News

Stars: Emma Fitzpatrick, Jennifer Lafleur, Angela Gulner, Sibongile Mlambo, Corina Kinnear, Kati Sharp, Natalie D’Amico, Jess Varley, Mecca Morgan White, Richard McDowell, Kwanza Gooden, Tony Sgro | Written by Gia Elliot, Emma Fitzpatrick | Directed by Gia Elliot

Right from the title director Gia Elliot and co-writer Emma Fitzpatrick make it clear that Take Back the Night isn’t just another monster movie. By using the slogan of many marches and movements protesting violence against women as their title they signal their intention to make this about more than simple scares.

The challenge with that is not letting the message overwhelm the actual plot and the film’s entertainment value. Or worse become heavy-handed and preachy. The Hunting, which I recently reviewed, is an example, its message about veterans and Ptsd taking over what was supposed to be a werewolf film. Can the makers of Take Back the Night succeed where many have failed before?...

"I'm not making this up!" Dark Sky Films has revealed a new trailer for Take Back The Night, an intense vigilante horror-thriller made by filmmaker Gia Elliot. This premiered at a bunch of genre film festivals last year, including the Telluride Horror Fest, and is arriving on VOD in March this year. Finding herself the victim of a violent monster attack, Jane launches a vigilante campaign to hunt the beast that tried to kill her. Her troubling history of drug use & mental illness causes her family, community, and authorities to question the authenticity of her account. Suddenly alone in her fight, Jane starts to doubt if this Monster exists at all. Emma Fitzpatrick stars as Jane, with Angela Gulner, Jennifer Lafleur, Sibongile Mlambo, Corina Kinnear, Kati Sharp, Natalie D'Amico, and Jess Varley. This looks stylish & terrifying, but also looks like an extremely obvious metaphor about sexual assault "monsters" ...

With the L.A. Dance Festival kicking off this month, it’s an exciting time of year in L.A. There are opportunities to see many of your favorite female choreographers, including BrockusRED, Rebecca Lemme, Sarah Elgart, The Los Angeles Contemporary Dance Company, and more! PERFORMANCESMark your calendars now! L.A. Dance Festival will take place at Theatre Raymond Kabbaz Mar. 1–3! The festival will celebrate Women’s History Month as well as the significant female figures of contemporary dance in Los Angeles. (Tickets: $25) “Naked,” an art happening, will be taking place throughout the month of March. The event will include a dance performance, exhibit, photos, and live music. Come explore the non-sexualized nude form through dance theater by Corina Kinnear. (Tickets: $35) James MahKween presents “Reflect: On Love” Mar. 18 at Brockus Project Space. You do not want to miss this jam-packed evening of incredible works by artists including Latrice Postell, Olivia Brown,...

Happy February, dancers! We hope your 2018 is off to a stellar start as you go after those recently established resolutions. This month, we’re focusing on technique classes that allow you to have the strength, stability, and flexibility for any of the commercial and jazzy work you may find yourself doing. PERFORMANCESLive Arts Los Angeles presents choreographer Miguel Gutierrez’s “K-d-a-ver‚ on Feb. 3. This one-time solo performance is filled with brazen honesty, vulnerability, and wit. (Tickets: $20) The Roy and Edna Disney/Calarts Theater presents Okwui Okpokwasili’s “Poor People’s TV Room,” Feb. 8–11. This piece mixes ritualistic and hallucinogenic movement to explore the collective amnesia around the Nigerian woman’s resistance movements of the past century. This powerful performance is not one to miss. (Tickets start at $15) The Odyssey Theater presents “Naked,” a dance theater exploration of the nude body embedded in an art happening, choreographed by Corina Kinnear. An installation,...