Tag: Independent Films
Blindspotting is a Tour de Force, Balancing Seriousness and Comedy while Examining Identity in a Changing World
************************This review contains spoilers**************************** In Blindspotting, Collin (Daveed Diggs) is serving the final three days of his probation term, anxious for a fresh start as he works his job as a mover alongside his childhood best friend, Miles…
Read More »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…
Read More »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 »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…
Read More »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…
Read More »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…
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 »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…
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…
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Eighth Grade Presents the Familiar Emotional Turmoil of Adolescence
Eighth Grade brings its viewers into the life of rising high school freshman Kayla (Elsie Fisher) as she winds down her last year in middle school before embarking on her journey into high school. Kayla, who lives with…
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