Tag: Movie Review
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“The Slumber Party Massacre” Satirizes Slasher Tropes While They Are Still Being Established
The Slumber Party Massacre wonderfully combines the suspense of its horror with its commentary on gender, creating a memorable slasher classic that began a horror trilogy entirely written and directed by women.
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Why “The Birdcage” is Still Worth Celebrating 25 Years Later
Perhaps the most amazing and groundbreaking quality about The Birdcage is how removed it is from both illness and insensitivity. Whereas films preceding it were often somber stories about the tribulations of being gay in a conservatively straight world, Nichols and screenwriter Elaine May expose the fallacies of conservatism as traditional values are thrown into…
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“She’s Gotta Have It” was Ahead of the Curve in Portrayal of Female Sexuality
In Spike Lee’s She’s Gotta Have It (1986), we follow the love life of powerful female protagonist Nola Darling (Tracy Camilla Johns) and explore the relationship dynamics she has with her partners. She sees three men simultaneously: Greer Childs, (John Canada Terrell) Mars Blackmon (Spike Lee), and Jamie Overstreet (Tommy Redmond Hicks). Though an 80’s…
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Stowaway: Netflix’s Latest Space Hit
In Stowaway, director Joe Penna narrates the story of a starship crew (Anna Kendrick as Zoe Levenson; Toni Collette as Marina Barnett; and Daniel Dae Kim as David Kim) struggling with serious technical problems on a two-year mission to Mars. During the trip, they discover aboard the presence of Michael (Shamier Anderson), a stowaway who…
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‘Thelma’ is a Chilling, Hauntingly Beautiful Story of Discovery
Thelma (2017) opens with a startling and chilling scene that perfectly sets the stage for the unnerving, quietly powerful, and hauntingly beautiful story that is about to unfold. A man and a young girl walk through a frozen landscape, hunting. When they stop to shoot a deer, the man, standing behind the girl so she…
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“Concrete Cowboy” (2021) Review: An Endangered and Unknown Subculture
Ricky Staub’s Concrete Cowboy, based on Greg Neri’s novel “Ghetto Cowboy”, tells the story of a young teenager forced to adapt to a new lifestyle.
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Margarita with a Straw (2014) Movie Review
Shonali Bose’s Margarita with a Straw (2014) is a moving coming-of-age film. Its journey of discovery and self-love is tender and emotionally fulfilling. It also wrestles with important issues such as disability, inclusion, and sexuality. Unfortunately, its plot feels confused and convoluted at points, its second half lacking in a clear progression of story and…
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‘Minari’: Authenticity Without The Trauma Porn
When diverse representation is featured on-screen, it oftentimes comes with strings attached that undermine the message they were trying to send. This can be attributed to the fact that behind-the-screen, the industry primarily does not reflect the breadth of diverse difference that is present in daily life. That’s why when something as powerful and authentic…
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How ‘Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry’ Humanizes Child Stars
When they’re young, they’re America’s darlings but, when they become teens and adolescents, they’re instantly perceived as harbingers of immorality. They’re Lindsay Lohan, Macaulay Culkin, Justin Bieber, and Britney Spears. But, despite what many media outlets, politicians, and the general public may think, they are human beings above anything else. The new Billie Eilish documentary,…
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The Invitation (2015): Grief is on The Menu
The Invitation takes a creeping look at two simple premises: reuniting with forgotten friends and new-age spiritualism. Though one seems a bit scarier than the other, the film heightens social awkwardness to a macabre level that puts an uncomfortable look on when the social taboo of grief is put on public display.