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< Back The Fabelmans reveals how life-changing it can be to discover your passion at an early age Amblin Entertainment, 2022 151 minutes Director/Writer: Steven Spielberg / Steven Spielberg and Tony Kushner Reading Time: 6 minutes The Fabelmans Just A Dream (IP2HUBXOLYGHAIN2) 00:00 / 06:46 📷 : Used with permission, Edgar Ascensão https://edgarascensao.bigcartel.com/ Barley Movies and TV shows with a lot of dialog Jasmine Movies and TV shows with heart, positive vibes, and warm messages Reba Chaisson 2023-03-07 Some people might question if this film fits in the indie sector and should instead be viewed as a mainstream drama/biopic. This is fair I suppose, given that it was distributed in big theaters, shown on big screens, is connected to Steven Spielberg, and oh, is about Steven Spielberg himself – arguably one of the greatest film directors to ever grace a studio lot. Still though, I would argue that The Fabelmans is nonetheless a story; a small, tight, very personal story kneaded, molded, and lightly shaped, yet shaped perfectly in the indie tradition. This element, which is at the very center, the very origin of indie film’s birth about 30 years ago, makes The Fabelmans a quintessential indie film. The Fabelmans is the coming-of-age story about Sam “Sammy,” the oldest child and only boy in a family of four siblings, headed by Burt Fabelman, a brilliant and ambitious computer engineer, and Mitzi Fabelman, a talented but eccentric classical pianist. In addition to the family of six is the ever-present Benny Loewy, the seventh wheel played by Seth Rogen. Burt’s best friend and colleague, “Uncle Benny” joins the family for picnics, camping trips, and seemingly every dinner at the Fabelman home. After a while, I began to ask, why is he always there? Doesn’t he have a family? Amid raucous humor over dinner one night, even Grandma Fabelman chimes, “Natalie, he is not your uncle!” “He is only always here because he works for my son.” Initially set in New Jersey, the movie opens with Burt and Mitzi cajoling 7-year-old Sammy into going into the movie theater with them, insisting he will love it and that the movie is not real but just “photographs that move past faster than your brain can let go of them [tricking] us into believing the motionless pictures are moving.” Sammy relents and he is both mesmerized by what he sees and forever hooked. Played by Gabriel LaBelle ( Dead Shack , The Predator ), Sammy, now a teenager, makes movies with his friends in period clothing on authentic-looking sets, and presents the films at school functions. He is serious about movie-making and aspires to do it for a career. Sammy is very close to his non-traditional but sometimes quirky mother, played by Michelle Williams ( Manchester by the Sea , My Week with Marilyn ). A warm and loving mother, Mitzi is always seemingly starving to be the center of attention. She dances for them on camping trips, gets a monkey for a pet, and serves nightly dinner on paper plates with plastic utensils atop a paper tablecloth. There is a method to her madness though, and what seems like eccentricity is not necessarily so. Burt, played by Paul Dano ( There Will Be Blood , Love & Mercy ), views Sammy’s movie-making as a hobby and lovingly insists he should focus on doing “real work” that leads to a “real career,” like becoming an engineer. It is not uncommon for parents to impose their own career aspirations on their kids or to want their kids to follow in their footsteps. Unless encouraged to do so, children who go their own way are often viewed as being selfish. Indeed, when Mitzi loses a loved one, Burt asks Sammy to put off his “hobby” to make a film that would make his mother happy. The 16-year-old pushes back on this, “Dad, I have 40 people coming tomorrow …” Calling him “selfish,” Burt insists and then pleads for his help in making his mother happy. This, however, proves to be a mistake. As Sammy relents and splices clips for a movie that will “make his mother happy,” he stumbles on a pattern of scenes he did not want to see that tell a story he did not want to know. Together, they turn his peace of mind and sense of security on their heads, shifting the teenager’s world as if tectonic plates are suddenly moving underneath his feet. For someone who takes such joy in putting together a film for other people’s enjoyment, he was faced for the first time with making a movie he could not even enjoy himself. He is forced to tell a story that fits an occasion but leaves out the truth. The Fabelmans shows how Sammy uses his moviemaking to communicate and connect. Despite the antisemitic bullying he experiences in his Arizona high school, he uses his camera to show his fellow students who they were and what they looked like, as if perhaps seeing themselves could affect a change within them. In this way, the film hints at the transformative power of motion pictures. That how we see ourselves represented on screen, including our interactions with one another, teaches us something about who we are, who we can — or what we want to be. In The Fabelmans , Sammy’s film softens stances, enhances understanding, and breaks down barriers – but not in every case. When he is confronted by a guilt-ridden bully, he says “All I did was hold the camera and it saw what it saw,” while another bully simply wanted to beat the hell out of him. ‘Filming only what the camera saw’ is an oversimplification though. As was revealed in the movie for his mother, a film tells whatever story the filmmaker wants to tell, must tell to fit a moment or an occasion. A cinematic presentation does not just appear on its own; it does indeed have a subjective component. Having said this though, clips of unguarded moments captured on film can reveal a deep, authentic story. And The Fabelmans is a deeply personal one that must have been very difficult to tell. The Fabelmans spans the early-1950s through late 1960s and covers the family’s move from the East Coast to the West Coast; yet, I was challenged to stumble upon any anachronisms in this 2 ½ hour-long movie. Apart from the men’s shoe-length rather than ankle-length pants, the colors, the furniture, the clocks, and even the style of the appliances were consistent with the period. For a quintessential and exquisitely developed indie film that might take you back — way back, and long for the old days, you might want to curl up to this one. 