Sundance 2023: Going Varsity in Mariachi elegantly amplifies cultural psyche and pride in beloved Mexican musical heritage

Mariachi might be Mexico’s most familiar music to global tourists, In Mexico, though, it is a highly prized musical craft, with many stylistic influences that have been incorporated and which have greatly expanded its originating roots in the country’s ranches and rural communities. The musical art’s merit has been amplified in Texas, where more than … Read more

Sundance 2023: Amid fear and turbulence of dire threats to abortion, reproductive rights, Plan C documentary is testament of hope, resilience

EDITOR’S NOTE: Thomas Dugrosprez wrote the review and Les Roka added interview and background notes to the feature. As the U.S. faced the overturning of Roe v. Wade on June 24, 2022, the role of health care and reproductive rights workers and activists became instantly criminalized, in a country where 1 out of 4 women … Read more

Sundance 2023: Pianoforte is marvelous backstage documentary about Poland’s Chopin piano competition

Pianoforte, the documentary directed by Jakub Piątek about the International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw, is a marvelous backstage look at the young pianists that builds nicely to a riveting climax, where twelve musicians compete in the finals. For an individual who has had no formal music training and connected later in life with classical … Read more

Sundance 2023: Cassandro resonates with wit, emotion, authenticity in the story of lucha libre’s most celebrated exótico

“In lucha libre, the truly important matches, the bouts that make up one’s official record, are not even world championships,” William Finnegan wrote in a 2014 feature for The New Yorker magazine about Saúl Armendáriz, a gay wrestler who revamped the role of the exótico luchadores as Cassandro. “They are, rather, Mask vs. Mask matches, … Read more

Sundance 2023: Rich archival bounty defines historical significance of Indigo Girls in It’s Only Life After All

Some of the most impactful moments in the documentary, It’s Only Life After All, a comprehensive retrospective on Atlanta-based singer-songwriters Amy Ray and Emily Saliers who continue to perform as the Indigo Girls, appear in the first third of the film. The documentary received its Sundance premiere late last week. There are numerous fascinating clips … Read more

Sundance 2023: The Amazing Maurice is splendid adaptation of Sir Terry Pratchett classic

The late Sir Terry Pratchett, whose Discworld books epitomized his literary genius of irony and paradox in the realm of fantasy stories, wrote that Discworld was “relentlessly, solidly logical.” He added, “The reason it is fantasy is that it is logical about the wrong things, about those parts of human experience where, by tacit agreement, … Read more

Outdoor Retailer 2023: Fine examples of ingenuity, science, lifestyle creativity, bootstrapping, cultural integrity, authentic eco-consciousness in show’s return to SLC

This month’s just concluded Outdoor Retailer show, marking the event’s return to Salt Lake City after five years, highlighted a good representation of creative entrepreneurship and collaborations. Even for those who might not be avid outdoor recreation participants, there were plenty of ingenious, artful, elegant product lines and innovations, which suggest that the tent of … Read more

A new twist to annual list of crowning achievements: The Utah Review’s Top 10 Moments of the Utah Enlightenment in 2022

This year’s selection in The Utah Review of the top ten moments of the Utah Enlightenment in 2022 was easily the quickest to lock in, considering the possibilities. There were no close calls. The ten selections were a slam dunk. This year, however, presented the opportunity for a twist. While nine of the ten selections … Read more

Pioneer Theatre Company’s A Christmas Story: The Musical is spiffy, enjoyable homage to holiday film classic

The 1983 movie A Christmas Story was a definitive sleeper hit. Directed by Bob Clark, the film did reasonably well at the box office, easily recouping its comparatively low production costs ($3.3 million) after opening right before Thanksgiving and it was still in about a hundred theaters on New Year’s Day in 1984. Clark was … Read more

A holiday evening of exuberant magic: Ballet West’s The Nutcracker becomes glorious world of fantasy

It might surprise many readers that for critics, writing a review of The Nutcracker ballet is actually not as easy as it might appear. It is one of the most widely performed works in the end-of-the-year holiday season and audiences love it, whether it is in a lavish professional production or a small-town amateur community … Read more