Author: Christina Tucker

8 Anime That Deserve Live-Action Adaptations

8 Anime That Deserve Live-Action Adaptations

Posted by | Mar 29, 2017 |

American film studios have a less than stellar track record in terms of adapting anime and manga. Not only are the released adaptations almost universally disappointing (Dragonball: Evolution, Speed Racer, and even a straight-to-video Fist of the North Star movie have, probably for the best, mostly faded from public memory) even more have been in development for years, such as Akira, Death Note, Gunm, and Cowboy Bebop. In the past decade, studios have seen the lucrative and creative potential of comic book adaptations. To branch out more seriously into anime properties could be fruitful in many ways. That’s not to...

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The Original Star Wars Trilogy & Its Hopeful Hero

The Original Star Wars Trilogy & Its Hopeful Hero

Posted by | Mar 23, 2017 |

Throughout the month of March, Audiences Everywhere will be sharing appreciation for film trilogies, including personal reflections from our writers on some of their favorites. Today, we’re discussing a singular hero’s role in perhaps the quintessential movie trilogy: Star Wars‘ Luke Skywalker… “I’m Never Gonna Get Out of Here” He’s Luke Skywalker, and he’s here to rescue you. Capable but physically unassuming—Obi Wan calls him “little one”—with blond, feathered hair and a too-big tunic. He’s a talented pilot, good with droids, and too short to be a stormtrooper. If there’s a bright center to the universe, he’s on the...

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Lavender Squanders Its Potential & Leans On Clichés

Lavender Squanders Its Potential & Leans On Clichés

Posted by | Mar 3, 2017 | |

Overview: When a photographer suffers memory loss after a car accident, she must use her photographs and the people around her to recover memories both recent and distant, uncovering secrets about her past that may have been better left forgotten. Samuel Goldwyn Films; 2017; Not Rated; 92 minutes. Final Girl: Lavender, directed and co-written by Ed Gass-Donnelly, and co-written by Colin Frizzell, is a psychological thriller with a strong visual character that loses its cohesion thematically, and falters most grievously in its characterization. Jane (Abbie Cornish), is a photographer with an affinity for photographing abandoned homes. She is the...

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La La Land is a Story of Dreams, Reality, and the Search for Artistic Fulfillment

La La Land is a Story of Dreams, Reality, and the Search for Artistic Fulfillment

Posted by | Dec 13, 2016 | |

Overview: In La La Land, a jazz pianist and aspiring actress struggle with the reality of pursuing their artistic dreams in Los Angeles while falling for each other. Summit Entertainment; 2016; Rated PG-13; 128 minutes. California Here I Come: La La Land, written and directed by Damien Chazelle, is an impressive follow-up to the director’s most recent film Whiplash. With his newest, Chazelle follows Whiplash with another film about the compromises and sacrifices that accompany creative ambition, albeit with an entirely different tone. Sebastian (Ryan Gosling) and Mia (Emma Stone) are both struggling artists aiming to maintain their creative integrity...

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13th is Informative and Shockingly Relevant

13th is Informative and Shockingly Relevant

Posted by | Oct 21, 2016 | |

Overview: 13th is a documentary that connects the institution of slavery to the current level of mass incarceration of black people in America. Netflix; 2016; Rated R; 100 minutes. Hazy Shade of Criminal: Drawing its title from the 13th Amendment, which outlawed slavery in the United States, Ava Duvernay’s 13th asserts that the institution of slavery is maintained in the modern structure of incarceration of America, and explores the cultural values that have allowed racism to sustain itself since America’s inception. DuVernay draws a direct line from the institution of slavery to the issue of mass incarceration in the United States,...

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Queen of Katwe is Sometimes Predictable But Worth Seeing

Queen of Katwe is Sometimes Predictable But Worth Seeing

Posted by | Oct 4, 2016 | |

Overview: Queen of Katwe is the story of a girl living in rural Uganda who is introduced to chess and ultimately becomes an international chess champion. Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures; 2016; Rated PG; 124 minutes. For Love of the Game: Queen of Katwe, on a structural level, is akin to a sports film in many ways. It’s ultimately a hero’s journey with a basic premise of success from unlikely beginnings. Directed by Mira Nair and written by William Wheeler, Queen of Katwe adheres to the basic formula of this kind of film, but does commit to elements that...

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The Intervention Explores Relationships But Avoids the Ugly Bits

The Intervention Explores Relationships But Avoids the Ugly Bits

Posted by | Sep 28, 2016 | |

Overview: Four couples come together for a weekend getaway at a country house. Unbeknownst to one of the couples, the other three have conspired to turn this vacation into an intervention for their failing marriage. Samuel Goldwyn Films; 2016; Rated R; 88 minutes. Love Actually: Once the group latches onto the idea that the married couple Ruby (Cobie Smulders) and Peter (Vincent Piazza) absolutely needs to divorce, and nothing less, they will not let it go. Only one member of the six perpetrators of this scheme openly criticizes the idea of a “marriage intervention” as being absurd, but the...

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Honeytrap is a Coming-of-Age Story With a Hint of Shakespearean Tragedy

Honeytrap is a Coming-of-Age Story With a Hint of Shakespearean Tragedy

Posted by | Sep 27, 2016 | |

Overview: 15-year-old Layla moves from Trinidad to Brixton, London and struggles to fit into a new community. As she tries to create a new life for herself and find her way, she is pressured into making decisions that ultimately lead to tragedy. Array Releasing; 2016; Not Rated; 93 minutes. Fortune’s Fool: Newly arrived in Brixton, London, from Trinidad, Layla (Jessica Sula) moves in with her young mother Shiree (Naomi Ryan) who she hasn’t seen in ten years. From their first conversation, Layla is met with tough love, and is told she’s going to have to pull her own weight,...

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Zoom Has An Interesting Concept, But Doesn’t Dig Deep Enough

Zoom Has An Interesting Concept, But Doesn’t Dig Deep Enough

Posted by | Sep 9, 2016 | |

Overview: A comic book artist, writer, and director create and alter each other’s realities in an inter-dimensional triangle of artistic creation (and eventual destruction.) Screen Media Films; 2016; Not Rated; 97 minutes. Being-for-Others: Zoom focuses first on quirky, insecure Emma Boyle (Allison Pill), whose day job is painting eerie-looking sex dolls. In her free time she is a comic book artist, and brings to life her dream man, Edward, in the form of a comic book character. Edward Deacon (Gael García Bernal) is a handsome playboy director who seeks to challenge himself artistically, directing a contemplative indie film despite being...

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Morris From America is a Charming Coming of Age Tale

Morris From America is a Charming Coming of Age Tale

Posted by | Sep 2, 2016 | |

Overview: The story of 13-year-old Morris Gentry (Markees Christmas), who has recently moved to Germany (from America) to live with his father, after the death of his mother. Morris struggles to fit in with a new social group, pursue his dreams of becoming a rapper, and navigate the difficulties of young love, all while dealing language barriers and cultural differences. A24; 2016; Rated R; 91 minutes. Straight Outta Heidelberg: Depicted by an early scene in Morris from America, in which Morris walks down the picturesque streets of Heidelberg, Germany as a rap track plays in the background, the stage is...

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