Lee Matz, Author at Milwaukee Independent

Tolkien & Lewis film explores myth, truth, and the meaning of life

Posted by Lee Matz | Oct 5, 2016

Internationally acclaimed filmmaker and author Chip Duncan premiered his latest documentary at the Milwaukee Film Festival, about legendary authors J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, on October 3 at the Fox Bay Cinema. The screening was packed to theater capacity with two hundred viewers. Even though Duncan and his production group are based in Milwaukee, his features do not often have an opportunity to be presented locally. “Tolkien & Lewis: Myth, Imagination and the Quest For Meaning” highlights a rainy evening in 1931 at Oxford University’s Magdalen College. On that night, C.S. Lewis invited fellow scholar J.R.R. Tolkien, and Hugo...

MPTV previewed new chapter of The Making of Milwaukee

Posted by Lee Matz | Sep 30, 2016 |

To celebrate upcoming broadcast premier of The Making of Milwaukee: The Next Chapter, the program’s producer, MPTV, held a special sneak peek on September 28 at the Historic Pabst Brewery’s Best Place. Historian, writer, producer, and host John Gurda and director, producer and editor Claudia Looze renewed their partnership to bring viewers an updated installment of the highly popular documentary series. “What we came up with is a half-hour program that’s different from the original series but also the same,” said Gurda. “We tried to achieve the same thematic perspective, find the same balance, and end in the same...

Academy Award winner John Ridley talks movies, Milwaukee, and diversity

Posted by Lee Matz | Sep 27, 2016 |

“The State of Cinema Address” is a keynote discussion held each year at the Milwaukee Film Festival. This year, Festival Director Jonathan Jackson interviewed Milwaukee native John Ridley, director, producer, and Academy Award winning writer of “12 Years a Slave.” Ridley returned to his hometown overnight to take part in the festival, which he also recently joined Milwaukee Film’s Board of Directors. He is currently producing two television shows on opposite sides of the world, one in Los Angeles and the other London. Many topics were covered during the talk, particularly what Milwaukee would need to accomplish in order...

Photo Essay: Rock the Green 2016

Posted by Lee Matz | Sep 21, 2016 |

Rock the Green, the Midwest’s zero waste music festival with a mission to educate and empower the community to take actionable steps to live sustainably, was be held on September 17, with an eclectic lineup of world-class bands and expanded sustainability offerings.

Photo Essay: Black Cat Alley draws huge crowds

Posted by Lee Matz | Sep 19, 2016 |

Black Cat Alley welcomed the public during Doors Open Milwaukee, and became one of the hottest destination spots for the annual event.

Black Cat Alley Part 3: With Artists Martinez, CERA, Kowalczyk, Minga, Reiss, Decker

Posted by Lee Matz | Sep 19, 2016 |

The Milwaukee Independent spent two weeks with the artists of Black Cat Alley, From September 5 to 17, documenting the progress of their installations at the two block stretch between Kenilworth Place to Ivanhoe Place on Milwaukee’s East Side.