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< Back Thelma prompts us to reconsider our roles in others’ lives Bandwagon, 2024 97 minutes Director/Writer: Josh Margolin Reading Time: 6 minutes Thelma Ante (JASJU1U0XPTXNIPM) 00:00 / 06:12 📷 : Pixabay White: Movies and TV shows that make you laugh, or involve urgency, like chase scenes or other physical activity Chamomile: Family dramas Chris Chaisson 2024-07-09 Getting scammed absolutely stinks. Being set back financially is often not even the worst part. The most regrettable aspect of it is feeling both that you are too gullible and maybe even that you lack the necessary survival skills to take care of yourself. If you’re fortunate, you rebound and get a good story out of it. For some people, it may be a breaking point or an opportunity for others to write them off entirely. Regardless, anyone who’s been bamboozled wishes they can recoup their losses, and Josh Margolin’s newest comedy Thelma allows them to live vicariously through a 93-year-old woman doing just that. Played by June Squibb ( Nebraska ), Thelma is a widow in her nineties holding on to her autonomy despite her family’s concerns. She remains very close with her grandson, Daniel (Fred Hechinger, The White Lotus ), who visits her frequently and looks after her. When Thelma falls for a scam and sends $10,000 to someone pretending to be Daniel, she hatches a plan to get her money back despite Daniel and his parents (Parker Posey and Clark Gregg) attempting to dissuade her. She pairs up with an old friend, Ben (Richard Roundtree, Shaft ), at a local retirement home and goes on an adventure to track down the scammer. As more roles open up for underrepresented demographics (in this case older adults), there has been a tendency to portray them as victims who need protecting. Often, older adult characters in movies get scammed or robbed and are rescued by a younger heroic figure. Similarly, many LGBTQ+ characters are portrayed as victims of hate crimes in ways where the story abandons character development and zooms in on the violence they endure. And, as has been frequently pointed out about the 2010s, moviegoers experienced a heavy dose of films surrounding slavery and civil rights. While the increased representation is a positive for marginalized groups, a common thread is them being defined by their suffering and in need of saving. Despite being a goofy comedy with the primary objective of providing a few chuckles, Thelma bucks this cinematic trend. Rather than chalking the scam up as a loss or letting someone else track down the perpetrator, Thelma takes matters into her own hands. Aside from the understandable anger that comes with being scammed, Thelma gains motivation from overhearing her family suggest that this incident proves it is time to put her in a home. In a sense, her goal is less to retrieve $10,000 than to retain her independence. Thelma’s plan requires some ingenuity, as she must first sneak away from her overprotective family, convince Ben to tag along, and even borrow (without asking) a weapon from a doddering friend who lives alone. Through Thelma’s actions, it is clear that she is of sound mind and physically capable enough to look after herself. After all, even most young and healthy people never go through the trouble to track down their scammers (I sure as hell didn’t). Not only does Thelma have to overcome the expectations of her family, she must rebel against the ideas of those in her own age range as well. Ben feels perfectly comfortable being supported by others and tries to convince Thelma that she will be better off surrendering to her family’s perception of her. His character illustrates that just like other demographics, older adults are not a monolith. Some welcome the chance to be cared for while others actively reject it. Additionally, Daniel struggles with the concept of “acting his age.” While it is clear that he genuinely loves his grandmother, he also takes great pride in caring for her. As a young adult who recently experienced a break-up, he carries with him an insecurity that he is not growing up fast enough and assuming adult responsibilities. He views looking after Thelma as a way of establishing his self-worth. His conundrum shows how our behavior and decision-making surrounding our aging relatives can sometimes be more about us than them. Much of the film’s humor comes from poking fun at the action genre, frequently through the use of its soundtrack. Several scenes invoke music that we have gotten used to hearing in fast-paced car chases or hand-to-hand combat. Yet in Thelma , the speeding sedans and shootouts have been replaced by slow-moving motorized scooters. While the music brings to mind scenes from cult classic thrillers that contain life-and-death stakes, there is no such threat when Thelma is simply trying to bust out of Ben’s retirement home or exit the gas station unseen. Mixed in with these “action” sequences are scenes where Daniel teaches Thelma how to use social media and recurring gags involving other members and staff at Ben’s retirement home. In