Thursday, May 7, 2020

Lambs of God (2020) Unfolds a Fantastical Tale of Belief and Passion

The stories we watch are just as influential as the stories – personal, religious, or otherwise, we tell ourselves. Here the lives of three women cast aside fantastically crossover to the blurred path of their personal histories and what the world would like them to believe.

Based on the novel by Marele Day, Father Ignatius (Sam Reid) seeks to examine the grounds of a secluded island and confronts three nuns living in a dilapidated monastery. As Ignatius discovers that hospitality comes at a price, the fears, faith, and secrets of Sister Iphigenia (Essie Davis), Sister Margarita (Ann Dowd), and Sister Carla (Ann Dowd) forces them to defend their way of life.

Driveways (2019) Influence Lies In Its Slice of Life Simplicity

Summer has become the season in cinema for the industry’s biggest and loudest movies – blockbusters, comic book movies, and long-awaited adaptations. Simmering down with a slice-of-life drama, independent movies remain a reliable source for humanity connection. While some movies inevitably hit us like a freight train, others are so subtle that their unassuming nature leads an indelible impact over time. Director Andrew Ahn's Driveways refreshingly follows in to the latter.

A single mother Kathy (Hong Chau) and her shy son Cody (Lucas Jaye) make a roadtrip to visit her late sister's house, unaware that she was a reclusive hoarder. Their plans to sort and sell gradually expand over the course of a summer, allowing Cody to develop a friendship with a Korean war veteran Del (Brian Dennehy) next door.

Monday, May 4, 2020

Ranking The Star Wars Franchise (So Far)

For forty years, Star Wars reigned as one of the best phenomenons in the world. It's captivated generations of fans to the force, stand up against the Empire, and trail the Skywalker legacy. With director and creator George Lucas's initial saga having finally completed in 2019, and the rest of the universe on-hold for both theatrical releases and Disney+, I thought it's about time to rank the film franchise and spin-offs so far. How would you rank the series? Feel free to let me know in the comments.

Monday, April 13, 2020

In Defense of Avengers: Age of Ultron

Five years ago, Avengers: Age of Ultron was the unexpected and divisive sequel to The Avengers. Upon its initial release, the sequel was  a weird position of not connecting with fans unless the previous films were watched and had yet to be the inciting incident for more films to follow. It's not the most popular, and often the least favorite film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (as far as Avengers movies goes), but I wanted to take a moment of why I've come to appreciate it over the past year or two.

Best and Worst of 2019 Movies

2019 has come and gone, and it took me a far while to catch with as many movies as I wanted to. I finally felt before the entire year is completely over, it's time to choose my picks of best and worst films. From Staler Than Expired Bread to My Soul Needed This, and everything in-between, here's my 2019 of movie-going in review.

This post contains slight spoilers for Knives Out, The Lighthouse, and Avengers: Endgame.


Friday, April 3, 2020

The Other Lamb (2020) Gives Rage A New Visceral Lease on Life

Since Martha Marcy May Marlene followed the traumatic aftermath of a young woman's escape from a cult, similar films have reinvented women's power in cinema over the past several years. By confronting and rejecting a regime designed to keep their followers' autonomy at bay, films like The Witch (2016) to Suspiria (2018) have laid the groundwork in exploring the 'chosen' one who decides to break free. In a similar vein, The Other Lamb takes a hypnotic dive into a young girl questioning her narrative and helping her sisters do the same.

Deep in the wilderness away from civilization, The Shepherd (Michel Huisman) tends to his flock of wives and daughters who worship his every word. On the cusp of teenage-hood, Selah (Raffey Cassidy) begins experiencing strange visions about the only community and family she's ever known. When the group seeks to find a new Eden, everything Selah thought she knew about The Shepherd might lead to the freedom she's secretly seeking.

Monday, March 30, 2020

Clover (2020) Entertains the Dubious Nature of Luck in the Mob Genre

clover movie review 2020
In the gritty world of mobsters, there’s the hunter and the prey. A hierarchy of crime bosses rule the roost while their henchmen or women, loaners, and sharks must obey pecking order to survive. Step one toe out of line and the whole business descends into chaos. This is something two hapless brothers in Clover learn the hard way.

Mickey (Jon Abrahams) and Jackie (Mark Webber) Callaghan are about to lose the pub that's been in the family for generations. The night before they’re supposed to payback a sizable loan, Jackie loses it all while gambling. When local mobster Tony Davolio (Chazz Palminteri) offers one last opportunity to wipe the slate clean, the siblings must go on the run with a young girl Clover (Nicole Elizabeth Berger) after she accidentally kills Davolio’s son.