Tag: Historical
Armageddon Time Is an Interesting 1980s Time Capsule, but Not an Interesting Film (Middleburg Film Festival)
The 1980s was a pivotal decade that saw many great changes for the United States. An actor became President, a child star went solo and changed music and television forever, and commerce coined a phrase that would last…
Read More »Elizabeth Banks Shines in the Timely Film Call Jane (Sundance Film Festival)
The recent Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization which found that the United States Constitution does not confer a right to abortion was a landmark case that gave American states the right to institute…
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 »Amsterdam is a Fun and Topical Mystery, Buoyed by Cast Chemistry
Writer/director David O. Russell returns to the big screen with a star studded comedic mystery film that mixes a semi-forgotten historical incident with comedy and an emotional look at finding what it is that powers a good life. Amsterdam…
Read More »Blonde is as Uninteresting as It is Weird and Offensive to the Legacy of Its Subject
Blonde is a fictional telling of the life of screen legend and sex symbol Marilyn Monroe (Ana de Armas) based on the bestselling novel by Joyce Carol Oates. The film follows Monroe, born Norma Jeane, from her traumatic…
Read More »The Woman King: How to Balance Historical Accuracy and Filmmaking
Historically based films in Hollywood have never been lauded for their accuracy. Some of film’s most beloved cinematic masterpieces have been extremely dubious with the truth surrounding their stories, sometimes egregiously so. Despite this, these films are usually…
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 Last Duel Powerfully Probes Main Character Syndrome and When Truth Gets Subjective
Everyone has their own version of how the events in their daily lives play out. This is a natural part of the human experience, but one that has become even more prevalent in the social media age with…
Read More »Aaron Sorkin Hits Stride as a Director with the Well Crafted Being The Ricardos
It’s best not to, but many films suffer the misfortune of being prejudged before anyone has ever seen one frame. Whether it’s preconceived notions about the director or performers, issues with the subject of the film, or brand…
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Danielle Deadwyler Paints an Emotional Portrait of Strength Through Grief in Till (Middleburg Film Festival)
Till tells the true story of the famed, brutal lynching of Emmett Till (Jalyn Hall) in 1955 Mississippi following his encounter with Carolyn Bryant (Haley Bennett) at her family’s grocery store and his mother Mamie Till-Mobley’s (Danielle Deadwyler)…
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