Sandra Miska
‘The Seed of the Sacred Fig’: An Iranian Family Man Slowly Transforms Into a Terrifying Figure in Gripping Drama
Features • Published on November 2024
The very real and tumultuous political climate in Iran is explored through the eyes of a fictional family in “The Seed of the Sacred Fig,” writer-director Mohammad Rasoulof’s daring drama that slowly…
In ‘A Real Pain,’ Jesse Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin Are Clashing Cousins on a Road Trip With a Deeper Meaning
A Real Pain • Published on October 2024
Two very different Jewish men, bound together by blood and a shared grief, make a pilgrimage in Jesse Eisenberg’s heartfelt comedy-drama “A Real Pain.” Eisenberg not only wrote, directed and co-produced this…
‘Memoir of a Snail’: Sarah Snook Voices an Orphan Who Seeks Refuge With Mollusks in Moving Tragicomedy
Features • Published on October 2024
A fine cast of Australian actors lend their voices to “Memoir of a Snail,” a moving stop-motion tragicomedy following a young woman, Grace Pudel (Sarah Snook), with an attachment to mollusks as…
Elijah Wood on Returning to Middle Earth for Ant Timpson’s Delightful Adventure Comedy ‘Bookworm’
Ant Timpson • Published on October 2024
Elijah Wood has played the son many times throughout his 35-year career, but for the first time he explores the parent-child relationship from the other side by portraying a father in Ant Timpson’s “…
‘Woman of the Hour’: Anna Kendrick’s Chilling Directorial Debut Focuses Its True Crime Story on the Victims
Anna Kendrick • Published on October 2024
It is one of those pop culture stories that sounds like an urban legend – a woman goes on “The Dating Game” and selects a bachelor who is later outed as a serial…
‘We Live in Time’: Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield Navigate the Fragility of Life in Affecting Love Story
Andrew Garfield • Published on October 2024
Life comes at a millennial couple fast in “We Live in Time,” director John Crowley’s romantic tear-jerker that sees Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield’s characters, Almut and Tobias, navigating some of the…
‘The Outrun’: Saoirse Ronan Soars Magnificently in Nora Fingscheidt’s Poetic Addiction Drama
Amy Liptrot • Published on October 2024
In her first feature as a producer, Saoirse Ronan delivers an exceptionally nuanced performance as a recovering alcoholic in Nora Fingscheidt’s stirring addiction drama, “The Outrun.” Ronan stars as Rona, a 29-year-old…
‘Saturday Night’ Tells a Lively Tale of How ‘SNL’ Almost Never Was
Features • Published on September 2024
With “Saturday Night Live” going into its 50th season, it would be fair to say that creator and producer Lorne Michaels knows what he is doing and steers his ship with confidence. But…
‘Lee’: Kate Winslet Embodies WWII Photojournalist Lee Miller in Fascinating True Story
Alexander Skarsgård • Published on September 2024
Many of us have seen the provocative image of American photographer Lee Miller bathing in Adolf Hitler’s bathtub, but few know about the woman herself or the journey that led her to the…
In ‘The Front Room,’ Brandy Norwood’s Sanity Is Tested by a Fanatical Kathryn Hunter
Andrew Burnap • Published on September 2024
Brandy Norwood, best known for her music career and starring in the sitcom “Moesha,” shows off her more serious side in A24’s “The Front Room,” a psychological horror flick with an unlikely…
‘Between the Temples’: Jason Schwartzman and Carol Kane Share an Unlikely Connection in Unorthodox Jewish Comedy
Between the Temples • Published on August 2024
Jason Schwartzman navigates grief his way in “Between the Temples,” a quirky Jewish American comedy that follows Ben Gottlieb (Schwartzman), a cantor at an upstate New York synagogue who, following the death…
In ‘Widow Clicquot,’ Haley Bennett Battles the Patriarchy as the Remarkable Grande Dame of Champagne
Features • Published on July 2024
Out of the ashes of tragedy, an early 19th century French woman rises to build her late husband’s family company after his premature death in Thomas Napper’s “Widow Clicquot,” a lush biopic…
‘My Spy the Eternal City’: Dave Bautista and Chloe Coleman Go up Against Anna Faris in Entertaining Sequel
