Author Archives: Makda Asrat

If you find the extreme absurdity of “Running With Scissors” to be distancing, the actors’ stirring performances will reel you back in. Based on the bestselling memoir of Augusten Burroughs, the acute surreality of the story makes it almost impossible to fully believe — it’s a true story that somehow rings false. Directed by television’s »

Though it offers a powerful dose of uncomfortable entertainment, “The Last King of Scotland,” in typical Hollywood fashion, occasionally sacrifices historical accuracy to exalt sex and violence. Inspired by true events, rather than based on them, and adapted from a novel of the same name, director Kevin Macdonald’s “The Last King of Scotland” is a »

Though it offers a powerful dose of uncomfortable entertainment, “The Last King of Scotland,” in typical Hollywood fashion, occasionally sacrifices historical accuracy to exalt sex and violence. Inspired by true events, rather than based on them, and adapted from a novel of the same name, director Kevin Macdonald’s “The Last King of Scotland” is a »

In the world of “Shortbus” writer-director John Cameron Mitchell, “You’ve gotta get on to get off.” Mitchell — who wrote, directed and starred in 2001’s cult hit musical “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” — manages the unlikely feat of fusing hard-core pornography with a compelling, emotionally-driven narrative. “Shortbus” is definitely the most sexually explicit film »

Behind Green Hall lies the nucleus of the Yale School of Art, 353 Crown St. Beyond a candy-colored spectrum of vintage bicycles, and through a double meniscus of glass doors, a gallery overlooks The Pit — the painter’s equivalent of a gladiator’s arena. It is here that the School of Art’s MFA painting candidates, members »

“The Science of Sleep” is a film that resists easy categorization. At its heart, it is a love story, but one so deliberately rife with idiosyncrasies and other peculiarities that it twists, reinterprets and at times completely ignores the conventions of the genre. Infused with a healthy dose of magical realism and strongly indebted to »

Less a story about growing up and more one about four friends’ inability to do so, “The Last Kiss” is uninspired Pablum. Approaching their 30th birthdays, four longtime buddies are both woefully adolescent and prematurely middle-aged — perhaps the great paradox for Generation X-ers with a Y chromosome. While older movie critics seem to find »

After the overwhelming months of the summer blockbusters, this year’s fall season promises superb film fare, both in the form of low budget, heartthrob-driven indies and grandiose wide releases alike. And while some Yalies may find it difficult to find the time (and funds) for movie outings during school, many upcoming films seem too good »

ves recognized the fiscal potential of releasing their biggest-budget movies during the summer — as the July sun blazes ever hotter, young target audiences have more free time to idle away in air-conditioned theaters. Since this discovery of seasonal marketing, the mid-year months have been marked by the release of some of the highest-grossing films »

Deepa Mehta is an Indian-born Canadian filmmaker of international renown, best known for her elements trilogy, “Fire,” “Earth” and the newly released “Water” which screened at the Whitney Humanities Center on Monday. The elements trilogy is an exploration of how politics affect women — the politics of sexuality (“Fire”), the politics of nationalism (“Earth”) and »

In independent cinema, there are no rules. Filmmakers are free to take artistic risks and explore controversial topics like pedophilia and sex addiction that are banned from mainstream moviedom, which often succumbs to a bankruptcy of creativity. And there has been a recent surge in the release of quality, creative indies — indeed, the majority »

“Five Women Wearing the Same Dress” brings to life every bridesmaid’s worst nightmare: frilly, beaded, sea foam green tulle dresses with floppy white hats and matching sling back sandals with bows on the strap. Written by Alan Ball (of “American Beauty” and “Six Feet Under” acclaim), “Five Women” tells the story of five identically clad »