Reviews and News | Local film

Metcalf's Screening Room: "Star Trek"

Published July 11, 2014 at 1:17 p.m.

There have been plenty of "prequels" released lately, but not all of them make you want to dive deeper into the back catalog. OnMilwaukee.com movie expert Mark Metcalf has never been a "Trekkie," but after seeing "The Future Begins," he was inspired to increase his education about the Enterprise. "The filmmakers are having so much fun playing with time and with the history of their own pop-culture that I found it very difficult to remain a detached observer," he writes.

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The annual "Movies I need to see" list is released

Published Feb. 2, 2010 at 10:47 a.m.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, has released the full Oscar nominations list for the 82nd Annual Academy Awards.

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Milwaukee Film launches "Winter Edition" of festival

Published Jan. 28, 2010 at 11:36 a.m.

"Milwaukee Film Festival -- Winter Edition" will be miniature version of the larger fest with nine films shown during the week of March 12-18 at Marcus North Shore Theaters, 17000 N. Port Washington Rd.

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Black metal documentary misses out on music

Published Jan. 21, 2010 at 4:18 p.m.

At the start of "Until the Light Takes Us," a documentary about the black metal scene in Norway, viewers may wonder why the background music is a sort of pop electronica, rather than some Norwegian black metal. As the 93-minute digital film unreels itself, it becomes clear why.

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Spice up a movie with an alcoholic beverage

Published Jan. 20, 2010 at 5:14 a.m.

Back in the day, if you wanted to drink alcohol in a movie theater you had to smuggle in a flask to spike an overpriced soda. Luckily, for the love of cinema soaks everywhere, more and more theaters are adding alcohol to the menu along with the usual popcorn-and-Junior Mints fare. Here's a list of local theaters that serve alcohol.

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"Up in the Air" is well worth the trip

Published Jan. 19, 2010 at 10:04 a.m.

I'd heard little to nothing about "Up in the Air" before I saw it, but I must say that I enjoyed it immensely. It's charming, touching and oddly upbeat.

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What Makes A Good FIlm ‘Package’?

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Published Jan. 14, 2010 at 1:05 p.m.

If you’ve ever gone out and tried to raise financing for your film before you know how important your film’s ‘package’ can be. Packaging a script for financing is a big BIG job and often takes the work of more than one person on your team (and the task is often outsourced to a consultant). [ ... ] ...

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Budgeting For Your Film In Today’s Marketplace

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Published Jan. 10, 2010 at 12:22 a.m.

Over the last couple of years Budgeting has become a very hot topic of independent filmmaking. Why? Well mostly because most indies can no longer justify the $5 million budget that they used to. There was a time when these higher budget indies could be justified because buyers were acquiring them for up to $10-$15 [ ... ] ...

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Reverse Engineering Distribution (clarified)

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Published Jan. 4, 2010 at 1:09 p.m.

My last post entitled “Distribution Backwards?” really ignited something… ... I got some messages on Twitter as well as feedback on the Film Specific Facebook page that indicates people do NOT like the idea of:1. reverse engineering WRITING since all you’ll get is focus group ideas/formula, and2. following a ‘trend’ too closely because by the time [ ... ] ...

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Sneak peek at "Garbage Dreams" this Thursday

Published Jan. 4, 2010 at 10:13 a.m.

This Thursday, Discovery World, 500 N. Harbor Dr., hosts a screening of the film followed by a panel discussion featuring Rick Meyers, Recycling Specialist for the Milwaukee Department of Public Works and George T. Stone, MATC professor and co-chair of MATC's District Sustainability Committee. The discussion will be hosted by MPTV General Manager Ellis Bromberg.