Day: September 26, 2019

Female Characters, Female Filmmaker, Film Reviews, Retrospect Reviews

Retrospective Review: All About Nina

Eva Vives’ 2018 film “All About Nina” is an incredibly relevant and surprisingly funny film about the effects of domestic abuse on women’s lives. Nina Geld (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) leaves her abusive, married partner in New York City. She restarts her life in Los Angeles, where she continues to pursue stand-up comedy. Onstage, Nina is known for talking about sex and being a strong woman. Offstage, though, Nina is struggling with the aftermath of her abusive relationship and childhood trauma. Continue reading Retrospective Review: All About Nina

Jenni HoltzLeave a comment
Female Filmmaker, Film Reviews, Retrospect Reviews

Retrospective Review: Leave No Trace

Debra Granik is an expert in creating stories with a naturalistic sense and giving us characters that are vulnerable, and organic. “Leave No Trace” (2018) is no exception. Will (Ben Foster) and his thirteen-year-old daughter Tom (Thomasin Mckenzie) live alone in a remote part of the woods. There they’ve survived, without technology or material things, and he’s taught her the skills needed to make it away from the world. Will desperately does not want to be found and the two practice drills to ensure Tom is ready if something happens. Is it for the best? The film tackles the familial impact in a new and gradually compelling way. Continue reading Retrospective Review: Leave No Trace

kstrouseLeave a comment
Female Characters, Female Filmmakers, Film Festivals, Film Reviews, Women in Film

Review: Greener Grass

Cinematic comedies can be a curious thing to examine, due to the fact that humour is very subjective. No matter how far out the premise a comedy may be, the humour can always reach its mark if one can relate to it and if it is delivered with panache. It could be a revisionist parody of the King Arthurian legend like Terry Jones’ and Terry Gilliam’s “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” (1975) or a taboo black comedy about the twisted human behaviour behind rape like Paul Verhoeven’s “Elle” (2016); if the execution and immersion of the humour and filmmaking work, comedy can always have the ability to reach for greener pastures. Continue reading Review: Greener Grass

Harris Dang1 Comment