Tag: Cinematography

The Theatrical Experience Lives! You’ve Never Seen Anything Like Avatar: The Way of Water (Since the First Avatar)

After years of waiting and speculation, writer/director James Cameron and his Avatar franchise have returned to the big screen. After its monumental achievements in 2009 that included becoming the highest grossing film of all-time and a Best Picture Oscar nomination,…

Read More »

Emancipation is a Brutal Film About Perseverance and Determination

Yep, it’s another slave movie. In recent years, many consumers, of all races, have expressed fatigue over the flow of films coming from Hollywood that depict American slavery and the brutal treatment that the ancestors of African Americans…

Read More »

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery Improves Upon Its Predecessor in Every Way (Middleburg Film Festival)

For the purpose of providing necessary context to this review, I must admit that I was not a big fan of the original Knives Out film. Benoit Blanc felt like an updated but inferior version of The Thin Man’s Nick…

Read More »

All Quiet on the Western Front Viscerally Updates the Horrors of War for the Modern Age (Middleburg Film Festival)

All Quiet on the Western Front of course originated as a German novel written by Erich Maria Remarque about World War I published in 1928. The 1930 American film adaptation was a landmark release both for its use of…

Read More »

Triangle of Sadness Hilariously Shines a Light on Social Inequality, Power, and Human Nature

Satire is one of the best ways to deeply examine aspects of society and a new release in theaters does just that. Triangle of Sadness begins with male model Carl (Harris Dickinson) and his model/social media influencer girlfriend Yaya (Charlbi…

Read More »

No One Makes Movies Like You Anymore: Decision to Leave Review

Sometimes, you don’t know how much you’ve missed something until you encounter it again. As the American cinematic landscape continues to become saturated with sameness, bombastic CGI slugfests featuring spandex and capes or indies that feel more like…

Read More »

Elvis’ Compelling Story Gets Lost in the Recreation of His Flashy Style

There is a lot of responsibility when telling the story of a beloved historical figure. Director Baz Luhrmann has accepted this challenge in depicting the life of perhaps one of the two most famous and celebrated musicians in…

Read More »

The Northman Balances Dense Story and Gory Action in an Exciting, Visually Impressive Action Flick

Robert Eggers has been on a critically acclaimed run the past few years with films like The Witch and The Lighthouse, art house indies with dense stories featuring notable performances from great actors. While critical darlings, these films…

Read More »

Everything Everywhere All At Once is the Creative Cinema Audiences Didn’t Know They’ve Craved

Everything Everywhere All at Once transports its audience and laundromat co-owner Evelyn Wong (Michelle Yeoh) through an interdimensional rupture that unravels reality. Evelyn soon finds herself face to face with an alternate version of her husband Waymond (Ke…

Read More »

The Batman Showcases The Dark Knight’s Detective Skills in the Best Batman Story Ever on Film

Batman is one of the most ubiquitous characters in pop culture with numerous actors having had a crack at playing the iconic comic book character. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, even the most detached person knows…

Read More »