Adrift: The Power of Love Drives Survival

Led by a stellar performance from Shailene Woodley in Adrift, the power of love is what drives the battle for survival. The single worst thing that can happen when one attempts to set sail across any body of water is something happening to their boat.  For Tami Oldham (Shailene Woodley) and her boyfriend, Richard Sharp (Sam Claflin), their worst fears came true when Hurricane Raymond hit in 1983.  Labeled as a Category 4 tropical depression…

"Adrift: The Power of Love Drives Survival"

Upgrade: An Homage to 1980s Sci-Fi Thrillers

Upgrade is a film that, like James Cameron’s The Terminator before it, shows that humankind is perhaps a bit too dependent on technology. There may be elements of violence but Upgrade isn’t the all-out horror type of film that we’ve come to expect from writer/director Leigh Whannell.  There may be some bloody elements given Grey Trace’s (Logan Marshall-Green) new abilities that come from having an upgrade on his body.  This is a film that’s full of…

"Upgrade: An Homage to 1980s Sci-Fi Thrillers"

A Kid Like Jake explores Gender Identity

A Kid Like Jake is a film that ought to add to the conversation about gender identity among young children. The roots of A Kid Like Jake in the theater become very clear in the final act through the performances of Claire Danes and Jim Parsons.  Through Silas Howard’s direction and the camera framing of cinematographer Steven Capitano Calitri, the performances come off as theatrical rather than cinematic.  This isn’t necessarily a bad thing.  While…

"A Kid Like Jake explores Gender Identity"

The Tale: Laura Dern Deserves All The Awards

While The Tale is a film that certainly would benefit from a theatrical release, it’s best viewed at home because of all the screaming at the screen.  This is, in part, due to the events that transpire on screen during the 1970s. The question at hand while viewing the film, which runs shy of two hours, is whether or not it qualifies as a Me, Too film.  Writer/director Jennifer Fox, a documentary filmmaker, uses a…

"The Tale: Laura Dern Deserves All The Awards"

On Chesil Beach feels Theatrical, not Cinematic

On Chesil Beach doesn’t quite rise up to to the level of previous adaptations of Ian McEwan’s works. Set in 1962, this is a film that can be very confusing to follow.  We eventually learn that Florence Ponting (Saoirse Ronan) and Edward Mayhew (Billy Howle) just got married a few hours earlier.  They are planning to consummate their marriage at a hotel along Chesil Beach in southern England on the Dorset coast.  However, Florence realizes that she…

"On Chesil Beach feels Theatrical, not Cinematic"

Girl: Cisgender Male wins award for Transgender Role at Cannes

Girl, since acquired by Netflix, has taken home not one but two awards at Cannes.  It’s frustrating to see this film take home any award.  The practice of Transface–casting cisgender people in transgender roles–is a practice that seriously needs to come to an end.  It’s no different than the casting of white people and making them up to appear as people of color.  If you wouldn’t cast someone in Blackface, don’t bother casting in Transface! …

"Girl: Cisgender Male wins award for Transgender Role at Cannes"

First Reformed: A Mesmerizing Drama

First Reformed is a mesmerizing drama about a pastor who counsels a husband and wife. Reverend Ernst Toller (Ethan Hawke), a former Army chaplain, is a pastor at the First Reformed Church in the fictional town of Snowbridge, N.Y.  The Dutch Reform church has grown some fame by having been a station on along the Underground Railround.  However, as the church approaches 250 years, it doesn’t contain the magic that used to be there.  While…

"First Reformed: A Mesmerizing Drama"

Book Club: The Avengers of Their Generation

Book Club isn’t just a romantic comedy but a film that manages to team up four of the greatest female actors of their time in the same movie. This group of friends have been a part of the same book club since 1974 when they first got together.  There’s Diane (Diane Keaton), a mother of two daughters but recently widowed when her husband died after 40 years of being together.  Next up is Vivian (Jane…

"Book Club: The Avengers of Their Generation"

Trailer: Dark Money

PBS Distribution has released the first trailer for Dark Money.  The film, directed by transgender director Kimberly Reed, first premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival. During the 2018 Montclair Film Festival, the thrilling political documentary took home the David Carr Award for Truth in Non-Fiction Filmmaking. Synopsis: DARK MONEY, a political thriller, examines one of the greatest present threats to American democracy: the influence of untraceable corporate money on our elections and elected officials. The film…

"Trailer: Dark Money"

Jonathan Kasdan: Lando Calrissian is Pansexual

Solo co-writer Jonathan Kasdan confirmed in an interview with The Huffington Post that Lando Calrissian is pansexual.  As far as major characters in the Star Wars universe are concerned, this makes Lando one of the first known person to be attracted to more than one gender.  He’s far from the only LGBTQ character as Vice Admiral Amilyn Holdo’s sexual orientation is made clear in the novel, Leia: Princess of Alderaan. So, given the opportunity to speak with…

"Jonathan Kasdan: Lando Calrissian is Pansexual"