Once upon a time, in a land where VHS and cassette tapes reigned supreme and MC Hammer’s pants had a fresh shine, the Walt Disney Company started a revival. While it was famous for coveted titles like “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” and “The Jungle Book,” the Disney Renaissance era of the 90s brought “The Little Mermaid,” “The Lion King,” and “Beauty and the Beast.” In this day and age, we are getting yet another rejuvenation of Disney classics in the form of live-actions. The new “Beauty and the Beast” does justice to its original animated tale while spinning some new twists.

For those of you who have not seen the film (shame on you), “Beauty and the Beast” truly is a tale as old as time. The story follows an arrogant prince who is turned into; you guessed it, a beast for his vanity. The curse can only be lifted when he learns to love, and be loved in return. Throw in a bookworm heroine, brawny villain and some enchanted objects and you have the perfect musical.

With a perfect musical, there is a perfect score and set of lyrics. Thanks to Alan Menken, all of the original songs from the animated classic made it into the live-action with a few additions. The most exciting part is that Beast has his own song! “Evermore” is a song about him realizing what love truly is even as it runs away. Just as the title explains, love is a powerful emotion that will leave its stamp on any person’s heart. No matter how hard you try, that feeling will be with you forever.

Because we do not live in a land of fairies, magic wands and pixie dust, love is the closest thing we have to magic. “Beauty and the Beast” is considered one of the most romantic movies and rightly so. In a consumer and glamorous world, people become infatuated with wealth, fame and body types. However, this film focuses on the true meaning of a relationship.

Belle is not loved because she is beautiful, but because of her knowledge, kindness and unselfish behavior. Even though there is an obvious connection between her and Beast, there is a familial love between Belle and her father. Belle is so devoted to her father that she is willing to trade places with him and stay in a dark and damp cell as a prisoner.

The role of the brave woman is played by Hermione Granger, I mean, Emma Watson. Even though Emma will be known to younger generations as a Disney princess, she will always be the talented Muggle witch in my heart. As she was brilliant in “Harry Potter,” she made a wonderful Belle for many reasons. One, she is an avid reader and she is a feminist icon. In 2014, Emma was named an U.N. Women Goodwill Ambassador and helped launch the HeForShe campaign to raise awareness about feminist causes.

This movie also ended up being a beauty worldwide with over $1B in box office sales. How could it not with Ewan McGregor as a dancing candlestick, Ian McKellan as a stuffy old clock and Emma Thompson as a cheerful teapot.

“Beauty and the Beast” rose to the challenge and exceeded all expectations. If you have not seen this Disney classic, treat yourself to an enchanting evening. And, if it happens that you have seen the film, go again – there may be something there that wasn’t there before.

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Ahh, La La Land. That storied saga steeped in both praise and controversy. What goes up (and gets fourteen Academy Award nominations) must come down. No piece of art is above criticism. But after the dust settles from that inevitable backlash, new audiences must stay open-minded enough to watch the thing and simply decide for themselves.

La La Land is utterly lovely. Whether or not it deserved its bevy of awards is something only those who saw each nominated film in each category can speak to. But without taking any of its reception into account, this is a movie any movie-lover should see. Extra points if you know your Hollywood classics, as La La Land is part homage to Singin’ In The Rain, A Star is Born, Funny Face, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg and plenty of other golden age musicals and non-musicals alike.

We follow Mia, a young actress hustling for her big break in Hollywood, and a passionate jazz musician named Sebastian (apparently…he’s never really referred to by name.) Both artists are struggling to be true to themselves in a town – Los Angeles, affectionately called ‘la la land’ by many locals – that values expediency above all else. And though they have much in common, they also have quite a bit to teach each other about holding steadfast to their biggest dreams. Along this most colorful and exciting of journeys, we’re treated to both sweeping, sometimes tongue-in-cheek, dance numbers and plenty of quiet, everyday moments. The passage of time in Mia and Sebastian’s romance is something director Damien Chazelle plays with, often showing us events out of order, but always reeling us back to relative reality with cards indicating “Winter,” “Spring,” etc. Similar to 500 Days of Summer in style, but far superior in substance, La La Land is full to the brim with plot and performance. And just when we think each end is ready to be tied up in a beautiful bow, Chazelle reminds us who’s boss with one, final crescendo of heartbreaking movie magic.

Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling are completely believable as the romantic leads. It would have been easy for Gosling to rely upon his oodles of charm. It would have been easy for Stone to become yet another manic pixie dream girl here to show us how to truly live life to the fullest. But instead, the characters they create with Chazelle’s direction are equal protagonists. Yes, Mia and Seb both have an innate courage which their peers lack, but neither has it all figured out. They are a true team, supporting and encouraging each other to not forget why they came to la la land in the first place.

Gosling excels where plenty of leading men do not: in being vulnerable. For such an understated performer, he never allows the stakes to sink too low. As fantastic as Emma Stone’s lauded performance is, his is just as strong…if not more so. Stone is wonderful but sometimes seems to be holding back, as it she’s worried she’ll be too much. Not necessarily an unfounded fear, considering how subtle Gosling tends to be. But some of her best moments are those when she dives in headfirst. She’s hilarious in the pool party scene, glorious in her teary audition and has possibly the most giant, expressive eyes ever seen on the big screen. Chazelle is absolutely right to have directed his actors to play things as minimal and real-life as possible, but I would have loved to see just a bit more of Emma’s quirky humanity.

La La Land is a rollercoaster for the senses. The costuming and lighting feature a unique palette of primary colors, the music is memorable and the pacing is exciting. But don’t allow those things to distract you from the solid storytelling taking place. A fairly whimsical love story like La La Land might seem like a step backwards for writer/director Chazelle after thrillers Whiplash and 10 Cloverfield Lane, but only if you believe that whimsy cannot coexist with truth. I believe it can and does. And besides, La La Land isn’t your typical love story. After coming home from the theatre, still in a bit of a movie haze, my boyfriend mentioned that it seemed less like a romance between two people and more like a romance between people and their dreams. That’s the story being told here and you don’t want to miss it.

La La Land is rated PG-13 for language. Coming soon to RedBox.

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Luke Skywalker, R2-D2 and Darth Vader have been household names since 1977. When audiences were introduced to an angsty Tatooine kid and a Jedi Knight whom join forces (no pun intended) with a smuggler and fuzz ball to help rescue a beautiful princess, they either opened their mouth in awe at the puppetry and practical effects or simply rolled their eyes while shoving a hand in the buttery goodness that is movie theatre popcorn. Today, almost 40 years later, the Star Wars franchise is still wowing critics and fans alike with the newest standalone film – Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

If you have seen the previews, read the spoilers or watched the movie, you know Rogue One follows a small band of Rebels that are on a mission to steal the Death Star plans and ultimately save the universe. Along their rocky journey, Captain Cassian Andor and Jyn Erso encounter a sassy droid, a new brand of Imperial Stormtroopers and some of the most beloved faces of the galaxy from previous films.

Being able to quote A New Hope word-for-word with sound effects, Gareth Edwards was more than qualified to direct this amazing feature. He created beautiful frames that captured the rich greens and browns of Galen Erso’s farm, but he finally answered our question on how the most powerful weapon in the galaxy could have a flaw. Edwards gave us the prequel we always wished for.

With “Boba” as in Boba Fett being one of my first words due to my uncle reading the Ultimate Star Wars Guide to me as a baby, I feel that I have authority when it comes to the world of AT-ATs and Jawas. After watching Rogue One a second time, not only was I applauding as the credits rolled, but I decided it is my favorite film out of the whole franchise. Yes, I believe it even surpasses the trilogy that we have all come to know and love.

Before you send the townspeople on me with torches and pitchforks, let me give you a few reasons I put so much stock into the film. It is a triumph because it portrays the Star Wars world with diverse characters. Continuing the trend of The Force Awakens, we receive a female lead played by Felicity Jones. The co-lead of Captain Andor is given life by Mexican actor Diego Luna. Rounding out this ragtag team of rogues is Pakistani actor Riz Ahmed (Bodhi), Chinese actor Jiang Wen (Baze) and Chinese martial artist Donnie Yen (Chirrut).

Second, Rogue One has a moving script. Each character has a backstory that can be summed up in a few short lines. However, those lines mixed with the costumes, score and backdrop bring everything full circle. Not to mention, we are given quote-worthy sayings like, “Rebellions are built on hope,” “Congratulations. You are being rescued,” and “I am one with the Force. The Force is with me.”

