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< Back Theater Camp excels in creating humor through self-awareness Searchlight Pictures, 2023 92 minutes Director/Writer: Molly Gordon and Nick Lieberman Reading Time: 5 minutes Theater Camp Hope Springs Internal (C4309WFEUTCMHX2D) 00:00 / 05:10 📷 : Licensed from Shutterstock Ginkgo Biloba: Youthful, lighthearted, and fun movies and TV shows Oolong: Movies and TV shows that make you laugh or involve physical activities like dance and exercise Chris Chaisson 2023-07-27 It’s no secret that comedy is an ever-evolving art. Not everything that was funny in the ‘70s, ‘80s or ‘90s induces the same raucous laughter now. Sometimes, avid fans of acclaimed comedies from these decades cringe at how outdated or tasteless the humor is on a re-watch. Nonetheless, certain principles of comedy and its performers will always hold true. Good timing, authenticity and self-awareness will always succeed no matter the social climate. These strengths are what make Molly Gordon and Nick Lieberman’s Theater Camp such an endearing indie project. When the owner of Adirond Acts theater camp, Joan (Amy Sedaris, Elf ), slips into a coma, her son Troy (Jimmy Tatro, 22 Jump Street ) is tasked with keeping the business afloat. Meanwhile, Amos (Ben Platt, Pitch Perfect ) and Rebecca-Diane (Molly Gordon, Booksmart ) must co-produce and co-direct a play within three weeks for the talented camp members to honor Joan. Joined at the hip, both aspire to perform professionally but agree to teach until they get their big breaks. Not only have they not even started writing the play, but they must deal with Troy’s ill-fitting fundraising attempts to head off bank foreclosure on the camp. Adapted from a 2020 short film of the same name, Theater Camp is shot as a docu-style comedy and leans entirely on humor. There are no love stories or action sequences to make the motion picture a blend of multiple genres, meaning its comedy has to be even more on point. The quirky indie excels in this regard due to the performances of its cast, the editing, and most of all, its authenticity. A key element of successful comedy is respecting the audience’s intelligence. Theater Camp not only does this well but simultaneously respects the intelligence of its characters. Rather than writing the child characters as silly and ignorant, as many adult writers feel compelled to do, Molly Gordon and Nick Lieberman create child characters that are smart and self-aware. Designated stagehand Glenn (Noah Galvin, Assassination Nation ) even conveys this to Troy, saying, “These kids are smart; you just have to meet them on their level.” Additionally, Theater Camp does an impeccable job of balancing the displays of stereotypes in the world of theater. It presents three-dimensional characters without being disingenuous. For instance, Troy plays a fairly dense “bro” character completely unfamiliar with anything related to theater. On the other hand, Amos and Rebecca-Diane are very expressive and dramatic in their disagreements, a common personality trait for performers in many fields. The film even mocks influencers, as Troy tries to get a young group of social media investors called The Founding Ballers to financially support Adirond Acts. They walk around the camp with selfie sticks and give constant monologues about what they are doing, a familiar site for those who spend time on YouTube. Despite having stereotypical traits, the way the characters interact with each other is what gives them depth. Even though he has no passion for theater, Troy treats everyone with kindness and respect, defying the expectation that he would act as a bully or a bigot. Amos and Rebecca-Diane consistently uplift the children at the camp and put aside petty differences for the good of the production. Rather than a “man vs. man” conflict, the struggle in Theater Camp is the group’s short time frame and the impending foreclosure. Money and deadlines provide the biggest obstacles to success rather than mean-spirited people. This allows for the camp to be portrayed as a place where theater actors are accepted rather than bullied or marginalized. Gordon and Lieberman also make sure no matter how absurd or theatrical any scene gets, there is a straight man calling out the absurdity. Even with Troy as a central character, the children and other counselors often provide this stabilizing presence. Rebecca-Diane’s earthy vernacular draws raised eyebrows and frank responses from either the kids or Janet (Ayo Edebiri, The Bear ), a counselor with no theater background who lied on her resume to get the job. Just the same, when Janet tells fake stories about her qualifications, another counselor asks her, “What exactly do you do here?” The characters achieve three-dimensionality simply through their interactions with each other. For the best comparison to Theater Camp , venture into the world of animation and look at the 2016 children’s movie Sing . In the critically acclaimed kid’s comedy, a theater owner in a city of human-like animals tries to save his struggling business with a singing competition. The film acknowledges the quirks and eccentricities of talented performers, regardless of background, instead of pretending they don’t exist. Rather than including a cartoonish villain, both Sing and Theater Camp cleverly use life circumstances as the antagonist, leaning on self-awareness and introspective characters for laughs. 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My Name inserts a less common hero into a common revenge tale < Back My Name inserts a less common hero into a common revenge tale Studio Santa Claus Entertainment, 2021 50 minutes Creator: Kim Va-da and Kim Jin-Min Reading Time: 6 minutes 📷 : Used with permission, Netflix My Name Treacherous (HASFF8RDHNWNIWOB) 00:00 / 06:09 Rosemary Movies and TV shows with intense action Chris Chaisson 2023-04-04 “To take revenge is to become a monster. A monster is what you are.” The action genre is littered with revenge stories. More often than not, though, the central character is a man with combat training and a violent past. He is an underdog merely in the sense that he is outnumbered and has made strides to retire his violent persona. Less common in the genre is a revenge story centered around a female protagonist going undercover in order to achieve said vengeance. Ji-Woo (Han So-hee, Nevertheless ) is that protagonist, joining organizations on both sides of the law in the Netflix K-drama My Name . When her father (Yoon Kyung-ho, All of Us Are Dead ), a cop masquerading as a powerful gangster, is murdered while trying to protect her, Ji-Woo seeks both the truth and payback. She joins the dojo of gangsters funded by her father’s closest friend, Choi Mu-Jin (Hee-soon Park, Seven Days ), and learns martial arts. Once she has honed her skills, she infiltrates the local police