Don’t be misled by the movie poster and trailer, Arrival is a cerebral sci-fi thriller about the nature of time and the sequence of events in our lives. While there are visual aspects that are straight out of the Hollywood sci-fi tentpole alien invasion storyline, the film offers a slower and more thoughtful exploration of the core question that various human tribes have asked since the very first invasion: why are you here? The mysterious…Read More
Review: The Butler
There have been two major films about the Black American experience released in 2012, 12 Years a Slave and The Butler. The former is about a particularly interesting moment in American history when the North saw blacks as equal citizens while the South still viewed them as slaves, property, second class citizens. It’s a powerful and moving film with an extraordinary performance by Chiwetel Ejiofor as the enslaved Solomon Northup. The Butler is more recent history, focused…Read More
Review: Repo Men
Let me just start my review by saying that Repo Men was awful. Graphic, bloody, and with a staggering body count, this is all that’s wrong with Hollywood action films, a glossy sheen on a completely vapid, empty story that works against itself in scene after scene. Then, the worst of all is the surprise ending, a twist that’s always frustrated me. I won’t reveal it, but if you do suffer through this dreck, you’ll…Read More