Tag: Middleburg Film Festival

Olivia Colman and Micheal Ward Elevate Empire of Light’s Simple Romance (Middleburg Film Festival)

Director Sam Mendes returns to the big screen bringing along with him actress powerhouse Olivia Colman. In Empire of Light we meet Hillary (Olivia Colman) a middle-aged manager of a movie theater in the United Kingdom in the…

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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…

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She Said Takes a Deep Dive on Systemic Abuse (Middleburg Film Festival)

The investigation into the behavior of legendary, and now infamous, Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein marked the beginning of a seismic shift in how the country addressed sexual harassment and misconduct. A new film sets to document the journey toward exposing…

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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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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…

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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…

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Cate Blanchett is Mesmerizing in Tár, a Tale of the Cost of Ego and Hubris (Middleburg Film Festival)

At points following the exposé of Harvey Weinstein and the rise of the Me Too movement, it seemed like someone powerful and/or famous was being exposed for misdeeds every other day. Some of these misdeeds were years old,…

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A Hero Masterfully Paints a Frustratingly True to Life Portrait of a Cynical World (Middleburg Film Festival)

Societal distrust feels as though it’s as high as it’s ever been. People analyze their neighbors in bad faith, believing the worst of them and their intentions while social media and the fourth estate itself follow suit, looking…

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Cyrano’s Performances and Dynamic Score Create a Treat for Fans of Musicals (Middleburg Film Festival)

In late 2019, Erica Schmidt wrote and directed an Off Broadway adaptation of Cyrano that starred her husband, Game of Thrones actor Peter Dinklage. After its successful run, the musical has been brought to the big screen by…

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Red Rocket is a Black Comedy Entertaining Enough to Mask The Stench of Its Protagonist (Middleburg Film Festival)

In life, we run into people of all varieties. Some are nicer than others, some smarter than others, but everyone just wants their piece of the pie. In chasing success, some people take a path that’s more morally…

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