War
Film Review – The Optimist
World War II and The Holocaust continues to be a source of endless stories, whether it is about military strategy, unspeakable horror, or profound acts of humanity. Writer/director Finn Taylor’s The Optimist (2023) recounts the true story of Herbert Heller, a Jew from Czechoslovakia who – along…
READ MORE
Film Review – Blitz
Steve McQueen is one of our finest filmmakers, whose works feature a level of intelligence, passion, and artistry that few have matched. His Widows (2018) was my number one film of its year, and Small Axe (2020) was one of the most ambitious projects in recent memory. With that in…
READ MORE
Film Review – Civil War
The title of Civil War (2024) is a little misleading. The film does take place during a fictional scenario in which a section of U.S. states broke off and entered armed conflict with the rest of the country. But to say that this is about war, or…
READ MORE
Film Review – All Quiet on the Western Front (2022)
All Quiet on the Western Front (2022) begins with a powerful opening sequence. We open on a field of dead German soldiers, victims of WWI trench warfare. We see the bodies transported to a mass grave, but the journey doesn’t stop there. The camera follows their…
READ MORE
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 MORE
Film Review – Cherry
After taking the world by storm with their work in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the directing team of Anthony and Joe Russo set their sights on the crime drama, Cherry (2021). This is – in some ways – a departure from the colorful world of…
READ MORE
Film Review – Greyhound
Tom Hanks’ fascination with WWII continues with Greyhound (2020). This time, he plays Captain Ernest Krause, commander of a U.S. battleship assigned to help escort a shipment of supplies across the North Atlantic to England. The aid is essential in helping stop the Nazi invasion.…
READ MORE
Film Review – Da 5 Bloods
Spike Lee’s Da 5 Bloods (2020) is a bold, urgent, passionate, messy, and relevant undertaking. When the world’s focus narrows on police brutality, racism, public protests, and Black Lives Matter, here is a film that seems born exactly for this moment. Lee has never been…
READ MORE