addition to inducing several laughs from its audience, Thelma challenges our perceptions of those we view as feeble or incapable. While it is often out of love and concern, our assumptions can quickly become patronizing or ultimately about what we want. The film serves as a reminder to not be so quick to define what our loved ones are or decide what they should desire, but simply be there for them when the time comes. A decent comparison for Thelma is another June Squibb film from 2013, Nebraska . While less humorous, the film revolves around an older character (played by Bruce Dern) taking a road trip with his son to reclaim a prize and dodging predatory people who learn of his good fortune. Both films show how aging may make you a target but it does not have to render you helpless. Previous Next Sign-up for new reviews, exclusives, deep dives, and more First name Last name Enter your email here I agree to the terms & conditions Sign-up Thanks for joining us!

< Back Full Time provides a story in which the antagonist is sheer misfortune Novoprod, 2021 88 min Director/Writer: Eric Gravel Reading Time: 4 minutes Full Time Sliced Bread (G98L3VFPEABSOVPK) 00:00 / 04:36 📷 : Pixabay Ginseng: Suspenseful and intense thrillers White: Movies and TV shows that make you laugh, or involve urgency, like chase scenes or other physical activity Chris Chaisson 2023-03-20 Films in the suspense genre mainly stick to escapist plots. Sometimes, they consist of characters with abnormal professions, such as an assassin or secret agent. Other times, they revolve around a very normal protagonist uprooted from his or her routine and into a stressful situation, like a family man who witnesses a mob hit. The obstacle to peace and happiness is generally a villain with malicious intent. Whether down-to-earth or fantastical, the suspense comes from the otherness of the situation itself. Eric Gravel’s French drama Full Time brings the same hair-raising intensity as other suspense films by simply displaying a single working mother attempting to maneuver around the landmines caused by a public transit strike. Julie (Laure Calamy, Only the Animals ) lives in the suburbs of Paris with her two children and works in the city as a room service attendant at an upscale hotel. Her daily routine is a pressure cooker, where she has little margin for error in terms of getting from point A to point B. Julie’s regular day-to-day stress levels increase tenfold when a union strike throws the public transit schedule out of orbit, forcing her to hitchhike and bargain her way to various locations every day before finally arriving back home. In addition to her logistical challenges, Julie’s tardiness causes her to fall out of favor with her employer and the nanny of her kids. Despite numerous attempts, she cannot get ahold of her children’s father for help, and she anxiously awaits the results of her interview for a marketing job that would pay far more than her current gig. Hearing a stranger recite all of these burdensome, stressful circumstances might make your eyes glaze over. After all, we each have our own hardships to focus on. We see this sentiment in how other busy characters react to Julie’s grievances. Even if they feel momentary sympathy, they either turn her away or briefly offer whatever help they can. Nonetheless, Full Time illustrates Julie’s struggles in a way that would induce anxiety in any empathetic audience member. Julie is always on the go and always being inconvenienced by cancellations, traffic jams, car troubles, and other external circumstances that every adult experiences. She rarely has a moment to herself, and they are usually spent thinking about the next task she needs to fulfill. Enhancing the intensity of the story and onscreen action is the brilliant film score from composer Irène Drésel. The quick tempo and ominous feel of the music from scene to scene creates a sense of dread, even though no one is chasing or threatening Julie’s safety. The stakes may not be life and death, but they are her livelihood. Losing her job, babysitter or means of transportation all feel like the end of the world, specifically since she has very few friends or family for support or comfort. Where Full Time differs from many other movies is in its lack of an active, concrete antagonist. For the most part, as audience members rooting for the main character, we are used to having a character or group to direct our ire towards, some menacing villain trying their hardest to stand in the way. Julie merely has circumstance as her antagonist, which could be all the more frustrating because she has nothing and no one to conquer. To make matters worse, no one is very understanding of her constraints and challenges. After all, we are with Julie every step of the way, whereas the other characters have their own lives to worry about. The easiest and most common comparison to the tone of Full Time is the popular, fast-paced 2019 thriller Uncut Gems , starring Adam Sandler. Howard, Sandler’s character, is an indebted jeweler who goes to great lengths to evade his collectors and survive another day. The two films have their differences, as Sandler’s antagonists are rather menacing humans as opposed to mere unfortunate circumstances. Additionally, Julie is, shall we say, a tad bit more virtuous than Sandler’s character. In any case, the pacing and music, as well as the stellar lead performances, create very similar moods between the two. If you want to empathize with the daily struggles of a working single parent, Full Time will provide the perfect emotional rollercoaster. Previous Next Sign-up for new reviews, exclusives, deep dives, and more First name Last name Enter your email here I agree to the terms & conditions Sign-up Thanks for joining us!

< Back 40 Acres makes us seriously consider the near future Magnolia Pictures, 2024 113 minutes Director/Writer: R.T. Thorne / R.T. Thorne, Glenn Taylor, Lora Campbell Reading Time: 6 minutes 40 Acres Rebellion (FSUNP56O2894XEXK) 00:00 / 07:53 📷 : Magnolia Pictures Press Kit https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/shnuoc9k3wiz44l824zkh/AA7WU3RtNVFNKyDObG3D0I0?rlkey=3atyx7kz9y3yvh65ubhttbyk5&e=1&st=ylsn0byh&dl=0 Rosemary: Movies and TV shows with intense action Coca: Movies and TV shows about drugs or with disorienting presentations Reba Chaisson 2025-06-27 When I was young my mother always insisted that I do as I was told. I was resistant to her directive—well, internally resistant anyway. I always did what she told me to do, sometimes to my detriment and often against my own self-interest. There comes a time though where doing as you’re told just doesn’t play well. At some point you need to follow your own instincts, use your own judgment, and stumble on your own so you can have new experiences, gain some wisdom, and develop your own perspective. Right? R.T. Thorne’s postapocalyptic film, 40 Acres , makes us question this self-righteous stance. Set on a farm in the not-too-distant future, 40 Acres opens with a group of about twenty men armed with guns, knives, and various swords quietly sneaking between the rows of tall corn and various vegetables. As they exit the field and approach the large farmhouse in the clearing, they begin snickering and chanting like they had achieved their goal and were about to pounce on the property and its inhabitants. Suddenly the men bringing up the rear begin falling from whisks of sniper shots to the head. Others disappear under the tops of corn as if snatched underwater by some semblance of Jaws on land. Before we know it, all the men are dead from gunfire or stabbings, and the people who killed them rise up from the corn and emerge from the farmhouse unscathed. Along with two forty-something-year-old adults are four people ranging from about 10 to 20 years old. Danielle Deadwyler leads the cast of 40 Acres as Hailey Freeman, a tough military veteran willing her family’s survival after a virus has destroyed all living cattle, forcing everyone to fend for themselves by eating only what they can grow. Cannibals, however, are a constant threat to the family’s existence, so they must remain vigilant to avoid being tortured and eaten by people who target them for food. Because of this reality, Hailey doesn’t play. When she speaks or gives a directive, like E.F. Hutton, everyone gets quiet and listens. The Freeman children are not only trained in combat but are also educated at home and held accountable for their work. When Hailey’s teenage daughter teases her little sister about being admonished for not completing a chore, Hailey immediately turns to her and says sternly, “Where is that book report you owe me?” Dissatisfied with the answer, Hailey adds a second assignment with both due in two days. The child’s humble response is only “yes ma’am.” Michael Greyeyes, a Cree actor, plays Hailey’s capable partner Gralen. Each seemingly brought a child into the relationship and then together added two more. The eldest of the family, Hailey’s son Emanuel (Kataem O’Connor), is a point of focus in the film. An early twenty-something, he is seldom permitted to venture outside the electrified gates of the farm except to take his ATV on specific errands and promptly return home. However, he deviates from his mother’s orders one day and takes a swim in a nearby stream. While getting dressed he notices a young woman (Milcania Diaz-Rojas) swimming and follows her to a clearing, where he sees a community of people. When he arrives home late, Gralen asks angrily, “Where you been?” When Emanuel explains that he got sidetracked, Gralen says, “I didn’t ask you what happened; I asked where you been.” Clearly neither Hailey nor Gralen deal in nonsense; both mean business. “Noticing” the young woman doesn’t adequately describe the degree to which Emanuel is taken by the swimmer; “entranced” is a much more apt term. Emanuel had already shown signs of longing for the company of a female when his mother burst into his room once without knocking. “Mom, could you knock?!” Being unable to engage the woman (whom we later learn is named Dawn) clearly frustrated him. His angst compelled him on this night to question his parents’ choices to isolate their family and insist that they neither speak with nor help anyone they might encounter. At their core, human beings are social animals. Psychologists and sociologists attest to