Napoleon’s Two Quality Halves Don’t Make a Whole

2023 has seen multiple historical epics grace the big screen as if the 1960s have returned. Audiences seem to be warming up to witnessing history unfold in theaters with the hype surrounding multiple pictures and director Ridley Scott’s…

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May December Offers Surprising Nuance to Infamous Public Controversy (Middleburg Film Festival)

We’ve all heard and followed salacious and infamous cases of wrongdoing in the tabloid media, from OJ Simpson to Mary Kay Letourneau. In turning these stories into gossip, the real heinous effect on the lives of those involved…

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Saltburn Tackles Class Stratification Using A Familiar Gothic Story (Middleburg Film Festival)

Emerald Fennell burst onto the scene of talented writer/directors with 2020’s Promising Young Woman and three years later, she makes her anticipated return to multiplexes. Saltburn begins on the campus of Oxford University with freshman student Oliver Quick…

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Dream Scenario is Brilliantly Biting and Funny Satire of the Social Media Age (Middleburg Film Festival)

Much has been made over so-called cancel culture, what it is, and whether it really exists at all. Some believe it is merely bad people facing the consequences of their actions, while some literally believe no one of…

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Next Goal Wins is a Classic Feel Good Sports Movie That Avoids Feeling Cliché

Based on a true story, Next Goal Wins follows soccer coach Thomas Rongen (Michael Fassbender) as he is assigned by his estranged wife Gail (Elizabeth Moss) and her new beau/soccer executive Alex Magnussen (Will Arnett) to take the…

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Nyad Swims Past Doubt and Societal Expectations Toward Motivation and Inspiration

As we age, coming to terms with our inevitable physical limitations is hard enough. The expected limitations that are hoisted upon us by society and culture are doubly frustrating for many who still see themselves as possessing the…

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The Holdovers is a Tender, Relatable Study of Loneliness, Depression, and the Need for Connection (Middleburg Film Festival)

Set in the 1970s, The Holdovers tells the story of how curmudgeon high school philosophy teacher Paul Hunham (Paul Giamatti), high school student Angus (Dominic Sessa), and high school chef Mary Lamb (Da’Vine Joy Randolph) all end up…

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Rustin is Part How-to Guide for Political Organizing, Part Character Study, All Engaging (Middleburg Film Festival)

As protests rage on around the world, the how of these massive demonstrations is often forgotten or glossed over. Who organizes these protests? How are thousands of people corralled into one place fighting for one cause? Rustin reintroduces…

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Priscilla is a Thorough Documentation of How Troubled Relationships Develop (Middleburg Film Festival)

The life of Elvis Presley has been subject to countless documentaries, TV shows, books, and films. Being one of the most famous and influential musicians of all-time means that much of your life has been examined with a…

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The Killer is as Cool and Stylish as its Protagonist

Director David Fincher makes his return to the movies with a new action thriller tale of an assassin laser focused on revenge. The Killer stars Michael Fassbender as a nameless assassin, hereby referred to as just The Killer,…

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