Tag: 2018

The Endless Ponders the Gift and Curse of Freedom

“Dying, just takes a second. And a shitty life is long.” In The Endless, brothers Aaron (Aaron Moorhead) and Justin (Justin Benson) have escaped a UFO doomsday cult to live on their own in normal society, although struggling to…

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Leave No Trace Explores the Plight of PTSD-affected Soldiers and the Importance of Trust

************************This review contains spoilers**************************** “How important are their judgments?” “I guess I’ll find out.” In Leave No Trace, Ben Foster portrays Will, a father and Marine veteran struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder. Along with his daughter Tom (Thomasin McKenzie),…

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Sorry to Bother You Touches on a Multitude of Social Issues While Taking Absurdist Satire to New Heights

In Sorry to Bother You, Cassius Green (Lakeith Stanfield) is a down on his luck telemarketer, struggling to get by and pay rent alongside his girlfriend Detroit (Tessa Thompson). After receiving advice on how to become a better…

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Loaded with Innovative, Action-Packed Potential, Hotel Artemis Just Misses The Mark

************************This review contains spoilers********************* Set amidst a highly privatized American society in 2028 Los Angeles, Hotel Artemis takes us to a hospital of the same name; thirteen stories high and a specialized, members-only clientele consisting exclusively of criminals. Tonight,…

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Upgrade Entertains as a Sci-Fi Action Film While Calling into Question Modern Tech Obsession

“A fake world is a lot more comfortable than the real one.” Set in a not too distant future, Upgrade is the story of Grey Trace (Logan Marshall-Green), an old fashioned, blue collar guy in a world of…

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Through Deliberate Storytelling and Tense Scares, Hereditary Firmly Sticks in Audiences’ Heads

Hereditary follows the Graham family, father Steve (Gabriel Byrne), mother Annie (Toni Collette), son Peter (Alex Wolff), and daughter Charlie (Milly Shapiro) in the wake of the death of the family’s matriarch, their grandmother Ellen. As the family…

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Stylish and Entertaining, Ocean’s 8 is at Once an Homage to a Franchise and Its Own Diamond

*********************This review contains a mild spoiler************************* “A him gets noticed, a her gets ignored and for once, we want to be ignored.” Ocean’s 8 follows Debbie Ocean (Sandra Bullock), recently released from prison after five years and eager…

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First Reformed Echoes a Film Classic While Critiquing Modern Megachurch Culture

“Courage is the solution to despair; reason brings no answers.” First Reformed follows Pastor Toller (Ethan Hawke) of First Reformed Church, a former Army chaplain taken in by megachurch Pastor Joel Jeffers (Cedric The Entertainer credited by his…

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Deadpool 2 Delves Deeper into Story than its Predecessor. Is That a Good Thing?

************************This review contains mild spoilers**************************** In Deadpool 2, the usually wisecracking, sardonic mercenary is at a crossroads in his life after experiencing sudden tragedy. Looking for purpose, Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) briefly attempts to join the team of superhero…

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Disobedience Explores the Effects of Cultural Rigidity. Again.

************************This review contains spoilers**************************** “HaShem gave us choice, which is both a privilege and a burden.” Disobedience follows the story of New York photographer Ronit Krushka (Rachel Weisz) who has returned to the conservative Jewish community in which she…

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