Also, while the original Star Wars and Episode VIII play on the fact that there is only one “savior” who protects humanity and keeps the villains at bay (I am looking at you Anakin, Luke, Rey), this standalone completely erases that idea. When Luke shoots proton torpedoes into the Death Star’s main reactor resulting in its destruction, it was not just Luke’s victory. No, his big win was for Cassian, Jyn, K-2SO and all the Rebels that gave their life on Scarif’s shores.

Last, Rogue One’s ending was something our galaxy has never seen before. Obviously I am talking about how everyone dies. In every saga, we know our heroes will persevere and win the fight. I mean, Harry Potter defeated Lord Voldemort and married his Hogwarts sweetheart. Even Han, Leia and Luke had a glimpse of happiness on Endor whilst cuddling the Ewoks. So, it is easy for us to imagine a plot in which Cassian and Jyn are protected by her Kyber crystal, transported to a different planet and await new commands from the Rebellion. I could go on and on, but I will leave you with this. Rogue One made the original Star Wars trilogy feel more important due to the lives lost on that fateful day.

Signing off, this is Blue Leader.

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The Lobster is a wonderfully bizarre, dystopian love story from writer/director Yorgos Lanthimos. It’s officially categorized under both comedy and drama, but this Cannes festival winner features an undercurrent of tragedy that makes laughs hard to come by.

The premise is fascinating: possibly due to a dwindling population, the law requires all single people to find a partner within forty five days. To facilitate this, “loners” are taken to live in a grand, but sterile, hotel where they must live under very strict regulations. There they learn about the benefits of becoming part of a couple, mingle a bit and, hopefully, find a match. Simple enough…but there’s much more than just romance at stake. If they do not find a suitable partner before their days run out, loners are transformed into the animal of their choice. To get in the spirit for this beastly possibility, they’re armed with tranquilizer guns and subjected to “hunts” each evening. The more loners you take down, the more days are added to your time and the likelier you’ll remain human with a new match.

The absurdity of these circumstances is the source of any and all humor in The Lobster. But, as time marches on and our protagonist (David, played by Colin Farrell) decides to take his fate into his own hands, the stakes somehow get even higher. It soon becomes clear that this is hollow, mostly loveless matchmaking. Couples are considered legitimate only if they share some kind of superficial trait: limps, nearsightedness, even a propensity for nosebleeds. Loners often fake these idiosyncrasies to try and be matched with those they find attractive. It’s all a “hunt,” so to speak, and tensions are particularly high for those who’s loved ones have been turned into animals. David fakes his way into a short-lived relationship with an emotionless woman, but he fails to remain stoic when she kills his brother (now a pet dog in his care) and he’s forced to flee the hotel to avoid punishment. There he joins a group of other escapees living in the forest, one of whom ends up being David’s true love, played by Rachel Weisz.

Weisz and Farrell are totally compelling, although it’s clear that Lanthimos has instructed his actors to speak in a stilted monotone. Other notable cast members are Ben Whishaw, Leá Seydoux, Ashley Jensen and John C. Reilly. Jensen and Reilly give really memorable performances as two of the least calm loners; unsuited for hunting and just as appalled by the situation as we are. The Lobster is essentially a film school fever dream. To get a sense of its general vibe, imagine a mashup of The Grand Budapest Hotel and The Village. There are quite a few wide, unmoving shots that lull us into a numbing sense of routine, especially in the hotel. These are, of course, punctuated with unexpected moments of chaos and violence. The score is classical and mostly nonexistent, but artfully done when it does pop up. The film’s color palette is very muted with hardly any sunshine throughout.

We halfway expect the world to be vivid once David leaves the hotel, a la Dorothy’s colorful entrance into Oz, but that’s not the case. This is one of our main clues into The Lobster’s message: we’re all animals, essentially. We forget about that part of ourselves. Mankind has developed a myriad of distractions to keep us in the echo chamber of our own minds; an endless loop of self. But if you take away our clothes, selfish passions and modern conveniences, people are much more the same than they are different. We’re fragile animals just trying to survive – and maybe find someone to survive for.

The Lobster is very well done, but not necessarily for everyone. The plot starts to get a tad convoluted once David enters the forest, although this is where the “love story” aspect comes into play. Not your typical love story, however. If you enjoy unusual films and have a high tolerance for brutality, you’ll be glad to have seen it.

