★★★★★ Any A24 movie is worthy of a watch, even if it falls outside the realm of a genre I would typically enjoy. Just this year, Eddington, a very modern take on the Western, really impressed, and months back, Warfare dialed up the intensity for a fresh take on the war genre. Now, Ray Mendoza's … Continue reading Blu-Ray Film Review: Warfare
Blu-Ray Film Review: Grave of the Fireflies
★★★★★ For decades now, I have heard nothing but praise—and warning—about a devastating little masterpiece called Grave of the Fireflies. Now, it comes to gorgeous steelbook format from GKids and Shout! Studios. Directed by Studio Ghibli co-creator Isao Takahata, nothing could have prepared me for the total devastation that awaits. Mere minutes into the runtime, … Continue reading Blu-Ray Film Review: Grave of the Fireflies
Film Review: The World Will Tremble
★★★★ Based on a true story and set primarily in 1942, The World Will Tremble approaches the devastation of the Holocaust from an angle not often explored. While we have seen plenty about the awful concentration camps, the death camps were just as horrific in their own twisted ways. Arguably, these were even worse, considering … Continue reading Film Review: The World Will Tremble
Film Review: Lee
★★★★ Widely regarded as one of the greatest war correspondents of all time, famed photographer Lee Miller captured imagery during World War II that still provides us with an up close and personal picture of the concentration camps. A trio of writers (Marion Hume, John Collee, Liz Hannah) bring Lee's story to life with the … Continue reading Film Review: Lee
AIF 2022: Unicorn Wars
★★★★ For some reason, Unicorn Wars has evaded me several times, despite screening at various different festivals that I was covering. Finally, I was able to check out this animated gem for the Animation is Film Festival! Effortlessly epitomizing everything I loved about gleefully demented cartoon Happy Tree Friends, this Spanish feature crams in more … Continue reading AIF 2022: Unicorn Wars
Film Review: The Greatest Beer Run Ever
★★★ In what is shockingly based on a true story, The Greatest Beer Run Ever can essentially be broken down to one sentence: a jokester bro spreads peace, love, and most importantly, American beer to various soldiers around Vietnam to help keep up their spirits deep into the War. Mainly, the film is a dramedy, … Continue reading Film Review: The Greatest Beer Run Ever
IFFR 2022: Freaks Out
★★★★ I definitely do not have a bias against foreign cinema, but it does indeed take the right mood (and perfect meeting of acting and story!) to keep my attention. Freaks Out impressed me around every turn. Initially intimidated by its over two-hour runtime, the film immediately pulled me in with its depiction of an … Continue reading IFFR 2022: Freaks Out
Film Review: Moffie
★★★★ Nominated for a BAFTA award for Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director, or Producer, South Africa’s Moffie is a harrowing depiction of military service during the Apartheid regime. The title, a slang Afrikaans term for a gay man, clues us in on what we can expect: intense racism, toxic masculinity, and deep-seeded homophobia. … Continue reading Film Review: Moffie