2,” a worthy successor to the original 1999 holiday hit. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes =… Read More
Superheroing has a new face. Actually, it has three new faces, very young faces with great big eyes. And, as on display in “The Powerpuff Girls Movie,” these faces are adorable. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = [];… Read More
With its recent release of “Lilo & Stitch,” the original home of movie animation, Disney, has made its presence felt on the summer movie scene. The most accomplished animated feature of the season thus far, “Lilo & Stitch” successfully examines the age-old question of “nature… Read More
It’s a great time to be a film-animation fan. First came Disney’s second coming, with “The Little Mermaid,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “The Lion King” and “Aladdin,” among others, including too many sequels and other lesser works. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes… Read More
If you’re anything like me, then you can never remember which of the two I-95 exits to take to get to Railroad Square Cinema in Waterville. For the record, it’s Exit 34. But the fact is, if you’re going to the Maine International Film Festival, in its fourth… Read More
More than 200 people lined up to see two Friday night screenings of a romantic comedy at the historic Criterion Theatre. They laughed at the antics of the rich and idle, cheered and applauded when the villain fell into the ocean and got his due,… Read More
The lost underwater city of Atlantis has intrigued many people through the centuries. So it was natural that the creative types at Disney would seize upon it as the backdrop for their latest animated picture, “Atlantis: The Lost Empire.” My junior critic Samantha had no… Read More
Oh, would that every minute in real life passed as slowly as those spent viewing a “Pokemon” movie. It’s spring, which means that Japan’s most annoying import has returned to the cinemas, to suck more dollars out of the wallets of unfortunate parents everywhere. googletag.cmd.push(function… Read More
In a world with far too many offspring from insipid Saturday-morning TV shows, it’s refreshing to see an occasional new idea in children’s films. One such offering is the adventurous romp “Spy Kids.” googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes… Read More