what happens when we lack regular communication, social activities, and meaningful relationships with others. Without such social interaction, we become inept at engaging others, experience detachment from our feelings, and eventually fall into depression or loneliness. Given its critical importance to humans’ quality of life, should social interaction take a backseat to staying alive? Hailey and Gralen would unequivocally insist that it does. For what is quality of life without the physical existence of the body? When Dawn suddenly appears in front of the farm’s gates injured and desperate, Emanuel takes her in unbeknownst to the others. When she is discovered by his parents, Hailey angrily tells her, “I am not my son so you ain’t got nothing to offer me but answers!” What we learn is why Hailey insists her family be at their posts, trust no one, and do as they are told. The plot of 40 Acres is quite plausible. With news headlines about deadly bird flu leading to an unsafe egg supply and mad cow disease potentially infecting beef, it makes us consider the likelihood of a story like 40 Acres coming to pass. Add to this the alienating social climate today and the extent to which we seem perfectly comfortable dehumanizing people for the purpose of political and economic gain. In the event of a diminished food supply, what will we become? What are the chances that by then we will have dehumanized each other so much that demoting people in the food chain will be as easy as warming up a slice of apple pie for dessert? 40 Acres is an appropriately dark film in terms of its cinematography, and its storyline contains dark prospects for both survival and the quality of life should we survive. Danielle Deadwyler, who also played a lead role in The Piano Lesson , is powerful as Hailey Freeman. I would be quite surprised and extremely disappointed if she is not nominated for a Best Actress Oscar for this role. This film is a true indie with an ethnically mixed cast of relatively unfamiliar actors, and a plausible and intriguing storyline that we hope to also see nominated for a Best Picture Oscar. People as prey have come in the form of movies like Jumanji and Jurassic Park . In these films, humans are pursued by vociferous carnivores, so it is entirely reasonable to expect this. We are in their jungles. We have also seen films depicting cannibalism like Society of the Snow , where survivors of a plane crash consume the bodies of dead passengers in order to survive. This too can be considered reasonable. What comes closest to 40 Acres in terms of stories about human beings pursuing other human beings as prey is the Hannibal Lecter franchise, with movies like Silence of the Lambs and Hannibal . The cannibals in 40 Acres are much less classy though; they don’t consume their meals with glasses of Chianti. Previous Next Sign-up for new reviews, exclusives, deep dives, and more First name Last name Enter your email here I agree to the terms & conditions Sign-up Thanks for joining us!

< Back Birth / Rebirth provides a glimpse into desperate measures and maternal instincts Shudder, 2023 98 minutes Director/Writer: Laura Moss Reading Time: 6 minutes Birth/Rebirth The Great Beyond (ZZZSS9HONAADPC4R) 00:00 / 05:42 📷 : Pixabay Yarrow: Movies and TV shows about illness or set in hospitals or similar medical institutions Dandelion: Movies and TV shows with heavy subjects Chris Chaisson 2023-09-04 Zombie apocalypse movies and TV shows have experienced much success over the last couple of decades. While they have compelling action sequences and allow us to ponder how we would survive in such a universe, these works rarely present the undead as anything other than collateral. Most of the time, the main characters do not spend much time dwelling on the fact that the creatures used to be real people who meant something to their friends and family. It would therefore be refreshing to see a more individual, character-focused story of a revived being, and what sort of desperate actions a loved one would do to keep them alive again. Director Laura Moss’s debut feature Birth/Rebirth presents just such a story. Birth/Rebirth follows Celia (Judy Reyes, Scrubs ) and Rose (Marin Ireland, Hell or High Water ), a maternity nurse and a pathologist, respectively, thrust together when Celia’s 6-year-old daughter Lila unexpectedly passes. What appears to be a mix-up prevents Celia from seeing the body and making funeral arrangements. Needing closure, Celia tracks down Rose and discovers that she has taken Lila’s body to her apartment and is attempting to re-generate it with her makeshift