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Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (2020) Review
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (2020) Director: George C. Wolfe Screenwriter: Ruben Santiago-Hudson Starring: Chadwick Boseman, Viola Davis, Jeremy Shamos, Jonny Coyne Summer, Chicago, 1927. Ma Rainey’s band await her arrival at a recording studio to put her latest album The Black Bottom on record. Tensions rise between the four band members as gutsy trumpet player…
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Happiest Season (2020) Review
Happiest Season (2020) Director: Clea DuVall Screenwriter: Clea DuVall, Mary Holland Starring: Kristen Stewart, Mackenzie Davis, Alison Brie, Aubrey Plaza, Dan Levy, Mary Holland, Victor Garber, Mary Steenburgen Happiest Season may not be the first Christmas film to explore the lives of LGBT characters – think The Family Stone and Netflix’s Let It Snow –…
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Mank (2020) Review
Mank (2020) Director: David Fincher Screenwriter: Jack Fincher Starring: Gary Oldman, Amanda Seyfried, Lily Collins, Tom Pelphrey, Arliss Howard, Tuppence Middleton, Monika Grossmann, Joseph Cross, Sam Troughton, Toby Leonard Moore, Tom Burke, Charles Dance The behind-the-scenes story of Citizen Kane shot in the style of Citizen Kane with a screenplay so densely packed it needs…
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Edward Scissorhands (1990) Review
Edward Scissorhands (1990) Director: Tim Burton Screenwriter: Caroline Thompson Starring: Johnny Depp, Winona Ryder, Dianne Wiest, Anthony Michael Hall, Kathy Baker, Alan Arkin, Vincent Price The realisation that it has been thirty years since Edward Scissorhands’ first release is indeed staggering. Back when Tim Burton was the unofficial king of all things gothic, his 1990…
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Peninsula (2020) Review
Peninsula (2020) Director: Yeon Sang-ho Screenwriters: Yeon Sang-ho, Park Joo-Suk Starring: Gang Dong-won, Lee Jung-hyun, Kim Min-jae, Koo Kyo-hwan, Kim Do-yoon, Kwon Hae-hyo, Lee Re, Lee Yi-won There have been few films released in recent years that have been as shamelessly derivative as Train to Busan sequel Peninsula, especially outside of Hollywood. That said, American…
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Rushmore (1998) Review
Rushmore (1998) Director: Wes Anderson Screenwriters: Wes Anderson, Owen Wilson Starring: Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Olivia Williams, Brian Cox, Luke Wilson Following on from the relative success of his debut Bottle Rocket, famed film auteur Wes Anderson developed a more distinctive style with his follow-up, 1998’s Rushmore. Rushmore stars Jason Schwartzman as fifteen year old Max Fischer…
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Uncle Frank (2020) Review
Uncle Frank (2020) Director: Alan Ball Screenwriter: Alan Ball Starring: Paul Bettany, Sophia Lillis, Peter Macdissi, Steve Zahn, Judy Greer, Margo Martindale, Stephen Root Infamous for its outdated religious ethics and close-minded conservative politics, the American South can be a profoundly frightening place. With his newest film, Uncle Frank, Alan Ball (American Beauty) precisely captures…
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Hillbilly Elegy (2020) Review
Hillbilly Elegy (2020) Director: Ron Howard Screenwriters: Vanessa Taylor Starring: Gabriel Basso, Amy Adams, Glenn Close, Haley Bennett Ron Howard’s 2020 Netflix Original drama Hillbilly Elegy was met with a wide range of criticism almost as soon as the trailer was released, with two words often standing out from the rest: Oscar Bait. On the surface,…
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The Princess Switch: Switched Again (2020) Review
The Princess Switch: Switched Again (2020) Director: Mike Rohl Screenwriters: Robin Bernheim Burger, Megan Metzger Starring: Vanessa Hudgens, Sam Palladio, Nick Sagar The Princess Switch: Switched Again is the sequel to 2018’s The Princess Switch. It follows Stacy, a former baker from Chicago who is now married to the prince of the fictional Belgravia, and Margaret, the new queen…
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Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square (2020) Review
Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square (2020) Director: Debbie Allen Screenwriter: Maria S. Schlatter Starring: Dolly Parton, Christina Baranski, Jenifer Lewis, Josh Segarra, Mary Lane Haskell As we find ourselves entering into an era of Christmas movies taking precedent over all other forms of entertainment, Netflix brings us Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square. Netflix…