Sandra Miska
‘Birds of Paradise’: Young Ballerinas Are Sucked Into a World of Sex, Drugs and Competition
Amazon Prime Video • Published on September 2021
In the spirit of films like “Center Stage” and “Black Swan,” YA drama “Birds of Paradise” immerses the viewer in the world of ballet dancers, a world in which a dance studio…
‘I’m Your Man’ Uses a Woman’s Relationship With a Robot to Explore Human Emotions
Dan Stevens • Published on September 2021
While men have fallen in love with alluring computers and humanoid robots in films like “Her” and “Ex Machina,” the roles are reversed in “I’m Your Man,” a German sci-fi drama exploring…
Kay Cannon’s ‘Cinderella’ Tries Too Hard to Be Modern
Billy Porter • Published on September 2021
A classic story gets a very updated remake in “Cinderella,” an adaptation of the beloved fairy tale from “Pitch Perfect” director Kay Cannon. Cuban-American pop star Camila Cabello stars as…
What Happens in Mexico Doesn’t Stay in Mexico in Hulu Comedy ‘Vacation Friends’
Features • Published on August 2021
A couple’s booze-fueled shenanigans during a Mexican getaway spills into their real life in “Vacation Friends,” another comedy that proves how some of the most outwardly trashy people have the biggest hearts,…
Memories Consume Hugh Jackman in Forgettable Sci-Fi Noir ‘Reminiscence’
Features • Published on August 2021
Memory is a powerful thing in “Reminiscence,” a visually stunning yet convoluted sci-fi noir set in a dystopian future. Hugh Jackman stars as Nick Bannister, a war vet who runs a…
Awkwafina Is Going Through Changes in Clever ‘Nora From Queens’ Season 2
Awkwafina • Published on August 2021
After her adventure in China last season ended in her being kicked out of the country, Nora Lum (Awkwafina) is back to her old life in the second season of “Awkwafina…
‘CODA’ Explores the Plight of a Hearing Teen and Her Deaf Family
Apple TV Plus • Published on August 2021
A young woman looks to break away from her family unit and follow her own path in “CODA,” a coming-of-age dramedy featuring a story that is both familiar and unique. English actor…
‘Respect’: Jennifer Hudson Is Radiant in Aretha Franklin Biopic
Aretha Franklin • Published on August 2021
Grammy and Oscar-winner Jennifer Hudson transforms into powerhouse Aretha Franklin in “Respect.” Hudson, whose winning seventh place on “American Idol” led to a recording career and the role in the film…
‘John and the Hole’: Disturbed Teen Holds His Family Hostage in Eerie Psychodrama
Features • Published on August 2021
Almost every teenager has gone through a rebellious phase, usually one in which they resent their parents or siblings, but 13-year-old John (Charlie Shotwell) goes above and beyond in psychological drama “…
Netflix’s ‘Pray Away’ Exposes the Harms Caused by the ‘Ex-Gay’ Movement
Features • Published on August 2021
Conversion therapy has been front and center in many narrative films. It has been explored in comedy movies like “But I’m a Cheerleader,” and the darker side of ministries praying on LGBTQ youth…
Quiet Drama ‘Joe Bell’ Tells a True Story of Grief and Forgiveness
Features • Published on July 2021
Mark Wahlberg shows his more emotional side in his latest drama, “Joe Bell.” Based on a true story, Wahlberg plays the title character, a grieving father who undertakes a journey in…
It’s the End of the World in Apocalyptic Comedy ‘How It Ends’
Cailee Spaeny • Published on July 2021
While many non-essential workers in Los Angeles and elsewhere spent the lockdown binging television, going for walks and indulging in Zoom happy hours, and the most ambitious among us started a project or…
Keegan-Michael Key and Cecily Strong Hit the Right Notes in Apple TV’s ‘Schmigaddon!’
Alan Cumming • Published on July 2021
Keegan-Michael Key and Cecily Strong take a wrong turn and end up in a magical world that is both familiar and strange in the musical comedy series “Schmigadoon!” The pair…
Karen Gillan and Lena Headey Lean Into Their Killer Instincts in Netflix Action-Thriller ‘Gunpowder Milkshake’
Features • Published on July 2021
Three generations of women come together to defeat ruthless men in “Gunpowder Milkshake,” a stylish thriller from Netflix. Much of the action centers on Sam (Karen Gillan), an assassin who takes…
The Women of Starz’s ‘Run the World’ Talk Season Finale and Their Hopes for Next Season
Amber Stevens • Published on July 2021
After eight eventful episodes following a foursome of thirty-something women as they navigate life, love and careers in Harlem, season one of Starz’s “Run the World” came to a close with a…
In ‘The Boss Baby: Family Business,’ Family That Fights Evil Together Stays Together
Alec Baldwin • Published on July 2021
The legacy of a lovable corporate schemer continues in “The Boss Baby: Family Business,” the sequel to the wildly entertaining 2017 animated feature “The Boss Baby.” Alec Baldwin returns to lend…
Don Cheadle and Benicio Del Toro Are Uneasy Allies in Steven Soderbergh’s ‘No Sudden Move’
Amy Seimetz • Published on July 2021
Set in 1955 Detroit, “No Sudden Move” is a crime drama from Steven Soderbergh where America’s underbelly of organized crime and the auto industry collide. Don Cheadle stars as Curt…
‘America: The Motion Picture’ Is Netflix’s Ridiculous Reimagining of the American Revolution
America: The Motion Picture • Published on June 2021
The founding of our country has never looked as outlandish as it does in Netflix’s “America: The Motion Picture,” a juvenile animated feature for adults. It’s an alternative history of sorts, one…
Iliza Shlesinger Tells Us How She Turned a Bad Romance Into Her New Netflix Comedy ‘Good on Paper’
Features • Published on June 2021
While many women only get to spill about their relationship woes over boozy brunches and the occasional saucy social media post, actress and comedian Iliza Shlesinger has channeled a personal trauma from…
‘Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It’ Examines the Highs and Lows of Moreno’s Life and Career
Features • Published on June 2021
No one has had a career quite like actress Rita Moreno, the first Latinx woman to earn the coveted EGOT. Best known to most for her Oscar-winning role in “West Side Story,”…
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…