force, operating as a mole for Choi Mu-Jin’s criminal organization. Once she gains her footing in law enforcement, Ji-Woo transfers to her father’s old unit in order to gain access to the documents she hopes will lead her to her father’s killer. The draw of My Name is Ji-Woo’s character arc, with the story taking place over a 6-year period. She must keep growing both as a martial artist and a detective if she wants to achieve the vengeance she craves. As a teenager and student, she has raw anger and aggression that she must learn to harness. Ji-Woo fends off an attack from school bullies, showing that while she is not a trained fighter, she can still defend herself. When she first goes to Choi Mu-Jin for help, he puts a knife in her hand and challenges her to stab him as though he were her father’s killer. She cannot bring herself to even make an attempt, causing him to impatiently throw her out of his headquarters. After she returns, she becomes a highly skilled and disciplined fighter over time, besting all of the male gangsters in the dojo who have harassed and bullied her. Ji-Woo’s ability to quell her blind rage and learn to think like a detective make her a lethal weapon. We see Ji-Woo’s progression continue when she first joins the police force. Thanks to her experience of being surrounded by violence and misogyny at the dojo, her gut instinct in every mission is to beat up the bad guys rather than complete the objective in covert fashion. This tendency lands her in hot water multiple times with Pil-do (Ahn Bo-Hyun, Itaewon Class) , who eventually becomes her partner. Once Ji-Woo learns to operate with patience and discipline, she draws less attention to herself, which allows her to escape several close calls where her identity is nearly revealed to her co-workers. As she admits multiple times throughout the series, Ji-Woo has made her entire existence about catching her father’s killer. This would be hampered if her motives were found out prematurely. Where My Name excels the most is in its action sequences. Ji-Woo’s petite frame makes her appear overmatched in every fight, so she must use her agility, quickness and any objects handy. In the very first episode, she finds herself in a caged match at the dojo with dozens of other gangsters as part of a free-for-all. They must fight until only one of them is left standing. She and fellow martial artist Gang-jae Do (Yull Jang, Welcome to Waikiki ) outlast every other member and face off with one another. Many other scenes show Ji-Woo taking on several villains in confined spaces: bathrooms, narrow corridors or even elevators. She generally does not have the option to run, rely on back-up, or even use a firearm. The claustrophobic nature of the hand-to-hand combat illustrates the sense of self-reliance Ji-Woo has had to take on without her father’s protection. As the fight scenes play out, a recurring thought a viewer may have is that Ji-Woo does not really have to endure any of these life-and-death situations. Yet, as she states, “I gave up my future and my name to get my dad’s murderer!” She grieves over his death many times throughout the series, as seeking information about those responsible forces her to relive the agony repeatedly. While on the surface level she is fighting for temporary survival, Ji-Woo is always essentially fighting for revenge. A major motif of revenge stories is whether or not success ultimately fulfills the protagonist. Generally, the main character finds that they are still not satisfied when they reach the end of their mission. They still carry the emptiness they previously had and realize that nothing will bring back the loved one they lost. Ji-Woo questions out loud not only if vengeance is worth what she loses but also what the quest for vengeance has turned her, and others, into. Similar to other revenge stories, My Name incorporates the “fish out of water” trope. In shows like Lupin and The English , the main character comes from a different background or socioeconomic situation as the villains they target for vengeance. In spite of her combat skills, Ji-Woo certainly qualifies as a fish out of water by first infiltrating an all-male criminal organization and later the predominantly male police force. Her mission is not steeped in greed and malice like the gangsters, but it is also not in criminal justice like the other police officers. She is merely there to avenge her own father’s murder. As far as revenge stories go, My Name is most reminiscent of the 2010s ABC hit Revenge (hard to get more on-the-nose than that). Emily Thorne arrives in the Hamptons seeking payback against those who wronged her father. While Revenge is more based around money than violent crime, Emily and Ji-Woo both serve as good examples of characters who have broken off their life paths in search of retaliation. 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< Back Tár frames a pressing topic of conversation around an unorthodox character Focus Features, 2022 158 minutes Director/Writer: Todd Field Reading Time: 5 minutes Tar Path of Purpose (VYUSTXBC8OSI6KES) 00:00 / 05:54 📷 : Used with permission, Edgar Ascensão https://edgarascensao.bigcartel.com Barley: Movies and TV shows with a lot of dialog Honeybush: Nonfamily dramas with strong adult and/or socioeconomic themes Chris Chaisson 2023-01-09 Tár takes us on a two-and-a-half-hour trek through the life and routines of Lydia Tár (Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine ), an uber-accomplished classical music conductor leading the Berlin Orchestra. Ahead of her crown jewel, a live recording of Mahler V , her transgressions regarding inappropriate relationships come under a microscope. Once feeling invincible, Lydia now feels the walls closing in on her, leading her to engage in desperate and unhinged behavior. The subjects Tár broaches constitute the most pervasive questions surrounding pop culture figures today. A common debate on social media and amongst news outlets is whether or not fans can separate art from the artist in light of misbehavior. Furthermore, should any support for said artist be erased? Tár breaks the mold by choosing a female conductor in the male-dominated industry of classical music as its figurehead. This representation differs from the pop artists, A-list actors and politicians that we are used to seeing at the forefront of this discourse. Lydia has defied the odds in reaching the heights she has reached, which, in theory, makes her easy to root for. In reality, she abuses her power and harms others in the process. Indeed, the film puts the audience in conflict early by showcasing her character flaw in the first act. A noteworthy scene occurs when Lydia teaches a conducting class at Julliard, a performing arts conservatory in New York City. A student identifying as BIPOC pangender (Black, Indigenous, and Person of Color) voices