Posts Tagged ‘Whiplash’
Film Review – Backspot
Backspot (2023) depicts the world of competitive cheer. Don’t let the smiles, glittery outfits, and upbeat music fool you – to be a champion level squad takes dedication, hard work, and sacrifice. Injuries, doubt, and the fear of being replaced are a constant presence. We saw…
READ MOREFilm Review – Babylon
If La La Land (2016) was Damien Chazelle’s ode to the romantic dream that is Hollywood, then Babylon (2022) is his impression of it as a nightmare. This is Tinseltown at its worst – a land of decadence, drugs, sex, and death. The allure of fame is an addiction,…
READ MOREFilm Review – Nocturne
The third film in the “Welcome to the Blumhouse” series is Nocturne (2020). Easily the weirdest – and therefore most interesting – of the four entries, this examines the classic case of an artist sacrificing themselves for the sake of their work. Seeing someone accomplish…
READ MORETop 15 Films of 2018 – Allen’s Picks
The beauty of cinema is how it works as a reflection of our society – our hopes, our fears, and our desires. Films are a timestamp of who were, who we are, and what we could possibly be. A thousand years from now, people can…
READ MOREFilm Review – First Man
Mankind has accomplished some incredible things in the short time we’ve been on Earth. In First Man (2018), director Damien Chazelle and writer Josh Singer (adapting the book by James R. Hansen) recount the events that lead to Neil Armstrong becoming the first man to…
READ MOREThe MacGuffin’s Top 10 Films of 2016
2016 was another great year for films, and the writers on The MacGuffin all had their own favorites. This top 10 list for 2016 was narrowed down from 43 films that the writers all thought were worthy. There is a tie for both #6 and…
READ MOREFilm Review – La La Land
Damien Chazelle’s La La Land (2016) is many things, but most of all it is a celebration. It basks in the wonder and excitement of young love, the optimism of the dreamer, the nostalgia of classic Hollywood, and the emotion of musical fantasy. Chazelle –…
READ MOREFilm Review – Insurgent
When last we saw Tris (Shailene Woodley) in last year’s Divergent (2014), she was on the run with her brother Caleb (Ansel Elgort), love interest Four (Theo James), and all around smart ass Peter (Miles Teller) from the evil Jeanine (Kate Winslet) and the clutches…
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