The Best Films of 2016

Each year, I try to watch, at minimum 40 films, during the calendar year and rank them in the order from best to worst based on my opinion. I do this because: I love film So that readers…

Read More »

Hacksaw Ridge’s Accurate Portrayal of the Battlefield Cannot Overcome Its Plainness

Hacksaw Ridge is a film based on the true story of Desmond T. Doss, a Christian army medic during WWII who, despite refusing to even touch weapons, saved 75 men during the Battle of Okinawa without firing a…

Read More »

Rogue One Catapults into Star Wars Lore

Following the announcement of Disney’s acquisition of Lucasfilm and the Star Wars franchise and subsequent announcement of Star Wars anthology films to accompany sequels to the main saga, there was much speculation over whether there existed an audience…

Read More »

Fences: A Glance Toward the Past

For me, Fences is an interesting delve into how the Greatest Generation raised their children and families, particularly black families. Fences follows Troy Maxson (Denzel Washington) a sanitation worker in 1950s Pittsburgh. Troy is a former star baseball…

Read More »

Natalie Portman Shines in Jackie

Jackie is a peek through the looking glass of a woman struggling to juggle keeping her composure through the sudden and tragic death of her husband for the sake those around her and dealing with her own grief…

Read More »

The Dreamers in La La Land

“Here’s to the ones who dream Foolish as they may seem” – Emma Stone La La Land entered its opening weekend to much hype and expectations. The film seems headed to a showdown with the equally hyped Moonlight…

Read More »

On Regret: Nocturnal Animals

“This is the number one rule for your set In order to survive, gotta learn to live with regrets And through our travels we get separated, never forget In order to survive, gotta learn to live with regrets”…

Read More »

Melodramatic by the Sea

Manchester by the Sea is the second high profile film this awards season dealing with recovery from loss and heartbreak. Unlike Nocturnal Animals, this much hyped entry from Kenneth Lonergan doesn’t have a story or characters that really…

Read More »

The Birth of a Nation and Missed Opportunity

I enjoyed this film. I’m really interested to see if it sparks any conversations around Blacks and Christianity; the film has HEAVY religious connotations and really delves into the duality of the Christian experience for blacks (it being…

Read More »

Florence Foster Jenkins: A Pleasant Surprise

I went into Florence Foster Jenkins expecting to dislike it. I expected a bland, cliched, high brow film designed to bait yet another Oscar nomination for Meryl Streep, as if she’s entitled to one with every performance, as…

Read More »