The Lobster is rated R by the Motion Picture Association of America for Sexual Content Including Dialogue, and Some Violence. Coming soon to Redbox.

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Director Gregory Nava’s biopic of the titular Tejano songstress was released in 1997; just around the time millennials were hitting double digits. So, like most nineties kids’ favorite things, Selena is having another moment now that we’ve grown up. Jennifer Lopez, the then-unknown actress tapped to play Selena Quintanilla in the film, performed a tribute to her at last year’s Latin Billboard awards. BuzzFeed lists abound with “things you didn’t know about the making of Selena!” MAC Cosmetics has even announced the release of a Selena-inspired makeup line this fall. It’s tempting to rewatch something you obsessed about as a kid only to be deeply disappointed, but I’m happy to report that Selena holds up amazingly well. It is arguably the standard to which all other biopics should be compared.

That’s not to say it’s without any issues and we’ll get those out of the way first. Selena was released almost exactly two years after the singer’s tragic death in 1995. The loss was so deeply felt among her fans and the Hispanic community in general that unauthorized screenplays about her life began making the rounds almost immediately. So, the Quintanilla family approached Nava to make an inevitable Selena movie…their way. A “preemptive strike” as Nava explains it. The quick announcement led some fans to wonder if the family might be cashing in on tragedy, but it’s clear this film was made with a huge amount of love and sensitivity. So much so that it tends to border on over-sentimentality. Selena herself is depicted with almost no character flaws, full of youth and beauty and talent. This is understandable since the film was released primarily for those still grieving her less than two years later.

But even under so much pressure from her family and fans, Nava (who also wrote the screenplay) truly achieved something amazing with Selena. It’s an epic tale encompassing more than a decade of the Quintanillas’ life together as a family band on the road, chasing success. This is a film about a rising star, of course, but it’s also about a father and his daughter. A young couple fighting to be together. The mortal dangers of fame. And, perhaps Selena’s most important sub-plot: the struggles of being Mexican-American and never feeling fully accepted on either side of the border. It’s a lot of story packed into two hours and eight minutes! But time is spent economically on each heavy topic with plenty of quiet moments, humor and music sprinkled throughout. It’s moving as opposed to overwhelming, and our focus never strays too far from the ill-fated heroine.

Attention to detail is obvious in costuming and production design. This is essential since the real-life events being recreated were still fresh in the memory of Selena’s guaranteed ticket-buyers in 1997. But it’s also helpful for those of us who’d never even heard of this Grammy winner before her death made worldwide news. The famous Astrodome scene is a picture-perfect match to the real thing, as are so many others. It took not only a lot of care, but a lot of funding to construct and shoot these concerts so gorgeously. Known for her distinct fashion sense and burgundy-lipped stage persona, Selena finds an eerie doppleganger in Jennifer Lopez with the help of a seriously talented makeup team.

Though other strong actresses and Latina unknowns made it to the final round of casting, some bearing incredible physical resemblances to the singer, Lopez is an absolutely perfect choice. She is charming to a fault with an infectious laugh and powerhouse stage presence. A talented singer and dancer in her own right, the choice was made to have her lip-sync to Quintanilla’s incredible vocals to keep the fans happy. Though this seems easier in theory, Lopez puts an enormous amount of effort into making sure the lip-syncing is fully inhabited and believable. In fact, many who do not know Selena’s music may just assume Lopez is singing. Their vocal qualities are similar enough to push the illusion right over the top.

She leads a remarkable cast including Edward James Olmos as Abraham Quintanilla: the imposing patriarch of the family. His portrayal of a father who desperately wants his children to be successful while simultaneously wanting to hide them from a scary world is heartbreaking, especially knowing what’s in the cards for his youngest daughter. Constance Marie, while perhaps a bit too young and beautiful to play Selena’s mother, Marcela, does a wonderful job with everything the script throws at her. Jackie Guerra and Jacob Vargas are utterly lovable as the other Quintanilla kids, playing drums and bass respectively. Jon Seda is another standout as Chris Perez: the prodigy guitarist hired by Abraham who eventually steals Selena’s heart in secret. So subtle and genuine is his performance that it sometimes feels like the casting director convinced the real Chris Perez to shyly play himself. In fact, Perez’s hands do make a cameo in order to shred one massive solo for Chris’ audition scene. These skilled actors are in wonderful hands with Nava who appears to have encouraged a lot of amazing improv throughout. He also orchestrated quite a bit of bonding amidst his cast and their real-life counterpart, which shows.

