Genre
Film Review – The Survivor
On its surface, The Survivor (2021) looks like another underdog story about a boxer trying to make a name for themselves. In reality, it is a much deeper and profound examination of trauma, guilt, and humanity in the face of unspeakable evil. Director Barry Levinson and writer Justine Juel Gillmer (adapting Alan…
READ MOREFilm Review – The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe: The Unheard Tapes
There was a time – not too long ago – when she was the most famous person on the planet. But behind the platinum blonde hair, golden smile, and superstar persona was a troubled person. The images we remember of Marilyn Monroe are of the glitz and…
READ MOREFilm Review – Memory
There are two parallel stories happening in Memory (2022). The first involves an aging assassin named Alex (Liam Neeson). Alex is a smooth operator, who has spent a lifetime taking down targets with expert efficiency. But age and attrition are catching up to him, and signs of…
READ MOREFilm Review – The Bad Guys
The Bad Guys (2022), the latest adventure from DreamWorks Animation, imagines a world where anthropomorphic animals live and interact with humans. They walk on two legs, wear human clothing, drive cars, communicate with spoken language, etc. This – of course – raises a host of questions.…
READ MOREFilm Review – Stanleyville
The game is simple. Five contestants enter a room. There’s a kitchen, a dinner table with chairs, a couch, TV, a storage closet, and a few bedrooms. On one wall is a scoreboard tallying each player’s progress. On another wall is a portrait of 19th century…
READ MOREFilm Review – Choose or Die
Choose or Die (2022) wears its influences so blatantly on its sleeve that it basically does the cinematic version of a cover song. It’s so invested in the horror films of the 1980s and ‘90s that it suffers from an identity crisis. We see this early…
READ MOREAn Appreciation – Rashomon
Rashomon (1950) has left such an indelible cultural impact that its very name has taken a life of its own. The film was made early in the career of director Akira Kurosawa, introducing him and Japanese cinema to the world stage. It has been referenced by generations…
READ MOREFilm Review – Spiritwalker
A man wakes up from a car crash with no memory of how we got there. He has no recollection of who he is or how he ended up behind the wheel. The only clues he has is a picture of a woman he does…
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