Tag: Drama
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),…
Read More »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…
Read More »The Rider is a Quiet Portrait of a Dying Dream’s Final Moments
“Sometimes we gotta play the hand we’re dealt. Sometimes your dreams aren’t meant to be.” The Rider is the second feature from rising director Chloé Zhao and marks the cinematic debut of newcomer Brady Jandreau in a semi-autobiographical role as Brady…
Read More »Kodachrome Eschews Any Real Understanding of Complicated Family Ties In Favor of Male Wish Fulfillment
Kodachrome follows a record executive named Matt (Jason Sudeikis) who accompanies his terminally ill, estranged, famous photographer father Ben (Ed Harris) and his father’s nurse Zoe (Elizabeth Olsen) on a road trip to develop his father’s old analog…
Read More »You Were Never Really Here Explores Trauma and the Painful Ties It Binds
You Were Never Really Here follows Joe (Joaquin Phoenix), a veteran turned contract investigator/killer with a specialty in the tracking of missing girls. After taking a job involving Nina (Ekaterina Samsonov), the troublesome daughter of a New York…
Read More »Roxanne Roxanne Lays Bare the Burdens of Black Women
Roxanne Roxanne is a biopic documenting the rise of legendary teenage MC Lolita Shanté Gooden (Chanté Adams) who rose to prominence in the burgeoning rap scene in 1980s New York City as Roxanne Shanté. Shanté‘s foray into stardom…
Read More »In Examining the Struggle of Self-Discovery, Love, Simon Offers a Ray of Hope for Young Viewers
Based on the novel for young adults Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli, Love, Simon follows Creekwood High School senior Simon Spier, a young teen with an idyllic life both at home with his mother…
Read More »Quinn Shephard Boldly Bursts onto the Scene with a Dazzling Debut in Blame
**********************This review contains spoilers************************* “You just think that you matter, you know? For the first time you think, that even if it makes you sick, that at least you mattered to somebody.” Blame is a film that encompasses…
Read More »Bomb City Puts Ostracization and Conformity in America Under the Microscope
“Judging by the looks of this place, I’m sure all of y’all are guilty of plenty.” Bomb City is based on the true story of the death of Brian Deneke (Dave Davis), a 19-year-old punk rock enthusiast at…
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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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