family
While not as perfect as the original, Beauty & the Beast is an elegant and magnificent display that true love for a film never dies.
Though with an unimaginative score, Akron effectively tells a story about two gay men who meet and fall in love in Midwestern America.
Departure is a coming-of-age film focused on the budding romance between a boy and his friend, yet it doesn’t fully succeed in this prospect.
I first discovered Jeff Nichols back in 2013, when I happened to catch Mud in theaters. Not knowing what to expect, I still remember distinctly how I felt walking out of the theater – I absolutely loved everything about the film. I was stunned by its raw, understated beauty, with characters that lived and breathed, and a coming-of-age story that was uniquely captivating.
Gentleman’s Agreement is not merely an indictment of anti-Semitism, but a film that also “agrees” with the domestic concerns of its day.
Revisiting Edward Yang’s A BRIGHTER SUMMER DAY, a complex and emotional film that explores the past and the present in its 4 hour runtime.
The Empowerment Project is a feel-good documentary, made by women travelling the country and interviewing strong women in positions of power.
Kaili Blues is a debut feature that is inspired by many Chinese filmmakers that came before; yet it emerges as a unique and compelling film.
With 2016 ending in cinematic glory, we look back at the widespread success of family films and how they are vital to the cinematic landscape
Disney’s latest film, Moana is sure to please crowds, but it plays it safe by recycling a story that has been told to exhaustion.
Little Men is a quiet character study that manages to demonstrate the effect gentrification has on two families, without ever uttering that word or making it a thesis rallying against the modernisation of different communities.
Trolls is aimed as squarely at parents as it is the kids, who likely won’t be as familiar with the terrifically tressed toy trolls as they were say, Angry Birds. Probably not a problem. A comeback seems likely.
To title your film with the superlative ‘Fantastic’ is playing with fire. Firstly, in this age of Marvel’s silver screen domination and DC’s valiant attempts to catch up, it would be understandable for any jaded cinema-goer to skip this one, expecting another facile, spandex-clad superhero epic; secondly, if it fails the headlines write themselves, and every movie critic worth their salt would crowbar in a reference to the irony of the film’s title. Luckily, Matt Ross’ sophomore effort Captain Fantastic, following 2012’s 28 Hotel Rooms, will have few critics drawing knives, and anyone eagerly searching for an antithesis to the recent barrage of superhero blockbusters in cinemas will be satisfied, if not delighted, when the credits roll.
If you’ve ever wondered why fantasy has always been a popular genre in fiction, it might help knowing that all fiction is a form of fantasy, and that stories are a type of self-preservation. Take Martin Scorsese’s wildly entertaining and greatly underappreciated Shutter Island, in which the main character, Teddy, is on a mission to prove he is innocent, only for the truth to reveal that he is anything but. As Teddy becomes fully aware, he finds out that he has created an elaborate fantasy, a hyper-fiction as a ruse to shield himself from the harsh reality.
Racism in France has been a long-discussed topic within cinema, from Mathieu Kassovitz’s eponymous film La Haine to 2011’s hit comedy Les Intouchables. In recent days Muslim/Arab citizens have been the focus of racial prejudice from the French justice system; Fatima could not come at a better time with its refreshing take on Arab/French culture. Philippe Faucon adds to this conversation with a portrayal of racial tension in France.