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Articles by Ariana Martinez
John Waters returns to the land of pig filth with new books, an old grudge and a call to take over the world
Dreamland ringleader John Waters. — photo via the Englert Theatre; collage by Kellan Doolittle/Little Village The day John Waters calls me, he has just finished writing the first draft of his next show, Let’s Take Over the World, which he will present at the Englert Theatre on Oct. 9.
John Cameron Mitchell reflects on 25 years of ‘Hedwig’ — ‘a story of trauma, abuse and the government deciding what you are’
Collage by Kellan Doolittle/Little Village For John Cameron Mitchell, the writer, director and star of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, punk rock has to be in the moment. Currently on tour for the film’s 25th anniversary, Mitchell will stop in Iowa City on Sept. 23 and 24 for a musical performance as part of Hancher’s Infinite Dream Festival, as well as a film screening and Q&A at FilmScene.
Worth a Rewatch: Soderbergh debut ‘Sex, Lies, and Videotape’ is the kind of slow-burn indie film that’s getting harder to make
Still from Sex, Lies, and Videotape (1989) — Miramax Films Nearly 40 years after its release, Sex, Lies, and Videotape will play at Varsity Cinema in Des Moines as part of the theater’s “Declarations of Independence series: Celebrating America’s 250th Anniversary with early films from independent filmmakers.” The film follows a sexless married couple, Ann (Andie MacDowell) and John (Peter Gallagher) — or at least, Ann views them as such.
Non-pharmacological interventions and quality of life in female survivors of hormone receptor-positive breast cancer receiving adjuvant endocrine therapy:: a systematic review
español Fundamento. La terapia endocrina (TE) es el tratamiento del cáncer de mama con receptores hormonales; reduce el riesgo de recidiva y la mortalidad, pero presenta efectos secundarios que disminuyen la calidad de vida (CdV). El objetivo es sintetizar la evidencia sobre el impacto de las intervenciones no farmacológicas sobre la CdV y sus dimensiones específicas (física, psicológica, social y espiritual) en mujeres supervivientes de cáncer de mama (SCM). Métodos.
Behind the Window Display: Cinema’s Desperate Salesmen
Behind the Window Display: Cinema's Desperate Salesmen Lacking the confidence to emulate the smooth-talking charlatans of the business world, these salesmen's entrepreneurial personas end up as artificial as their shopfront displays. Lacking the confidence to emulate the smooth-talking charlatans of the business world, these salesmen’s entrepreneurial personas end up as artificial as their shopfront displays.
Keep an eye out of ‘Selena’ and other acclaimed films in the Quad Cities Latino Cinema Series
Still from Selena (1997) — courtesy of Warner Bros. For many, Selena, released in 1997, was one of the first films about Latino culture they watched. It was for me. While Mexican television shows such as El Chavo del Ocho and telenovelas like Rubí were frequently playing in the living room, Selena, a biopic about Tejano musical artist Selena Quintanilla-Pérez, is one of the earliest movies about Latinidad I can recall being shown.
‘Kamal’s,’ a new documentary about a Muslim chef and mayoral candidate in Grinnell, will show at Des Moines Art Fest on Sunday
Kamal Hammouda in a still from Kamal’s (2026) — Nonprofit Film Collective The Des Moines Art Festival returns this weekend, and with it the Interrobang Film Festival, a free-to-attend, juried show featuring 36 films. One of those films is a new documentary about Muslim chef Kamal Hammouda, based in Grinnell, and his life in food, family and politics.
Review: ‘Natchez’ shows romanticized history, while sometimes comforting, is far creepier than the truth
Film still from ‘Natchez’ (Oscilloscope) When the trailer for Natchez first played at FilmScene, showing women in Gone with the Wind-esque gowns and men in gray Civil War fatigues smiling for photos in a former Mississippi plantation home, my partner leaned over and said, “I’ve been there. We had a family reunion there.” Even before watching the film, its themes of historical whitewashing and heritage tourism were already front of mind. How far away is the past, really?
