Selma Remains Just As Powerful in 2020

Selma takes us back to the heights of the Civil Rights movement by recreating the historic 1965 march from Selma to Montgomery. It’s been just over five years since the theatrical release and the film remains just as powerful.  The biggest injustice is that the Academy only gave the film two nominations.  That’s right.  The film only earned nominations for Best Picture and Best Original Song.  While I admit to actively rooting for Birdman that…

"Selma Remains Just As Powerful in 2020"

Do the Right Thing Is Still Relevant in 2020

It’s been almost 31 years since the release of Do the Right Thing in July 1989 but the Spike Lee film is still relevant in the summer of 2020. Watching the film for the first time amid a civil unrest really displays how relevant the film still is.  It’s truly an injustice that the same thing happening in a 1989 film is still happening today.  How can we as a culture allow this to happen? …

"Do the Right Thing Is Still Relevant in 2020"

Netflix vs. the World: Doc Explores History

Netflix vs. the World takes a look at the company’s history and how Blockbuster almost won the battle before Netflix ever had time to make their rise. Long before Netflix became one of the leading streaming providers, they mailed DVDs to your home.  All the while, you could also rent movies from Blockbuster or Hollywood Video.  The 2000s proved to be a time for transition in the home video industry.  Why go to Blockbuster when…

"Netflix vs. the World: Doc Explores History"

Dogtooth: Yorgos Lanthimos’ Breakthrough Film

Dogtooth (Kynodantas), the breakthrough film from filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos, is available for viewers to watch on Blu-ray. Before Lanthimos wrote and directed films in the English language, the filmmaker was making films in his native Greek tongue.  Dogtooth premiered to critical acclaim during the 2009 Cannes Film Festival.  Winning the Prix Un Certain Regard, the breakthrough film would also earn an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language Film. It’s a dark comedy that focuses on…

"Dogtooth: Yorgos Lanthimos’ Breakthrough Film"

SXSW 2020: Laurel Canyon: A Place in Time

Laurel Canyon: A Place in Time utilizes both interviews and archival footage to tell the definitive story of the Laurel Canyon music scene over two parts. Echo in the Canyon is just one part of the story.  What documentary filmmaker Alison Ellwood does is tell a story through mixing interviews with archival footage.  The end result is a beautiful documentary.  It isn’t without its sadness given the time period.  The film also serves as a…

"SXSW 2020: Laurel Canyon: A Place in Time"

The Ten Commandments: A Flawed Epic

While Cecil B. Demille’s The Ten Commandments (1956) is hailed as an epic, the lengthy film does not come without its own flaws. Starting tonight through sundown on Saturday evening, Jews living in the diaspora will be celebrating Shavuot.  The holiday celebrates the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai.  Inside Israel, the holiday will end on Friday.  In any event, shuls are closed and thus, The Ten Commandments may also feel like appropriate viewing…

"The Ten Commandments: A Flawed Epic"

The High Note Hits In The Middle

A overworked assistant with dreams of being a music producer reaches a potential turning point in her career in The High Note. Late Night‘s Nisha Ganatra takes the helm behind the camera.  After taking us behind the scenes of a late night writer’s room, we now get to experience the life of a musician and those who surround her.  Well, more so on at least one person who surrounds said musician.  In this particular instance,…

"The High Note Hits In The Middle"

The Deer Hunter: Best Picture Winner Arrives on 4K

The Deer Hunter, the Oscar-winning Best Picture of 1978, is now available on 4K Ultra HD with a new collector’s edition from Shout! Factory. In addition to taking home Best Picture, the film won another four Academy Awards, including Best Director (Michael Cimino), Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Christopher Walken), Best Sound, and Best Film Editing.  Meryl Streep would also take home her first Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress.  The film would also…

"The Deer Hunter: Best Picture Winner Arrives on 4K"

SXSW 2020: I Will Make You Mine

I Will Make You Mine is a semi-sequel but writer-director Lynn Chen seeks to tell a stand-alone story by focusing on three different women. While the film is a semi-sequel to two previous films, writer-director Lynn Chen writes the script with a new angle.  Despite being a semi-sequel, the film is meant to serve as a stand-alone story.  However, I should suggest that you probably have some familiarity with characters going into a viewing.  I…

"SXSW 2020: I Will Make You Mine"

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, the long-awaited fourth film, takes the iconic hero well into the Cold War years. The film moves forward almost in real time after an 18-year layoff.  It’s 1957 and given the Cold War at hand, the KGB also replaces Nazis as the villains.  Leading this particular group of villains is Soviet agent Irina Spalko (Cate Blanchett).  Spalko kidnaps Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) and George “Mac”” Micale…

"Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull"