Film has often provided a unique canvas for creatives to explore culture. Dramatic fare frequently takes center stage; however, occasionally, a rewarding, cathartic experience is had when the central theme is death, such is the dark comedy behind Shula’s (Susan Chardy) journey in Rungano Nyoni’s On Becoming a Guinea Fowl. Shula is not the decedent, [...]
Going into Aaron Schimberg’s A Different Man, one would be forgiven for feeling an uneasiness about the film’s themes. Feeling isolated from something we cannot control is a challenging life to live. Wanting, and demanding change only to regret the change is not a way to survive. Yet, that’s exactly the predicament Edward (Sebastian Stan) [...]
The Outrun, from director Nora Fingscheidt, is as prolific a look at the effects of substance abuse and subsequent recovery, as it is a highly melancholic film. Based on Amy Liptrot’s (Liptrot co-wrote the story with Fingscheidt and Daisy Lewis, and the screenplay with Fingscheidt) own experiences, Rona (Saoirse Ronan) returns home to the Orkney [...]
My Old Ass is a diamond in the rough, anchored brilliantly with performances from Maisy Stella, Aubrey Plaza, and Percy Hynes White, under writer-director Megan Park’s steady hands. Sure, the paradoxical mechanics are sometimes questionable, but Elliott LaBrant’s (Maisy Stella) journey at this point in her life is beautifully rendered. Park’s intended empathetic pull only [...]
Never Let Go presents a tangible exercise in just how sturdy the arm rests are on modern theater seats. That’s not to say that they aren’t sturdy, however, the themes director Alexandre Aja explores through his taut visual style will challenge moviegoers looking for an early Halloween experience. Kevin Coughlin’s and Ryan Grassby’s story puts [...]
Rehabilitation in the prison system is much more than the news would have you believe. Featuring Colman Domingo and Academy Award nominee for Best Supporting Actor Paul Raci alongside many real-life formerly incarcerated men, director Greg Kwedar sets out to tell the story of the Rehabilitation Through the Arts program at Sing Sing in Sing [...]
Fede Alvarez’s Alien: Romulus hits cinemas at a precarious time. On the one hand, the 20th Century Studios’ film is at a feverish high from fans whose expectations from the film series’ seventh entry in the 45-year-old franchise is equally as high, especially with the tepid reactions to producer Ridley Scott’s previous two films, Prometheus [...]
Romantic comedies are a tricky genre to pull off these days; they’re either honey-suckle-sweet or overly ambitious in the comedy department. In short, rom-com stories can be inconsistent in what they’re trying to say. On the other hand, audiences have become very fickle toward rom-coms. Fortunately for Fly Me to the Moon, director Greg Berlanti [...]
In recent years, a trend has emerged within filmmakers who seek to make a strong emotional point through their stories. Depending on the subject, these stories can either come at you all at once or slowly unfold in front of the audience. Intent exists within these two choices and if the creatives have done their [...]
Reflecting on writer-director Jeff Nichols’ filmography (Mud, Midnight Special, Loving), one can’t help but think about his tendency for stories that naturally and slowly build their tensions up with fully realized characterizations that lead their stories, rather than the stories leading the characters. Nichols’ latest, The Bikeriders exceptionally continues this trend. Inspired by a 1967 [...]
