This article was originally published on Film Threat (June 28, 2018). Shana Feste draws from her personal experience and uses her fascinating father as a muse for her latest film, Boundaries. Laura (Vera Farmiga) is a work in progress and needs to learn how to stand her ground. The film begins in the middle of her therapy session.…
Continue reading ➞ ‘Boundaries’ Review
This article was originally published on Film Threat (May 8, 2018). Measure of a Man is a poignant coming of age dramedy that shows how a bullied teen, Bobby Marks (Blake Cooper), grows into a confident young man with the help of a new mentor, Dr. Kahn (Donald Sutherland). Set in the groovy summer of 1976,…
Continue reading ➞ ‘Measure of a Man’ Review
This article was originally published on Film Threat (April 18, 2018). David and Nathan Zellner wrote, directed, and star in the unconventional and off-beat comedic Western, Damsel. This quirky film is an acquired taste. Viewers enter the theater expecting the unexpected, yet it still manages to be stranger than imagined. Parson Henry stumbles into his new…
Continue reading ➞ ‘Damsel’ Review
This article was originally published on Film Threat (April 18, 2018). The tragic tale of Frankenstein’s Monster is greatly known. There have been several adaptations of the creature’s misunderstood torment over the years. Haifaa Al-Mansour’s Mary Shelley offers a refreshing and relatable take on how the monster mirrors Mary’s (and her similar peers’) struggle. After learning the…
Continue reading ➞ ‘Mary Shelley’ Review
'The Keeping Hours' is a hauntingly beautiful film that leaves a lasting impression. Nearly ten years after his untimely and accidental death, young Jacob’s (Sander Thomas) ghost brings his divorced parents back together by mysteriously appearing in their old family home.
In his surprisingly funny and heartbreakingly honest film, we witness a crucial 24-hour period in Ben’s (Lucas Hedges) life. He is a recovering addict who desperately struggles to make amends, painfully grapples with sobriety, and remorsefully faces the consequences of his tumultuous past. Through all of these challenges, his loving mother, Holly (Julia Roberts), steadfastly remains by his side.
Barry Jenkins’ stunning adaptation of James Baldwin’s novel, If Beale Street Could Talk, is poetry in motion. A gripping narrative and vivid imagery transcends the page and illuminates the big screen as Tish Rivers (KiKi Layne) shares her scattered tale of true love and tackles adversity in 1970s Harlem. Throughout the film, we feel submerged in her world as Jenkin’s artful direction floods viewers with vibrant colors, groovy tunes, and the threat of danger lurking in the dark corners of her neighborhood.
Outlaw King is a sweeping epic beautifully and brutally depicting Robert Bruce’s (Chris Pine) arduous efforts to unite all Scots and free Scotland from British rule. Braveheart made us familiar with the Scots’ graphically bloody plight for freedom in the 14th century. This film echoes similar sentiments, especially when William Wallace’s death inspires Bruce to boldly take action against the British monarchy.
Vox Lux: A Twentieth Century Portrait ambitiously tackles pertinent issues and fears that plague our society today. This flashy film and its loaded storyline create an unexpected and paralleled paradox.
'Homecoming' is a slow-burning suspenseful conspiracy thriller. Unlike most dramas, each episode is only 30 minutes long and leaves you abruptly hanging in the midst of a beguiling moment. The moment you expect a breakthrough, the narrative oddly stops, and a new episode begins, presenting the next set of suspicious problems. If you hang in there for the first few foundational episodes, you will be rewarded with more interesting circumstances and mysteries through the rest of the season.