If you’re ready to blow through a whole box of tissues and think you can handle some cheesy 90’s nostalgia, give Selena another look. In the years since you first caught it rerunning on television, you’ve grown wiser. There might just be more than great music and rhinestone bustiers in it for you this time around.

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Professional-quality, outdoor Shakespeare is being offered for free to residents of Marietta and the entire Mid-Ohio Valley this month courtesy of Shakespeare by the River. The annual program has chosen to tackle romantic comedy The Taming of the Shrew this time around, following past productions of A Midsummer Night’s Dream and last year’s innovative, musical interpretation of Love’s Labours Lost. Performed at the lovely Muskingum Park Pavilion, audience members are encouraged to bring chairs, picnic supplies or just themselves! Plenty of seating is already provided.

A sister production to last month’s Oklahoma! at the People’s Bank Theatre, director Andy Felt has taken a similar wild-west approach with the show and it works wonderfully. Flats labeled “Saloon” and “Padua Jail” have been constructed on each side of the pavilion to serve as wing space for exits and entrances. Dialect coach Casiha Felt did great job injecting some county twang into the actors’ delivery, as well as a fun touch of Irish brogue for two characters. Kitri Held has secured an eclectic mix of costumes for the production, including overalls, traditional Victorian garb and plenty of cowboy boots to go around. Felt and assistant fight coach Morgan Massaro have also choreographed quite a few physical gags for this technically ambitious show. To top it off, everything is beautifully lit by good, old fashioned footlights.

Cast members are a mix of talented locals and enthusiastic performers from all over the country; many of them recent graduates of Marietta College and Ohio University. Felt has brought together a wide range of actors of all ages and backgrounds…a few male characters have even been cleverly gender-swapped to balance out this battle-of-the-sexes. Everyone does a fantastic job with Thomas Daniels (Petrucio,) Sophie Mitchem (Grumio,) Woody Pond (Lucentio,) Alex Amery (Gremio,) and George Litman (the nameless town drunkard) turning in particularly outstanding performances.

The Taming of the Shrew is presented by Hipp Stage Productions and the Marietta College Theatre Department. Remaining shows are scheduled for July 2nd, 3rd, 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th at 8:30pm. Admission is absolutely free and you need not call ahead for any sort of reservation (but make sure to bring some cash if you’d like to contribute to donation jugs!) 

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Seeing The Force Awakens was incredibly exciting, even for someone with minimal knowledge of the franchise. Not only does this marketing behemoth signal the beginning of a brand new trilogy, it features two lead characters unlike those previously seen in other Star Wars films or, some might argue, ANY blockbusters in recent memory. One of them is John Boyega: a young, black, British actor who plays an endlessly charming ex-storm trooper nicknamed Finn (with a super impressive American dialect to boot.) But the other breakout star, whom you’ve probably heard a lot about, is Daisy Ridley.

Ridley plays Rey: a young woman living off scraps earned as a junker on the desert planet Jakku. When we meet Rey, she’s been waiting at least a decade for a family who left her there under mysterious circumstances. She’s resourceful, emotionally guarded and utterly alone. Ridley’s performance is restrained which, one can assume, was intentional. Another Brit, but unlike Boyega, she is in full command of her native dialect which only adds to that keep-calm-and-carry-on English sensibility. She’s actually quite reminiscent of Keira Knightley as Elizabeth Swann in the Pirates of the Caribbean films (similar in feel to Star Wars, if a tad less epic.) 

Though Rey sheds a few tears throughout the film, she is essentially pure strength. While Finn’s boyish cockiness gets him into trouble, Rey is coolly confident and sure about her abilities to do…well, pretty much anything. In a particularly obvious “strong woman” moment, she refuses Finn’s hand as they escape the Resistance on foot. Which makes sense, since running hand-in-hand seems more awkward than helpful. Many are hailing both Rey and Ridley for ushering in a new, more feminist age of lead characters. You may have seen cries of “Finally! A female character little girls can look up to,” splashed across your facebook timelines. But the topic requires a bit more unpacking than that. 

