Author

Grant Phipps

A Madison transplant, Grant has been writing about contemporary and repertory cinema since contributing to No Ripcord and LakeFrontRow; and he served as Tone Madison‘s film section editor for a handful of years before officially assuming an arts editor role in 2026. More recently, Grant has been involved with programming at Mills Folly Microcinema and one-off screenings at the Bartell Theatre. From mid-2016 thru early-2020, he also showcased his affinity for art songs and avant-progressive music on WSUM 91.7 FM. 🌱

Grant's Latest Articles

A slightly wide-angled, overcast photograph of the 2000 block of Atwood Avenue across the street from the Barrymore Theatre, which is centered in the frame. The black lettering on the marquee below the vertically ornate stone building displays several event dates with the 53704 Frame By Frame Film Festival at the bottom on Saturday, November 4.
The first annual 53704 Frame By Frame Film Festival frames local hobbyists and professionals alike
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November 1, 2023

Organizer and producer Karen Faster kicks off a full day of (mostly) short-film screenings at the Barrymore on November 4 from 2 to 10 p.m.

A man in gruesome, lumpy makeup sits in his kitchen, staring forward at a camcorder about to record him breaking down solid food with a corrosive enzyme. He has patchy, thinning hair and wears a white, stained tee shirt.
“The Fly” still penetrates beyond society’s veil of the flesh
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October 23, 2023

Cronenberg's definitive 1986 body horror film screens at UW Cinematheque on October 28.

A simple image collage featuring three images from the live poetry-video art collaborations. The top left displays an arm with a hand planted in spotlit grass at night. To its right, a yellow circular shape ripples into bright reddish-orange rings. Below that, over a dozen small white birds sit on white, thin power lines. The presumed sky above them is rendered in a black nebulous haze.
Midwest Video Poetry Fest reveals sweepingly collaborative, cross-disciplinary depths
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October 11, 2023

The fourth annual short film and live performance event returns to Arts + Literature Laboratory on October 14 and 15.

Charlie Chaplin's Tramp character stands next to a clown in the foreground, who is handing him a stack of breakable ceramic plates. Two other clowns stare on from backstage, looking slightly concerned.
The inaugural Cinema Lanterna screening conjures and matches Chaplin’s reverence of “The Circus”
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October 9, 2023

Founder Landen Celano brings the all-ages slapstick classic to the Madison Circus Space on October 14.

Four musicians on the Café Coda stage with black walls. Luke Leavitt sits at the grand piano to the left of center, laughing joyfully, with his left hand to his forehead. Bassist Claire Kannapell, electric guitarist Ryan Flannery, and drummer Tim Russell stand or sit behind him to the right, all smiling.
Spiritual thought in sound geography: An exit interview with Luke Leavitt
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October 2, 2023

The versatile, formerly Madison-based musician talks with us following his recent move to Denver.

A hand holds up a Polaroid of the Salemi, Sicily, Italy location of "Kim's Video Upground" against a shelf of DVDs, titles partly obscured. Those DVDs include "Videodrome," "Chronicle Of A Summer," "The Gleaners And I," and "Gummo" amongst others.
“Kim’s Video” reaffirms the value of physical media in storytelling
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September 28, 2023

David Redmon and Ashley Sabin’s new documentary about the storied video rental store premieres at Arts + Literature Laboratory on October 4 as a benefit for Four Star Video Rental.

An image distorted in splotches of neon yellow and pink light halos gradually turning to blue, purple, and green also displays a woman (Bianca Martin) sitting and staring at the camera. Her mirror image is projected larger to her right. The negative image of a crystal ball rests below her to the right of that.
Enter the glitchy, experimental world of Alex T. Jacobs’ video art
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September 18, 2023

Catch the premiere of his new short "Hdyk," starring Bianca Martin, at Project Projection at Arts + Literature Laboratory on September 20.

In the backyard of a house, a man in his late twenties wears a tan jacket, looking and pointing at his shorter, younger sister. She wears a green jacket and returns his gaze while making an exaggerated gesture with her hands.
A whimsical childhood world lost within adulthood: Dustin Guy Defa on “The Adults”
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September 5, 2023

We talk with the indie writer-director about his new personal dramedy, which premieres locally at UW Cinematheque on September 7.

Three Black teenagers in colorful, custom-made clothing that displays their names and "A-Tracks" stare off to the left in front of the Lafayette Memorial in Prospect Park Brooklyn. Their boombox sits on the ground behind Pepper, the tallest of the A-Tracks team. Rainbow stands out on the right in her yellow and pink attire and red backwards hat.
“Alma’s Rainbow” puts the Black culture of early ’90s Brooklyn on center stage
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August 14, 2023

Ayoka Chenzira's 1994 family dramedy screens at MMoCA's Rooftop Cinema at dusk on August 17.

A white marquee with black lettering above a green awning reads "Village Players SOGO Film Fest 3 Locations August 11-13."
The SOGO Film Festival captures the heart and spirit of Wisconsin filmmaking
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August 7, 2023

The Stoughton-based indie film festival expands to three venues across three days—August 11 through 13—for its second year.