Tag: Race

Flamin’ Hot is a Classic Feel Good Movie, For Better or Worse

Flamin’ Hot is an autobiographical look at the story of Richard Montanez (Jesse Garcia), the son of a Mexican immigrant, who becomes a janitor at Frito-Lay after his wife Judy (Annie Gonzalez) becomes pregnant with their first child…

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Chevalier is a By-The-Numbers Biopic Saved By Its Cast

Chevalier sets out to tell the true tale of Joseph Bologne (Kelvin Harrison Jr.), the illegitimate son of an African slave named Nanon (Ronke Adekoluejo) and French plantation owner George Bologne (Jim High). After his father recognizes his…

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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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Emancipation is a Brutal Film About Perseverance and Determination

Yep, it’s another slave movie. In recent years, many consumers, of all races, have expressed fatigue over the flow of films coming from Hollywood that depict American slavery and the brutal treatment that the ancestors of African Americans…

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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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Triangle of Sadness Hilariously Shines a Light on Social Inequality, Power, and Human Nature

Satire is one of the best ways to deeply examine aspects of society and a new release in theaters does just that. Triangle of Sadness begins with male model Carl (Harris Dickinson) and his model/social media influencer girlfriend Yaya (Charlbi…

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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…

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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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Master Should Spell the End of “Being Black in America is the Real Horror!” Horror Films (Sundance Film Festival)

The 2017 release of Get Out felt like such an event. A true cultural reset where a genre that traditionally has been known for ridding itself of its black characters before you got halfway through your bucket of…

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