medical equipment. Celia moves past her initial shock and joins the effort to keep her daughter alive. As new issues arise, Celia and Rose discover what lengths they will go to in order to accomplish reviving Lila. The synopsis of this new Shudder original lends itself to comparisons with Frankenstein . However, Birth/Rebirth offers a more emotional angle that makes its leads seem more like empathetic characters rather than mad scientists. Celia not only grieves the loss of her daughter but suffers immeasurable guilt from being too overworked to pay proper attention to Lila’s illness. Though her first reaction to what Rose is doing is disbelief and possible disapproval, Celia changes her tone and views Lila’s revival as a chance at redemption. The themes of motherhood and the need to protect one’s child at all costs comes through in her subsequent actions. To highlight this, the film depicts Celia as the only parent, having birthed Lila through in-vitro fertilization (IVF). While it could have been easy to write the father out of the picture in a number of ways, this particular method feels important, as it puts the focus entirely on a mother-daughter relationship and not the failings of an absentee parent. Rose’s differing intentions, despite having the same goal, lay the foundation for much of the film’s conflict. Unlike Celia, who has considerably more social skills and interdependence, Rose clearly does not like or desire human interaction. She perceives those around her more as potential subjects than human beings. Her emotional detachment comes through early in the film during an interaction with a barfly, with whom she engages in a sexual act simply for a sample of his sperm. Ultimately, the effort she puts into reviving Lila stems from her own preceding scientific experiments more than any need to reunite a mother and daughter. As the film progresses, the audience learns of the deep-seated trauma that influences Rose’s demeanor and motives. While the film does not have the jump scares, indiscriminate killing and other typical tropes of a sci-fi horror film, Birth/Rebirth ’s scare factor does benefit from exceptional sound design. Between sound supervisor Bryan Parker, composer Ariel Marx, and sound editor Doug Moss, director Laura Moss’s brother, the film’s audio consistently creates unease in the viewer and highlights the uncomfortable nature of the co-leads’ decision-making. The noises both in the music and in the background of any given scene complement the visuals in making the audience feel that they are in a hospital room at all times. Such sounds include struggling to breathe, the beeping of machines, and the random creaking and thumping that exist in many other horror movies. While these sounds tend to be associated with life or an unwelcome presence, Birth/Rebirth uses them to signify the battle for continued life. Much of the horror that the film provides is in its morbid realities. Though there is a little bit of pseudo-science and some supernatural elements to make the story come together, a big takeaway from the film is how much our well-being rests on the assumed integrity of medical professionals. Were they to have ulterior motives, any civilian could have their health severely compromised with possibly no repercussions. Additionally, as we see with Celia’s behavior early in the movie and at times later on, many nurses are profusely overworked and hanging on for dear life. Between the volume of patients and long shifts that she and Rose contend with, it becomes clear that they are susceptible to both honest mistakes and malicious intentions that serve their own agendas. Frankenstein may be the easiest comparison to Birth/Rebirth , but a more recent similar film would be the 2014 sci-fi drama Ex Machina . In the critically acclaimed Alex Garland film, a young programmer is invited to partake in an experiment at a remote location where he evaluates the human qualities of a robot with artificial intelligence. Upon arrival, he experiences strange behavior from both the anti-social CEO, the only other person there, and the robot itself, Ava. The programmer must get to the bottom of what is going on before the situation turns deadly. While Birth/Rebirth has less of a hi-tech feel to its aesthetic and a revived human subject rather than a robot, both have a clash of personality between their co-leads and question what it really means to be fully human. Previous Next Sign-up for new reviews, exclusives, deep dives, and more First name Last name Enter your email here I agree to the terms & conditions Sign-up Thanks for joining us!