his disapproval of J.S. Bach’s work on the basis of his sordid personal life. Lydia rolls her eyes at the notion, then entertains the student’s moral code and teases it out over a series of monologues. She brings up examples of Bach’s contemporaries having equal or even more egregious misdeeds. While many college professors employ this tactic to facilitate healthy debate, Lydia’s aim is to delegitimize the student’s stance and bully him. He feels humiliated to such a degree that he gathers his things and storms out, which Lydia finds amusing rather than disappointing. The scene reveals her cruelty, as well as her point of view that accomplished artists should not be subject to moral scrutiny. Ultimately, in addition to presenting a hot-button issue, the debate occurring so early in the film serves as foreshadowing for the rest of the movie. The opinions Lydia expresses in the scene go hand-in-hand with the behavior she exhibits moving forward. She feels above reproach, and when her livelihood begins to slip away from her, she refuses to accept accountability. Rather, she lashes out and abuses her power in other ways. In the end, her attitude leaves her with no support system and no one coming to her defense. Lydia does not reserve her dismissive attitude for strangers or students. Francesca (Noémie Merlant, Portrait of a Lady on Fire ), Lydia’s assistant, feels the sting of being overlooked as well. Despite being in an apprenticeship role, Lydia passes her over for someone else when the opportunity for a new role presents itself. Rather than nurture her relationships with Francesca and her girlfriend Sharon (Nina Hoss, Phoenix ), she views every encounter as transactional or a favor on her behalf to others. Critics and podcasters refer to Tár as a character study. I would propose that it is just as much an audience study. While some of Lydia’s behavior is unconscionable, the background characters in the film participate in the same invasion of privacy and misrepresentation that we witness in our everyday lives. The film opens with a phone aimed at a sleeping Lydia while the holder, out of frame, texts someone to poke fun at her. Though the owner of the phone clearly knows Lydia, she is nonetheless broadcasting her in her sleep. This violation of someone’s privacy has become so normalized that most viewers probably will not think twice about it. Later in the film, her confrontation with the Julliard student is edited out of context and published online to make her look as bad as possible. It serves as another moment of her existence being filmed without her knowledge, leading you to wonder how regularly this is happening not only to her, but real-life celebrities, and maybe even ourselves. As we see with modern celebrities, the video serves as a piling-on moment during which no one questions the morality of obtaining such footage. Instead people partake in the criticism. Despite the film’s fixation on Lydia, putting her in every scene, Tár provides the audience with plenty of perspectives from which to view the story. Between the background characters, the significant others in her social circle, and the governing bodies that seek to hold her to account, anyone watching the film can pay attention to and empathize with different viewpoints. Tár is similar to TheWolf of Wall Street , even though the two movies have entirely different styles of storytelling. Like Lydia, Jordan Belfort (the lead character played by Leonardo DiCaprio) is highly skilled, ambitious and successful. Nonetheless, he feels insulated from consequences and emotionally distant, until the people he has mistreated partake in his downfall. While one is far more vulgar and bombastic than the other, The Wolf of Wall Street and Tár tackle the same questions about mythologizing public figures. 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!

I May Destroy You exists simultaneously as a difficult viewing experience and a necessary step in preventing sexual abuse. < Back I May Destroy You exists simultaneously as a difficult viewing experience and a necessary step in preventing sexual abuse. British Broadcasting Company, 2020 30 minutes Creator: Michaela Coel Reading Time: 4 minutes 📷 : Pixabay I May Destroy You The South Downs (WYVXUC39XFEKF3QY) 00:00 / 05:12 Dandelion Movies and TV shows with heavy subjects Ginger Thought-provoking movies and TV shows Chris Chaisson 2022-05-22 Many television shows surrounding young people, specifically half-hour shows, highlight youthful exuberance. Viewed as the most care-free time of your life, single adults in their teens, 20’s and 30’s party, go on road trips and even goof off at their jobs. The most common issues (breakups, layoffs, roommate discord) resolve themselves hastily or trivially. The general messaging behind these light‑hearted tropes is that at such a young age, actions have minimal consequences and are quick to overcome. Plainly stated, this premise can be easy to scoff at, but it nonetheless influences how we think. Occasionally though, more serious shows illustrate traumatic experiences and the need to work through them. Though heavier in tone, these shows display the same youthful exuberance, as people who have suffered trauma still must live their lives amidst their coping. The fun and games simply take a backseat to the characters working through their suffering. Thus, a series like I May Destroy You exists simultaneously as a difficult viewing experience and a necessary step in preventing sexual abuse. The BBC production depicts the misconceptions that many young people have about sex, what it means, and the price many pay for it. They also show that processing your pain does not preclude living a full and enriched life. Created by the immensely talented Michaela Coel ( Chewing Gum ), I May Destroy You centers around Arabella (Coel), a promising young writer living in London. During a night out with friends, a stranger spikes her drink and assaults her. Throughout the twelve episodes, Arabella comes to grips with what was done to her while attempting to recoup the joy and freedom she previously felt. As she reevaluates her subsequent sexual encounters, the show also examines the dating lives of her two best friends, Kwame (Paapa Essiedu) and Terry (Weruche Opia). They each meet various sexual partners and rehash details of their encounters to one another. What stands out is how vital Arabella, Terry and Kwame’s talks are to their increased understanding of boundaries and etiquette. They all find themselves in the role of the aggressor and the submitter at some point. For instance, Kwame goes home with a straight woman without telling her that he is gay. When she finds out, she is incensed and throws him out. In reconvening with Arabella, she chastises Kwame and in doing so, helps him to see that he should be more forthcoming with his partners. I May