Author Archive
Film Review – Searching
Searching (2018) is the latest entry into a growing category of films that takes place entirely on screens. A story is told as though we are looking at a computer monitor, cell phone, or TV screen. Information is given to us through text messages, FaceTime,…
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Film Review – Operation Finale
Adolf Eichmann was one of Hitler’s top Nazi officers. He was a chief architect of the “Final Solution,” better known as the Holocaust, resulting in the deaths of six million people. Eichmann oversaw the operations of the concentration camps and helped organize the death trains…
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Film Review – The Happytime Murders
I can only imagine all of the parents that’ll see the posters for The Happytime Murders (2018) and think that it’s a family-friendly film. This ain’t the kind of puppet adventure you’re used to. When we see characters on screen that look and sound like…
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Film Review – BlacKkKlansman
The great revelation of Spike Lee’s BlacKkKlansman (2018) is how imagery can be used as powerful motivators, cultivating the way people feel and act. Throughout his entire career, Lee has been deeply concerned with racism in our society and how it has survived and evolved…
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Film Review – Crazy Rich Asians
In terms of representation, Crazy Rich Asians (2018) is an important step in showcasing more diverse perspectives in mainstream, Western cinemas. As a Filipino-American myself, I’m thankful that there is film out there starring people that aren’t your typical blonde-haired, blue-eyed Caucasians. We should all…
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Film Review – Alpha
Alpha (2018) taps into that age-old truth: dogs are man’s best friend. Who doesn’t love dogs? They’re the most affectionate of all pets, and they have the innate ability to sense what you’re feeling and to react in a comforting manner. No offense to cats…
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An Appreciation – Drunken Master 2
My earliest memory of Drunken Master 2 (1994, released in the U.S. as The Legend of Drunken Master) came from a friend who purchased a bootleg VHS copy at a local swap meet. As kids, we were already fans of Jackie Chan before he made…
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Film Review – The Darkest Minds
Another day, another Y.A. adaptation. The Darkest Minds (2018) highlights something I’ve found increasingly troubling with Y.A. novels brought to the big screen: future adults hate kids. In The Hunger Games series, kids are randomly chosen to participate in a murder contest as a form…
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