A Million Eyes: A Beautiful Short

Richard Raymond‘s newest short film, A Million Eyes, is a beautiful film that speaks to the idea of what goes into creating art. When we first meet Leroy (Elijah M. Cooper), the teenager is taking photos across town with a banged up 35mm camera.  He also recites the title line but not in a cliche way.  Leroy lives with his mother, Amber (Katie Lowes), a struggling alcoholic.  When an older photographer, Fern (Joe Morton), takes…

"A Million Eyes: A Beautiful Short"

Bandslam: Criminally Underrated after 10 Years

The music is still good in this flick but Bandslam remains criminally underrated after the film opened in theaters ten years ago. Bandslam is about a battle of the bands competition.  It’s “Texas High School football big” as Sa5m (Vanessa Hudgens) says.  The winning band gets a recording contract so its pretty big to say the least. Will Burton (Gaelan Connell) is starting off at a new school because his mom, Karen (Lisa Kudrow), recently…

"Bandslam: Criminally Underrated after 10 Years"

47 Meters Down: Uncaged Raises the Stakes

The stakes are heightened while exploring the ruins of an underwater city in 47 Meters Down: Uncaged in the sequel to the surprise hit film. Johannes Roberts returns to the director’s chair and brings back Ernest Riera as a co-writer.  With the filmmakers back at the helm, they are sure to change things up by a notch or two.  None of the cast returns from the first film.  Because of the name, we know that…

"47 Meters Down: Uncaged Raises the Stakes"

Judgment at Nuremberg: The Epic Courtroom Drama

Judgment at Nuremberg is an epic courtroom drama revisiting the post-World War 2 tribunals in which Germans were brought to justice for crimes against humanity. There are more films nowadays as more survivors open up to tell their stories.  Back in the day, these films were few and far between.  Where Schindler’s List is perhaps the best film of life during the Shoah, Judgment at Nuremberg may very well be the best of the post-war…

"Judgment at Nuremberg: The Epic Courtroom Drama"

Woman in Gold: A Story of Justice and Redemption

Maria Altmann’s remarkable true story of recovering stolen artwork from the Austrian government manages to get justice in Woman in Gold. I found myself watching the film again during Tisha B’Av during a double header with Stanley Kramer’s Judgment in Nuremberg.  Despite the fact that the Weinstein name is attached, please do not let that stop you from watching this film.  Maria Altmann’s (Helen Mirren) story is but one of many Holocaust stories out there. …

"Woman in Gold: A Story of Justice and Redemption"

The Peanut Butter Falcon: Don’t Miss This One

The Peanut Butter Falcon is a film that could have easily been written by the likes of Mark Twain if the author lived during this era. Saying that Mark Twain could have written this film isn’t an understatement.  Not when the large majority of the film sees Zak (Zack Gottsagen) and Tyler (Shia LaBeouf) on an adventure together.  Whether it’s by foot or water, the two of them certainly bond with each other.  Never more…

"The Peanut Butter Falcon: Don’t Miss This One"

The Kitchen Isn’t The Feminist Thriller We Need

The Kitchen is about a trio of wives who take over protecting the neighborhood while their husbands are serving time in jail. Oscar-nominated screenwriter Andrea Berloff adapts Ollie Masters and Ming Doyle’s comic book series for the big screen.  I really wish that I could say that The Kitchen is a good film but it fails along the way.  The whole women-take-revenge plot was done so much better in Steve McQueen’s criminally underrated Widows.  Where…

"The Kitchen Isn’t The Feminist Thriller We Need"

Brian Banks Reminds Us That The System Is Broken

Brian Banks tells the incredible true story of a football player who fought for his innocence while reminding us that the system is broken. After the opening scene, the film flashes back to two years prior when Brian Banks (Aldis Hodge) starts down the road to freedom.  It isn’t an easy road but it would be hard fought thanks to Justin Brooks (Greg Kinnear) and the California Innocence Project.  Banks’ life was wrongly charged with…

"Brian Banks Reminds Us That The System Is Broken"

Dick: Political Satire Holds Up 20 Years Later

Dick, the political satire starring Kirsten Dunst and Michelle Williams, manages to hold up twenty years after its theatrical release in 1999. The political comedy re-imagines the Watergate scandal through the lens of a pair of high school students. Not surprisingly, the film opens on the night of the break-in. On this night, Betsy Jobs (Kirsten Dunst) and Arlene Lorenzo (Michelle Williams) are writing a letter. The duo hope to win a date with singer…

"Dick: Political Satire Holds Up 20 Years Later"

Ode to Joy: Rom-com lacking in laughs

Ode to Joy makes sure that its two leads have chemistry between them but as far as the laughs go, they feel like they’re few and far between. Brooklyn librarian Charlie (Martin Freeman) suffers from cataplexy.  What this means for the New York Mets fan–based on clothing choices–is that he is paralyzed by the feeling of joy.  Consequently, this means that something as small as the act of finding love results in paralysis.  Because of…

"Ode to Joy: Rom-com lacking in laughs"