It is a hard thing to say that this town needs another festival. Every weekend there are like five different things I wanna do. I know you know what I mean. It has gotten to the point  that I rarely make plans or do research until the day of anymore (unless we are invited.)
I  need more writers!
Ok, what was I saying? Ah yes, The Moontower Fest was super fun. The organizers had this event going on in many venues all over town from Wednesdaze to Saturdaze. I attended Fridaze and Saturdaze at my film festival staple, The Paramount. I have had little experience with comedy shows. Many years ago we caught some shows at CAP CITY COMEDY CLUB and have done some random interviews with folks touring through town. Comedian interviews are always a good time. This event brought in some great comedians. I caught the Jeffery Ross Roasts Austin show first. I found out why being in the front row at a comedy  show is exciting.  I  was called out and made the butt of a joke. All in good fun. This guy is kind of an asshole on stage, I kinda thought he was gonna get flattened when he was tearing into a big volunteer.  I think  that would have gotten some cheers. Then it was Funny Or Die. I was sent this hilarious FOD video “THE LANDLORD” some time ago by  a friend. The show was not as good. Then Saturdaze brought comedic genius STEVEN WRIGHT. Good times. This was the first year and I could feel it catching on. Next year is gonna be bigger and badder.

Marshall Allman is probably best known as Sam Merlotte’s resentful shape-shifting brother on the HBO series True Blood, but as star and executive producer of Blue Like Jazz (based on the comedic and inspirational best-seller by Donald Miller), he’s no longer in anyone’s shadow.  While Blue Like Jazz screened at SXSW, I had the opportunity to sit down with Allman and talk about the pressures of bringing a beloved book to the big screen. The following is a transcript of our conversation:

DW: Let’s start at the beginning. How did Blue Like Jazz come to you?

MA: I got an email out of the blue from a friend who knew some folks who wanted to contact me about this movie.  It just slipped through the cracks and I honestly just forgot about it. A couple of weeks later he emailed again and said, “Hey, I really wanna give these people your contact info.”  You know? Like, come back to Earth! So I said, yeah, and later that night I got an email from writer/director Steve Taylor that said, “You’re on the short list of actors we’re considering for the lead in this film, will you read the script and let us know if you’re interested?”

DW: That’s pretty flattering.

MA: Oh yeah, but you know when you get a script that doesn’t come from your agent …

DW: … you have no idea if it’s quality?

MA: I’ll tell you right now, 95% of the time it’s junk and you can tell within the first 5 pages. So I got a few pages in with this one and I was like, wow. So I emailed him back just a couple hours later right after I read it and said, “Hey man, I know you have your short list of actors but your search is done! I’m the guy, and thank you for the offer.” (laughs) He wrote back and said, “That wasn’t necessarily an offer…” (laughing)

DW: But there’s one forthcoming?

MA: Yeah, he said, “I won’t offer it to anyone else until we meet.” So about a week later we met and I was really nervous. We sat down at a little place to eat lunch and he came in and handed me a mixed CD, kind of like a soundtrack that he envisioned would go with the film and he said, “You got the part, man.” So I was really grateful. It made it easier for me to eat my meal.

DW: (laughs) You’re listed as executive producer on the film. How did that come about? Read the rest of this entry »

The Broadway production of “Mary Poppins” was more than just a spoon full of sugar, it was a heaping scoop of happiness. As soon as Mary Poppins reached in her bag and pulled out that coat rack, I knew I was in for a treat. I highly recommend making it to the Bass Concert Hall in Austin to check out this wonderful musical that simply brought the story of Mary Poppins to life! The show is running from April 10th to the 15th and in my opinion, is enjoyable and entertaining for all ages.

If you have seen the movie “Mary Poppins”, you will experience moments of remembrance of the wonderful songs such as “Chim Chim Cheree”, “A Spoon full of Sugar” and “Let’s Go Fly a Kite”. If you haven’t seen the film, the newer original songs written by George Styles and Anthony Drewe were equally exciting and represented the story in such a meaningful way. My favorite number was the scene during “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious”. The choreography was rich with sharp gestures and comedic positions as the dancers and characters spelled out the famous word through movement and fast paced rhythm. As I took a look around to see the expressions on viewers’ faces…I realized that I wasn’t the only one who was smiling from ear to ear. This was something I could not help but notice throughout the show, pure happiness.

