Author: Erica Richards

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Review: The Father (2020)

Year: 2020 Runtime: 97 minutes Director: Florian Zeller Written by: Christopher Hampton and Florian Zeller Stars: Olivia Colman, Anthony Hopkins, Mark Gatiss, Olivia Williams, Imogen Poots, Rufus Sewell By Erica Richards Memory is probably one of the most complicated things we experience as humans. Memory can be strictly information based or it could be solely sensory and emotional. Memory is personal and complicated, memory can … Continue reading Review: The Father (2020)

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Film Reviews, Reviews

Review: Bacurau

Year: 2019 Runtime: 132 minutes Written and directed by: Kleber Mendonca Filho and Juliano Dornelles Actors: Barbara Colen, Thomas Aquino, Silvero Pereira, Thardelly Lima, Ruben Santos, Sonia Braga, Udo Kier By Erica Richards I think I successfully summarized my immediate thoughts on this film in one simple tweet, “BACURAU is nucking futs!” If that isn’t enough to make you want to seek out this film–I … Continue reading Review: Bacurau

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Directors, Female Filmmaker, Film Reviews, Retrospect Reviews

Kathryn Bigelow – Masculinity through an Empathetic Lens

To fulfill the desire of the audience, but challenge the genre and status quo, popular and well-known directors, Kathryn Bigelow established her cinematic work in this unique war genre most notably in the 82nd Academy Awards Best Picture winner: The Hurt Locker. Bigelow also received Best Director at the Oscars for this film, and still remains the only woman to ever do this, and one of five women to have ever been nominated. Through the careful and considerate use of character development, mise-en-scene, and camera-work the film displays empathy, patriotism, and accuracy to convey its anti-war themes, focusing around the experience of war through one dynamic and conflicted character. Continue reading Kathryn Bigelow – Masculinity through an Empathetic Lens

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Activism, Documentaries, Film Reviews

Review: Time

Documentaries are my favorite genre of film, believe it or not. I find that documentaries are so incredibly unique, even though one could argue they are all the same. Maybe you think if you’ve seen one true-crime documentary, you’ve seen them all–but no! The way the story is told and unfolds is what makes each documentary so attractive to me. How will the filmmakers uncover their story and grab the audience’s attention? I want to learn about something or experience something I have never seen or heard, to gain a new perspective or knowledge on the subject. That is where I feel incredibly torn about “Time”, because it fulfils this in so many ways, yet falls short. Continue reading Review: Time

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Female Characters, Halloween, Personal Essays

It’s Just a Bunch of Hocus Pocus: A Love Letter to my Favorite Witches

Every year, for as long as I can remember, from September to November I look forward to the lighting of the Black Flame candle (by a virgin of course!) so you can return from the dead. As a child, my sister and I would sit down in front of the television to take note of the days on the calendar that “Hocus Pocus” would air (on ABC Family, of course) so we could plan our schedule accordingly. I could always count on 24-hours worth of you on a loop on Halloween day. How could I count on this you wonder? Well, that is because you are the best Halloween movie witches to ever exist. Continue reading It’s Just a Bunch of Hocus Pocus: A Love Letter to my Favorite Witches

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Personal Essays, Women in Film

Cinephiles: it’s not for everyone

The term “cinephile” sounds pretentious, right? Identifying as a cinephile means you are an individual who is fascinated and has a passionate interest in cinema. To me, that means you also have an appreciation for cinema. It’s funny sometimes that people find that cinephiles, and film critics especially, love film so much that they hate it. But that is what we do: criticize, analyze, challenge, obsess, discuss, and adore film and it’s creators. Sometimes I question if I am a terrible critic, because I truly attempt to appreciate each and every film I watch. I compare it to people: people have their flaws and I still try to find the best in everyone I meet. As someone who understands, even at a minimal level, what it takes to make a production happen, I have to appreciate the art that comes from it. Continue reading Cinephiles: it’s not for everyone

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Female Characters, Film Reviews, Women in Film

#WomenInAction Review: Edge of Tomorrow

I was recommended “Edge of Tomorrow” (2014) specifically for Emily Blunt’s character, Sergeant Rita Vrataski. I adore Emily Blunt, so I was all in for giving this a watch. The premise of this story is a groundhog’s day type of set up–the main characters re-live a single day on a loop. Rita is strong, both physically and emotionally. She is incredibly smart. She makes Cage (Tom Cruise) take a back seat as they attempt to conquer a world where humans are at war with a specific type of alien. Continue reading #WomenInAction Review: Edge of Tomorrow

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Female Filmmakers, Film Reviews

Review: Miss Juneteenth

Written and directed by Channing Godfrey Peoples, “Miss Juneteenth” is her first feature length film–she has a few others under her belt including shorts, a documentary short, and a couple writing-only credits on a TV series. Peoples has proven to be making a bigger name for herself with this feature debut; “Miss Juneteenth” won the SXSW Film Festival Winner Best Texan Film award and was a Nominee for the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival. “Miss Juneteenth” feels personal and intimate in its storytelling–a mom and daughter navigating boundaries in their relationship during what seems to be a learning and transitional phase in their separate and shared lives. Continue reading Review: Miss Juneteenth

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LGBTQ Cinema, LGBTQ Filmmakers, Retrospect Reviews

Pride Month, Restrospective Review: Call Me By Your Name

Back in 2017 during preparation for the Oscars, I went into the first watch of “Call Me by Your Name” and I knew absolutely nothing about it. When the credits were done, I left the theater only because I was forced to get up because the cleaning crew had entered, which shows how badly I wanted to stay with these characters and their story. Continue reading Pride Month, Restrospective Review: Call Me By Your Name

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Documentaries, Female Filmmaker, LGBTQ Cinema

Review: Jack and Yaya

If this first sentence is the only part that you read of this review, please know and understand this: the world needs more stories like “Jack & Yaya”. I immediately fell in love with these people, their families, and their mid-Atlantic accents. The only issue I had with this documentary was having to watch them boil their blue crabs—pure madness! As a native Marylander, the only way to cook and eat crabs is steamed and covered in Old Bay. Nonetheless, Jack and Yaya exude pure charm and share unwavering realness in their stories, it is completely captivating. Continue reading Review: Jack and Yaya

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