Tag: Social Commentary
No Other Choice Continues Park Chan-wook’s Directorial Mastery
Modern work culture and the future of labor are hot topics in our current moment. The rise of AI and skyrocketing inflation and cost of living in the midst of a recession has many wondering how much more…
Read More »The Secret Agent Deftly Depicts Quiet Strength in the Midst of Chaos (Middleburg Film Festival)
We are currently in an era of films seeking to explore the global rise in authoritarianism and the way in which our society is responding to the moment. The uptick in this style of storytelling makes cutting through…
Read More »Wake Up Dead Man Continues the Knives Out Franchise’ Penchant for Twisty Mystery with a Message (Middleburg Film Festival)
Detective Benoit Blanc is back in Wake Up Dead Man, this time finding himself in a small village in upstate New York investigating the murder of a Catholic parish’s harsh but powerful priest Monsignor Jefferson Wicks (Josh Brolin)….
Read More »Like Its Leads, Wicked: For Good Is One Half Goodness, One Half Cloudy
Wicked was both a box office hit and a pleasant surprise for this reviewer last year, so the anticipated conclusion of the franchise is quite the curiosity. Can director Jon M. Chu stick the landing? Will stars Cynthia…
Read More »Rental Family: Uncomfortable Lies Exchanged For Comfortable Truths (Middleburg Film Festival)
After 2022’s “Brenaissance” that saw the actor make a triumphant return to Hollywood with his Academy Award winning turn in The Whale, Brendan Fraser hits the big screen for his first starring role since bringing home the Oscar….
Read More »Die My Love Takes an Unflinching Look at Mental Health
After nearly ten years since her last feature film , director Lynne Ramsey returns to theaters. Die My Love follows Grace (Jennifer Lawrence) and Jackson (Robert Pattinson), a young couple who move from New York City to Jackson’s rural…
Read More »It Was Just An Accident Presents a Compelling Moral Dilemma
Iranian writer/director Jafar Panahi has been through quite a lot in his determination to speak against the Iranian regime. Jailed twice over the past 15 years for being accused of producing propaganda against the state and conducting a…
Read More »Bugonia Hearkens Back To Post-War Sci-Fi Allegory (Middleburg Film Festival)
Emma Stone and writer/director Yorgos Lanthimos have been on a heater as a creative duo since 2018’s The Favourite making three films together that garnered 20 Academy Award nominations including two for Stone with one win for Best Actress. The…
Read More »Guillermo Del Toro Brings His Usual Magic to the Classic Tale of Frankenstein
You know the general framework of the story of Frankenstein by now; a brilliant but egotistical scientist Dr. Victor Frankenstein. (Oscar Isaac) conducts an experiment where he brings a monstrous creature to life (Jacob Elordi) in a daring…
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The Testament of Ann Lee is an Amanda Seyfried Showcase…but Not Much Else
There has been much buzz this fall leading up to the release of the latest film starring Amanda Seyfried and her possible awards worthy performance. The Testament of Ann Lee follows the rise of the founder of the…
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