I was much younger when I first watched the movie “Mary Poppins”, so I know that I probably missed out on a lot of the insinuated humor. However, I noticed every last joke and pun during this play! It was filled with hilarious moments that anyone could appreciate. Along with the comedy came some very valuable themes for any society. The song “Feed the Birds” was a beautiful lesson to the fast paced, task oriented person who is too busy to notice the least of these. Watching “George Banks” in the realization of the importance of feeding the birds and acknowledging the woman in the park brought chills to my heart…much like several moments in the show. These actors had talent that can only come from Broadway itself.

This was also my first experience being in the Bass Concert Hall and I was very impressed! The Stadium seating is perfect for a performance of this kind because every seat is a valuable one. I cannot wait to see “Les Miserables” Broadway tour in this theater May 29th thru July 3rd. I would encourage all to attend these amazing Broadway shows and become a part of the magic on stage.

I met A. Sabin and David Redmon on the verandah of the Four Seasons Hotel overlooking Town Lake. Sabin is darkly beautiful and carries a quiet confidence, while David is a bit more intense. They look like the serious, award-winning documentarians they are, but that doesn’t stop them from getting distracted and a bit giddy when we’re joined on the terrace by a couple of celebrities posing for local press. After the excitement dies down and David and I discuss our shared roots in the DFW area, we dig in to the topic at hand: Girl Model, a film which documents the recruiting of under-age girls in remote Siberia for modeling in Japan.

Three-quarters of the way into our interview, things take a dark and unexpected turn, but we began with some background on the story.

DW: How did you first hear about this agency doing cattle calls in Siberia?

AS: We were approached in 2007 by Ashley, the model scout. At that point she sent us an email and the story was about modeling and prostitution, and the fine line between both. But our style of filmmaking is verite so we document events as they unfold. For us that creates a complexity in the story. So we had obvious concerns that she said this is the story that I think you should follow. We sort of pulled back and said we don’t want to make an investigative piece. But that’s how we initially got the story through Ashley and then it became something quite different.

DW:  I have to say that’s surprising to me because Ashley seems so conflicted about what she’s doing. It wouldn’t seem like she would approach you to open herself up like that.

AS: She’s complicated. I think that’s why audiences respond to her so strongly because they’re trying to figure her out, to understand her motivation. Read the rest of this entry »

This haunting documentary opens on a huge ‘cattle call’ of girls from small villages in Siberia. They stand in bikinis, some with arms folded across their breasts, others with slumped shoulders, signs of obvious self-consciousness. They are here to audition for an opportunity to model in Japan, but most don’t look like future models at all. It looks more like a very large gym class lined up for weigh-in. They don’t flaunt or carry themselves in a presentational manner. No matter how pretty they may be, most of them look like gangly, innocent youngsters and that’s exactly what they are. As young as 13, they’re here because they dream of “getting out” and making money for their struggling families. But it will mean leaving behind everything they know and finding themselves in a strange land, at the mercy of a cruel industry.

When we first meet Ashley Arbaugh, an American scout who works exclusively for the Japanese modeling agency, she tells us she believes she’s “saving” these girls and giving them a chance in the west. But as we get a creepy feeling watching these minors being poked and prodded like so much market beef, and photographed in skimpy clothes so their bodies can be assessed and measured, Ashley fully admits that it’s the look of wide-eyed innocence they’re after. She then tells us that they pre-screen girls even younger than 13 in the villages. “Before anybody else gets there, we get the girls.”

A 13-year-old named Nadya is chosen from among the hundreds who showed up. Read the rest of this entry »

Jack Black saunters in wearing a cool black western shirt, black jeans, and neon lime green sneakers. He’s also carrying a drink which may or may not contain something more than Coca-Cola at 1pm. Sometimes thoughtful and incredibly articulate, other times profane and silly, he keeps the roundtable interview jazzed. He’s got a touch of magic about him. He’s also got a fine performance in Bernie that he is (rightfully) proud of.

I was invited to attend this roundtable interview with several other journalists (local and national). The following is an edited transcript, and an audio file of the last few minutes of the interview in which Jack serenades us with some Tenacious D.

Glory be, and long live rock.

QUESTION: How does it feel to join the ranks of Jack Nicholson and Jack Lemmon who romanced Shirley MacLaine on screen?

JB: You know that’s a lot of pressure. Those are some powerful Jacks.

