Category: Artist Spotlight

“Every man should pull a boat over a mountain once in his life…” Werner Herzog (Aguirre, the Wrath of God; Nosferatu the Vampire) Filmmaking in the Adirondacks To the average person, Herzog’s inquisitively shrewd observation may sound perplexing. But for those who are dually passionate for the great outdoors and cinema, it makes perfect sense.…

There’s a bittersweet scene early in the vividly unorthodox documentary, Four Daughters. Family matriarch Olfa, one of the film’s main protagonists, gently laughs as she compares herself to Rose, Kate Winslet’s heroine from Titanic. Olfa erroneously points out that she will tell her story as professional actors will interpret the details, not unlike the framed…

Walking down Summit Avenue in St. Paul Minnesota is like stepping into the past.  More than 350 houses from about the time the automobile was invented line the 4.5-mile road. The grand and gaudy Victorian mansions were once home to some of the most prominent midwestern aristocrats of the late 1800s. One was James J.…

As a child, Lucky Cerruti fell in love with Universal monsters like Frankenstein, Dracula and the Wolfman – characters that despite their appearance and some terrible deeds were often meant to evoke sympathy from audiences. From there, he naturally progressed to discovering the slasher films of the 1980s. Now he has a love for modern…

Caleb Blue’s brain likes to wander. To keep track of everything, Blue has a notebook where he catalogs his ideas for stories, no matter how vague or concrete they may be. Sometimes the entries will be as simple as “shadow puppets” or “mirrors.” Others are a little bit more realized like “nursery rhyme characters in…

“Rehak” reminds you to imagine like a child French filmmaker Pierre B. hasn’t lost his sense of imagination as he’s gotten older. Whether he’s commenting on the ridiculous state of shoe advertisements or releasing a 360-degree virtual reality lesson on how to be a hitman, Pierre provides an authentic charm and occasional wackiness to all…

LAKE PLACID — Following a filmmaker series held virtually last fall, the Adirondack Film Society announces a second free online film series beginning Feb. 24 and running every Wednesday through March 31. The six films to be shown won awards or were finalists in the 2020 “Your Shorts are Showing” competition, announced in late October.…

High anxiety: An interview with Brian Elliot By GRIFFIN KELLY When Brian Elliot’s oldest son, who was in 4th grade at the time, said he wanted to play roller hockey, he got anxious.  “It was very quickly evident to me that my son had no idea how to do this,” he said. “I felt great…

PJ Landers shines with ‘Rockaway Sunset’ PJ Landers grew up in Sunnyside/Woodside Queens with his mother. It was just the two of them. No brothers, no sisters, no father, no husband. They had a mature relationship in the way they conversed and approached life. She was loving and caring. The two would often watch Million…