Posted in October 2014

Review: Default, 2014, dir. Simon Brand

Review: Default, 2014, dir. Simon Brand

“Action cinema tends to elect its bogeymen based on current world events. In True Lies, America fought against Palestinian terrorists. In 2008, John Rambo brought down a brutal Burmese military regime almost singlehandedly. Most recently, The November Man and Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit took on Russian oligarchs and generals. But there’s a more widespread trend … Continue reading

Review: Dear White People, 2014, dir. Justin Simien

Review: Dear White People, 2014, dir. Justin Simien

“You may be inclined to make snap judgments about Dear White People’s intentions based on the title alone. Though such snap judgments are obviously the film’s actual intent—a little egging-on never hurt anyone—it has no desire to condemn its viewers, white or not. Instead, Dear White People wants to upset you: to turn your judgments … Continue reading

Review: Pride, 2014, dir. Matthew Warchus

Review: Pride, 2014, dir. Matthew Warchus

“From its first frames, Pride opens itself wide to scrutiny: this is based on a true story. We’re used to this, of course. We turn to the cinema for escape, but by invoking REALITY the so-called “true story” breaks the illusion we’ve sought, and in turn, we feel it’s our obligation to call the veracity … Continue reading

Review: Diplomacy, 2014, dir. Volker Schlöndorff

Review: Diplomacy, 2014, dir. Volker Schlöndorff

“World War II spanned six continents, lasted as many years, and involved roughly 100 million participants. Pardon the quick and dirty history lesson, but an appreciation of scale is needed to understand why people continue to write books and make movies about The Big One nearly seven decades after the fact. The conflict covered so … Continue reading