(laughter)

QUESTION: You give her a foot massage so that’s even more intimate according to Pulp Fiction rules.

JB: Is that in Pulp Fiction? They say a foot massage is more intimate than intercourse? Yeah, and I didn’t just rub the feet. I also buffed and shined’em. You saw it. It was a full-on thing there.

(He pretends to blow residue from a buffer as he does in the film.)

(laughter)

QUESTION: Did you spend any time with a funeral director to get some of those techniques down? Read the rest of this entry »

Her character, Tassie, is one of the more memorable “locals” through which the film’s narrative is told. She plays a ballsy gal with plenty to say and steals the movie in her few brief scenes.

I sat down with K-Mac in the Lobby Lounge restaurant in the Four Seasons Hotel while SXSW frenzy buzzed around us. Looking nowhere near her 80 years and having more energy than most kids I know, she chatted about the movie, her book, her famous son, and being a grandma.

DW: I’ve just come out of a roundtable interview with Matthew and Richard. They talked about you…

KM: (laughs) Yeah, well, Richard’s so low-key and sweet. I hope I get to see him in a suit before I die. I’ve never seen him in a suit no matter what the premiere is and I go to all of his.

DW: How did you get involved with the film Bernie?

KM: Rick called me and said, “There’s a part for you in this movie Bernie and I cannot imagine anybody playing Tassie but you.” I’m good friends with him and his family so it’s not like… I mean he just comes right out and says, “It’s you, K-Mac. It’s got you all over it.” So he emailed it to me and I said, “Rick, you’re right. That sounds like me.” I said I’d love to do it.

DW: The part you play is one of the townspeople, one of the gossips, and it all seems so natural. Was it ad-libbed or scripted?

KM: I ad-libbed. (laughs) A lot. Read the rest of this entry »

Tucked away in a quiet corner of the bustling Four Seasons Hotel in Austin with SXSW excitement buzzing all around, Matthew McConaughey and Richard Linklater arrive to talk about their film Bernie. The two have worked together and been friends since we first saw McConaughey in Linklater’s Dazed and Confused (1993). Their rapport is obvious as the two casually open up about their latest endeavor.

Bernie is a twisted, quirky comedy; the true story of a beloved and cheerful small-town mortician who befriends the meanest (and wealthiest) widow in town and ultimately kills her. It stars Jack Black as Bernie, Shirley MacLaine as Marjorie Nugent, and Matthew McConaughey as District Attorney Danny Buck Davidson.

The following is an edited transcript of the discussion in which 10 journalists were invited to ask questions.

QUESTION (to MM): In this film and in some of your best work you play a lawyer. I’m trying to think of all the films where you played a lawyer…

MM: What have we got here… A Time to Kill, Amistad, Lincoln Lawyer and this … yeah.

QUESTION: And you wanted to be a lawyer originally, you were pre-law?

MM: I did. That’s where I was headin’. Then I luckily ran into a friend of ours, Don Phillips, in a bar and he introduced me to this guy (motions to Linklater). And yeah, this is much more fun.

QUESTION: How does Bernie fit into your “J.K. Livin” philosophy?
(“Just keep livin” is a quote from Dazed and Confused that McConaughey has adopted as his personal philosophy and it is the name of his production company.) Read the rest of this entry »

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to a Movie I Didn’t Want to See, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Enjoy 21 Jump Street

I hated the TV show “21 Jump Street.” It’s not even worth discussing why. It just sucked in so many ways. I became a Johnny Depp fan pretty much the second he gave them all the finger and went off to make weird movies. I groaned when I saw the trailer for the big screen remake and I went to the premiere at SXSW under duress. And then a funny happened:  God help me, I liked this movie.

Let’s add to my reasons for trepidation the fact that I’ve been slow to appreciate the charms of Channing Tatum. Or to put it another way: until now, I could barely stand the sight of the guy, let alone entire movies that showcase his sub-par acting and hunkdom routine. That’s a little harsh, and I know that now because I’ve seen 21 Jump Street in which he displays stellar comic timing and only uses his good looks as the butt of jokes (not unlike Mr. Depp some moons ago.) Jonah Hill is consistently hilarious in the film, and let’s face it, Jonah Hill is consistently hilarious in everything. He can deadpan like no other and has a special gift for wringing belly-laughs out of awkward situations.

