“History is a merciless judge. It lays bare our tragic blunders and foolish missteps and exposes our most intimate secrets, wielding the power of hindsight like an arrogant detective who seems to know the end of the mystery from the outset.”
― David Grann, Killers of the Flower Moon: Oil, Money, Murder and the Birth of the FBI
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.
Continue reading “Review: ‘Wish’ is A Movie I Wished Was More”
From its initial release in 2014, Five Nights at Freddy’s became an overnight phenomenon. The horror video game series has remained relevant within popular culture thanks to recognizable mascots and cryptic storytelling that oozes intrigue. Despite the franchise’s campy yet frightening premise of surviving security shifts against haunted mascot animatronics, it contains a behemoth of a story spanning multiple games, spin offs, and novels. After a tumultuous eight long years of development, that list grows to include a film adaptation by director Emma Tammi. A big concern for adapting video games into movies is whether the story can stand on its own, while being faithful to the source material. In that regard, Five Nights at Freddy’s excels. The film translates the gameplay of being hunted by animal mascots well with silly, but exciting chases. More importantly the film lives up to its convoluted and incomprehensible source material by telling a charmingly abysmal story.
Continue reading “Review: ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s’ is Faithful to an Entertaining Fault”
The Holdovers is set in 1970s New England at an all-boys boarding school called Barton Academy. The film encapsulates the 70s vibe with the grainy film stock and soft string-heavy music. Barton during the wintertime is laden with snow and boys who are itching to leave for winter break. Many of them come from wealthy families who have extravagant vacations planned for the holiday. One of these boys is Angus Tully (Dominic Sessa) who is looking forward to a December spent on the beach when he receives a call that his mother has canceled the vacation, and he must “holdover” at Barton throughout the holidays. His caretaker during this time is Paul Hunham (Paul Giamatti), a lonely, sarcastic teacher who attended Barton himself some years ago. They are also joined by the school chef Mary Lamb (Da’Vine Joy Randolph) who is grieving her son lost in Vietnam. The trio forms an unlikely bond throughout the holidays while each deal with their own issues of loneliness and loss. They find comfort in each other’s company despite Tully’s repeated attempts to escape.
“It’s amazing how physically exhausting it can be to do nothing. If you are unable to endure boredom, this work is not for you.” — The Killer
Continue reading “Review: ‘The Killer’ Executes a Killer New Take on the Assassin Sub-Genre”
A possibly murderous mystery where Marriage Story meets courtroom drama, French director Justine Triet presents Anatomy of a Fall. After premiering at Cannes Film Festival this year and winning the prestigious Palme d’Or, this film has proven to be one worthy of audiences worldwide. From beginning to end, Anatomy of a Fall is an entertaining and emotionally driven film with questions around each corner to keep the audience’s attention on lock.
Continue reading “Review: ‘Anatomy of a Fall’ has All the Right Parts”
“Godhood is just like girlhood: a begging to be believed” -Kristin Chang
“Always an angel, never a god” -boygenius
Continue reading “Review: Like Life in Plastic, ‘Barbie’ is Fantastic”
“Podcasting is not a love language!”
For this week’s UW Film Club podcast, we talk about the 2023 animated film Nimona (Nick Bruno, Troy Quane), discussing its story, progressive queer themes and its overall place within the current Renaissance of mainstream American animation.
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).
Continue reading “Review: ‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts’ Doesn’t Quite Rise to the Top”