Review: ‘Yesterday’, All Its Troubles Were Not Far Away and It Looks Like They Are Here to Stay, Oh I Don’t Believe in ‘Yesterday’

John Lennon. Paul McCartney. George Harrison. Ringo Starr. The Beatles. Uttering these names, not only do they make you think of iconic albums like Yellow Submarine and Abbey Road, but they also remind us of the global and cultural impact The Beatles had on the world. They inspired a whole new generation of music, a whole new way of thinking about the world, and a whole new way of thinking about pop culture. For many, they were the leaders of the 60’s counterculture. Thus, when I heard the premise of Danny Boyle’s Yesterday, I was intrigued. A world without the Beatles, that’s an interesting rabbit hole to look around. However, after the first thirty minutes of the film, I knew Yesterday was just going to be another warm and fuzzy sing-along.

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Review: ‘Midsommar’ is the Self-Empowerment Film We Needed for the Summer

What do you get when you combine a pagan cult with a group of unassuming friends, psychedelic drugs, broad daylight, and demonic rituals? Well, you get a summer self-empowerment film in Midsommar. Yes, Midsommar, the psychological horror thriller, directed by Ari Aster, creator of last years’ horrifying hit Hereditary, is a self-empowerment film, and it is a damn good one as well.

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Review: ‘3 Faces’ is a Quiet and Provocative Feminist Tale

3 Faces played on May 18th at the Seattle International Film Festival and is coming to year round SIFF from June 28th to July 4th at SIFF Uptown.

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Nine years ago, after Iran’s installment of his 20-year filmmaking ban, director Jafar Panahi, as a form of rebellion, smuggled his film, This is Not a Film, through a cake to get it to Cannes. Despite the attempt to silence him, Panahi sent a message: He will still create films. Since the establishment of this ban, Panahi has directed three films, risking six extra years added toward his ban for every new movie, the latest of which being 3 Faces. 

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Review: ‘High Flying Bird’ Lacks the Swagger of its Subject Matter

Three years ago, director Steven Soderbergh finally decided to come out of retirement. Despite the mysteriousness surrounding his reasoning, it’s clear that Soderbergh wanted to direct his own way, vowing to shoot his films exclusively on iPhones, if given the chance. With the moderate success of his first iPhone endeavor, Unsane, it is no surprise that Soderbergh continues this vow in his latest film that explores NBA politics, High Flying Bird.

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Review: Director Jia Zhang Ke Continues His Examination of Chinese Globalization in ‘Ash is Purest White’

If you take one look at director Jia Zhang Ke’s filmography, there are two things he consistently does in his films. The first is his inclusion of actress Zhao Tao. The second is his examination of contemporary Chinese globalization. In Ash is Purest White, Jia Zhang Ke sticks with what he’s most comfortable with, and in doing so, creates a heart-aching piece that has us examining the effects of rapid globalization in China.

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Cynthia Li’s Top Ten Films of 2018

This was the first year that I actively saw new releases in the theater rather than waiting for them to come out on streaming services. While MoviePass was still a functioning entity, there were weeks in which I watched a new film every day. However, with that gone along with 2018, it is time for me to look back on my favorite films of 2018. Before I jump into my list, I have to briefly give honorable mentions to First Man, Minding the Gap, Incredibles 2, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, You Were Never Really Here, First Reformed, Annihilation, Blackkklansman and If Beale Street Could Talk. Honestly, I could have made a Top 20 list, but here are my Top 10 films of 2018:

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Review: ‘Mary Poppins Returns’ Needs a Few More Spoonfuls of Sugar

Children, grab your pitchforks: the adults are jaded again! Or at least that’s what Disney wants you to believe with its second live-action film of the year featuring the same recurring theme. Unlike Christopher Robin, Mary Poppins Returns has more to live up to seeing as it’s the sequel to one of the most beloved films of all time. Also unlike Christopher Robin (or the original Mary Poppins for that matter), Mary Poppins Returns falls short of being anything memorable.

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Review: ‘Vice’ is a Glorified Wikipedia Page

At first, Vice predicates itself on an intriguing concept: create a funny and darkly satirical biopic based on one of the world’s nastiest and most powerful men. It begs the question: “How does one make Dick Cheney — one of the most humorless men in America — actually humorous?” Director and screenwriter Adam McKay, who has tackled difficult subjects with a satirical tone before, seemed perfect for the job. However, instead of the biting script, perfectly timed comedic moments, and clear tone we have come to expect from McKay in the wake of The Big Short, Vice is merely a glorified, surface-level Wikipedia page.

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Review: ‘Shoplifters’ Questions What It Means to Be a Family

Each year it seems that one foreign film captures the eye of the American public. This year, it comes in the form of Roma. Last year, A Fantastic Woman. The year before that The Salesman, whose director infamously refused to accept his academy award in protest of President Trump’s travel ban.  However, despite the critical success of these films, it seems that each year, a group of unique and interesting foreign films get overlooked by the ‘Romas’ of their respective year. One film that I hope doesn’t succumb to this fate is Shoplifters.

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Review: ‘The Girl In The Spider’s Web’ is an Action Thriller that Forgot Its Story

In 2011, David Fincher showed us that adapting Stieg Larsson’s Millennium series for American audiences was possible, following the Swedish adaptations in 2009. Lisbeth Salander, one of the most complex and interesting female characters in literature was given renewed life on the big screen. Not only was it a box office hit, but it was nominated for five academy awards and won one for Best Film Editing. Fast-forward seven years later: I never thought I would see a sequel adapted from the fourth book in the Millennium series starring a whole different cast and directed by a completely different director, yet here we are.

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