Tag: Period Piece
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 »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 Northman Balances Dense Story and Gory Action in an Exciting, Visually Impressive Action Flick
Robert Eggers has been on a critically acclaimed run the past few years with films like The Witch and The Lighthouse, art house indies with dense stories featuring notable performances from great actors. While critical darlings, these films…
Read More »Mothering Sunday Weighs Grief and Social Expectations (Toronto International Film Festival)
Based on the 2016 novel, Mothering Sunday follows Jane Fairchild (Odessa Young) works as a maid for the Nivens family (Olivia Colman and Colin Firth), a couple who lost their sons on the battlefields of World War I….
Read More »Alice Feels Uneven, But Keke Palmer Keeps the Audience Invested (Sundance Film Festival)
All Americans grow up learning that the slave trade was ended after the end of the Civil War with the passage of the slave amendments, inspired by President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. Yet, as time has gone on,…
Read More »Death on the Nile Provides the Suspense in a Gorgeous Murder Mystery that Entertains
There’s nothing quite as suspenseful or rewarding as a good murder mystery and author Agatha Christie provided plenty of material for this genre with her works, including the travels and stories of Hercule Poirot. The latest film from…
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 »Licorice Pizza is an Ode to Young Love That Teaches Universal Lessons For Any Age
Coming of age stories can teach us a lot about human behavior and the latest film from Paul Thomas Anderson is no exception. Licorice Pizza takes us to the San Fernando Valley in the 1970s as Gary Valentine (Cooper…
Read More »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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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…
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