A new crossword puzzle is available every Wednesday morning on themes around movies and television series. Crossword Wednesday - 3/11

Tuesday Trivia contains a new set of fun movie and television trivia questions every week. Tuesday Trivia

Short Films Liquor Bank Liquor Bank displays the complexities of an intervention Tea Brew: Dandelion, Honeybush Director/Writer: Marcellus Cox Reading Time: 4 minutes 📷 : Used with permission, Marcellus Cox Read More Almost Certainly False Almost Certainly False drives home the risk of reductionist language Tea Brew: Honeybush, Ginger Director/Writer: Cansu Baydar Reading Time: 5 minutes 📷 : Used with permission, Cansu Baydar Read More The First Time I Never Met You The First Time I Never Met You adds a wrinkle to the time-traveling genre Tea Brew: Coca, Saffron Director/Writer: Eric Kole Reading Time: 3 minutes 📷 : Used with permission, Eric Kole Read More A Good Day Will Come A Good Day Will Come sheds light on a real-life tragedy Tea Brew: Dandelion, Honeybush Director/Writer: Amir Zargara Reading Time: 4 minutes 📷 : Used with permission, Amir Zargara Read More Life After Life After presents a short story with a big screen feel Tea Brew: Ginseng, Ginger Director/Writer: Jesse Edwards Reading Time: 4 minutes 📷 : Used with permission, Evolve Studios Read More River of Grass River of Grass makes us consider the predicaments of young veterans Tea Brew: Dandelion, Honeybush Director/Writer: Derek Magyar / Jon Bloch, Chad Christopher, and Derek Magyar Reading Time: 3 minutes 📷 : Used with permission, Skinny Lee Productions Read More Load more

TV Shows Dope Thief Dope Thief shares important lessons about family Tea Brew: Coca, Rosemary 📷 : Apple Studios Creator: Peter Craig Reading Time: 6 minutes Read More The Studio The Studio provides laughs with its bungling protagonist Tea Brew: Ginkgo Biloba, White 📷 : Used with permission, Christian Niemann Creator: https://www.instagram.com/justbychris/ https://x.com/justbychris Evan Goldberg Reading Time: 5 minutes Read More Your Friends & Neighbors Your Friends & Neighbors gives a birds-eye view into a type of social mobility Tea Brew: Ginger, Honeybush 📷 : Apple Studios Creator: Jonathan Trooper Reading Time: 6 minutes Read More Black Doves Black Doves, a quirky spy thriller that avoids tokenism Tea Brew: Matcha, Ginseng 📷 : Used with permission, Netflix Creator: Joe Barton Reading Time: 7 minutes Read More Echo Echo shines a light on the gifts of generations past Tea Brew: Coca, Masala Chai 📷 : Used with permission, Rye Coleman Creator: https://www.instagram.com/coleman811/ Marion Dayre Reading Time: 9 minutes Read More Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist makes us reprioritize the gift of respect Tea Brew: Barley, Matcha 📷 : Used with permission, Geoffrey Riccio Creator: http://www.riccioproductions.com/ Shaye Ogbonna Reading Time: 9 minutes Read More Load more

Crumpets Food for Thought! Imagine taking an afternoon break on a calm sunny day in the low 70s. You sit in a nearby park filled with maples and oaks, birds chirping, and a pond with families of ducks floating about. In your 15 to 20 minutes of bliss, you sip your Sage tea while engrossed in an article about the changing cultural landscape of movie‑going, why short films are made , or perhaps just curious about the trends in the horror genre. Crumpets articles are food for thought that are also perfectly suited for a cup of Jasmine, Matcha, Peach—and sometimes even Dandelion! Enjoy! Why do we like crooked cop movies? A Deep Dive into the Appeal of the Cop Subgenre Reba Chaisson Reading Time: 6 minutes Read More Image: 📸: Used with Permission, Netflix What's that Sound? The Profound Seamlessness of Film Scores Reba Chaisson Reading Time: 16 minutes Read More Image: 📸: Cup of Tea Critiques A Clash of Knuckles: Movies and the System of Rating Them Highlighting the Tension Between Filmmakers and the MPA Reba Chaisson Reading Time: 19 minutes Read More Image: 📸: Cup of Tea Critiques Are horror movies and thrillers one and the same or completely different? Distinguishing Two of Cinema's Most Popular Genres Chris Chaisson Reading Time: 10 minutes Read More Image: 📸: Used with Permission, Sarah Sumeray https://www.sarahsumerayonline.com/art How Do You Like Your Cinema? What You Said about What You Watch Reba Chaisson Reading Time: 15 minutes Read More Image: 📸: Licensed from Shutterstock Are Mumblecore Movies Relatable or Just Boring? Examining a Subgenre of Indie Filmmaking Chris Chaisson Reading Time: 9 minutes Read More Image: 📸: Used with Permission, Scott Saslow (scottsaslow.com Instagram: @scottsaslow Twitter: @saslow_scott) How to Increase Latin-American Representation in Film What a Recent Horror Blockbuster Can Tell Us About the Importance of Representation Chris Chaisson Reading Time: 7 minutes Read More Image: 📸: Used with permission, Vini Kick Winnie the Pooh and the Public Domain How a New Horror Movie is Shedding Light on an Old Concept Chris Chaisson Reading Time: 7 minutes Read More Image: 📸: Photo from Pixabay Do Slasher Movies Still Cut It? (No Pun Intended) Examining the Shift in the Thematic Trends of the Horror Genre Chris Chaisson Reading Time: 8 minutes Read More Image: 📸: Used with Permission, Snollygoster Productions (hello@snollygoster.productions ) Soft and Quiet, Along With 6 Other Movies Shot in One Take A Brief List of Movies