By Lainna Fader Drew Denny is a master of laughing through tears. As she sat on my couch last month recounting her father’s last days before succumbing to pancreatic cancer and other painful memories from her childhood, she had the biggest smile on her face. That’s just how Denny operates—when given the choice to laugh or cry, she chooses to laugh. And that’s how she approached her debut feature The Most Fun ... Read More

By Nadia Chaudhury Girl meets boy, girl falls in love with boy, girl moves in with boy, boy proposes to girl, girl and boy plan wedding, boy dumps girl, girl attempts to find self. This isn’t your typical romantic comedy, where everything works out perfectly. This is Lola Versus. Helmed by director-writer Daryl Wein and his writing partner/significant other Zoe Lister-Jones, the New York-based Lola Versus positions itself as the raw ... Read More

Do you think technology helps or hinders our relationships? Do pictures capture fake smiles? Can a conversation over a computer or a phone compare to spending time with someone in person? This is the theme explored in Small, Beautifully Moving Parts, a new movie that opened May 11th. Written and directed by Annie J. Howell and Lisa Robinson, it has been honored at several film festivals this year.   Viewers follow the main character, ... Read More

Did y'all know one of the biggest discussions when Earth Day originated in 1970 was the now-taboo population boom? It's true! Since the 60's, the world's population has doubled to over 6 billion and the environmental, social, and humanitarian crises we're facing today can be largely attributed to unchecked growth in our numbers. This topic is uncomfy for people to talk about because all the issues surrounding it: access to family planning, ... Read More

Not gonna lie, y'all--I am way more afraid in my parents' quiet, suburban home than my urban apartment. True, I could get mugged or something on my walk home, but I'm probably never going to get BTK'd. That sort of stuff happens where nobody can hear your screams. And that sense of helpless isolation is exactly what is so scary about Silent House, a new thriller from Chris Kentis and Laura Lau, the duo behind Open Water.  Sarah, a young ... Read More