Amazon Prime Video • Published on July 2024
It has been four years since the release of “My Spy,” the playful family-friendly action comedy from “Tommy Boy” director Pete Segal. The world has changed a lot since then. “My Spy” was…
‘A Family Affair’: A Confused Script Gets in the Way of Nicole Kidman Getting Her Groove Back
A Family Affair • Published on June 2024
Nicole Kidman is Brooke Harwood, a famed author, mother and widow who embarks on the next chapter in her life in Netflix’s latest romantic comedy, “A Family Affair.” The other main member…
‘Thelma’: June Squibb Is a Wronged Grandma Out for Revenge in Long-Overdue Leading Role
Features • Published on June 2024
June Squibb has been acting for nearly 80 years, winning viewers’ hearts, and one Oscar nomination, in a variety of supporting roles. For whatever reasons, lead rules have been elusive to her, but…
Shonda Rhimes’ ‘Black Barbie: A Documentary’ Proves That Sometimes a Doll Is More Than Just a Doll
Barbie • Published on June 2024
Most girls (and some boys) have played with a Barbie at some point during their childhood, but many have taken for granted that they had dolls that looked like them. Black Barbie did…
‘Am I Ok?’: Dakota Johnson Navigates the Comedy and Drama of Coming Out in Your Thirties
Am I Ok? • Published on June 2024
There has been a wave of films in recent years about queer teens embracing their sexualities, but what about those who figure out that part of themselves relatively later in life? Max’s comedy-drama…
In Pamela Adlon’s ‘Babes,’ Ilana Glazer and Michelle Buteau Navigate the Good, Bad and Gross of Pregnancy
Babes • Published on May 2024
Two New York City friends, whose lives have taken dramatically different paths, bond over the glory and gore of pregnancy and childbirth in Pamela Adlon’s “Babes.” Ilana Glazer stars as Eden, a…
‘Girls State’: Promising Young Women Take Center Stage in Absorbing Follow-up Documentary To ‘Boys State’
Amanda McBaine • Published on April 2024
Four years after the release of absorbing political youth documentary “Boys State,” which followed a group of young men in Texas as they set up a mock government, husband and wife documentarian team…
‘La Chimera’: Josh O’Connor Is a Grieving Tomb Raider in Alice Rohrwacher’s Dreamy Italian Fable
Alice Rohrwacher • Published on March 2024
British actor Josh O’Connor, most famous for his Emmy-winning portrayal of Prince Charles in “The Crown,” takes on a very different role in Alice Rohrwacher’s Italian drama “La Chimera.” O’Connor trades in…
Tig Notoro’s ‘Tig and Friends’ Has a Home at Largo
comedy • Published on August 2016
Born Mathilde O’Callaghan Notaro in Mississippi, Notaro was given the nickname “Tig” as a child. Before getting into comedy, Notaro worked in the music industry, managing bands under the name Tignation Promotions. Notaro’s comedy career took off…
Chris Isaak to Play Fred Kavli Theatre
Associated Press • Published on July 2015
Chris Isaak is best known for his song “Wicked Games,”, which was released in 1989 but didn’t become a hit until a year later when it was featured in the David Lynch film,…
Yusuf/Cat Stevens First U.S. Tour in 35 years to Come Through Nokia Theatre
Hall of Fame • Published on December 2014
Get ready to sing along to “Here Comes My Baby” and “Wild World,” when British singer-songwriter Yusuf/Cat Stevens performs at the Nokia Theatre on Dec. 14 as part of his first North American…
Los Angeles Ballet to Perform ‘The Nutcracker’ Throughout December
Alex Theatre • Published on December 2014
Nutcracker fans, rejoice! Not only will the Moscow Ballet be performing the beloved Christmas show at The Wiltern on December 21, but also our very own Los Angeles Ballet will be doing…
Moscow Ballet to Bring the ‘Great Russian Nutcracker’ to The Wiltern
Calgary Herald • Published on December 2014
Angelenos’ may not be able to build snowmen, engage in snowball fights, or go sledding come the holiday season, but we will have the opportunity to experience a bit of a Russian Christmas. The…
Sundance Favorite ‘The Green Prince’ Opens in L.A. Dec. 5
Film • Published on December 2014