Destroy You has about as heavy of a subject matter episode-to-episode as any show could have. It zones in on the mental condition of its main characters, often more sobering than the dynamic goings‑on in the real world. Many sequences depict Arabella and her friends in disoriented states, whether it’s at a party they don’t wish to be at or overindulging in social media engagement. This feeling of unease may speak to young viewers, who experience anxiety from the constant pressure of interacting with others while trying to deal with their own distresses. A consistent theme and important message of the show is the importance of communication. In showing these three young adults cope and lean on one another, as well as minor characters, for comfort, the series seems to be telling young people to keep talking and never believe that they must suffer alone. Additionally, playing different roles in different situations forces the characters to accept that even having been wronged themselves in the past, they still must take responsibility for hurting others. The show represents several different identities but stars a predominantly Black British cast of various sexual orientations. The series closest to this genre may be one of its popular contemporaries, Euphoria , about a group of high school students coping with an atmosphere filled with sex, drugs and violence. Though these programs do not always provide the escapism that many viewers seek out, their displays of sex- and drug-induced trauma may play a role in pushing young people to be more communicative and feel free and empowered to make healthy choices for themselves. 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!

< Back Down with the King emboldens us to prioritize our overall wellbeing Breaker, 2022 100 minutes Director/Writer: Diego Ongaro / Xabi Molia, Diego Ongaro, and Freddie Gibbs Reading Time: 5 minutes Down with the King Vision (FYEHZSWDP1BL4ENZ) 00:00 / 06:30 📷 : Used with permission, Netflix Sage: Movies and TV shows with low-key characters Honeybush: Nonfamily dramas with strong adult and/or socioeconomic themes Reba Chaisson 2024-01-21 “Good to get some fresh air, you know. Kinda hit mute on everything.” Mercury "Money Merc" Maxwell Every once in a while, you scroll through the content tiles on your streaming offerings and your eyes land on what turns out to be a gem. This is what happened to me the other day as I was, coincidentally, looking for a gem on Netflix. I came across Down with the King and was disappointed to learn it was released in 2022. How could I have missed this? An old adage says it’s okay to talk to yourself as long as you don’t answer. In this case, I answered myself: Because there’s a lot of content Reba! That aside, I enjoyed this film about Mercury “Money Merc” Maxwell, a popular late 20s/early 30-something-year-old rapper who retreats from the limelight to live in a rural farming community. Although he is the only Black man around, he is friends with Bob, played by Bob Tarasuk ( American Thief ), a farmer who lives nearby, and he eventually becomes acquainted with the people who work at the local hardware store. Led by Freddie Gibbs, Down with the King feels like a documentary. The story begins in the middle of the protagonist’s retreat and never visually integrates his prior life. Because of this, the film doesn’t sufficiently contextualize Mercury’s story by answering the central question around the events that prompted him to leave his family, friends, and a successful music career. So, the film lacks a clear definition of the problem Mercury is dealing with. However, this doesn’t necessarily keep us from relating to the film as is. Mercury’s dilemma cannot be resolved by a vacation, something we take every so often to escape the stresses of work and family to relax and recharge. Instead, his struggle seems to warrant something more akin to what we do to figure things out and gain some clarity about what we really want for ourselves, something a week or two will not resolve. Mercury’s problem is less about getting the temporary decompression offered by a short getaway, but more about wellness — what he feels he needs to learn in order to better manage his life. Researchers emphasize that wellness is about “living life fully,” but add that it is “a personalized approach to living life in a way that… allows you to become the best kind of person that your potential, circumstances, and fate will allow.” Mercury retreats to this quiet, rural community for his overall wellbeing. Down with the King helps us appreciate what peace feels like through the film’s visual and auditory presentation. Scenes of wide-open land, tall trees with fresh powdered snow, a pond, and Mercury grilling food for himself outdoors in the cool temperatures give us the sense of his satisfaction in being alone without feeling lonely. We see that life is slower and offers a cadence as families gather for dinner and create their own entertainment with an acoustic guitar, piano, and popular folk songs. Such family bonding defines the culture of many rural communities, which is partly reinforced by the absence or unreliability of Internet and cable service that invite distractions like social media and television entertainment. While shaky connectivity benefits rural communities with respect to culture, it has some social disadvantages as well. Few pathways for information streamed through the Internet and TV compounded by the lack of access to people who are different buffers residents from alternative perspectives on a wide range of matters. These deficits contribute to a communal solidarity built around sameness and that is resistant to difference. We see this in the film when Mercury begins hanging out with Michaele, a young woman in the community played by Jamie Neumann ( The Deuce ). He returns home after a walk to find the windshield of his car shattered and the culprits speeding away. Even Michaele agrees with him that this is likely why his windshield was busted, and calmly adds, “I told you. This town is for the f***in birds. … it’s small town. Maybe somebody got pissed off. ... That’s why I want to get the f*** out of here.” During his time away, Mercury develops a close friendship with Bob and helps him on his farm. When Mercury makes a grave error preparing an animal for market, he apologizes and offers to compensate Bob for the loss and to purchase another animal to replace it. Upset, Bob tells Mercury that he doesn’t want his money, adding “And where are you getting that cow? And who the f***’s is it? And what food did it eat?” This exchange is quite telling of Bob’s pride in his farming and the tacit commitment he makes to his customers about the quality of his products. The scene is meant to be a statement about individual (not commercial) farmers in general: the physical labor, the tight budgets, and the deep