In addition to (surprisingly) excellent casting, the writers, Michael Bacall (Project X, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World) and Jonah Hill (with a story credit) have a lot of fun turning the typical high school stereotypes on their heads. Schmidt (Hill) was uncool in school but a good student. Jenko (Tatum) was popular but not too bright. When they’re given the undercover assignment as high school narcs, now in their mid-20s, their phony names and personas get mixed up. Suddenly Schmidt is the cool kid and Jenko is the science geek. Read the rest of this entry »

Arthur Nasson–West Cambridge Cowboys: One of the stand out independent artists who began releasing his own music before it was cool, Nasson, is on his 7th album. Once his music was picked up by MTV for contracting and a feature with NPR came around, his music began to boom–everywhere. His ability to cross musical styles and yet saturate the songs with their own distinctive original sounds and character often conjures up the notion that he is “beatle-esque.” The album is imaginative and lyrical with richly arranged sounds. Hints of a wide variety of influences from rock, jazz, classical, neo-soul, experimentation and punk are all up for grabs throughout the album while still maintaining a cohesive identity.

5.0 McRiprock’s

www.arthurnasson.com

Let’s celebrate the local in SXSW. From a day party put on by a recently born, local, online streaming radio station (AIR) that features only Austin artists, to an Austin original venue off the beaten path with funk fest galore that hearkens back to Austin before the downtown revolution, to a band returning home after a successful touring career to play a bunch of various parties including one late, late show that makes you a rock star for just staying up to hear them. Do Austin as Austin is supposed to be done. Check out your schedule:

• DAY PARTY

Austin Independent Radio (AIR) Day Party

http://do512.com/c/sx2012/event/2012/03/15/listentoair-com-austin-independent-radio-day-party-the-air-show-featuring-quiet-company-nic-armstorng-and-the-thieves-the-couch

Thursday, 3/15

11:00 AM-7:00 PM

Free Entry. RSVP on do512

The Dogwood (715 W. 6th Street)

www.thedogwoodaustin.com

The ListentoAIR-Austin Independent Radio Day Party showcases artists that live, work and play in our town. The party replays the original simplicity of SXSW where the music is worth showing up for, you might grab a few free drinks, and the entry is absent of the wristbands and badges hierarchy (aka you just simply show up).  It’s what SXSW likely was before it got too slick. Support some of the best names that make Austin the live music capital and bring your friends from out of town to show off the real Austin. More on AIR (something you NEED to know about if you are a supporter of all things music in Austin) after the SXSW dust settles. Betcha if ya go to the day party, you might get a sneak peek.

Featuring: Quiet Company, Nic Armstrong, the Couch, White Dress, The Wheeler Brothers, Mike and the Moonpies, Love Minus Flowers, James Hyland and the Joint Chiefs, Christy Hays and Her Sunday Best and Stephen Sowan.

http://www.listentoair.com

____________________________________________________

• EVENING SHOWCASE

FUNK x FUNK Fest Showcase

http://i.do512.com/c/sx2012/event/2012/03/16/funk-by-funk-west-showcase

Friday, 3/16

7:00 PM

Free entry with RSVP on do512, wristband or badge, $10 donation requested

The Sahara Lounge (1413 Webberville Road)

http://saharalounge.com

Funky, groove shaking good times held in a spot that’s a bit off the SXSW beaten path, but well worth the trek. The Sahara Lounge is a venue quietly tucked away from the madness of SXSW and features music from artists that make the trip worth the drive. With free parking, a beer garden, a large area to dance your ass off and a healthy dose of funk featured from Austin, NY, NOLA and LA, it’s a great escape out of and into SXSW.

Featuring: Roxy Roca, Super Secret Mystery Band, Honey Island Swamp Band, Matt Hubbard with Brad Houser & Robb Kidd, Robert Walter Band with John Speice & Josh Perdue and Reed Mathis.

____________________________________________________

• LATE NIGHT BAND 

Electric Touch

www.electrictouch.com

The band was born and grew up in Austin and are briefly returning. The five-man band combines the rock passions of its British and American band mates, celebrating garage-rock with a ferocious push-pull of sex and romance, from the highest highs of ecstatic union to the lowest lows of heartbreak. They’ve played all the big festivals from Lollapalooza, Warped, Coachella, CMJ Music Marathon and ACL. Hitting the road with big named Evanescence and supporting Hot Chelle Rae, they are set to release their debut album on March 20th. They are all over the place during SXSW and if you wanna stay up really late on the last official night of SXSW and close it out big this is the band to see. Check out their website for more SXSW opportunities and tour dates.