Utilizing The Source’s basement of VHS tapes, Quad Cities creatives put a local spin on ‘Criterion Closet Picks’
Khalil Hacker on an episode of VHStacks. His picks include Elephant Man, Scooby Doo’s Spookiest Tales, Les Misérables, Snake Eyes, Reservoir Dogs, Fargo and The X-Files. — via Cary Grant Died Here The Video Home System, or VHS, format was introduced in the late ’70s, revolutionizing the way people consumed movies. DVD would usurp it at the turn of the century, of course, but you’re hard-pressed to find a Gen Xer or millenial without at least a little video cassette nostalgia.
Brennan Enterprises Named Finalist in Houston Chronicle's 2026 Best of the Best Reader's Choice Awards
Brennan's growing Houston presence earns recognition as a finalist in the Houston Chronicle's 2026 Best of the Best Reader's Choice awards. HOUSTON, TX, UNITED STATES, May 12, 2026 / EINPresswire.com/ -- Brennan Enterprises, a provider of affordable, high-quality window and door solutions, is proud to announce that it has been named a finalist in the Houston Chronicle’s 2026 Best of the Best Reader’s Choice competition.
Brennan Enterprises Celebrates 47 Years with Continued Growth, Houston Expansion, and Industry Recognition
Before and after photos of a house Brennan Enterprises installed new windows on. Brennan installation technicians working together to assemble the frame for a large folding door. Brennan Enterprises celebrates 47 years in business with Houston expansion, expanded product offerings, and industry awards.
Sundance 2026 features documentaries on Iowa teacher Jane Elliott, the Chicano Movement and public access TV
The venue for an event at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival — photo by Breanna Downs, courtesy of the Sundance Institute. The last Sundance Film Festival based in Park City, Utah, has drawn to a close. The future sees the fest relocating to Boulder, Colorado, but for now, Little Village brings dispatches from Sundance to you in Iowa — starting with three documentaries that premiered at the fest.
Worth a Rewatch: 'The Thing' finds normal people resisting a violent invasion of their snowy home
Still from John Carpenters The Thing (1982) There’s nothing like beginning the year at the end of the world. As Iowa City’s FilmScene prepares for its yearly showing with two screenings, how does John Carpenter’s cult classic, a film infamously received as off-putting during the Reagan era, land on our laps as we face our own rising tide of conservatism and real-world violence? The Thing is frequently described as an apocalyptic film.
Film critic and UI grad Jason England explains why he found this Oscar frontrunner 'extremely goofy'
Still from One Battle After Another — courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures One Battle After Another, the latest film by Paul Thomas Anderson, is a critical darling, picking up numerous award nominations — and, on Sunday, four big wins at the Golden Globes.
Website Redesign With IMPACT
ZINTEX Home Remodeling: Breaking Records with a Better Website When ZINTEX Home Remodeling came to IMPACT, they were already running a steady operation with their previous agency, averaging around 576 leads and just under 89 booked demos a month, with net revenue holding near $562K. Solid numbers, but plateaued. ZINTEX wanted a website that did more than look good.
'You're My Waterloo': How a very 1982 tourism song became a Cedar Valley sensation
Still from the “You’re My Waterloo” music video In 1982, the inaugural My Waterloo Days Festival was held as a celebration of the beginning of the summer. Replete with a parade, laser light shows and hot air balloons, it was a special event seeking to foster community bonding amid economic strife. John Deere was seeing mass layoffs, the Rath Packing Company was on its way out, and the rising unemployment rate was pushing people to move away from the Cedar Valley.
What Night of the Comet Taught Me About the End of the World
Driving to work, I listen to preset no. three on my car radio. A pre-recorded transition plays, “For those in the ’80s who remember going to Benetton at the Old Mall.” I turn my car off and step into the parking lot, yet the jockeys echo. The driver parked beside me is listening to the same station. I had never considered that building a “real” mall – the iconic kind that peaked amid the decade of decadence. It was now filled with university offices and a few restaurants.
Review: 'Videoheaven,' a genre-defying film essay at Refocus, stirred and challenged Iowans' rental store nostalgia
Do you remember your favorite video store growing up? Director Alex Ross Perry, who recently released his experimental documentary film Pavements, chronicles the now virtually extinct rental shop industry in Videoheaven, a three-hour film that screened at the Refocus Film Festival. Fascinatingly, isnot really a documentary.
