Irrational Man – Overview/ Review (with Spoilers)
Introduction What begins as, in the words of one character, “verbal masturbation” turns into a very strange piece of work dealing with sex, philosophy, and murder. Review (with Spoilers) – Below
Movies
Discover our top picks and latest reviews spanning from blockbuster hits to indie films, shorts, and festival premieres across various platforms.
Blackbird (2015) – Overview/ Review (with Spoilers)
Overview The saying “Laugh to keep from crying” has been used for generations to explain how people get through what they get through but, as one character says, eventually you run out of punchlines. Something Blackbird displays for it brings the rare focus on non-white LGBT teens who struggle, become triumphant, but don’t necessarily make…
Moana – Overview/ Review (with Spoilers)
Though Pixar often is noted as one of the best-animated storytellers of the west, with the return of John Musker and Ron Clements, who made some of Disney’s classic tales, we are reminded why the House of Mouse has long been the pinnacle of animated storytelling.
Big Hero 6 & Feast – Overview/ Review (with Spoilers)
Overview Despite Pixar not being a primary contributor to the film, Big Hero 6 does seem like the love child of Pixar and Marvel. Review (with Spoilers) First, let me note, between the Annie trailer, the trailer for Inside Out, and then the short film Feast, your emotions will be wired and ready to be…
Blackbird (2012) – Overview/ Review (with Spoilers)
Overview A movie which deals with lack of understanding and the punishment one can receive for either wanting to be different, or being perceived as different. Review (with Spoilers) As opposed to Rudderless, which also covers a school shooting, before anything happens things are nipped in the bud in Blackbird. However, rather than focus the…
Birdman – Overview/ Review (with Spoilers)
Overview Multiple actors, putting on a Broadway play, seek validation and relevance. Review (with Spoilers) Straight up, the only reason I saw this film was due to Emma Stone. For while I liked Michael Keaton as Batman and Betelgeuse, I can’t say he has the type of name which makes me want to go to…
Black Nativity – Overview/ Review (with Spoilers)
Overview An Urban Gospel with spirit, but hardly any soul. Review (with Spoilers) First things first, I have never read the play this film is based on, but with so many top quality actors in the movie, as well as a mix of newcomers to film, I was interested. Unfortunately, though, in my mind, I…
Beyond The Lights – Overview/ Review (with Spoilers)
Overview What may be compared to Whitney Houston’s The Bodyguard far surpasses it to the point that the association is almost insulting. Review (with Spoilers) Between being a fan of Gugu Mbatha-Raw for years, and being an avid reader of the Black media website Shadow & Act, I have been anticipating this movie for months….
Concussion – Overview/ Review (with Spoilers)
Overview In a film which seems to be just as much about Will Smith wanting an Oscar as it is about informing you about Dr. Omalu, Smith dons an accent, breaks down the troubling effects a football career can have, and places a new entry into one of his top 3 dramatic performances. With this…
Belle – Overview/ Review (with Spoilers)
Overview A young bi-racial girl, born illegitimate, is given the privilege of aristocratic life. But while this gift comes with a lot of perks, being an outsider with brown skin keeps her from experiencing her privilege to the fullest extent. Review (with Spoilers) Let me begin by saying there are a multitude of reasons to…
The Whole Truth – Overview/ Review (with Spoilers)
As a viewer, you always on the outside looking in, trying to guess what is going to happen, and sometimes being relieved when right or displeased you figured out the plot. Despite which side you fall on, one thing is for sure: you’ll definitely find something praiseworthy about The Whole Truth.
Infinitely Polar Bear – Overview/ Review (with Spoilers)
Overview Infinitely Polar Bear isn’t so much about the adults, but more so the children. It’s about them coming to terms, learning, and adapting to, a manic-depressive, bi-polar, or what have you, father, who tries his hardest but is constantly struggling. Trigger Warning(s): Depiction of Mental Illness (Manic-Depressive/ Bi-Polar – Mostly Positive and Balanced Portrayal)
Divines – Overview/ Review (with Spoilers)
Overview A young girl trying to escape the financial fate her mother has accepted gets involved with a local hoodlum in order to make money.
