by Elizabeth EstenIt’s not an unpopular sentiment that the blockbusters of summer 2016 were incredibly disappointing, especially for comic book and franchise fans. Whether it be the mess that was Suicide Squad or whatever X-Men: Apocalypse was, film fans everywhere looked for some movies that weren’t merely mediocre. Luckily for them, independent cinema came in … Continue reading
by David FriedfertigDenzel Washington returns to the director’s chair for Fences, a story about a dysfunctional African-American family living in 1950s Pittsburgh. Based on the play of the same name by August Wilson, the movie took a while to get made after the playwright insisted on having an African-American director helm the project. After three … Continue reading
by Kris DiNardiLoving is based on Richard (Joel Edgerton) and Mildred (Ruth Negga) Loving’s nine-year legal battle with the state of Virginia in the 1960’s over the legitimacy of their interracial marriage. After spending a few years in exile in Washington D.C. in order to escape Virginia’s anti-miscegenation laws, the Lovings decided to secretly return … Continue reading
by Byron BixlerThere are several places one could start when addressing the individual parts of Pablo Larrain’s masterpiece, but let’s begin on its most superficial level. Jackie belongs to a group of “snapshot biopics” that have come out in the last few years, catching up with a historical figure during a very brief period of … Continue reading
by Joshua WiederBarry is director Vikram Gandhi’s second film, and his fledgling, amateur directorial tendencies draw attention to themselves quite glaringly in this two-hour coming-of-age biopic about a 20-year-old Barack Obama. In the interest of fictionalization, this film makes a concerted, but subtle effort to draw a distinction between the real man and this fictional … Continue reading
by Haley GoetzMike Mills’s quirky debut, Beginners, is a nostalgic film that can easily resonate with viewers. It’s a love story, a family drama, and a meditation on life all in one. Set in the sunny urban sprawl of Los Angeles, Beginners tells a tale not of melancholy matters but of discovering new pathways to … Continue reading
by Haley GoetzWe all have those films that truly define us — films that, had we never viewed them, we would not be who we are today. For me, that film is Daydream Nation, an independent Canadian release starring Kat Dennings. I didn’t think much of the film when I first saw the trailer, nor … Continue reading
by PJ YermanFor massive Star Wars fans like me, December has become more than just the holiday season. It’s “New Star Wars Movie Month,” something followers of this epic cinematic saga have waited nearly 40 years for. Gone are the days of tapping your foot for three years between films (and 16 between trilogies). The … Continue reading
by PJ Yerman I have a riddle for you. What’s big, expensive and making better movies than Pixar? Nope, it’s not that company that can only produce feature-length toy commercials for Minions; it might just be Disney Animation Studios. Moana, directed by animation veterans Ron Clements & John Musker (Aladdin, The Little Mermaid), tells the … Continue reading
by Haley GoetzIn the scope of cinematic history, there are only a few films that truly transcend time. Barry Jenkins’ Moonlight is one of those films. Telling the story of one man’s life in Miami, the plot follows along three distinctive points in his life. Coming at a time of great tension in the American … Continue reading
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