Shot in One Continuous Take -- er, Supposedly Chris Chaisson Reading Time: 9 minutes Read More Image: 📸: Used with Permission, Snollygoster Productions (hello@snollygoster.productions ) Why and How Short Films are Made An Examination of Short Films and How They Serve Aspiring Filmmakers Chris Chaisson Reading Time: 9 minutes Read More Image: 📸: Photo from Pixabay Getting Up Close and Personal with Crawdads and Vengeance A look at how film informs our perspective Reba Chaisson Reading Time: 11 minutes Read More Image: 📸: Licensed from Shutterstock Game of Thrones Audience Appeal The Enduringness of Story Reba Chaisson Reading Time: 18 minutes Read More Image: 📸: Licensed from Shutterstock The Source and Impact of Smith's Actions Two Perspectives on "The Slap" Chris and Reba Chaisson Reading Time: 10 minutes Read More Image: 📸: Licensed from Shutterstock How Do We Measure Box Office Success Considering the Value of a Movie Chris Chaisson Reading Time: 5 minutes Read More Image: 📸: Photo from Pixabay

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The After highlights children’s intuition < Back The After highlights children’s intuition Neon Films, 2023 18 minutes Director/Writer: Misan Harriman / John Julius Schwabach and Misan Harriman Reading Time: 4 minutes 📷 : Used with permission, Netflix The After A Dark Past (WYJRMRUKNMDQSZB1) 00:00 / 04:01 Dandelion Movies/shows with heavy subjects Chris Chaisson 2024-02-06 Many of us believe that when we lose one of our senses, the others grow stronger. In the same way, younger children, due to their underdeveloped verbal communication skills, possess stronger nonverbal abilities and even an intuition of how others feel. As adults, we are frequently too distracted with our own problems and responsibilities to recognize a grieving person in front of us. Just the same, we can often be too desensitized or callous to care even when we do. In this sense, adolescents have an advantage over us, still having empathy and observational skills that have not dulled or hardened from life experience. Misan Harriman’s Oscar-nominated short film, The After , hints at this reality over the course of its 18 minutes. David Oyelowo ( Selma ) plays Dayo, a loving husband and father whose world is turned upside down after a stabbing attack that cost him his family. A year later, his career as a businessman is a distant memory, and he works as a rideshare driver while still grieving the sudden, tragic loss he’s endured. Dayo is not without a support system, as many friends call to check up on him, but he has trouble responding and keeping up with his grief counseling appointments. Over the course of a typical day, he provides rides to numerous strangers in London and becomes numb to the conversations occurring in his backseat. Most of his customers are adults who are either conversing with each other, arguing, or on their phones. Though unspoken, it is clear from Dayo’s demeanor that he is repressing a lot of his still unprocessed emotions in order to put on a face for his job. One day, a bickering couple and their silent child pile into his backseat for a ride home. The child sits in the middle, clearly affected by her parents arguing. However, she observes Dayo’s body language and facial expressions as he drives. When they arrive, the parents exit the car and head up their front steps, but the child remains in the car. Dayo asks her if she’d like to get out and go inside, to which she reluctantly obliges. However, before heading up the steps, she turns around and hugs him from behind. The parents, still wrapped up in their own argument, suddenly turn and run down to pry their child off Dayo as he falls to the ground sobbing. They leave him on the sidewalk, where he continues crying before pulling himself together and driving off. The After ’s opening sequence is jarring and tragic enough to make Dayo a sympathetic character for the rest of its duration. However, the interesting aspect of the short film is its display of children’s intuition. Despite all of the adult passengers Dayo has in his car, none seem to acknowledge or read him at all; to them, he is somewhat invisible. The first pair of passengers make this reality evident, as the father brags about his son’s soccer accomplishments while the son tells his dad that Dayo probably does not want to hear it. Being polite, Dayo denies any disinterest, even though deep down the conversation is white noise to him. What eventually cracks him open is the child of the bickering parents, who very clearly resembles his own deceased daughter. Often, films depicting a grieving parent begin after the death has already occurred. Witnessing the sudden and violent nature of his family’s death puts the rest of The After into perspective. In particular, it is easy to become detached from the grieving of other adults, as we not only hear about so much bad in the world but witness it for ourselves. Sometimes, it takes the innocence of a young, attentive soul to recognize another person’s hurt and reach out. The After reminds its audience that although we do not typically think of children as the teachers, sometimes it is good to follow their example. Available on Netflix Previous Next Sign-up for new reviews, exclusives, deep dives, and more First name Last name Enter your email here I agree to the terms & conditions Sign-up Thanks for joining us!