Sundance Diaries Day 1: A Stanford Ph.D. student at Sundance Alexandra Heeney January 23, 2015 1 Comment Since this isn’t my first time at the rodeo, by the time I arrived in Park City on Wednesday night, the Sundance Film Festival had already effectively started — even though the first film... Read More »
Computer Science Ph.D. student Chris Piech discusses “The Imitation Game” Alexandra Heeney January 23, 2015 3 Comments Given the recent wealth of films about science and scientists — from “Interstellar” to “The Imitation Game” — and as one of the few scientists moonlighting as a film critic, I started to... Read More »
Jazz pianist Brad Mehldau discusses his craft Alexandra Heeney December 1, 2014 0 Comments Brad Mehldau, one of the finest jazz pianists on the scene right now, will be taking the stage at Bing Concert Hall on Friday night with his trio – Stanford alum Larry Grenadier ’89 on bass and... Read More »
Seana McKenna stars in the one-woman show ‘Testament,’ Mary’s take on Jesus’s story Alexandra Heeney November 13, 2014 0 Comments In “Testament,” the one-woman show starring Canadian stage legend Seana McKenna (“Napoli”) at the American Conservatory Theater, playwright Colm Toíbín tells the story of the aftermath of... Read More »
Writer-director Justin Simien talks “Dear White People,” his filmmaking process, and the performance of identity Alexandra Heeney October 24, 2014 0 Comments Writer-director Justin Simien’s first feature, the brilliant and hilarious satire “Dear White People,” opens in The Bay Area on Friday. After premiering at the Sundance Film Festival in January,... Read More »
Mill Valley Film Festival showcases Hawking and Turing biopics Alexandra Heeney October 17, 2014 0 Comments The 37th annual Mill Valley Film Festival (MVFF) wrapped last weekend, after 10 days of films from around the world in Larkspur, San Rafael and Mill Valley. Each year, the festival tries to attract... Read More »
Capsule reviews from the Toronto International Film Festival Alexandra Heeney October 3, 2014 0 Comments From Morocco to the Ivory Coast to Canada, the Toronto International Film Festival programs films from around the world. Here's a look at some of the films I caught from Africa and North America at... Read More »
Top 5 films at the Toronto International Film Festival that had critics buzzing Alexandra Heeney September 25, 2014 0 Comments The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), which wrapped up mid-September, is a peculiar beast. It’s one of the best showcases for foreign and art films, but it also hosts plenty of Hollywood... Read More »