Saturday, 3/17

2:30 AM

The PureVolume House at Roy’s Austin (340 East 2nd Street)

2:30AM

Meet Bernie (Jack Black), the nicest guy in the small rural town of Carthage, TX. He volunteers for charity, directs local community theater, goes above and beyond the call of duty as assistant funeral director, has a lovely singing voice that he lends to gospel classics in church, checks in on grieving widows in his spare time, befriends the most reviled woman in town, and kills her.

“Bernie” is based on a crime story that proves the adage “truth is stranger than fiction.”

There is so much about the film (and Bernie) that is odd, and often endearingly so. The story is structured around interviews of quirky and colorful local residents who are eager to share their thoughts about the crime. These are interspersed with re-enactments of the events as they unfolded in 1998. It’s at once funny and chilling that most everyone in town sides with Bernie even though he confessed to shooting an elderly woman four times in the back.

The offbeat tone of the film is established in the opening sequence in which a competent and cheerful Bernie demonstrates to a class of future-morticians how to make corpses look good. (You’d be surprised how much super glue comes in to play.) Read the rest of this entry »

Meet platonic friends Jason (Adam Scott) and Julie (Jennifer Westfeldt). Their best friends are two married couples: Ben and Missy (Kristen Wiig and Jon Hamm) who start out hot and heavy but then allow a chasm of resentment to grow between them, and Leslie and Alex (Maya Rudolph and Chris O’Dowd) who bicker but manage to keep it fairly playful and forgiving. Both of these pairs have kids who create havoc in the home, strain their love lives, and generally wear them out. Inspired by, or more to the point, repelled by the lives of their married friends, Jason and Julie decide to have a baby together, but vow to remain platonic friends so they can separate the act of parenting and the pursuit of romantic love. They think this is the perfect solution to the problems they see around them. Sounds great, right? They get a bundle of joy, and still get to go out like singletons and pursue hot sex. They vow to be “100% committed half the time.” Thus the double-meaning in the title, “Friends with Kids.”

Of course, their married friends see the flaw in this plan right from the get-go. The problem is, so will the audience. It doesn’t take a genius to know that the intimacy of child-rearing will strain and confuse their friendship, and that parenting is going to require more of them than part-time commitment.

Much effort is made to ensure that the march to the foregone conclusion is peppered with “shocking” risqué humor, presumably meant to set it apart from less challenging mainstream rom-coms, but the result is a film that’s more repellent than riotous.

It’s hard to know what to make of star/writer/director Jennifer Westfeldt. Read the rest of this entry »

The Satin Hearts–Living On Overdrive: Full throttle rock and roll with over-driven guitars highlighting Fran Rifugiato (Francis Kidd of The Fingers and The Features) drives through this album with a punk anthem. They wrap the album up in a bow using a rhythm section that employs sounds original to Chuck Berry and Carl Perkins.  The throwback sound is showcased on the title track “Living On Overdrive” with rockabilly galore featuring 1950s guitar sounds. “Wild Child” is more akin to a ska beat with jangly guitars and the one acoustic song on the album, “Untied,” is a welcomed break from the fast paced, in-your-face anthems.

4.5 McRiprock’s

www.thesatinhearts.com

beware and enjoy

With Spring right around the corner, though we may not realize it due to what seems lack of seasons in Austin, starting organic seedlings in your home can save you hundreds of dollars in buying ‘starts’ at the store, and save your liver whatever horrid genetically modified shit that Monsanto is dedicated to pumping into your body by buying regular produce at the grocery.

If you are a career recycler, or perhaps a hoarder, you probably have various items in your house that could be used for makeshift planters.

Plastic cups, take-out containers, egg cartons, the like. Anything you can jab a hole into and fill with dirt will suffice. Your roommates cat is not an acceptable planter. Please learn from my mistake.

After gathering said items, go outside (or spread some newspaper on the floor, you dirty hippies).

Start jabbing some small holes into the bottoms of the containers. You can make this step as erotic as you’d like. Myself, I have a pen fetish.

Since the drought has royally fucked us all in terms of the dirt being dry and the ground being hard, you may need to go out and buy some potting soil.

Oh-and seeds. You’ll need those-unless you’ve harvested seeds from last years plants-in which case you’re so advanced reading this article is only going to make you feel patronized.