The term “strong woman” is almost synonymous with modern discussions of feminism, which makes sense from a historical perspective. For a very long time, in almost every culture, women have been openly labeled as physically and psychologically weaker than men. The reasons for this run the gamut but, essentially, this stereotype perpetuated long after science (or just, you know, critical thinking) were capable of disproving it because allowing women to work outside the home was a scary idea. Surely the economy and, indeed, the universe would collapse  if men ever took care of children and women earned money, right? 

Wrong, obviously. Women in the West, with the help of a “strong woman” narrative, eventually pushed their way into every arena of human life and experience.. But initially, the only way to do that was to adopt conventionally masculine attributes. Amelia Earhart famously cut her hair and began wearing pants and leather jackets to be taken more seriously as a pilot. The examples are infinite. It seemed that women had to ‘borrow’ fortitude from the boys to get anything done.

Daisy Ridley’s performance is certainly an achievement, but Rey suffers the same misfortune that many male movie heroes do: lack of vulnerability. A character who constantly needs help from her romantic interest is boring, but so is one who seems almost unshakeable and unimpressed with the world around her. Every good actor has been told time and time again to be more vulnerable; that’s what audiences pay money to see. It’s cathartic to watch another human being feel all the things you are too scared or too sheltered to feel for yourself. 

Hopefully, Rey gets to explore a wider range of emotions in the next few films. But the issue is bigger than her and bigger than Star Wars (if such a thing is possible!) It’s high time that we as a society put our preconceived notions about gender aside. Strength and sensitivity are two sides of the same coin, inherent and necessary in all things. Of course Rey can serve as an inspiration for little girls. She can be that for little boys and transgendered children too. So can Disney princesses or pop stars or firefighters or moms or dads. Trust: children – and adults – will find a way to be inspired, whatever that means to them. It’s not our job to police that inspiration but rather to celebrate and support it in whatever form it takes.

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Director Alfonso Gomez-Rejon has quite an assortment of IMDb credits to his name with little in common except major success (Argo, Glee and American Horror Story are just a few.) But Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is definitely the most unique of the bunch. The indie dramedy’s budget is comparatively small, the leading actors are mostly unknown and the screenplay is novelist Jesse Andrews’ first. So how did this little movie at Sundance catch the attention of Fox Searchlight to the tune of twelve million dollars: the biggest film purchase at the festival to date?

The main reason is marvelous casting. Thomas Mann (Greg, our narrator,) RJ Cyler (Earl) and Olivia Cooke (Rachel, the “dying girl,”) fit together perfectly to form the titular trio. Greg is a lovable, totally flawed Pittsburgh teenager who Mann plays with humor and more than enough truthful awkwardness. He begins the tale by explaining his strategy for getting through high school unscathed: dress neutrally, be a chameleon and quickly bounce from clique to clique to remind everyone in school that you can be trusted. This way, he can concentrate on making art and figuring out where he really fits. When his mother asks him to spend some quality time with Rachel, an acquaintance from school who’s been diagnosed with leukemia, Greg is hesitant to get too invested and break his cycle of faux friendship.

Earl, who Greg refers to as his “coworker,” is actually his best friend and has been since elementary school. In their time together, Greg and Earl film hilariously bad spoofs of famous movies with titles like “Senior Citizen Cane,” “A Sockwork Orange” and “2:48pm Cowboy.” This is their outlet, their reason for being and their one source of pride. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is RJ Cyler’s first major film, and he lends a very believable (if slightly indifferent) essence to Earl throughout much of the movie. But when the stakes are raised, Cyler handles himself like a seasoned pro, serving up hard truths to Greg and driving some of the most pivotal moments.

Olivia Cooke’s performance as leukemia-battling Rachel has stayed with me the most. Rachel isn’t a romantic lead and she isn’t just a “dying girl.” She’s a complicated, lost, thoughtful character. In a particularly painful moment, Greg visits Rachel in the hospital to show her a film he and Earl have made for her. He uses a makeshift projector to screen it on one of the hospital walls, and even though we aren’t shown exactly what the film contains, we don’t need to. Cooke’s performance here is the definition of nuanced: with just a few breaths, tears and small movements she conveys a huge amount of feeling. Other members of the cast include Connie Britton and Nick Offerman as Greg’s eclectic parents, Molly Shannon as Rachel’s boozy (but loving) mother, John Bernthal as the guys’ very cool history teacher, and a handful of young up-and-comers.

