by Jon RobertsAve Maria (Palestine, dir. Basil Khalil) Funded by Palestine, this short film plays with differences in religious beliefs while maintaining a fun, humorous tone throughout. Ave Maria takes place at a nunnery in the West Bank after an Israeli family’s car breaks down outside. The film addresses the oddities in both religions, as … Continue reading
by Elizabeth EstenWhether it’s the story of a lazy slacker trying to get a new rug, a young woman hunting down the man who killed her father or an artist just trying to become the next great singer, the Coen brothers have always shined when it comes to their storytelling. As a long time fan … Continue reading
by Justin MadoreThe Revenant has been the talk of cinephiles everywhere for quite awhile now. Originally in development by Oldboy director Park Chan-wook with Samuel L. Jackson set to star, the film has gone through quite a few changes over the course of about a decade and a half. It wasn’t until the rising star … Continue reading
by Courtney RaveloThe Danish Girl is about the first transgender woman to go through reconstructive surgery. Last year’s Oscar-winner, Eddie Redmayne, plays the title role of Einar/Lili Wegener and breakout star, and Alicia Vikander portrays his wife, Gerda. The film comes to heavily depend on these two actors’ performances. It starts out at an art … Continue reading
by Joel KalowOnce upon a time, the Western was the most commoditized genre in Hollywood. For decades, filmmakers threw their proverbial 10-gallon hat into the ring – usually with a Warren Oates or a Clint Eastwood or a John Wayne attached – and tried to say something new with the raw materials at hand. In … Continue reading
by Max SchwarzMany films touch on the themes of life and death, each in their own way. Whether we’re watching McMurphy’s rebellious hunt for action in a suffocating hospital ward (One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest) or McCandless’s call of spirituality and freedom to the woods (Into the Wild), movies show life’s adventures, meaning, and … Continue reading
Some people might say I’m late to the party when it comes to catching the disease that creates a true cinephile. I can’t tell you the most traditional of stories, but I can tell you my story. Growing up, my home was littered with VHS tapes of all kinds. While we owned everything from Beauty … Continue reading
by Byron BixlerSo fragile is that precious thing called love. The memories, the fragrances, the images that linger; all dissolved in a moment of doubt and the acknowledgement of profound delusions. In his previous film, Weekend, Andrew Haigh found emotional authenticity in a blossoming romance between two men. It was young love – spontaneous, raw … Continue reading
by Mac GugertyCharlie Kaufman’s breakthrough 1999 film, Being John Malkovich, opens with a puppet show. John Cusack’s Craig, a lonely, socially inept puppeteer, performs an interpretive dance with a six-inch representation of himself. The puppet begins its dance standing at a small table, seemingly lost in thought. It catches its own reflection in a mirror, … Continue reading
by Joshua WiederIf any doubt remained that the January doldrums has come round once more for us movie junkies, this release removed it. From director William Brent Bell (The Devil Inside), The Boy is really nothing short of insulting. By the end of the film’s only 97-minute runtime, the only relief from the tedious plot … Continue reading
Filmic 