Film Review: DeNiro, others lift ‘Cape Fear’ past plot holes

They never got a break. I mean the Bowden family in the film “Cape Fear,” who are terrorized by the ex-con Max Cady (Robert De Niro). Cady poisons their dog. He stalks their daughter. He murders their housemaid then impersonates her. And when the Bowdens escape on a fast drive to their houseboat retreat, he defies physics and human physiology by latching onto the bottom of their car for the whole ride. When he dusts himself off, it’s as if this is just another Tuesday for Cady.“Cape Fear” (1991) — Martin Sc … (read more)

MIDDLEBURY — The co-star of one of cinema’s most iconic adventure films will help the Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival (MNFF) return to an in-person event following a one-year, COVID-related break as a virtual offering.Karen Allen, who played Marion Rav … (read more)

The Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival will welcome director, editor and producer Sam Pollard to the seventh annual festival on Thursday, Aug. 26, for the screening of two of his films and extended conversations. MNFF will present Pollard with an award fo … (read more)

The 7th Annual Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival will open with the feature documentary “Storm Lake,” on Wednesday, Aug. 25, at 7 p.m., at Middlebury’s Town Hall Theater.“Storm Lake” tells the story of Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Art Cullen and his … (read more)

“Raging Bull” is a terrible movie.For one, it’s just not that great. How about that Robert De Niro guy in the lead? Poorly miscast. Hayden Christenson would have played a more convincing Jake LaMotta than Mr. De Niro. I can’t believe this movie was made b … (read more)

The Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival has delivered its most recent installment of “alumni donated” films to the MNFF Collection at Ilsley Public Library in Middlebury. This year, the Festival was pleased to deliver 55 films to the library from its 5th A … (read more)

Get vaccinated and get tickets for the Aug. 25-29 local film fest.The Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival (MNFF) will return to an in-person event for its 7th Annual Fest this coming Aug. 25-29.“After pivoting successfully to an online festival in August 2 … (read more)

MIDDLEBURY — The Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival (MNFF) will return to an in-person, five-day experience in Addison County’s shire town this August, news that comes as a blessing for movie enthusiasts and the many local lodgers, restaurateurs and store … (read more)

Wanting to remain active and relevant during the still sprawling pandemic, Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival producer Lloyd Komesar and I went online with our August event, then came up with our Split Screen series, a monthly 10-day online mini-festival, … (read more)

The Vermont International Film Festival [VTIFF] and the Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival [MNFF] will continue the online monthly movie series Split/Screen this month.  With the two Vermont film festivals each curating a selection of four entertaining fi … (read more)

The Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival Franklin Film Development Fund has recently completed its inaugural year of grant making. The fund, founded in August 2019, was created to stimulate the production of feature length narrative films through a script s … (read more)

MIDDLEBURY — Organizers of this year’s Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival (MNFF) didn’t know what to expect for viewership, after having had to quickly pivot to a first-ever online format after the COVID-19 pandemic made the usual in-person event impossib … (read more)

MIDDLEBURY — New entertainment options for those spending a lot of time at home during the COVID-19 pandemic are arriving on Thursday, Aug. 27: A panoply of films — both short and feature length — will be accessible online as part of the first-ever virtua … (read more)

MIDDLEBURY — The first-ever online version of Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival (MNFF) is taking shape. Organizers of the sixth annual event — usually a spotlight happening that sends hundreds of people buzzing around downtown Middlebury just before Labo … (read more)

The first-ever online version of Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival (MNFF) is taking shape. Organizers of the sixth annual event — usually a spotlight happening that sends hundreds of people buzzing around downtown Middlebury just before Labor Day — have … (read more)