Tag: Historical

Our Film Favorites Return to Thrill Us, and Make Us Think, One Last Time in The Irishman

Perhaps I’m not the best critic to draft this particular review. The Irishman is the latest film from legendary filmmaker Martin Scorsese returning to the genre that many casual filmgoers incorrectly associate him with, mafia gangster movies. In…

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Middleburg Film Festival: Jojo Rabbit Successfully Mixes Humor and Frankness to Promote Compassion

What is the best way to combat hatred? Do you meet force with force or can evil only be defeated by its opposite? Satire has been used to great effect in the past to highlight the danger of…

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Middleburg Film Festival: A Hidden Life – On Having the Courage of Conviction, Groupthink, and Faith

“If God gives us free will we’re responsible for what we do, what we don’t do; aren’t we?” How far are you willing to go in defense of your principles? What would you be willing to sacrifice? The…

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Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Quentin Tarantino, and Career Transitions

The average person innately fears the unknown. The familiar offers results we understand and know how to navigate in order to experience minimal pain and/or inconvenience. Change involves risk and uncertainty, not knowing where we may end up…

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If Beale Street Could Talk and The Audacity of Love

Loving someone is one of the most audacious, risk-taking things a person can do. When you love someone, you entrust them with your mental well-being, wagering that they will honor your faith in them and not lead you…

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In Thoroughly Examining Our Political Past, Vice Provides a Peek at America’s Future

“You chose me, and I did what you asked.” Vice is a retelling of the political rise of former Vice President of the United States Dick Cheney (Christian Bale), from his Wyoming roots with wife Lynne Cheney (Amy…

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Much Like Its Setting, Green Book Feels Like a Backward Glance at a Bygone Era

Green Book follows a 1962 concert tour through the south for Dr. Don Shirley (Mahershala Ali), a world-class black pianist being chauffeured for the duration by Tony “Lip” Vallelonga (Viggo Mortensen), a tough, boisterous bouncer with mob ties…

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Roma Examines The Societal Barriers That Separate Women and What Can Unite Them

************************This review contains spoilers**************************** “We are alone. No matter what they tell you, we women, we are always alone.” Roma follows a wealthy family and their nanny Cleo (Yalitza Aparicio) in 1970s Mexico City as both try to…

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Cold War Depicts an All-Too Common Tainted Love Affair

************************This review contains spoilers**************************** “You’re the drug running through my veins……and the crash right after.” Cold War follows the relationship between two Polish lovers, Zula (Joanna Kulig) and Wiktor (Tomasz Kot) in postwar Europe. The pair embark upon…

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The Favourite Explores The Nexus of Power, Sex, and Love

************************This review contains spoilers**************************** The Favourite finds us in 18th century England during a time of war with the French. Leading England at this time is Queen Anne (Olivia Colman), a sick and impressionable queen lacking self confidence,…

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