On December 5, “The Green Prince” will finally be released out of the festival circuit bubble and granted a limited release. This gripping documentary details the true story of Mosab Hassan Yousef, the…
Spectacular Rubens: Triumph of Eucharist on Display at Getty
Annibale Carracci • Published on December 2014
Many great artists of the past have made their mark creating vibrant religious art, and Flemish artist Peter Paul Rubens is no exception. In the early 1620s, he designed a series of tapestries, “The…
Xu Bing Debuts his Exhibit ‘The Language of Xu Bing’ at LACMA
Art • Published on December 2014
When one thinks of a person who works with words, they almost always envision a writer typing away at a laptop. However, words can also be visual art, as Chinese artist Xu Bing will…
Christine Corday to Bring Protoist Series to LACMA
Art • Published on December 2014
Art and science will intersect this month at the LACMA when Christine Corday: Protoist Series, Selected opens on December 13. This will be the first solo presentation of Christine Corday’s art at an…
Capital Cities to Perform in Their Hometown of Los Angeles
antiMusic • Published on November 2014
Indie-rock band, Capital Cities, will be performing at the Fonda Theatre on November 20 and 21. However, less than six years ago, in 2008, members Ryan Merchant and Sebu Simonian met through a Craigslist ad.
Carey and Daniels Reunite for ‘Dumb and Dumber To’
ABC7 • Published on November 2014
A lot of memorable films came out in 1994, “Forrest Gump” and “Pulp Fiction,” just to name a few, but only one of the cinematic gems from that year is getting a sequel, and that…
Cold War Kids to Play The Regent
Cold War Kids • Published on November 2014
Cold War Kids, an indie rock group based in Long Beach, will be performing at The Regent Theater on Nov. 18. Having started in 2004 in downtown Fullerton, Cold War Kids’ original…
Pierre Huyghe to Bring Avant Garde Exhibition to LACMA
Art • Published on November 2014
Just a week after the arrival of the celebrated painting “Greece on the ruins of the Missolonghi” by Eugène Delacroix, the museum will debut the first major retrospective of avant-garde French artist Pierre Huyghe on…
‘The Old Woman’ Starring William Dafoe is Coming to UCLA
Brooklyn Academy of Music • Published on November 2014
Those who like their theater a bit on the Russian and avant-garde side are in luck. The theatrical production “The Old Woman,” based on a story by the Russian author Daniil Kharms, is coming…
All-Male Dance Company BalletBoyz to Perform in Los Angeles
balletboyz • Published on November 2014
When thinking of ballet, one often imagines young women prancing around in tutus to elegant music. Well, ballet enthusiasts and casual fans will have their expectations defied when all-male dance company BalletBoyz visit the…
Foster the People are ‘Coming of Age’ and Coming to Shrine Auditorium
Foster the People • Published on November 2014
Hailing from Los Angeles, Foster the People will be playing the Shrine Auditorium on Nov. 14. Having risen to fame in 2010 with hit “Pumped Up Kicks,” the band formed in 2009 after…
Delacroix’s ‘Greece on the ruins of the Missolonghi’ on Display at LACMA
Art • Published on November 2014
Sometimes a painting is more than just a painting, such is the case with “Greece on the ruins of the Missolonghi,” one of the most celebrated French paintings, ever. This masterpiece by Eugène…
Photographer Larry Sultan to be Remembered at LACMA
Art • Published on November 2014
The late Californian Photographer Larry Sultan will be remembered at LACMA with the show “Larry Sultan: Here and Home.” The first retrospective show of the artist’s work, “Here and Home” will run from…
Discover Transit Art on Metro Art Moves
213 Nightlife • Published on November 2014
During your daily commute, you may be surprised to see beautiful works of art on display at underground train stations. What you may not know is that since 1989, Metro has commissioned artists of all…
Batsheva Dance Company Celebrates 50 Years at UCLA
Batsheva Dance Company • Published on October 2014
Move over, Russia and England, some of the best dancers in the world happen to live in Tel Aviv, Israel, and they’re coming to Los Angeles this month. The Batsheva Dance Company will stop by…