Author Archive
Film Review – Raya and the Last Dragon
Raya and the Last Dragon (2021) is a superb animated fantasy adventure. Borrowing elements from a number of Southeast Asian cultures, the story brims with color, life, and imagination. There is a sense of wonder and discovery within each location, as though every detail has a…
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Film Review – Tom and Jerry
I am of the firm belief that to appreciate great films, one must watch and appreciate the bad ones. It’s a delicate balancing act – how can one truly understand what makes a movie good without understanding what makes them terrible? Admittedly, this a bit…
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Film Review – I Care a Lot
It’s a nasty scheme. A doctor – under dubious circumstances – picks out one of their patients. They make sure the patient is financially secure, has little to no acquaintances, and are elderly but healthy enough to stick around for the near future. The doctor…
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Film Review – Judas & the Black Messiah
There are two stories running through Judas and the Black Messiah (2021). The first is the “Black Messiah,” Fred Hampton, the slain chairman of the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party. Hampton was a charismatic and powerful figure in the 1960s, able to bring people together…
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Film Review – Saint Maud
Saint Maud (2021) is the kind of horror film that crawls underneath your skin and sends shivers down your spine. It doesn’t just startle us with jump scares and gore (although there is plenty of that), it also delves into the psychological aspects of its characters.…
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Film Review – Malcolm & Marie
Malcolm & Marie (2021) is a relationship drama that features a troubled couple hashing out their problems while questioning whether they should be together. It is tender, explosive, sexy, messy, indulgent, and everything in between. Maybe that’s what writer/director Sam Levinson was going for. Relationships are…
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Film Review – The Little Things
The Little Things (2021) feels like it belongs to a bygone era. It’s influenced by the mystery/thrillers of the 90s and 2000s, such as Kiss the Girls (1997) or Along Came a Spider (2001). Denzel Washington – who stars here – had his hand in the genre too, with Fallen (1998) and The…
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Film Review – The White Tiger
Writer/director Ramin Bahrani’s The White Tiger (2021) is a pitch-black look at the harsh economic divisions of Indian society. It starts off as a dark comedy – a satire lampooning the caste system that prevents many from rising above their class standing. But as the story unfolds,…
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