Knight of Cups – Overview/ Review (with Spoilers)
Overview Knight of Cups is without a doubt a niche film. One which, at worse, will seem inane, directionless, and so weird you could only imagine what it must have been like being stuck as part of the production. Yet, at best, it may speak to a state your life might be in when everything…
Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck – Overview/ Review (with Spoilers)
Overview If you are already a fan of Nirvana or Kurt Cobain, this documentary is a wish come true. However, if you are just vaguely interested, or simply curious, this documentary will feel like information overload. Trigger Warning: Suicide/ Suicidal Thoughts Review (with Spoilers) – Below
Lamb – Overview/ Review (with Spoilers)
Overview Among the many films pulled from the schedule, postponed, or just simply moved around, this was one of the few films I definitely wanted to watch. Though with watching it now, I do think, out of most of the films I watched, this one left me the most uncomfortable. Which is strange since it…
How I Live Now – Overview/ Review (with Spoilers)
Overview How I Live Now, combines a weakly done romance with a World War III type background. Review (with Spoilers) To be completely honest the sole reason I saw this film was Saoirse Ronan. After Byzantium, I must admit I sort of saw her as perhaps one of the few actresses who didn’t really fit…
Lost River – Overview/ Review (with Spoilers)
Overview If you are looking for something weird, kind of trippy, but not good enough to tell your friends to watch, you may like Lost River. Director: Ryan Gosling Writer: Ryan Gosling Trigger Warning(s): Intent To Rape Depicted Review (with Spoilers) – Below
Brooklyn – Overview/ Review (with Spoilers)
Preconceived Notions With the exception of The Host, I have always found Saoirse Ronan to have a stable, and reliable, film record. With this film, though, I found myself wondering if she really fell into some sort of love triangle story in which she was to pick between an American boy and an Irish one….
The Edge of Seventeen – Overview/ Review (with Spoilers)
Overview Depending on how you look at it, a selfish girl gets a reality check or a girl who has long been just holding on is reminded that she isn’t the only person struggling. Review (with Spoilers) A part of me really wants to become a Hailee Steinfeld fan but her role choices are all…
Guardians of the Galaxy – Overview/ Review (with Spoilers)
Overview When it comes to Marvel, rarely is anything overhyped and with Guardians of the Galaxy, they present a new franchise for movie fans to commit to. Review (with Spoilers) Truly, the testament of what makes Marvel films good is that they combine summer blockbuster action, the type of comedy you would expect to come…
Indignation – Overview/ Review (with Spoilers)
Logan Lerman makes the case for himself that as much as he could be just another Hollywood heartthrob, he actually has the acting chops to perhaps follow in the footsteps of Leonardo DiCaprio with time. For alongside Sarah Gadon, who also has a bit of a breakout performance, they present two odd characters who fall…
Little Men – Overview/ Review (with Spoilers)
Overview The friendship of two boys gets threatened by the bickering of their parents over an increase in rent. Review (with Spoilers) I don’t necessarily know what I was expecting. Two boys nearly being torn apart by their parents. In this world we live in, it is hard to know whether that is a setup…
Carrie (2013) – Overview/ Review (with Spoilers)
Amongst the many actors and actresses who I love seeing in films or television shows, is Chloe Moretz. Though mostly known for being the foul-mouthed Hit Girl in Kick Ass, and often being the little girl who seems more mature than how we usually picture 16-year-olds, in this film we are reminded that as much…
What If – Overview/ Review (with Spoilers)
Can a man and a woman be friends? Especially if one of the two had a romantic interest in the other from the start?
