Heartfelt Feature Comedy A Little Family Drama screens at the New Jersey Film Festival
by Anran Li - published 2024-09-23
Regardless of culture, generation, or ethnicity, when it comes to “family,” we all share some universal memories of tears and joy condensed into a dinner gathering. The nostalgia is mixed with chaotic arguments, moms gossiping about who recently got married, shouting, “Who took my spatula?!” Kids run in and out, sneaking a few cookies and taking the kitchen heat and aroma out as they pass the poker table. Stories about domestic scenarios are never-ending classics, printed with certain generational marks, but the essence remains. In his novel Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy states, "All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." Somehow, a hundred years later, this observation is proven true by a Mexican American family in A Little Family Drama. With an idealist, reckless son, a diligent, underappreciated daughter, a comedian uncle, an outcast, and ceaseless fights between a mother and a daughter, the Sepulvedas seem to resemble the folks in each of our families. Still, the collision of progressiveness and the lingering traditional values, ambition of self-realization, and responsibility compose captivating conflicts that bring laughter and tears to the screening room.
An Interview with James Dalton about "Harmonica Lesson – The Show"
by Gary Wien - published 2024-09-22
(BARNEGAT, NJ) -- Over the summer, New Jersey musician James Dalton debuted Harmonica Lesson – The Show in Europe. No stranger to performing around the world, James is bringing his new show to Waterview Art & Cafe in Barnegat on October 19, 2024 with performances at 6:00pm & 8:00pm.
Top 15 Most Read Stories At New Jersey Stage From September 15-21, 2024
Here's a look at the top 15 most read articles published at New Jersey Stage from September 15-21, 2024. Each week we publish about 70 articles, including several original columns and features, along with news releases for events happening throughout the state and nearby areas like Philadelphia and New York City. This week's top 15 includes articles from 6 counties in New Jersey (Bergen, Essex, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, and Union).
Transformative and tantric experimental Pizzica premieres at the Fall 2024 New Jersey Film Festival on Friday, September 27!
by Anita LaBelle - published 2024-09-22
Pizzica, directed by Albert Gabriel Nigrin, transforms a traditional folk dance into a mesmerizing minefield full of trances, traps, temptations, and tunnels.
New Jersey Film Festival Video Interview with Experimental Filmmaker Albert Gabriel Nigrin
by Vic Fern - published 2024-09-21
Anita Labelle, Assistant Director of the NJ Film Festival sits down at EBTV with experimental filmmaker Albert Gabriel Nigrin whose films will be featured in a special "Retrospective" on Friday September 27, 2024.
New Release Review - "Speak No Evil"
by Eric Hillis, TheMovieWaffler.com - published 2024-09-20
Christian Tafdrup's Speak No Evil is a grim Danish thriller that gained some global attention for its gruesome and cynical denouement. It's also an often hilarious satire of Northern European social mores in the manner of Ruben Östlund and Kristoffer Borgli. The film sees a Danish family accept an invitation to visit the home of the Dutch family they met while holidaying in Italy. Over the course of a long weekend the Danes become increasingly rattled by the behaviour of their Dutch hosts until things take a violent turn. Tafdrup uses this scenario to mine black comedy from the culture clash of Nordic reserve and Dutch extravagance. But while the movie functions very well as a social satire, it falls apart in its final act when it veers into full-on thriller mode. The joke of the Danes allowing themselves to be increasingly bullied by their Dutch hosts is ultimately stretched too far, reaching a point where their actions become laughable for unintended reasons.
bergenPAC presents Theresa Caputo on Valentine's Day
(ENGLEWOOD, NJ) -- Bergen Performing Arts Center (bergenPAC) presents Theresa Caputo on Friday, February 14, 2025 at 7:30pm. For over a decade, Theresa Caputo, known worldwide as the Long Island Medium, and star of the new Lifetime Series Raising Spirits, has shared her messages of comfort and healing with more than a million and a half audience members worldwide.
Makin Waves Song of the Week: "Strange Bird" by The Grip Weeds
by Bob Makin - published 2024-09-20
The Makin Waves Song of the Week is "Strange Bird," a re-recording of The Grip Weeds 1988 debut single.
New Jersey Stage: Daily Edition 09-20-24
Here is the morning update from New Jersey's arts newswire. We regularly publish between 8-15 new articles and news reports each day. Nobody covers the Arts throughout the Garden State like New Jersey Stage!