There’s an extremely genuine, autobiographical feel to the film, and that seems intentional. Fun fact: the shots in Greg’s house were actually filmed in the Jess Andrews’ childhood home in Pennsylvania. You’ll find no real villains in this story, except for leukemia and other unfair circumstances. No losers, winners or martyrs here either. Nothing overwrought or unbelievable. So, ignore the trendy poster and forget about the quirk factor. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl isn’t tear-jerking hipster fluff, it’s a love letter to filmmaking and the transformative power of all art.

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Do you know the way to…Arcadia? Or, more importantly, do you know the way out?

Local musician and filmmaker Andy Hall has been hard at work bringing an underground cult of artists to life for his latest feature: Arcadia. What began as a short project inspired by the unpolished beauty of historic spaces in Marietta “grew like Frankenstein’s monster,” Hall says, into something much bigger.

“The story ends up being about a reporter (Jared) who finds the entrance to Arcadia and gets lost in its winding labyrinth of tunnels. He is brought into the fold and has to negotiate between getting the story he’s after and finding a way out, since they aren’t very forthcoming about the exit. Understandably, they see his story and presence as a threat. Along the way he has time to challenge his own concepts of home, routine, community and artistic satisfaction.”

Hall, an organizer of the annual Colony Film Festival, is the writer, director, cinematographer, art director and main editor of the film. Teaming up with him are executive producers Zane and Margaret Lazer, assistant director Donna Linsell, a volunteer crew and cast of local actors, including Yang Miller who plays Jared.

“Yang was introduced to me by a mutual friend. I was told ‘there’s this great actor from NYC in Athens right now taking a break.’ I saw his reel, and although it was mostly improv comedy, I saw that he would probably have fun with the more serious parts of Arcadia and could also inject some humor into the story. I was right! He’s insanely watchable on screen, which is also pretty important… I kept my eye out for actors that blew me away around town and wrote with specific people in mind.”

In addition to Miller, the film features Andy Felt, Rob Boone, Christy Love Lass, Isaac Eastwood, Casiah Felt, Jason Zyla, Brad Beck, and John Gradwohl (aka: Professor Bubble Maker.) Also included in Arcadia are The Burning Dawn Fire Performance Troupe, band Qiet, burlesque performers, silk dancers, and jugglers who lend a vintage carnival aesthetic to the film that Hall was aiming for.

Arcadia is the latest in a recent string of indie features being made in the Mid-Ohio Valley; many of the eerie, atmospheric variety.

“Local filmmakers are smart enough to know that distribution for horror is maybe a little easier than for drama, since even a low budget horror that’s fun can get picked up and appear on Netflix,” Hall says. “Some of it might be that those films are so fun to make; practical make up effects, occult art direction, jump scares, ominous moods are all fun to think up and execute well.”

Based on the recently released trailer, Arcadia will definitely be executed well. With beautiful tracking shots of such varied places as pre-prohibition era tunnels in Cincinnati, Marietta’s Colony Theatre and the lush forests of North Bend State Park, it appears this project is living up to its description as a “surreal adventure.” And that’s no small accomplishment for a self-taught filmmaker who started seriously experimenting only five years ago.

“I knew nothing about photography! I still only know what I need to know for each situation; I prepare for my next project like cramming for a test with YouTube tutorials. Storyboarding is a great tool to plan the compositions and help tell an emotional story. Every aspect really can be done well on a shoestring budget now: artistic lenses, camera movements, lighting and color correction, editing and sound design. The key is preparation and testing.”

Arcadia is set for DVD/Blu-Ray release this fall and will also be screened at the 2016 Colony Film Festival next March. Meanwhile, Hall and his production team are looking for some final stage corporate sponsorship. For more information, visit their facebook page.

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From creator Tina Fey comes Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: a Netflix original comedy all about braving uncharted territory. The uniqueness of the show lies in its willingness to confront difficult issues with humor, not unlike our adorable, JanSport backpack-toting title character.