sense of pride they have in their work. It also shows, though, that money alone doesn’t fix everything on a farm, even though it is all Mercury has to offer given his inexperience with farming. Thus, Bob’s expectation that he not make mistakes is unrealistic and unfair. The scene showing Mercury’s frustration with his mistake and Bob’s refusal to give him a way to make it right, is relatable for many members of marginalized groups who often feel the pressure to be perfect and are rarely given margin for errors. Throughout Mercury’s retreat, Paul, Mercury’s agent played by David Krumholtz ( Oppenheimer , The Deuce ), beckons him to return to his music career despite Mercury insisting he is not ready to do so. Paul ignores him, however, and it becomes clear that Mercury’s wellbeing and wishes are not of concern to the industry. What is of concern to the industry is Mercury’s ability to generate revenue for all involved. Throughout this film, he is essentially, tirelessly, inexhaustibly fighting for himself. Something I suppose we all have to do. 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 Emily the Criminal shows the deceptive innocence of white-collar crime Low Spark Films, 2022 97 min Director/Writer: John Patton Ford Reading Time: 5 minutes Emily the Criminal Grimey a River (S7NF0YJXBZ7YPSYM) 00:00 / 05:05 📷 : Used with permission, Netflix Ginseng Suspenseful/Intense thrillers Chris Chaisson 2022-12-23 Many of you reading this have probably had the experience of knowing someone for a decent amount of time, then being blindsided by information about them that changes your perspective. You might have gone to karaoke with them and found out they sing like Whitney Houston. Maybe they cooked you a Gordon Ramsay-caliber meal. Or in a darker vein, maybe they told you about their past misdeeds. Depending on the severity, it could influence your trust level or even end your relationship entirely. John Patton Ford’s newest work, Emily the Criminal , presents a protagonist with a cloudy history who falls back on her old behavior in a moment of desperation. Starring Aubrey Plaza ( White Lotus, Parks and Rec ), Emily the Criminal ’s title character has a relatable struggle: she’s broke and saddled with student loan debt. Her day job as a food runner does not pay her nearly enough for financial security, leaving her on the verge of moving from California back to New Jersey. While Emily could find a better job, one big caveat stands in her way: she has a criminal record. In fact, the movie opens with her lying about it in the midst of a job interview. Though not explicitly stated, her past interferes with any chance she has at financial stability. One day, her co-worker gives her a lead to a one-off gig for some quick cash. As it turns out, the gig in question is credit card fraud. Emily pursues the lead, completes the mission and is offered the chance at another quick score. She is initially reluctant, but she finds success and continues when her problem of gaining a legitimate income source continues. However, the missions escalate into more and more dangerous territory. The majority of moviegoers probably do not lend much credence to the titles of the movies they watch. We are mainly hooked in by trailers, lead actors, directors, and brand familiarity (*cough* Marvel *cough*). For this particular indie piece, the title gives the audience an interesting dilemma in how they perceive Emily. Her struggle is all too common, and her veneer seems innocent enough. Since Emily is the character we follow for the entirety of the film, it is tempting to give her the benefit of the doubt on her past transgressions, vague as she is about them. After all, no one wants to dwell on or be forever judged by their lowest moments. In spite of our initial leniency, every story worth its salt puts their characters in situations that reveal to us who they really are. As the plot progresses, Emily finds herself (and places herself) in volatile circumstances. The film suggests that she is not simply a docile character struggling to survive, but rather, she has her own demons. Though student loan debt is practically a rite-of-passage for any former student, most people would not engage in theft, violence and deception as the means for dealing with it. Emily is sometimes on the receiving end of the violence but delves out her share as well. Whether intentionally or not, the film calls attention to how much we profile people. Emily does not have the hardened exterior we associate with a felon. She does not scowl at people or snap at the first provocation. She does not curse like a sailor or carry a firearm. Her criminal activity put in context seems relatively victimless, until it’s not. A moment emblematic of her character occurs when she commits her first theft and leaves the store wearing a hat that she absent-mindedly took off the shelf. The store security guard, unaware of her more serious ongoing crime, confronts her about it in the parking lot, to which she willingly hands the hat back and apologizes. Her disarming presence and relatable need make her appear much more well-intentioned than she actually is. Emily the Criminal and its protagonist bring to mind the 2014 film Nightcrawler , starring Jake Gyllenhaal. Louis, the main character, is ambitious and desperate for work. While it is clear from the start that Louis is not exactly a boy scout, he largely appears to possess an entrepreneurial spirit, trying to excel in a career that he has carved out for himself. He gradually becomes more controlling and manipulative, crossing the line further and further. Emily, on the other hand, just wants to be free of debt and maintain her current living situation. Nonetheless, in both films and other crime dramas as well, the characters dipping their toes in the pool of illegal activity always end up doing a full-fledged cannonball. 