Start off on the right foot and go organic.

Fill with dirt! ¾ of the way up will be fine, as you’ll be uprooting these babies before their roots get too long.

After you’ve properly soiled everything and possibly yourself, use your fingers to poke small indentations in the dirt. Follow the instructions on the packets of seeds you’re planting to see how deep the holes need to be. Some require only a dusting of soil overtop of them while others need to be buried up to half an inch deep.

Plant-and feel free to use as much space as you can. It occurred to me at this point in the process that I could double my space by using both sides of the egg carton.

Next, find a shallow box. Using a deep box can prevent much needed sunlight from reaching your seedlings.

Next, stuff that box-with plastic bags, newspaper, anything that will prevent water from soaking directly through the box.

Place your makeshift planters in the box-and water. Soak the seeds adequately.

Now that you’ve poked holes, gotten dirty and played in the mud, planted your seed, stuffed your box, and showered, you have now completed makeshift planters. You will soon have little seedlings that cost you pennies on the dollar.

When we first meet Jacky he’s threatening someone with violence. We aren’t sure if he’s a good guy or a bad guy. We only know he’s a guy you don’t want to piss off.

As the story begins, we’re introduced to the strange world of black market hormones for cattle. Unlike in America where we consume copious amounts of hormones, antibiotics, and other chemicals in our meat due to unscrupulous farm-factory processes, in Belgium, such things are illegal. But desperate cattle owners resort to buying hormones on the black market so their cows grow bigger, faster, and are turned around more quickly for a better profit. Like here, the animals are kept in dismal, cramped stalls and do not wander rolling green hills as commercials would have us believe. It’s a dark, grisly business.

Black market hormones are sold much like illegal recreational drugs. Mafia types bring the product in and sell to regular customers.  Thus unfolds a crime story involving a dead undercover police officer who was attempting to thwart local hormone trade, an informant who was raised in the close-knit community of cattle farmers, and the Vanmarsenille family who relies on the hormones to help them compete and maintain a viable business in a crumbling economy.

We soon learn that the informant, Diederik (Jeroen Perceval)  grew up with Jacky (Matthias Schoenaerts) and the two share a sad history.  Jacky was the victim of an unspeakable crime as a child that left him scarred for life: he is without testicles. Diederik witnessed the crime but was not allowed to testify because his father feared repercussions from the perpetrator’s powerful family.

The two boys were no longer allowed to play together, and lost touch until now, when they meet again as adults in a shady business meeting. Diederik is there to gather intel for the cops. Jacky is there to make a deal.  The moment is rich with tragic irony: The boy who couldn’t “tell” now “tells” for a living, but he’s suddenly forced to implicate the very person he would most want to protect.

Jacky has endured the shame of living in a community that knows about his disfigurement. He’s dependent upon testosterone drugs, not only to replace what his body can no longer produce, but also to give him a “high” in which he is strong, powerful… manly. Read the rest of this entry »

Pina Bausch was a choreographer of extraordinary vision and innovation. In Wim Wender’s 3-D film entitled simply “Pina,” movie-goers are treated to excerpts from some of her most well-known and influential works. Among them are a piece that takes place entirely on loose soil so that the dancers become increasingly smudged and dirty as they enact tortured scenes of struggle and strife, a prop-filled piece entitled “Café Muller” in which chairs and tables are used to ingenious effect, and some outdoor sequences that use city space, light and air to add texture and depth to the dancer’s movements. Some of the most fascinating sequences are when Pina utilizes natural elements in the choreography: rock, sand, water.

There are moments of romance, levity, heartbreak, outright anguish and pain, and sheer beauty.

Between each dance piece, a member of the troupe tells a brief story about Pina. None of these stories are about her personal life – only about working with her. The film aims strictly to offer a tribute to this woman’s amazing work and work ethic. We’re given the impression of someone driven to create, bound only by her seemingly limitless imagination. She was a woman of few words, who made it count when she offered brief directions to her dancers.  Everyone involved clearly has enormous respect and love for Pina and her work, and that shows in each frame of the film.

The choice to use 3D here is inspired. It’s as if we’re in a live auditorium, watching the dancers move about on a real stage. In as much as it’s possible, we get the sense of live dance performances while sitting in an ordinary movie theater.

This is a must-see for fans of dance, art, and theater.

4.5 of 5 stars