Review: The Rifleman (Blizzard of Souls)

Based on the novel “Blizzard of Souls” by Aleksandrs Grins, the film follows Arturs (Oto Brantevics) – a young Latvian boy that joins the Imperial Russian Army after his mother is killed by German soldiers during WWI. Alongside his father (Martins Vilsons), a high ranking officer, his brother (Raimonds Celms), and hundreds of soldiers, Arturs witnesses the horrors and griminess of warfare as they continuous fight the Germans – both day and night as well as through a harsh winter. Drudging through every slow-burning battle in the trenches and trying to make his father and brother proud, Arturs attempts to leave the battlefield as intact as possible and not be disillusioned as the ranks in the Russian Army start to crumble. Continue reading Review: The Rifleman (Blizzard of Souls)

Review: 1917 (2019)

Sam Mendes’ “1917” (2019) is more than just a technical marvel; it’s a captivating survival story of young men in wartime. While its one-take approach with all of its footage melded together to look as though the full two hour film was one continuous shot is great, this is not a film ruled by its gimmick. In fact, it’s easy to forget about the one-take editing by Lee Smith once you’re into the action of the movie until there’s a particularly impressive bit of camera movement. At its heart, “1917” tells a story about the destruction that war. Continue reading Review: 1917 (2019)

Review: Midway

Year: 2019 Runtime: 138 Minutes Director: Roland Emmerich Writer: Wes Tooke Stars: Ed Skrein, Patrick Wilson, Woody Harrelson, Luke Evans, Mandy Moore By Caelyn O’Reilly Roland Emmerich makes two kinds of movies; films that are utterly stupid but buckets of fun (“Independence Day” and “White House Down”), and films that are just as stupid but also painfully dull (pretty much all of his other movies). … Continue reading Review: Midway