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 How Do We Measure Box Office Success Considering the Value of a Movie Chris Chaisson 12/18/21 Reading Time: 5 minutes 📸: Photo from Pixabay In recent years, pandemic notwithstanding, the box office has seen record numbers from blockbusters. Despite the prevalence of pirating, many of the highest grossing movies in film history have been fairly modern. The year 2019 set a record for global box office earnings with $42.3 billion. Though this number clearly dipped in 2020, the film industry had seen increased profits despite a plethora of other increasingly popular options for entertainment. Many factors contributed to these unprecedented turnouts. For one, the advancements in visual effects and sound quality make the movie-going experience more appealing, specifically for the biggest action movie franchises ( The Fast and the Furious , Transformers , Marvel , etc.). Additionally, the largest movie theater chains have opened new branches over the years and scaled up their venues to attract customers. Not only are the marquees and glass windows bigger and fancier, but the concessions have become more diversified. Some theaters have even carved out space for restaurants near the entrance and acquired liquor licenses to entice those of age. All these tidbits lead to the biggest contributor to increased box office numbers: movie tickets cost more now . A trip to the movies used to be a fun activity for a group of teenage friends or a young couple that didn’t have money to make more expensive plans. Enthusiastic cinephiles would hang out at the movies all day, maybe taking in two or three flicks and just hanging out with their buddies. What the box office represented culturally has since changed. Now, between the tickets and the concessions, going to see The Avengers cost about as much as going to see the Yankees. The year I was born, 1989, the average price of a movie ticket was $3.99**. While my hands weren’t big enough to hold four dollars at the time, that price provides evidence of a time when attending the movies was a less grandiose experience. Today, the average movie ticket price is $9.16**, and the most popular theater chains are all charging much more. Likewise, many venues have increased the number of private screenings and Q&As in recent years, which are primarily attended by members of the industry or patrons who spend the most money there. Research shows that 11% of the U.S./Canada population accounts for nearly half of all tickets sold, and frequent moviegoers tend to have more key technology products. Both findings reflect a possible class distinction on who attends the movie theater most frequently. As the future of cinema holds more rewards programs, QR codes and email confirmations, movie theaters likely won’t return to the minimally staffed, dollar-matinee feel that they had in the past. Many of them have simply embraced more upscale branding efforts. Whether good or bad, the modern and lavish atmosphere of the Cineplex makes box office sales difficult to compare to the era of more simplistic, communal venues. Returning to the discussion of the highest grossing movies, can we judge a movie’s popularity solely by what it grosses now? Once we account for the change in the cinematic experience as well as ramped up marketing efforts through T-shirts and theme park rides, Orson Welles seems to have been at a competitive disadvantage. What if we judged movies less by the dollar amount and instead checked the ticket stubs? How many tickets were actually sold for any specific motion picture? This re-examination of a movie’s earnings could highlight films that achieved extreme popularity when cost of living was low and other films that simply benefited more from inflation. Though not a perfect equation, I would suggest taking the dollar amount a movie grossed and divide it by the average ticket price of that year. Click the charts below to see what the Highest Grossing Movies vs. Movies with the Most Ticket Sales looks like. Chart by Gross Sales .pdf Download PDF • 133KB Chart by Tickets Sold .pdf Download PDF • 132KB There are very few surprises in these two tables as a whole. The most popular movies are the highest budgeted and most well-marketed, regardless of what measure you use. Nonetheless, contrasting dollar amounts against the number of tickets sold illustrates that some of the most popular movies would be even higher on our list if they had premiered after the industry-wide renovation of modern cinema. For instance, despite an exorbitant dollar amount for American Sniper , the film benefited significantly from an increase in ticket prices. Conversely, the original Star Wars was incredibly popular but premiered at a time when movie tickets were less than $3. Had Titanic been released after theaters introduced their expanded menus and 4K screens, it may have set attendance records never to be broken. Cultural shifts never stop happening, so the future remains to be seen. Maybe movie theaters will scale back down as everyone retreats to their HBO Max accounts. Or maybe they’ll continue their upward trajectory and offer lobster dinners with Courvoisier to wash it down. Either way, it’s always worthwhile to think critically about the record-breaking statistics being thrown in your face. But right now, time for a matinee. 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Sunrise Meets Sunset shows the turmoil that threatens the gift of music < Back Sunrise Meets Sunset shows the turmoil that threatens the gift of music Makenna Guyler, 2022 7 minutes Director/Writer: Aram Atkinson Reading Time: 3 minutes 📷 : Used with permission, Aram Atkinson Sunrise Meets Sunset Power (13UR2T1Z0YUK42MZ) 00:00 / 03:43 Dandelion Movies and TV shows with heavy subjects Ginger Thought-provoking movies and TV shows Reba Chaisson 2022-10-08 “Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent.” ( Victor Hugo , early 19th century) Centering around a small, predominantly Black British jazz group, Sunrise Meets Sunset takes place during a time of racial civil unrest in 1960s London. The outside forces spill over into the group and risk tearing apart the members’ potentially promising musical careers. Starring Durassie Kiangangu as Ray ( Imperial Blue , False Men ) and Sanchez Brown as Nile ( Game Over , Malachi ), the film brings the outside turmoil up-close and personal when Ray arrives late to a rehearsal badly beaten and bruised on the day of a show. With telling dialog and footage, Sunrise Meets Sunset parallels the same historical period in the United States where, like the UK, it was in a battle over the struggle for civil rights and racial justice. The story brings to mind the film Green Book , based on the life of piano virtuoso Dr. Donald Shirley. With Mahershala Ali in the titled role, the movie depicts the high level of disruption to Dr. Shirley’s routine and badly needed rest as he travels the Deep South during the Jim Crow era of racial segregation. Black people, including famous artists, were not permitted to stay in some hotels or eat in upscale restaurants. This widespread discrimination forced them to drive extra hours to find accommodations listed in what was known as “ The Green Book ,” a guide to establishments for Black people. Ray and Miles Ahead are two additional movies that come to mind. In the former, Ray Charles arrives in Georgia for a performance and suddenly cancels, stating that it is wrong to play to segregated audiences. A story about Miles Davis, Miles Ahead does not contain scenes from the South, but it does depict the actual event of the artist’s beating and arrest by New York City police in 1959 for standing in front of the jazz club where he was performing. So, despite their celebrity, wealth, and musical talents, Black artists did not escape the touch of racism during that tumultuous period. Although only seven minutes, Sunrise Meets Sunset poignantly displays the frustration among band members and the enormous degree to which racial strife weighs on them, both individually and as a group. Some may ask how artists endured given these pressures, how the show went on. My response is that we will never know the count of those who cut short their musical careers because the stress took such a toll on their lives. For the ones we do know about (i.e. Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie, Louis Armstrong, B. B. King, and others), we can only surmise that they persisted because they loved bringing their music to us more than they could tolerate the often brutal treatment of authorities and the disrespect of proprietors in the ”hospitality” industry. Perhaps it is this resolve that explains what is meant by music being a gift from the heart and of the soul. And oh, what a gift it is! Available on Film Shortage 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 Account Director Apply Now San Francisco, CA, USA Job Type Full Time Workspace Hybrid About the Role This is placeholder text. To change this content, double-click on the element and click Change Content. Want to view and manage all your collections? Click on the Content Manager button in the Add panel on the left. Here, you can make changes to your content, add new fields, create dynamic pages and more. Your collection is already set up for you with fields and content. Add your own content or import it from a CSV file. Add fields for any type of content you want to display, such as rich text, images, and videos. Be sure to click Sync after making changes in a collection, so visitors can see your newest content on your live site. Requirements This is placeholder text. To change this content, double-click on the element and click Change Content. To manage all your collections, click on the Content Manager button in the Add panel on the left. This is placeholder text. To change this content, double-click on the element and click Change Content. To manage all your collections, click on the Content Manager button in the Add panel on the left. This is placeholder text. To change this content, double-click on the element and click Change Content. To manage all your collections, click on the Content Manager button in the Add panel on the left. This is placeholder text. To change this content, double-click on the element and click Change Content. To manage all your collections, click on the Content Manager button in the Add panel on the left. About the Company This is placeholder text. To change this content, double-click on the element and click Change Content. Want to view and manage all your collections? Click on the Content Manager button in the Add panel on the left. Here, you can make changes to your content, add new fields, create dynamic pages and more. You can create as many collections as you need. Your collection is already set up for you with fields and content. Add your own, or import content from a CSV file. Add fields for any type of content you want to display, such as rich text, images, videos and more. You can also collect and store information from your site visitors using input elements like custom forms and fields. Be sure to click Sync after making changes in a collection, so visitors can see your newest content on your live site. Preview your site to check that all your elements are displaying content from the right collection fields. Apply Now

The English features a pairing uncommon in its genre < Back The English features a pairing uncommon in its genre Amazon Studios, 2022 51 minutes Creator: Hugo Blick Reading Time: 5 minutes 📷 : Licensed from Shutterstock The English Heist (X2EIFVYLXVNFHFWM) 00:00 / 04:54 Rosemary Movies and TV shows with intense action Barley Movies/shows with a lot of dialogue Chris Chaisson 2022-12-23 If you’re a fan of westerns, you know how often they center around a tough-as-nails protagonist, sometimes forced to fend for themselves. Ninety-nine percent of them tell a story through the perspective of a rugged White cowboy, rescuing a damsel in distress from outlaws or saving an entire town. While there are plenty of tales of vigilante justice, they rarely consist of any other main character than the typical perpetrators of self-righteous violence. Given the rigid characterizations we’re used to, Hugo Blick’s new mini-series The English provides a refreshing change of pace. The English revolves around Cornelia (Emily Blunt), a British aristocrat venturing across the Great Plains in 1890 to avenge her son’s murder. Cornelia comes from privilege but is skilled in both riflery and archery. Along the way, she crosses paths with a Pawnee tribe member, Eli Whipp (Chaske Spencer), heading to Nebraska to claim land he is owed for his military service according to the Homestead Act. When Cornelia first happens upon Eli, she rescues him from a rancher attempting to kill him. While initially going their separate ways, they reunite and continue westward to complete Cornelia’s mission together. For much of the series, Cornelia seems to be a fish out of water. She carries a large bag of cash with her in a satchel on her horseback carriage. As if that didn’t make her enough of a target, she wears fancy, pristine attire and skillfully applied cosmetics, not hiding her wealth at all. Every character around her carries with them the toll of physical labor or combat on their faces and clothes. This is in stark contrast to Cornelia’s prim and proper appearance that leads everyone to underestimate her, which she frequently uses to her advantage in the face of danger. Even after committing gruesome acts of violence, Cornelia seems troubled and guilt-ridden. In a universe with a desensitizing amount of violence, she serves as a presence right on the threshold of civilized and barbaric behavior. In contrast to the expressive Cornelia, Eli remains a portrait of stoicism for much of the mini-series. Likely a product of his military training, Eli’s even-keeled nature conceals not only the grief he feels from lost loved ones, but the burden of the oppression he experiences as a Native American. Despite his service, he still finds himself as the game being hunted in many scenarios, surviving due to his own cunning and Cornelia’s loyalty. The supporting characters stand much more in line with the typical Western personas. Most of the villains throwing up obstacles for Cornelia and Eli have the typical conniving motivations, out for riches (of which Cornelia has plenty), property or scalps to put on display (gross). Many either operate by the code of “kill or be killed” or have deep-seated bigotry toward Native Americans, to the point of engaging in grand, faux-philosophical discourse with the reluctant protagonists. Unlike your typical vengeance story, the focus of The English