Review: Queer desire ruled at Refocus 2025, from 'She's the He' to 'Hedda'
The Refocus Film Festival awarded its Audience Choice Award to She’s the He, the debut feature from director Siobhan McCarthy. In it, high school best friends Ethan and Alex find themselves tangled up in a queer coming-of-age. Alex (Nico Carney), desperate to impress his dream girl, insists that they pretend to be trans women in order to grow closer to her.
Film critic and 'Filmspotting' podcast co-host Michael Phillips talks adaptations, Trump fatigue and the Refocus film that feels most pertinent
Michael Phillips, former film critic at the Chicago Tribune, is coming back to Iowa City for the Refocus Film Festival. There, he will join UI Professor and Filmspotting co-host Adam Kempenaar for a live taping of the podcast Friday, Oct. 10. Little Village met with Phillips to chat about the festival and reflect on his long career in a fickle field. It’s a long career at a crossroads.
Beth M. Howard's 'Pieowa' is the taste-good, feel-good film of the year
It is the first weekend of the Iowa State Fair, and Beth M. Howard is still thinking about pie. “I’ve tried to get away from pie a couple of times,” she said, “and I just keep getting pulled back. I’ve surrendered.” Howard has made a career off the pastry, first by writing a memoir about how it helped her work through grief (2012’s Making Piece: Love, Loss and Pie).
Camino a la igualdad en el sector tecnológico
Hace poco más de tres meses concluía el bootcamp específico de Desarrollo Web Back-end y Cloud AWS re/Start que impartían la Asociación Arrabal-AID y Factoría F5 dentro de un amplio programa con una carga lectiva de más de 800 horas en el que participaba el Servicio de Empleo y Formación de la Diputación de Málaga, Amazon Web Services y Fundación la Caixa.
Perfect Love | Earlid
by Ariana Martinez, summer, 2022 Perfect Love is a response to the text and moving and still images generated by the artist Taehee Whang in their work, Walking to My Grandfather’s Mound. This work’s origins—virtually visiting their grandfather’s burial site in South Korea via Google Earth when faced with the impossibility of a physical journey—is itself a kind of attempt at correction.
Efectividad de enjuagues bucales contra virus de la familia coronavirus: Revisión sistemática
Ayuda Buscar en la ayuda Buscar en la ayuda Efectividad de enjuagues bucales contra virus de la familia coronavirus: Revisión sistemática Álvarez- Ojeda, Andrea [1] ; Lozada-Martínez, Ariana [1] ; Pupo Marrugo, Stella [1] ; Díaz-Caballero, Antonio [1] [1] Universidad de Cartagena Localización: NOVA, ISSN-e 2462-9448, ISSN 1794-2470, Vol. 20, Nº. 39, 2022, págs.
The 25th Cedar Rapids Independent Film Festival featured stories local, global and out of this world, all with an Iowa connection
Collins Road Theatres was positively buzzing the weekend of April 4-6, and not just because A Minecraft Movie had premiered. The Cedar Rapids Independent Film Festival (CRIFF) returned to screen a new slate of original, Midwest-made films inside an unpresuming Marion shopping center. As the lights dimmed for my first film of the fest, I immediately fell in love with the animated short Hunky Dory by LeMars filmmaker Steven Vander Meer.
The Iowan-produced 'Bob Trevino Likes It' premieres at Varsity Cinema, FilmScene Friday
What does it mean to foster a chosen family? To find a community so welcoming, it becomes another unit of intimacy altogether? For film producer Edgar Rosa, it meant cultivating a hub of artistry at an early age. Born in California, but raised in Iowa, Rosa was involved with the Des Moines Playhouse by age 5. As he got older, he added the Heartland Youth Choir and his school’s drama troupe to his list of extracurriculars. These adolescent arts communities quickly became “a second home” for Rosa.
Valentine's Day at the movies: Sweet and sour date stories at local cinemas
It’s Valentine’s Week and I’m seated in an undergraduate film class at the University of Iowa; the professor asks the students how many of them had their first date at the movies. As the TA, I don’t answer, harboring the truth that my first date with my current partner was, in fact, at the movies. I silently watch as nearly half the class raises their hands. To be honest, I wasn’t entirely sure that spring visit to the AMC in 2019 was a date. Neither was he.
