Tag: Oscars

Luce Tackles Race, Gender, and Parenting Issues in a Timely Thriller

When one turns on the news or opens a newspaper, it can feel as if America is at a crossroads at the moment. Issues surrounding race, gender, nationalism, and politics in general are hot button issues at 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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In Addition to Mortality, The Farewell is a Portrait in the Crisis of Identity

“If it’s for good, it’s not really a lie.” Family is an important factor in who we grow to become. Their presence, or even lack thereof, plays a big part in how we identify ourselves, who we will…

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Gentrification and Instability Lead to The Last Black Man in San Francisco

As the famous idiom says, home is where the heart is. But when one never really has a stable home, a place where they and their love ones can congregate and enjoy tranquility and all that life has…

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Us Explores the Peril of Hiding Mistakes in an Allegory for Modern America

************************This review contains spoilers**************************** “Once upon a time, there was a girl. The girl has a shadow; the two were connected.” Us is the hotly anticipated follow-up to writer/director Jordan Peele’s paradigm shifting directorial debut Get Out. The…

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Velvet Buzzsaw is a Horror-Tinged Critique of the Intersection of Art and Commerce

************************This review contains spoilers**************************** “So much easier to talk about money than art.” Velvet Buzzsaw transports us to the swanky art scene of Los Angeles following renowned art critic Morf Vandewalt (Jake Gyllenhall), gallery owner Rhodora Haze (Rene…

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The Best Performances of 2018

The year has finished and Oscar season is one again upon us. Before the Academy has all the fun, CinemaBabel has compiled its own list of “nominees” and top picks recognizing the best performances in film this year….

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Best Films of 2018

2018 was a year in film marked by parity. There doesn’t feel like much distance between film #1 and film #11, nor does it feel like a truly great film was released this year, just a lot of…

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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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