Review: The Latest Rendition of ‘The Color Purple’ Shines Bright

In The Color Purple, directed by Blitz Bazawule, audiences relive the tale of Celie as she navigates the numerous hardships in her life in this coming-of-age musical based on the 1982 novel of the same name by Alice Walker. The expository novel was released to critical acclaim for its striking look into the hardships faced by women and African Americans in the early 20th century and won the Pulitzer Prize in Fiction in 1983. Walker’s work was also controversial having been banned, challenged, and censored numerous times across the country for its mature themes and depictions of violence. Nevertheless, this novel has integrated itself into the bookshelves of many around the world and there was roaring anticipation for the release of this year’s version based not just on the novel itself, but on the showstopping Broadway musical.

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Review: The Beautiful Grief of ‘The Boy and The Heron’

After almost a decade of secrecy, the infamous director Hayao Miyazaki has released The Boy and The Heron which is meant to act as his swan song before he finally retires from creating animated films.

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Review: ‘Wish’ is A Movie I Wished Was More

It has been a hundred years since the infamous Walt Disney Studios was established in 1923 and defined many of our childhoods. Whether it was a world with fairies and cursed spinning wheels, singing crabs, or cuddly aliens from outer space, audiences have been always amazed by the realm of possibility which gives Disney movies their magic. Ever since its official announcement in 2022, there has been a lot of hype generated for Disney’s latest film Wish, which is meant to act as a part of the studio’s centennial celebration and feature numerous easter eggs of the beloved past Disney films. But now, looking towards the future of animated cinema, we must ask ourselves where the boundary between appreciation and a lack of imagination is.

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Review: ‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts’ Doesn’t Quite Rise to the Top

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (dir. Steven Caple Jr.) is an anticipated addition to the Transformers franchise that serves as both a prequel to the 2007 Transformers (dir. Michael Bay) and to the 2018 smash hit Bumblebee (dir. Travis Knight). It largely focuses on the Autobots, once again led by Optimus Prime (Peter Cullen), as they attempt to save Earth once again from the Decepticons with the help of some new technorganic beings and human friends including military veteran electronics expert Noah Diaz (Anthony Ramos) and artifact researcher Elena Wallace (Dominique Fishback).

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Review: ‘A Good Person’ Sends a Good Message

Grief. It’s an emotion that is frequently paired with loss; the loss of an opportunity, an item, or in this film’s case, a loved one. It’s a complicated, messy emotion that sometimes leads a person to perform questionable actions while they are at their worst. But as A Good Person plays on, we are forced to look at the actions of almost every character and truly ask ourselves “What does it mean to be a good person?”

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Malia Callier’s Top 10 Films of 2022

Looking back at the past year, it’s safe to say that the cinema experience has changed for me. After spending the pandemic sitting on the couch watching movies from the comfort of my own home, it was a breath of fresh air to be able to be able to sit in a movie theater again and watch films on the big screen. It takes a lot to get oneself out of the death scroll of their phone, but here are what I thought were the best films of 2022 that were able to demand my attention and keep it entirely. While I accept criticism, I do not accept slander. So just as a warning, the trainwreck Jurassic World, Plane, and that Fantastic Beast movie with no actually notable fantastic beasts won’t even touch this list.

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Review: ‘Plane’ Didn’t Land

In today’s day and age, big budget action films dominate the box office. Wowing the audience with violence, CGI, and outlandish heroic feats, they seem to always bring in raving reviews and satiate the viewers need for a just resolution. But in Plane, one doesn’t need to be an expert to see that in writing this film doesn’t satisfy.

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Review: ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ is a Goodbye and a New Horizon

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (dir. Ryan Coogler) is the sequel to Marvel’s Black Panther (2018). Wakanda Forever is exactly what Marvel’s Phase Four of the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) needs to say goodbye to the late Chadwick Boseman (who died in 2020), as well as reintroduce some beloved characters and debut refreshing new ones.

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