In episode one, Kimmy is rescued from an apocalypse cult in Indiana along with three other kidnapped women after fifteen years of living underground. Hilarious premise? Not so much. But Fey and her team of writers are obviously interested in doing things a little differently. And what they’ve created is a season of thirteen incredibly funny, outlandish, layered episodes with a dash of raunchiness sprinkled throughout; exactly what both Fey and lead actress Ellie Kemper specialize in.

When the Mole Women, as they’re dubbed, are interviewed on the Today Show by Matt Lauer about their experience and reaction to the Mole Women Donation Fund, Kimmy explains that they “are so grateful, but honestly, we don’t love that name…” But it sticks. And so does Kimmy. She decides that she’d rather start a new life in New York City than be pitied in her hometown of Durnsville, Ind., “the city that never sleeps.” “Oh, is that siren still going off?”

So, with some money from the fund and a secret Santa gift from Cyndee Pokorny, Kimmy’s best friend in the bunker, off she goes to find a job, an apartment and new friends. But first, of course, a shopping montage. Kimmy emerges from Chanel with Pretty Woman confidence wearing new light-up sneakers and struts her way to the biggest candy store she’s ever seen. A mixture of the Little Mermaid and Buddy the Elf, she curiously explores the big city of automatic hand dryers and other thingamabobs she’s been sheltered from, where carriage horses “deserve to be free” and unhooked from their yokes, running wildly through Central Park.

Kimmy quickly makes friends with her new roommate, Titus, and their aging hippie landlord, Lillian. Lillian describes Titus, played by Broadway veteran Tituss Burgess, as “a very, very sweet boy. A little crusty on the outside, but a soft heart. Like a wonderful French roll, but black. He’s very isolated, but so talented, but disillusioned, but a genius! And he’s single, but very gay.” And even after a lead-up like that, Titus exceeds expectations of hilarity. He never stops being lovable or entertaining. Often adjusting an imaginary wig, “bald by choice” Titus Andromedon is a struggling actor and singer, making money by passing out flyers as Iron Man in Times Square or playing a Werewolf at an interactive tourist trap (not unlike the Jekyll and Hyde restaurant, as many NYC-lovers may recognize). It seems time might be running out for him to become a star. “Black, gay AND old? I’m not even going to know what box to check on the hate crime form!”

His is the breakout performance of the series, but Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt is a parade of talented newcomers, series regulars and star appearances from Martin Short, Horatio Sans, Jon Hamm, Richard Kind, Amy Sedaris, Nick Kroll and Tina Fey herself. Fey plays one of the Mole Women’s incompetent attorneys at the trial against Richard Wayne Gary Wayne: their former captor and leader of Savior Rick’s Spooky Church of the Scary-pocalypse, charged with “kidnapping, lying to a census worker, and, according to neighbors, leaving Christmas lights up way too long.”

Though it takes a while for some characters to hit their stride, each actor brings so much enthusiasm to the fast-paced dialogue that it’s easy to re-watch an episode only to discover bits that were missed the first time (the running joke of people constantly offering Kimmy fancy bottles of water is a personal favorite.) That’s good news since the second season won’t be released until next year.

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt is a show to get excited about. It’s fun, colorful, smart and possibly even more of a personal parallel for Tina Fey than 30 Rock. The opening credits are a joyous celebration of young women in small-town America, with photos and video clips of little girls clogging their hearts out in white patent leather shoes, swinging from jungle gyms and ravenously eating ice cream. Growing up in Pennsylvania, Tina Fey’s life was fairly calm and trauma-free, except for one bizarre incident in the mid seventies. While still in kindergarten, she was slashed across the face with a knife by a stranger right outside of her house, the scar still very visible on her chin.

Tina hasn’t talked about it much, apparently at her mother’s request, but Kimmy makes an uplifting speech to Titus at the end of the first episode that sounds a bit familiar: “The worst thing that ever happened to me happened in my front yard. Life beats you up, Titus, it doesn’t matter if you get tooken by a cult or you’ve been rejected over and over again at auditions. You can either curl up in a ball and die like we thought Cindy did that time, or you can stand up and say we’re different, we’re the strong ones and you can’t break us.” Tina and Kimmy are definitely two of the strong ones, moving to New York City alone to start fresh, eat candy for dinner and “make waffles” out of anyone who tries to get in the way – even though one of them only has an eight grade education.

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