The art we engage with critically shapes who we become as adults. It molds how we view and engage with the world. It shapes our perspective, often subconsciously guiding us through the choices we make. For this review, it was… Read More ›
drama
The minimalism in indie drama “Stray” is both its greatest strength and weakness.
Writer/director Dustin Feneley’s feature film debut, Stray, is a bold swing. An exercise in minimalism, the dialogue is scant, pans are few, scoring is largely absent, and narrative points are inferred more than directly stated. Aspects of this does translate… Read More ›
Dark satire “Vivarium” examines the nuclear suburban family to varying degrees of success.
Considering the entire globe is almost totally under house arrest, the arrival of Vivarium might seem like the worst idea in the world. Focused on a couple whose house-hunting gets them stuck in suburbia, all alone, would be bad enough,… Read More ›
Bring the immense theatrical scale of “1917” home now.
Of the films to drop in 2019, none impressed this reviewer more from a technical perspective than Sam Mendes’s 1917. Designed, shot, and edited to create a seamless one-take feel, 1917 became one of the year’s most immersive experiences without… Read More ›
Thoughtful, smart, and executed with precision, “Blow the Man Down” is just the film to help weather the home entertainment storm.
There is nothing more dangerous than the female of any species. They possess the ability to grant life, yet will also bring forth the full weight of their wrath if needed. It’s the lioness who hunts for the pack, the… Read More ›
Heather Young’s “Murmur” Explores Aging, Addiction, and Animal-Human Connection. [Slamdance Film Festival]
Heather Young’s Murmur (2019) explores aging, addiction, loneliness, and the emotional pull of the animal-connection, through one woman’s experience while working in an animal shelter for court-mandated community service. This first full-length feature film directed by Young (Fish) won the… Read More ›
Indie drama “Enthusiastic Sinners” strips its characters bare physically and emotionally.
In all aspects of films, the trickiest part is categorizing it. What genre does it fall into? Who does it target? To whom does the film speak? It’s easy to do with most superhero films, while prestige pictures more often… Read More ›
Before “Part II” hits theaters, return to the Abbott farm with the beautiful Mondo X Steelbook special edition of “A Quiet Place.”
In the last decade or so, steelbook variants have become their very own subculture for cinematic home releases. In the beginning, it was the packaging that stood out, the sturdy material being a touch more protective than the typical blue… Read More ›
Bold political thriller “Run This Town” speaks to millennials and Gen Z’s entering the workforce, posing complex questions about integrity and corruption.
Although we’re just two months into the new year, 2020 has already seen the landmark trials of two immensely powerful figures who were both accused of abusing their power in different ways: President Donald Trump, who was acquitted by the… Read More ›
Autobiography adaptation “Escape from Pretoria” reminds that the problems of the past remain present still.
It is an unfortunate reality that in the year 2020, the abhorrent values of racism still run rampant across multiple levels of societies throughout the world. Although the Civil Rights Movement in the United States took place during the 1960s,… Read More ›