Taking the battle to the frontline in Montana, Dark Money examines the consequences of the Citizens United v. FEC ruling. When the United States Supreme Court announced their Citizens United ruling, the effects were devastating for American politics. Once prohibited to donate to political campaigns, corporations were handed the free reign to spend as they pleased. It’s because of this that tax-exempt “organizations” set up shop without any requirement to record their donors. This results in money…
"Dark Money: A Thrilling Political Documentary"Category: Movie Reviews
Eating Animals is a thought-provoking documentary that will make people think twice about the food they put in their mouth. Oscar-winning actress Natlie Portman narrates the film, which could double as a horror feature. Christopher Quinn directs adapts the film from Jonathan Safran Foer’s book of the same name. To say that the documentary is provocative would be an understatement! Just as with the book, the film seeks to answer the same question of where…
"Eating Animals: A Thought-Provoking Documentary"
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"
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"
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"