Author Archive
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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Film Review – Locked Down
As the Covid pandemic rages on, we find more and more films falling into a specific subgenre detailing how the disease has upended our normal way of living. Most of these stories feature characters staying at home and interacting with others through Zoom or Skype…
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Film Review – One Night in Miami
One Night in Miami (2020) sets up a fictional “What If” scenario. What if you took four 20th century Black icons – Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali, Jim Brown, and Sam Cooke – and congregated them into one room. What would happen? What would their conversation be like?…
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Top 15 Films of 2020 – Allen’s Picks
2020 has been a tough year, to say the least. It seemed everyday something new came and turned our lives upside down. There was racially motivated police brutality that sparked a world-wide reaction, an ugly presidential election in which the ramifications are still coming into…
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Film Review – Pieces of a Woman
Pieces of a Woman (2020) starts off with a harrowing opening act. Martha (Vanessa Kirby) and her partner Sean (Shia LaBeouf) are expecting a child. They have their baby room all set up and ready to go. They have made the decision to have a natural…
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Film Review – Wonder Woman 1984
What makes Wonder Woman such a compelling superhero – alongside the likes of Superman and Captain America – is her earnest belief in goodness. While the world maybe full of cynicism and cruelty, she stands as a beacon of hope and compassion. Yes, she has…
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