“Believe it or not, the answer is yes, I do have a fondness for David Lynch,” begins Ben Godar, executive director of Varsity Cinema in Des Moines. Losing Lynch, who passed away on Jan. 15, 2025, has highlighted just how many people agree with this sentiment. Artist David Lynch’s affinity for the macabre allure of Los Angeles, with touchstones of arthouse Americana including Mulholland Drive and Lost Highway, has led the city to feel his absence tenfold.
You shared your holiday film traditions. Plus festive movies to stream and go see.
The sacred, sometimes scary, feeling of seeing yourself in the movies feels slightly different during the holidays, amplified even. Everyone’s got their go-to’s during the season. In a poll conducted by Little Village, some of you mentioned your favorites were classics, like the claymation Frosty and Rudolph films or Christmas Vacation. Some of you mentioned less conventional but nonetheless festive titles like Eyes Wide Shut and Gremlins.
The Englert and 'Napoleon Dynamite' cast celebrate 20 years of unabashedly odd entertainment
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Englert Theatre’s nonprofit status. Coincidentally, it also marks the 20th anniversary of the 2004 independent film Napoleon Dynamite. A commemorative screening of the movie was held at the Englert last month, Nov. 7, and also included a conversation with cast members Jon Heder (Napoleon), Efren Ramirez (Pedro) and Jon Gries (Uncle Rico). It was anything but a simple exchange of words.
Silver Wave Festival returns to Fredericton for its 24th year
Whether you are a film enthusiast, an aspiring filmmaker or just look forward to writing another review on Letterboxd, the New Brunswick Filmmakers Co-op is offering independent films to the Fredericton community. The Silver Wave festival will offer films of all genres. From Nov. 7 to 14, the festival will host different screenings across Fredericton and online.
Are film critics artists? Of course! Jonathan Rosenbaum and Marya E. Gates compare ideas on what makes a good movie — and a good movie review - Little Village
During last month’s Refocus Film Festival, Little Village film columnist Ariana Martinez had the opportunity to chat with renowned film critics Jonathan Rosenbaum and Marya E. Gates in a panel entitled “Writing on Film.” The trio’s discussion ranged from career highlights and how to approach interviewing different directors to what it means to call yourself an artist in the field of film criticism. This is a transcript of that conversation. It has been edited for length and clarity.
Deliberately scratched frames, disquieting docs, dreamy shots of Iowa: Reviews of 10 films featured at Refocus
It is officially a wrap on the 2024 Refocus Film Festival, which means it is time to unpack all I was able to see and experience following opening night. Musicians Sam Ross and Joe Shanks played in the FilmScene Ped Mall theater preceding the Monograph Shorts Program of the Refocus fest. Consisting of four films ranging from 11 to 41 minutes, it was a great opportunity to ease into the festival’s feature offerings. Programming Director Ben Delgado introduced the block. We Are Not Alone dir.
A packed Englert audience sees and celebrates 'Nightbitch' movie as Refocus 2024 kicks off
Last night, a giddy audience gathered in the historic Englert Theatre, its marquee beautifully illuminating their entrance, for opening night of the third annual Refocus Film Festival. Onstage, Andrew Sherburne and Programming Director Ben Delgado expressed their gratitude for all who made the festival possible and shared some backstory on their efforts to screen Marielle Heller’s latest film, Nightbitch (in theaters Dec. 6).
Palestinian stories, Orson Welles, Reality Winner, 'The Count of Monte Cristo' — Vital films new and restored feature in Refocus 2024 lineup - Little Village
“I mean, we might as well address the dog in the room,” chuckled Andrew Sherburne, the co-founder of Iowa City’s nonprofit cinema FilmScene. Sherburne and programming director Ben Delgado eagerly await Oct. 17, the opening night of the Refocus Film Festival and the Iowa City premiere of Nightbitch, adapted from Iowa City author Rachel Yoder’s novel. The canine-centric comedy-horror film directed by Marielle Heller, starring Amy Adams, is the headliner of the 2024 Refocus Fest.
Harper Steele shares thoughts on camping chairs, clothes shopping, growing up in Iowa City and having a love-hate relationship with home as 'Will & Harper' hits FilmScene - Little Village
Joy can often be found in the most unassuming places. In roadside diners, biker bars, even parking lots. It’s nestled between our relationships with friends, family and even the strangers one tries to make laugh. But what if the place one visits most often, the interiors of the heart and mind, has a hole where joy should be? What is there to do when one lacks the self-love and sense of identity needed to live authentically? At 59, comedy writer Harper Steele found her answer: write an email.
