One of the greatest films of all time, Jaws is a quintessential American movie. With one of the most iconic scores in all of cinematic history, an innocent swimmer, Chrissie Watkins (Susan Backlinie), getting attacked by a shark would change the beach forever. Police chief Martin Brody (Roy Scheider) had the right idea to close the beaches following Chrissie’s autopsy. However, Amity mayor Larry Vaughn (Murray Hamilton) re-opens the beach out of fear of losing money.…
"Jaws: A Quintessential American Film"Author: Danielle Solzman
Danielle Solzman
While Aladdin holds up as a beautifully animated motion picture with awesome songs, there’s a major flaw in casting non-Persians. Fresh off of The Little Mermaid, directors Ron Clements and John Musker went to work on Aladdin. Walt Disney Animation Studios had offered the pair a choice between Swan Lake, Aladdin, and some film about lions in the jungle but they were like, “Who would want to see that?” The latter of which went on…
"Aladdin kicks off Tuesdays with Robin"
Mixing in archival footage with contemporary interviews, Whitney serves as a stark reminder that celebrities don’t live perfect lives. Whitney Houston had it all. The singer was already a star on the rise as the 1980s transitioned into the 1990s but shot into super-stardom when The Bodyguard was released. The singer had been inspired by Marvin Gaye’s rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner” and made it her own when asked to perform at the 1991 Super…
"Whitney: A Tribute to the Queen of Pop"
Iceland’s 90th Oscars entry, Under the Tree (Undir Trénu), manages to reach heights of absurdity but should also come with a serious disclaimer. One of the major problems with Under the Tree isn’t too much going on but what happens as the fighting escalates. There are two stories being told here. The first is the marriage trouble between Atli (Steinþór Hróar Steinþórsson) and Agnes (Lára Jóhanna Jónsdóttir) after she catches him jerking off to a…
"Under the Tree (Undir Trénu): A Thrilling Comedy"
Boots Riley’s Sorry To Bother You, one of the most buzzed about films at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival, is one of the best feature debuts during the fest. The star-studded cast of Lakeith Stanfield, Tessa Thompson, Armie Hammer, Terry Crews, Steven Yeun, Omari Hardwick, Jermaine Fowler, and Danny Glover was one of the few films that showcased diversity with POC in leading roles. Much in the same vein as last year’s hit film, Get Out, Sorry…
"Sorry To Bother You is Wild and Bonkers"
Debra Granik’s third narrative feature, Leave No Trace, is a emotionally powerful film with a breakout performance from actress Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie. We first meet Will (Ben Foster) and his teenage daughter, Tom (Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie) in their fourth year of living in Forest Park on the outskirts of Portland, Oregon. It’s illegal to live in public land but the two of them have gotten away with living in the woods for so long. It’s not…
"Leave No Trace: An Emotionally Powerful Film"
We’re at the halfway point of the year and here are the Solzy Awards contenders for the first half of the year. Heading into the midway point, I’ve seen 230 narrative/documentary features and 40 short films. This comes up to a grand total of 269 films as we enter the month of July. It’s a new personal best having set my old record of 264 films during the last calendar year. I’ve been privileged to…
"The Solzy Awards for 2018…So Far"
Boundaries isn’t the typical family road trip as this one involves rescue animals and drug deals. “Don’t Pick Up!” This is what Laura (Vera Farmiga) has opted to label the name on her phone for her father, Jack (Christopher Plummer). It’s the type of relationship that the two of them have. Or lack thereof if you will. It’s a relationship that Laura opens up with to her therapist at the beginning of the film. Laura…
"Boundaries: A Pot-Dealing Family Road Trip"
There’s something special about watching Bound for the first time with the presence of one of the film’s directors, Lana Wachowshi, in the theater. Wachowski was present for a Q&A following the retrospective 35mm screening during the 2018 Cinepocalypse Genre Film Festival. Bound, which marked the feature directorial debut for the Wachowski sisters, changes up the game for mob thrillers. Fronted by two women, Corky (Gina Gershon) and Violet (Jennifer Tilly), the men more or…
"Cinepocalypse 2018: Bound with Lana Wachowski"
Wolfman’s Got Nards is a documentary that explores the production and following of The Monster Squad. What draws this documentary apartment from other documentaries about 1980s movies is that director Andre Gower was an actor in The Monster Squad. The director played Sean in the 1987 classic. While the film is considered to be a cult classic, I must confess that I never heard of the film going into the Cinepocalypse announcement. Gower’s documentary is…
"Cinepocalypse 2018: Wolfman’s Got Nards"