Beyond the Glitter: Delving into the Depths of 'Triangle of Sadness'
Triangle of Sadness is more than a satire on the fashion industry. It's a bold examination of the human condition, vanities, and vulnerabilities. It nudges us to reflect on what we value most and what it means to be truly human.
Couch Potato: Asian and Asian American Narratives for APAHM
So, whether you're seeking the epic tale of survival in "Life of Pi," the poignant exploration of love in "The Big Sick," or the empowering journey of Mulan in the Disney classic, each film in this curated collection brings something unique.
Looking–ahead: 2023 Films
The beginning of a new year is a time of hopeful anticipation: for what we expect to come and what we never knew we wanted in the first place. This goes for relationships, career changes, and, yes, even the movies. Each year is bookmarked by the notable points of popular culture that adorn its calendar.
The Best of the Newest: 10 Movies You Should See
The midpoint of every year is plagued with absolute dregs regarding film choices. The term ‘Dumpuary’ floats around in film fandom circles every year through January and February as studios dump the movies they lack confidence in and see if anything can land with audiences.
Back to Woodsboro: Scream (2022)
The era of the legacy sequel has been upon us for some time now. We’ve seen almost every monumental franchise from our childhoods and the previous generations' childhoods get the reboot treatment in the last 7 or 8 years. Whether it be Star Wars, Ghostbusters, Halloween, or Terminator, the big studios are obsessed with legacy sequels.
Scream: A Franchise Retrospective
Upon release in 1996, the original Scream set off a cataclysm of events: reinventing the stale genre of slashers and shaping its form for the remaining decade. The subsequent three sequels varied wildly in quality but ultimately united into a fascinating lineage of self-aware horror. All four films were headed by horror mastermind Wes Craven, whose undying love for the genre allowed him to lampoon the very tropes and archetypes he helped create. Now, with the fifth entry into the Scream franchise seeing release, let’s take a look back at what made each previous entry stand out: as well as what hasn’t worked.
Have We Really Saved the Movies?
2021 was shaping up to be everyone’s year to catch up: with friends, family, work, and even the movies. The communal solace of sitting in a theater and experiencing great art with a crowd of strangers had been sorely missed, but the chance to embark again was on the horizon. Each major blockbuster and indie darling alike—finally taking their rightful place on the biggest screen around after a calendar’s worth of delays. Like everything else this year, not everything quite went as planned.
Reflecting on David Lowery’s The Green Knight
The Green Knight is a decidedly difficult film to explain, as it’s premise is as simple as it is uncompromising. It appears to be a medieval action thriller, detailing the exploits of a young knight as he attempts to garner honor and status in Arthurian-esque England.
Black Boys are blue
When Moonlight came out in 2016, I hated when people called it a ‘love story.’ And that was because I never acknowledged the love Chiron and Kev had. It’s a love I believe many Black men struggle to name, because we don’t see it often. How do you heal from a wound you don’t acknowledge? How can you name something you’ve never seen?
A Sweeter Place: The newest short from Director Ricardo Bouyett
There is a certain brand of confidence that hangs over a filmmaker when they approach the genre of horror. Its conventions are so spelled out and defined that it is impossible to think that you will be the one to reinvent the genre. Many will try, but few will pave a new path in the well-driven snow. However, horror as a genre has been undergoing a revitalization of sorts.
Eric Effiong: A Strong Black Lead
One character in particular, Eric Effiong, played by Ncuti Gatwa, has become a standout in the show’s second season. Eric exemplifies everything that makes Sex Education fun. His various shades are vivid and contrasting, his decisions are precise, and his fashion is fierce.
The Observational Eye of Steve McQueen
In the words of The Atlantic Culture Writer David Sims, “Steve McQueen has an eye for the tiniest of details...even when making a Hollywood blockbuster, McQueen can coax powerful political commentary from a banal sequence.” Therein lies the power of Steve McQueen as a filmmaker. His attention to the minor things cements him as one of the most important voices in film today.
Five Documentaries for Black History Month
There is a rich and entirely separate art to the creation of a truly enticing documentary film. There are so many operative modes of documentary filmmaking that to list them all as plainly “non-fiction” would be disingenuous. A film that aligns itself with the tenets of cinéma vérité is not the same as a Ken Burns film, just as Agnes Varda’s “The Gleaners and I” is not the same type of film as Demott and Kreines’ “Seventeen.”
Judas and The Black Messiah
Anchored by electric filmmaking, courtesy of Shaka King, “Judas and the Black Messiah” is an immediately timeless and important work. The film is instantaneously gripping, as it centers around Fred Hampton, deputy chairman of the Black Panther Party, and the plot of the FBI and Chicago Police to have him assassinated.
Max Thomas On Comedy and Mobilizing
If laughter is the best medicine, then Max Thomson heals people one joke at a time. This comedian, actor, writer, and community organizer based in Chicago uses comedy to speak out about oppression and rally against injustices. In sitting down with him, I witnessed how fundamental Max’s activism is to his art. He creatively uses humor not merely as a mode of entertainment, but also as a form of critique and mobilization.
Living Your Truth (LYT)
From the very start of Living Your Truth (also stylized as LYT), it is bluntly apparent that the filmmakers are trying to say something. Narration floats out immediately, delivered in a powerful and ever-present tone by Ms. Momma JackieJ: “So, I told a lot of lies...I say there were flowers on the bush that needed to be.” Right from the jump, you are given a thought to ponder upon.
MOTHER!
We have come to expect many of the same storytelling devices from the horror genre. These movies use tension, monsters, and creepy motifs in the hope of getting its audience to feel one thing: fear. They want you to fear death, bugs, pain—anything they can throw on screen to make you jump in your seat. Director Darren Aronofsky’s Mother! (2017), however, wants nothing of the kind.
Life of Pi
Director Ang Lee’s Life of Pi (2012), based on Yann Martel’s novel by the same name, illustrates a tale about faith—faith in oneself, in others, and in God. Outwardly, it tells the story of a boy lost at sea in the company of a tiger. But, like religion, this story may point to something greater than its literal worth. With glassy waters and orange skies, Life of Pi presents the visually stunning, psychologically unbearable, and spiritually enlightening coming to age narrative that makes me wish I read the book first.
Distracting Yourself From Disaster
In times of upheaval, disaster, or stress, we crave distractions. We desire a sense of normalcy wherein that feeling might be assuaged. For someone like myself, the compounding of issues in our world has only hurt my ability to find those distractions. I have succeeded in finding this escape only through the relentless rewatching of films. On sleepless nights, of which there are many, my film of choice has been “Stop Making Sense,” the Talking Heads concert film directed by Jonathon Demme. Not only does it merge my two favorite pastimes, those being concerts and Jonathon Demme, but it allows me to recall two things I can no longer do—go to a concert and see a new Jonathon Demme film. It is through the silver screen that I am able to find some semblance of normalcy amidst this exceptionally abnormal time.
5 Must-Watch Short Films out of NOFF 2020
The art of the short film sometimes goes unnoticed amidst the monoliths of cinematic expression. Despite being as enthusiastic as one can be about film, I tend to forget that every great filmmaker starts somewhere. And, for many, that somewhere is with the short film. So, while covering the wide array of wonderful feature length films at the New Orleans Film Festival, I wanted to highlight some of the great short films that I was able to watch through the festival’s virtual cinema. I’ve chosen five that I think everyone should keep their eyes on. They range in genre and scope so wildly that the following might not be the best indicator of the kinds of films on schedule at the festival, but they are certainly the ones that caught my attention.