Laggies – Overview/ Review (with Spoilers)
Overview After spending a decade floating through life, letting other people make decisions for her, within a week a young woman has two epiphanies that drastically change her life. Review (with Spoilers) Between Keira Knightley, whose career I used to be obsessed with; Chloe Grace Moretz, who I see nearly every movie of nowadays; and…
Kick Ass 2 – Overview/ Review (with Spoilers)
Overview Up the ante, up the violence, and up the hormones because while everything you love from the first returns and definitely outdoes itself, the repercussions from the first movie and decisions made in this movie lead to a whole lot of tears, fears, and tingly sensations. Review (with Spoilers)
The Pretty One – Overview/ Review (with Spoilers)
Overview Though we are used to seeing twins swap places, how about a twin swapping places after one dies? Review (with Spoilers) This was another film that premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival a year ago that I just couldn’t get to. Which is unfortunate because it had Zoe Kazan in it, Jake Johnson, and…
The 5th Wave – Overview/ Review (with Spoilers)
Overview Despite Chloe Grace Moretz’s involvement, write this off as another book adaptation following all the familiar steps in hopes that you’ll make this the next big time movie franchise. Trigger Warning(s): Needles, Gun Violence, and Dead Bodies
The Equalizer – Overview/ Review (with Spoilers)
Overview A man who has retired from working for the government finds his work family threatened, as well as this young woman who he tries to give a little faith to. Trigger Warning(s): Depictions of torture and up close murders Review (with Spoilers) It can be argued that when it comes to Black actors who…
In Your Eyes – Overview/ Review (with Spoilers)
Overview This is perhaps, without much doubt, one of the weirdest romance films you may see that doesn’t have a strong use of violence. Review (with Spoilers) Between Zoe Kazan and Joss Whedon, these were two names upon the discovery of this film which made me think to bypass watching a trailer for neither could…
Shangri-La Suite (Kill The King) – Overview/ Review (with Spoilers)
Overview A boy whose childhood abuse drove him mad meets a girl from the suburbs bored with her life. He talks about killing Elvis, she is in love, so off to LA they go. Trigger Warning(s): Gun Violence Review (with Spoilers) As likely said before, being an Emily Browning fan is difficult. For with every…
Chocolate City – Overview/ Review (with Spoilers)
Overview Like many productions which are rip-offs, Chocolate City hardly offers anything to distance itself from the more familiar property, with the exclusion of the amount of toned Black bodies. Review (with Spoilers) – Below
Chris Tucker LIVE – Overview/ Review (with Spoilers)
Introduction Like many, between Def Comedy Jam, Friday, and many other movies, I found myself laughing my behind off watching Chris Tucker in the 90s. However, after spending an hour and a half watching his comedy special, I have come to the conclusion that maybe the reason why he hasn’t released a comedy special of…
Cinderella – Overview/ Review (with Spoilers)
Overview Disney’s live action of Cinderella does contain laughter and tender moments, but with the melodrama made to deepen the plot, there is slight imperfection. Director: Kenneth Branagh Writer: Chris Weitz Review (with Spoilers) – Below
The Fundamentals of Caring – Overview/ Review (with Spoilers)
Overview A smart ass handicapped kid, as if there is any other kind, finds himself with a caregiver who is trying to get him out into the world. Yeah, it sounds familiar, doesn’t it? Rating: TV Viewing Trigger Warning(s): Ableism Characters Worth Noting Ben (Paul Rudd) | Trevor (Craig Roberts) | Dot [Dorothy] (Selena Gomez)
Chappie – Overview/ Review (with Spoilers)
Overview Chappie is the type of film you’d expect out of Marvel, yet with no human superhero, more diversity, a bit more vulgarity, and much more violence. Review (with Spoilers) – Below
Brotherly Love – Overview/ Review (with Spoilers)
Overview Brotherly Love is certainly appealing but at the same time, it seems like a TV movie that somehow ended up in theaters. Trigger Warning(s): Gun Violence Review (with Spoilers) – Below
Freeheld – Overview/ Review (with Spoilers)
Overview It all begins as a simple love story between two women and dissolves into one gay man using their love story to push for gay marriage in New Jersey. Trigger Warning(s): Homophobia, Vomiting (Sounds), and Depiction of Someone Going Through Cancer