turns out to be the bond forming between the two leads. The audience can determine this based not only on where the majority of the series is spent but where it picks up. We are thrust right into the midst of Cornelia’s journey, meaning we neither meet the villain that she is after nor see the inciting incident that spurred her on. Similarly, for Eli, his time with the military ends at the very beginning of the pilot, upon which he is reminded by a fellow service member, “In there, you’ve been one of us, but out here, you’re one of them.” The series’ focus on the friendship rather than the vengeance itself could be construed as a statement on the unfulfilling nature of revenge. Though violence is as second nature to some as it is unthinkable to others, payback rarely satisfies the seeker as much as they expect it to. A hidden message in The English may be that the best way to heal from a painful loss is to foster relationships with those that are still here. Though each belongs to a different broader genre, The English and Kill Bill are similar revenge stories. Cornelia, like The Bride played by Uma Thurman in Kill Bill , lost a child and seeks retribution, killing many other villains in gruesome fashion along the way. Both characters are greatly underestimated by some of their foes. At the end of each of their journeys, the chase and eventual slaughter left both characters less content than the time they shared with their close companions along the way. 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 Jules simplifies the alien invasion plot into a story about the foils of aging Bleecker Street, 2023 87 minutes Director/Writer: Gavin Steckler / Marc Turtletaub Reading Time: 5 minutes Jules Home Inside (5NUNQ46B64LFIRRJ) 00:00 / 05:08 📷 : Licensed from Shutterstock Chamomile: Family dramas Jasmine: Movies and TV shows with heart, positive vibes, and warm messages Chris Chaisson 2023-09-23 Jules follows the unlikely friendship between its title character and Milton (Ben Kingsley, Schindler's List ), a widow in his late seventies. Normally, the phrase “unlikely friendship” refers to two characters with differing personalities. I say “unlikely” because Jules is an alien whose spaceship crash landed in Milton’s backyard in Boonton, a suburb in western Pennsylvania. Though initially startled by his presence, Milton eventually invites Jules in, cares for him and assists him in repairing his ship. After initially sharing the news and being met with skepticism, Milton decides to keep it a secret once he develops a friendship with Jules. As Jules gets close to finishing his repairs, Milton must face the possibility that he will either lose a friend or leave his old life behind. Director Marc Turtletaub’s slice-of-life/sci-fi indie maintains a pretty clear subject matter: the unfortunate ageism that senior citizens consistently face. Often, older adults experience the irritability and impatience of their caretakers. Their opinions and concerns go either unheard or disregarded on a regular basis. Jules illustrates this from the jump, as Milton attends town hall meetings and repeats his same grievance, which the board ignores day after day along with the concerns expressed by other senior citizens. The film illustrates this in a humorous, Groundhog Day style, but the underlying message is still sobering. For Milton, compounding the frustration from the meetings is his daughter Denise’s (Zoe Winters, Succession ) belief that he is showing mild symptoms of dementia. His forgetfulness and misplacing of items in his house worries her, though he insists that it is simply human nature to have such moments. While Denise is compassionate, she also does not take Milton’s perspective seriously, which is exacerbated by her own busy schedule and the fact that no one else can assist her in caring for him. Another clever detail of the movie is Milton’s fractured relationship with his son, who has moved away, started his own family and cut Milton off completely. Milton admits to Jules that he was not always the best father, and considering his son’s young adult status, he just does not have time to connect. Milton utters to Jules, “He’s busy, and that’s fine; I was busy at his age too.” His comment and the sadness in his voice points out a bleak reality, which is that sometimes senior citizens feel the pain of mistakes that they made in their relationships from many years ago. As their social circles dwindle, they not only become lonelier but never get the chance to repair such relationships. Additionally, they find themselves reconciling the inattentiveness of their loved ones, no matter how hurtful they find it. Jules serves as a perfect friend to Milton. He does not speak back, cast doubt or attempt to diagnose Milton. Rather, Jules simply keeps him company, sitting on the couch and watching television. Being from another world, he does not have any preconceptions about Milton because of his age, making him the ideal caretaker. While he is the protagonist, Milton is not the lone example of an older adult in the film. Sandy (Harriet Sampson Harris, Frasier ) and Joyce (Jane Curtin, Third Rock from the Sun ), two of Milton’s neighbors, endure the same dismissiveness at the town hall meetings. Sandy tries to organize get-togethers, highlighting another unfortunate reality for older adults when a person responding to her flyer has malicious intentions. Often, senior citizens serve as easy targets for thieves, practical jokers and even people capable of violence. Joyce appears focused on the perception of not only herself but the other older members of the community. While she believes that Milton is harboring an alien, she does not want him to make mention of it, as it gives fodder to those who already want to ignore the voices of senior citizens and dismiss them as feeble. Sci-fi films about alien invasions typically are paired with the action and suspense genres, displaying war imagery and good versus evil archetypes. Jules instead tells an individual story about how a well-meaning lifeform from another planet, through sheer naiveté, offers the compassion and company that many younger adults do not exhibit for the generations that preceded them. While the movie is about aging, Jules at times felt reminiscent of the late 1980s drama Rain Man . Tom Cruise plays a self-centered bachelor connecting with his autistic-savant brother, whom he just learned existed, in order to gain a larger share of their inheritance. After he is initially irritated with his brother, he learns how to foster a relationship with him through patience, generosity and respect. The bond Milton and Jules forge does not explicitly teach younger adults how to be better providers, but their friendship conveys how deference and compassion can be the most important elements of caretaking. 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