Two movies, same scenario: Moments before a scheduled execution, just as the blade or gas pellet is set to deliver its fatal blow, the hero bursts into the room and carries the victim to safety. Banter is exchanged: “What took you so long?” “Traffic was a bitch.” “What took you…
Juan Manuel Fernández Montoya, known as “Farruquito,” was born into one of the grand families of flamenco. His father was the late cantaor Juan Fernández Flores, “El Moreno.” His mother, the dancer Rosario Montoya, was referred to as “La Farruca.” And his grandfather, the founder of a flamenco school of…
The last place Shaina Allen expected to find inspiration for her directorial debut and first feature film was at a dog park along Biscayne Bay. Well, technically, she didn’t — someone else did. Allen would occasionally run into a man named Parnes Cartwright and his wife Betsy. Casual conversations led to…
What began as a few hundred people and a couple of stages has transformed into a two-day cultural extravaganza brimming with artists, musicians, foodies, and anyone looking to party. Carnaval on the Mile returns Saturday and Sunday, March 5 and 6, celebrating its 18th year on Coral Gables’ Miracle Mile. Think…
Diego Orlandini sits in the corner of a white leather couch in the center of the HGAB magazine headquarters in Wynwood. He leans back and crosses his legs. Beneath his left hand lies a mockup of a black-and-white book with what appear to be doodles on the cover. Thick yellow…
Greek filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos burst onto the international film scene in 2009 with the disturbing Oscar-nominated family drama, Dogtooth. Now he emerges with his English-language debut. The Lobster takes place in a dystopian future where people must pair off as lovers within 45 days or be turned into the animal…
Thursday, March 3 Like a warm summer wind, “Sinatra: An American Icon” breezes into HistoryMiami this Thursday for a three-month stay. The exhibition, which originated last year, is a celebration of Frank Sinatra’s 100th birthday. It’s a deep, multifaceted look at the singer’s humble beginnings in Hoboken, New Jersey, through…
The title of Glenn Ficarra and John Requa’s strained dark comedy, in which the War in Afghanistan serves as the backdrop to an American woman’s self-actualizing journey, is the military phonetic-alphabet rendering of WTF. The mild Islamophobia and highly questionable casting choices in the film call to mind other texting…
What if Terrence Malick directed an episode of Entourage? Well, we’re about to find out, sort of. In Knight of Cups, the director of Days of Heaven, The Thin Red Line and The Tree of Life turns his roaming camera and ruminating voiceovers toward Los Angeles and the movie business,…
In Zootopia, animals do a lot of the things that animals in Disney movies usually do: They speak, to begin with; they walk upright and wear funny clothes; they exhibit attitudes that align or ironically misalign with their species’ appearance and reputation; they hold jobs; they experience outsize emotion and…
Given the state of our seriously messed-up world, there’s one quality that could make a major difference: empathy. It means identifying with your fellow inhabitants of Earth instead of caring about no one but yourself. A new program dedicated to teaching this crucial skill, Everyday Humane, is making its way…
We’ve all been there: You get back from a date and grab your phone to text your best friend all about it, only to realize you accidentally messaged the guy/girl you were just out with. And depending upon what you said, you may or may not see this person ever…
This year’s Miami International Film Festival includes one program so intensely native to the city that it’s titled “I’ve Never Not Been From Miami.” Premiering Monday, March 7, at the Olympia Theater, it includes ten short films that pair top independent filmmakers with vital artists. For many of those involved,…
This year, the Miami International Film Festival dedicates a significant portion of its lineup to female filmmakers. If you don’t have time to make it through the 20-plus films by women at the festival this year, check out our picks. Honorable Mention: WeinerEven before its debut at Sundance, Weiner had…
Using a single handheld camera, Israeli director Ido Haar spent several months in New Orleans with singer Princess Shaw. He claimed he was making a documentary about YouTube singers. In truth, he was documenting the raw beginnings of a viral video. It turns out a YouTube artist from Israel named…
Some of society’s greatest entertainment is born out of our desire to peer into the deepest, darkest corners of the soul. Real life monsters regularly populate the headlines during the height of their infamy: Charles Manson, Jack the Ripper, Jeffrey Dahmer, Donald Trump. However, there’s a true crime podcast actively…
The main offices for the 33rd-annual Miami International Film Festival (MIFF) are hidden within the 91-year-old Freedom Tower on Biscayne Boulevard. On a recent windy Monday morning, Jaie Laplante, the festival’s director of programming, laces his fingers around a paper coffee cup in the building’s shadow and shows off the…
As two of Miami’s biggest cultural events of the year pull all your focus and finances, we know you could use a little cheap entertainment. Whether you’ve been dining like a boss at the South Beach Wine & Food Festival or stocking up on all your Miami International Film Festival…
Let’s give Gods of Egypt this much: An hour in, a giant cobra crashes and explodes like a bad guy’s car in a dumb movie from the ’70s. That snake, one of two in Alex Proyas’ film, is wide as a locomotive and long as a parade. It’s also straddled…
We’ve all been there. You finally get around to watching this year’s nominees, and you think, “Didn’t I see pretty much this same Oscar-bait movie last year?” You probably did, thanks to the McKee/Weinstein-driven formula behind most Best Picture noms. You can even build your own! Just mix and match…
The pro footvolley tour is coming tghis weekend to Hollywood Beach and — if you are a soccer fan — or if you just like acrobatics, you won’t want to miss it. The 2016 Hollywood Beach Open Pro Footvolley Tour’s visit this year is being sponsored by the New Margaritaville…
Do you remember that video of bikini-clad University of Miami Delta Gamma sorority sisters jumping off yachts a few weeks ago? You should. It topped the Facebook trending list for three days. The man behind that video is back, but this time, there are no half-naked college girls. Instead, there’s…
