A social and cultural shift took place shortly after Shaft hit theaters in 1971. Inspired by Ernest Tidyman’s novel and with influence from director Gordon Parks and actor Richard Roundtree as the titular character, Shaft became more than a household… Read More ›
There’s much about writer/director Aaron Schimberg’s (Go Down Death) Chained for Life that is striking. It’s the languid storytelling; the direction which shifts between extended still long takes and listless, flowing movements; and the endless sensation of a persistent dream-like… Read More ›
Horror is one of those genres that never goes out of style. It draws inspiration from the things which we fear collectively and gives it form. 1978’s Halloween was born out of the move from city centers to suburbia. 1954’s… Read More ›
Marc Webb’s directorial debut, 500 Days of Summer, starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel in the titular roles, was lauded as one of the best films of 2009 and was almost unanimously praised by critics for its screenplay, lighthearted comedy,… Read More ›
It’s hard to truly comprehend just how much of an institution soccer (or “football” literally anywhere else but here, to which I will be referring to it as) is beyond the American borders. Throughout Europe, Latin America, Asia, Africa, and… Read More ›
Ode to Joy, Jason Winer’s return to the cinema screen after 2008’s Arthur remake, takes the traditional romantic comedy story arc and adds a genetic disease into the mix. Unlike films that came before it, the mix of a humorous… Read More ›
Often in cinema, acclaim comes to non-disabled performers telling the stories of members of the disabled community. Jon Voight in Coming Home, Tom Hanks in Forrest Gump, and Sean Penn in I Am Sam are just a few which come… Read More ›
Oscar-nominated actor Greg Kinnear makes his directorial debut with the new film Phil, and also stars in the lead role as the eponymous character. Phil McGuire is a fairly successful dentist who runs his own practice, yet struggles with deep… Read More ›
More often than not, pregnancy is compared to a “miracle,” as though the act of conception isn’t part of the biological make-up instilled within the human machine. Defining pregnancy and childbirth as a “miracle” creates undue pressure on the women… Read More ›
Let’s talk comedy; more specifically, international comedy. For little, misunderstood kids growing up in the South, it feels like we all had an outlet to express our humor when we found that ours didn’t fall under what was considered popular… Read More ›