Sundance

Brook is a tough character to like. He’s rude, irresponsible, and apathetic, and recently famous as a result of a viral indie music career. The tongue in cheek title, I Am Not a Hipster, pokes fun at San Diego’s hipster culture, but gives way to a movie exploring the depths of grief and recovery. Interspersed with touching family moments and powerful character development, writer and director Dustin Daniel Cretton takes viewers on a journey of self-reflection. By the final scene audience members can’t help but find the lovability of Cretton’s prickly protagonist.

What if you could make a movie that makes a difference? With the era of technology, video clips spread faster on YouTube than news articles do in newspapers. Films and movies are now the most successful way to relay knowledge, the new form of inspirational speech. This being said, film directors now hold an extremely vital role in society; they now have a job to fulfill: keep the population informed and inspire them. This is exactly what directors and producers Kristi Jacobsen and Laura Silverbush did with their film “Finding North.”

The Canadian Film "Monsieur Lazhar" is a departure from overstated American productions. The struggles of an Algerian immigrant, Bacchir Lazhar, who assumes the post of a teacher who recently committed suicide are conveyed through subtle cinematography and authentic acting.

The reality of the suffering lends strength to the film. The death is not dramatized, just presented objectively. The unique yet utilitarian camera angles give fluidity to the narrative but do not draw attention from it. Subtle colors define the complex emotions of believable characters.

From the moment the clock next to Dolph Springer’s bed turned from 7:59 to 7:60, I knew I was in for an interesting treat. This film lived up to its name and all of the expectations I had for it. True to its title, Dolph’s life was simply wrong.

One of the first tastes of this theme came when his French-Mexican gardener called him from across the yard and told him his palm tree had turned into a pine tree. However, Dolph didn’t think any of these things were out of the ordinary, which led to laughter throughout the movie.