Category: Film Reviews

Rewind, Review, and Re-Rate: ‘A Walk in the Sun’: A Thought-Provoking World War II Drama

Not Rated | 1h 57min | Drama, War | 1945 Many World War II films from the 1940s and ’50s—at least those set in the overseas theaters of war—follow a pattern: focusing on external events with little insight into what the main characters are thinking and feeling. With his “Walk in the Sun,” director Lewis…


Upcoming Series Review: ‘A Good Cop’

Drama, Crime, Thriller | 2021 With all of the anti-police hysteria going on—at least in many of the larger metropolitan centers within the United States, it’s becoming increasingly rare to see our law enforcement personnel portrayed in balanced ways when it comes to both film and TV. The majority of big-budgeted Hollywood productions typically reduce police…


Cinema Documentary Review: ‘The Epic Journey’

1hr 40min | | Documentary | 2015 I’m sure we’ve all seen plenty of inspirational films in our lives—everything from completely fictional fare, such as “The Shawshank Redemption,” to dramatized biopics such as “Hotel Rwanda.” And while there are also many documentaries out there, many of them are either focused on depressing issues that don’t…


Film Review: ‘Bruised’: Halle Berry Plays MMA Fighter in Her Directorial Debut

November 17, 2020 | R | 2h 9m The UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) is an American mixed martial arts promotion company. It’s the largest of its kind in the world, showcasing 12 weight divisions (eight men’s, four women’s). As of 2020, the UFC has put on over 500 events, is the fastest-growing sport in the…


Popcorn and Inspiration: ‘Emperor’: Japan’s Emperor Offered Himself to Be Punished

Imagine if the president of the United States was considered by U.S. citizenry to be a living god.


Popcorn and Inspiration: ‘Cloud Atlas’: A 2012 Depiction of Reincarnation at Work

Reincarnation and karma. These two words have grown rapidly more popular in the last 50 years as humanity expands its understanding of the mysteries of the universe.


‘The Bridges at Toko-Ri’ From 1954: Heroes of the Unacclaimed War

World War II themes dominated American films for its duration and remained popular through the 1940s. Since then, World War II has been the most common setting for war films because of its long duration, dual fronts, and huge impact on American culture. Following in its wake, the Korean War, lasting only from 1951 to…


Film Review: ‘Defiance in the Kingdom of Fake News’: A Mini-Look at a Major Horror

10min | 2021 | Documentary, Short As censorship, both state-sponsored and within the private sphere, ratchets up to levels unimaginable in the past, many are seeking out alternative voices when it comes to cinema. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has in recent times steadily amped up both its purging of foreign influences and the muffling…


Film Review: ‘Licorice Pizza’: Director Paul Thomas Anderson Lightens Up

R | 2h 13min | Drama, Comedy | 26 November 2021 (USA) After a relatively unremarkable debut (“Hard Eight”), writer and director Paul Thomas Anderson delivered the mighty one-two punch of “Boogie Nights” and “Magnolia.” In the wake of these two acknowledged masterpieces, (rightful) comparisons of Anderson to Welles, Bergman, Scorsese, Altman, and Kubrick led to him being labeled as a “wunderkind,”…


Film Review: ‘Tapestry’

PG | 1hr 38min | | Drama, Family | 2019 As the human population increases and we see people with more monetary-based wealth, many people have become more and more entranced with money and surrounding themselves with material objects. Sometimes folks tend to surround themselves with these material possessions since they are trying to fill…