Friends and neighbours: when narcissists don’t live happily ever after
Few films outside the horror genre understand how to inhabit the grotesque: Your Friends and Neighbours (Neil LaBute, 1998; pictured above) is one such rarity. But, if the supernatural isn’t scary enough, maybe houses haunted by loveless inhabitants are. A cinematic break-up can be one of the most cathartic or agonising experiences, but the complete destruction of several relationships between the most annoying and selfish people imaginable is just as insufferable and magnetic.
The timeless fluidity and androgyny of Purple Rain
About Little White Lies Little White Lies was established in 2005 as a bi-monthly print magazine committed to championing great movies and the talented people who make them. Combining cutting-edge design, illustration and journalism, we’ve been described as being “at the vanguard of the independent publishing movement.” Our reviews feature a unique tripartite ranking system that captures the different aspects of the movie-going experience. We believe in Truth & Movies.
The Heterosexual Horror Show - Gendered Fear in 2024 / 2025 Cinema — Hear Us Scream
Not unlike the horror genre, popular romantic comedies predominantly focus on heterosexuality, but in presenting these common tropes by blending the two genres, Your Monster offers an exciting subversion. What initially spins Laura into her journey is not solely her cancer diagnosis and treatment but, more emphatically, her boyfriend Jacob’s decision to break up with her while she is still in the hospital bed.
How Starship Troopers Weaponizes Romance
If all is fair in love and war, then the best piece of media from which to study heterosexual romance must be a 90s science fiction-action film, specifically the one about killing interplanetary bugs and rooting for fascists. Paul Verhoeven’s Starship Troopers is ingrained in social consciousness for controversial reasons as it follows a group of high-schoolers eagerly enlisting in an interplanetary military service.
'My Old Ass' Review: Aubrey Plaza Delights in Thoughtful Comedy That Should Be More Unconventional
The coming-of-age genre is a tried and true way to illustrate the uncertainty of the future and the perks of hindsight, but when an opportunity presents itself to take heed of what is to come, sometimes even surprises can feel a bit predictable.
‘My Old Ass’ Review: Aubrey Plaza Delights in Thoughtful Comedy That Should Be More Unconventional
The coming-of-age genre is a tried and true way to illustrate the uncertainty of the future and the perks of hindsight, but when an opportunity presents itself to take heed of what is to come, sometimes even surprises can feel a bit predictable.
‘My Old Ass’ Review: Aubrey Plaza Delights in Thoughtful Comedy That Should Be More Unconventional
The coming-of-age genre is a tried and true way to illustrate the uncertainty of the future and the perks of hindsight, but when an opportunity presents itself to take heed of what is to come, sometimes even surprises can feel a bit predictable.
‘My Old Ass’ Review: Aubrey Plaza Delights in Thoughtful Comedy That Should Be More Unconventional
The coming-of-age genre is a tried and true way to illustrate the uncertainty of the future and the perks of hindsight, but when an opportunity presents itself to take heed of what is to come, sometimes even surprises can feel a bit predictable.
‘My Old Ass’ Review: Aubrey Plaza Delights in Thoughtful Comedy That Should Be More Unconventional
The coming-of-age genre is a tried and true way to illustrate the uncertainty of the future and the perks of hindsight, but when an opportunity presents itself to take heed of what is to come, sometimes even surprises can feel a bit predictable.
‘My Old Ass’ Review: Aubrey Plaza Delights in Thoughtful Comedy That Should Be More Unconventional
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'Between the Temples' Review: Jason Schwartzman and Carol Kane Lead a Sharply Comedic Look at Faith and Vulnerability Original
“We think you should start seeing a doctor,” is one of the earliest lines uttered to the quiet, grieving Ben (Jason Schwartzman), and the hilarity of its layered and misunderstood meaning, “see” as in “date” and “doctor” as in “plastic surgeon,” reveal director Nathan Silver’s playfully claustrophobic exploration of family loved, lost, found, and tolerated in the Sundance feature “Between the Temples.” “Between the Temples” stunningly couples its 16mm cinematography with tight close-ups,...
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