Tag: Social Commentary
A Thousand and One is an Impressive, Twisty Look at Family Amidst Poverty and Struggle (Sundance Film Festival)
A Thousand and One finds us alongside Inez (Teyana Taylor), a young woman moving from shelter to shelter in mid-1990s New York City. As a result of her situation, she has lost her 6-year-old son Terry (portrayed as…
Read More »Scream VI Leans Into Its Meta-Ness and Largely Succeeds
Following the success of last year’s reboot “re-quel” Scream (2022), our core four new generation of terrified teens is back. This time, Tara (Jenna Ortega), Sam (Melissa Barrera), Chad (Mason Gooding), and Mindy (Jasmin Savoy Brown) are all…
Read More »The Son is a Realistic, Emotional Portrayal of a Multitude of Familial Struggles (Middleburg Film Festival)
The Son introduces us to high powered lawyer and politico Peter (Hugh Jackman) who is balancing his busy life with new wife Beth (Vanessa Kirby) and their baby. Peter’s teenage son Nicholas (Zen McGrath), who has been having…
Read More »Saint Omer is an Intimate Examination of How the Challenges of Immigration and Women Intersect
Saint Omer is told from the perspective of Rama (Kayije Kagame), the daughter of African immigrants and a novelist by trade, who attends the trial of Laurence Coly (Guslagie Malanga), a young woman accused of killing her 15-month-old daughter…
Read More »Broker Uses Comedy, Drama to Examine Family and Forgiveness in the One of 2022’s Best
The latest film from director Hirokazu Kore-eda, Broker begins with two men Ha Sang-hyeon (Song Kang-ho) and Dong-soo (Gang Dong-won) who volunteer at a local church but are, in secret, baby brokers who sell infants that have anonymously been…
Read More »Holy Spider is a Thought Provoking, Topical, and Multifaceted Critique of Iran’s Theocracy
The fall of 2022 saw civil unrest and protest erupt in Iran following the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody after she was accused of violating the country’s law regarding the proper wearing of hijabs. The nationwide uprising of…
Read More »Women Talking Struggles to Add Anything New or Unique to the Conversation (Middleburg Film Festival)
Women Talking thrusts us into a group of eight women from an isolated Mennonite colony who have learned that the men of their religious community have been drugging and raping their women, even teen girls, for years. A…
Read More »Babylon is a Bit Too Ambitious For Its Own Good
Babylon spans the pivotal era of American filmmaking in Hollywood from 1926-1952 as a host of changes were taking place both behind the camera, in the boardrooms of movie studios, and throughout American culture at large. We follow…
Read More »The Whale’s Ensemble Powers Its Emotional Themes Past an Okay Story (Middleburg Film Festival)
The Whale is a simple story packed with no simple emotions and social commentary. Charlie (Brendan Fraser) is a depressed, reclusive, online English professor who is slowly dying from obesity and resigned to his fate. As he prepares…
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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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