The first thing The Clan shows us is archival footage and historical text, establishing a rapidly changing political climate in Argentina. It’s a shakedown of the corrupt officials, who ran the country’s dictatorship between 1976 and 1983, while a democracy…
Movie Review: ‘Embrace of the Serpent’
There’s a scene early in Embrace of the Serpent where a German ethnographer, Theo (Jan Bijvoet), has his compass stolen from him by a Amazonian tribe he has befriended, after learning about the object’s navigational powers. It’s an intelligently written…
Batman, Superman & superhero narcissism
Man of Steel (directed by Zack Snyder) was released in 2013 to a decidedly mixed critical response. The standard in which critics spoke of the film seemed rather impartial. Some complained about its grey tone or its excesses in action…
Movie Review: ‘A Brighter Summer Day’
A Brighter Summer Day is a cinematic soul search, a hulking beast of a film that can only meagerly be described as epic. With a four hour run-time, this masterpiece from Taiwan is almost indescribable in what it accomplishes. Rejected by…
Movie Review: ‘The Little Prince’
The Little Prince is an adaptation of a widely acclaimed children’s book (of the same name) by author and artist Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. Unfortunately, adapting any book comes with intense scrutiny from its readers, most of whom would sooner outright…
The Film Canon: Funny Games (1997)
Upon first viewing of Funny Games I was certain this was a film made by a clever provocateur of sorts. My suspicions were wrong, as Funny Games is very clearly the work of a deterministic auteur, if a virulently pessimistic one.…
How Zootopia Mastered Social Commentary
Zootopia is brimming with social commentary, racial subtext being a primary component to the development of its characters. Its protagonist, Judy, is a rabbit who despite her unmatched abilities as a police officer faces discrimination at the hands of her…