Maddie McDougall’s Top 10 Films of 2021

Another year of fantastic filmmaking has come to a close. Film fans far and wide will be sharing their favorites of twenty-twenty-one, and I am certainly no exception to the rule. I am so grateful for having gotten to see so many films this year, from virtual Sundance to better-than-usual streaming releases. Despite the fact that I watched more than 50 new releases this year, there are still many that I have not gotten the chance to see. I am sure that if I had seen them before writing this list, C’Mon, C’Mon, Licorice Pizza, and Red Rocket would have strong chances at making an appearance on this list. They surely would have to put up a fight with this phenomenal Top 10, however. So sit back, have a skim, and feel free to pass judgement on my personal assessment on some of the best that 2021 had to offer.

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Maddie McDougall’s Top Ten Films of 2020

2020 was a crazy year, to say the least. Ostensibly, one of the only good things to come being stuck inside for months at a time was the abundance of time that was given to us to watch movies. While we may have been bummed about the rescheduling of films such as Dune and The French Dispatch (2021 will be the year of Timothée Chalamet), it is secretly a blessing in disguise. Continue reading “Maddie McDougall’s Top Ten Films of 2020” →

Review: ‘Mank’ Offers an Escape to the Glitz of 1930’s Hollywood

One of modern cinema’s most celebrated directors has made a triumphant return with a story 80 years in the making. David Fincher’s newest feature, Mank, hit Netflix in the early hours of December 4th, bringing Christmas early for many Fincher fanatics (such as myself). It had been six years since the release of 2014’s acclaimed Gone Girl and the extended gap (in terms of how frequently Fincher has historically released his films) left much riding on these 132 minutes. Continue reading “Review: ‘Mank’ Offers an Escape to the Glitz of 1930’s Hollywood” →

Review: ‘The Devil All the Time’: The Road to Chaos is Paved with Good Actors

Antonio Campos’ new Netflix film, The Devil All the Time, can be called many things; but subtle is not one of them. There are not many words in the English language to quantify the insanity of this picture. Truly, the most accurate description is that all 138 minutes are completely bonkers. This multi-generataional epic follows the lives of several families connected to Knockemstiff, Ohio from the mid-1940’s to the 1960’s. Continue reading “Review: ‘The Devil All the Time’: The Road to Chaos is Paved with Good Actors” →

Review: Elisabeth Moss Shines in ‘The Invisible Man’

After Y2K, people probably thought there wasn’t much left that technology could do to scare us. Then, director Leigh Whannell retrofitted H.G. Wells’ novel to today’s technologically advanced backdrop and cast a wildly talented actress to bring this terrifying concept to life. Now I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to look at the Cloak of Invisibility from Harry Potter the same every again. Continue reading “Review: Elisabeth Moss Shines in ‘The Invisible Man’” →

Review: ‘The Assistant’ Paints a Bleak Picture of the Place of Women in the Workplace

There seem to be two different definitions of what an ‘assistant’ is. The one that most of us understand is that of someone who acts as a companion and aid in handling business and financial matters. To the unnamed film executive portrayed in The Assistant, an assistant is someone who acts as a personal punching bag and micro-manages the life of their incompetent employer. Continue reading “Review: ‘The Assistant’ Paints a Bleak Picture of the Place of Women in the Workplace” →

Review: ‘The Last Full Measure’ Is a Well-Intentioned Pander to Audiences’ Sentimentality

The Vietnam War is one of the darkest spots on the long scroll of American history. One of the bloodiest battles in one of the most violent wars in recent memory was the Battle of Xa Cam My, the repercussions of which are chronicled in Todd Robinson’s first feature since 2013, The Last Full Measure. This film follows the trials undertaken by Pentagon lawyer, Scott Huffman, thirty-two years after Xa Cam My to get the Medal of Honor awarded posthumously to war hero, William H. Pitsenbarger. Pitsenbarger, affectionately referred to as ‘Pits’ by his comrades, was an Air Force Pararescueman who stepped in to assist the wounded on the ground of Xa Cam My after the Infantry’s medic was injured. Pitsenbarger was unfortunately killed during the battle after continually opting to stay on the ground. A group of his friends and the men he rescued initially petitioned for his Medal of Honor soon after the Vietnam War ended, but it was denied. In 1997, one of the men, Tully, approached Huffman with a renewed vigor and a new attempt for the Medal. Ultimately, they succeeded in earning the Medal for Pitsenbarger, who ultimately rescued over 60 men.

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Review: In Need of a Good Eye Roll? ‘The Turning’ Has You Covered

Exposure therapy is a method of treatment targeted toward anxiety disorders. It works by exposing the patient to the source of their anxiety in a non-threatening environment in order to desensitize them to it. This is exactly what has happened to ghost movies over the past few decades. There are tropes that define nearly every entry in the genre and cause them to all be nearly identical save for a different mentally perturbed damsel in distress. Some of these tropes include, but are not limited to; prolonged silences filled with swelling string music as the protagonist wanders through a dark room, footprints appearing on the floor without any corporeal form attached to them, children talking to ghosts, children drawing disturbing pictures of themselves and said ghosts, and certain areas of creepy old houses being off limits to the protagonist. The Turning falls victim to all of these tropes and then some.

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Maddie McDougall’s Top Ten Films of 2019

2019 was perhaps the first year where I was very cognizant of recent releases and the films that were most likely going to be up for the big awards; The Oscars, the Globes, etc. I have always been a huge proprietor of watching these award shows every year, but now I have actually seen enough of them to feel as if I can truly understand the struggles that go into narrowing down such competitive categories. 2019 proved to be a fantastic year for me to begin my journey into the world of film as it was filled to the brim with top of the line films and performances to populate the lineup for the 2020 award season. My full list of 2019 films ranked can be found here. Without further ado, in honor of the upcoming 92nd Academy Awards ceremony, here is my list of the top 10 films of 2019. Enjoy.

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Review: ‘Marriage Story’ Offers a Profound Perspective on Modern Stories of Love and Divorce

In Noah Baumbach’s newest feature, Marriage Story, opens the soon to be separated Charlie (Adam Driver) and Nicole (Scarlett Johansson) are asked to write a list of what they love about each other to ease them into what they hope to be an amicable process of disconnecting their intricately merged lives. If asked to write a list of what there is to love about this film, there would be too much to say.

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