A revival of Hair is giving audiences in New York’s Central Park a vicarious contact high these days, but memories of the bygone Age of Aquarius in Vermont have sparked an upcoming commune reunion and a new book.... Read more

Fatigue seems to be the primary reason Mira Niagolova decided to take a leave of absence as executive director of the Vermont International Film Festival, which unfolds each October in Burlington. “I just needed a break,” explains the Essex resident, who had held the position since 2002. “I was exhausted because we got so many submissions, more than 250, that it became overwhelming. We were all drained.”... Read more

Born in America to emigrés from Calcutta, Gogol is a protagonist who endures years of teenage alienation in The Namesake, a film adapted from the 2003 bestseller by Jhumpa Lahiri. Mira Nair's memorable, albeit flawed, new feature includes many entertaining sequences of the kid doing whatever it takes to fit in with his pot-smoking peers. That's especially difficult when parents who otherwise cling to their own ancient traditions have given him the moniker of a gloomy early-19th-century Russian author.... Read more

Why are progressives still furious with Ralph Nader six years after the U.S. Supreme Court handed George W. Bush a victory? What's behind the consumer advocate's insistence on a third-party candidacy? How can this guy's track record on highway safety be reconciled with his role in enabling the current train wreck of domestic and foreign policy? Those are some of the burning questions addressed in An Unreasonable Man, a documentary that Newfane native and 1976 Castleton State College grad Henriette Mantel co-directed with Steve Skrovan.... Read more

When Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck accepted his Oscar for best foreign-language film last month, he appeared to be 7 feet tall. Then again, the two presenters standing beside him may be extremely short. What is not in doubt: This young German writer-director's debut feature, The Lives of Others, has a stature that extends way beyond its relatively modest budget. Although the picture is essentially a spy thriller, it doesn't resort to car crashes or explosions to heighten tension.... Read more

The devastating siege of Sarajevo was in full swing when Peter Schumann visited Bosnia in 1994. "We had to walk through sniper fire," recalls the founder of Glover's Bread and Puppet Theater. "We saw people burning the pages from books in tin cans to stay warm and to cook. The place was full of UN peacekeepers who were only protecting themselves."... Read more

As a P.T. Barnum of the movie industry, director Martin Guigui has spent a decade imbuing the circus that is cinema with his ebullient, entrepreneurial spirit. These days the former Vermonter operates Sunset Pictures, a production company on L.A.'s fabled Sunset Boulevard. His wife, actress Dahlia Waingort, is a partner in the venture. They have a 15-month-old daughter named Esther Frida and are expecting another baby girl in May. "We're turning out little Guiguiettes," says the proud papa, who is still a rock musician as well.... Read more

When Frank Manchel refers to "my boys," he's not just talking about his biological sons with wife Sheila. For the University of Vermont professor emeritus, that category includes three prominent filmmakers who were students decades ago in his cinema-studies classes: producer Jon Kilik (Alexander), cinematographer Robert Richardson (The Aviator) and screenwriter David Franzoni (Gladiator).... Read more

A Vermont wordsmith has penned the saga that will prompt Asia's top action-movie stars, Jackie Chan and Jet Li, to work together for the first time. But The Untitled J & J Project, as Hollywood has temporarily dubbed the English-language picture that begins shooting in April, really ought to be The J & J & J Project. This designation would give a nod to the screenwriter, Lamoille County resident John Fusco.... Read more

It's all about the delicate balance. Every living thing, plus many an inanimate object, has a place and a purpose. As witnessed in Darwin's Nightmare, the disruption of any one entity can spark a chain of unforeseen events that threatens entire societies. The unflinching documentary, on tap this weekend at the Savoy Theater in Montpelier, demonstrates that survival of the fittest is not a pretty sight.... Read more