Author: David Hart

The Greatest Showman Will Leave You Demanding A Refund

The Greatest Showman Will Leave You Demanding A Refund

Posted by | Dec 22, 2017 | , |

Overview: A musical loosely based on the rise of P.T. Barnum shows the birth of the circus and his vision of true spectacle; 20th Century Fox; Rated PG; 105 minutes. Wasted Opportunities: As a genre, the musical has, at different points in cinema history, been both maligned and celebrated. The advantage of the musical as an art form is that music is easily tied to emotion. For this reason, a moment that could be silly or over the top may fit perfectly into music and lyrics. Done correctly, musicals can invoke intense feeling and emotional moments can be seared...

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The Shape of Water Shows the Beauty in Our Differences

The Shape of Water Shows the Beauty in Our Differences

Posted by | Dec 18, 2017 | , |

Overview: Against the backdrop of the Cold War, a mute woman who works in a research facility begins a romance with a creature of unknown origin. Fox Searchlight Pictures; 2017; Rated R; 123 minutes. The Others: For centuries, otherness has been the symbol of the enemy in every form of artistic expression. It is a simple shortcut that the human brain can make in an instant, sometimes without a single, recognizable thought. If something is obviously aberrant from the norm, it must be bad. But there is problem with normality: it doesn’t truly exist. We are all aberrant, in...

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Murder On The Orient Express Delivers A Satisfying Remake And No More

Murder On The Orient Express Delivers A Satisfying Remake And No More

Posted by | Nov 13, 2017 | |

 Overview: A passenger is murdered on board the Orient Express; everyone is a suspect, and only Hercule Poirot can crack the case. 20th Century Fox; 2017; Rated PG-13; 114 minutes. Whenever a treasured property is remade, regardless of language change, casting difference, or money spent, there is usually a common question. Why? More specifically, why now? It is likely that those same questions hang over Kenneth Branagh’s updated version of Murder on the Orient Express. This particular story, well known to some and recognized by practically everyone, has been produced many times, on film and television alike. The remake question...

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Halloween: The True Classic

Halloween: The True Classic

Posted by | Oct 31, 2017 | , |

Some movies are just special. There is really no rhyme or reason as to why. But some movies just trigger us. They ignite a love for film, a love for genre, a love of emotion and experience. And it is different for all of us. For my wife, it is seeing Debbie Reynolds dance and sing in Singin’ in the Rain. For a close friend of mine, it is the romance of Cary Elwes and Robin Wright in The Princess Bride. My love for film is just a little bit darker, and I can remember it as soon as...

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The Snowman Falls in A Hole and Never Recovers

The Snowman Falls in A Hole and Never Recovers

Posted by | Oct 23, 2017 | , |

Overview: Detective Harry Hole tracks a serial killer with only the help of a handwritten note and his young partner. Universal Pictures; 2017; Rated R; 119 minutes. Missed Opportunities: There is nothing easy about making movies. There is no formula to the making of a good movie, or of any other piece of art, for that matter. You cannot simply plug in the right pieces and expect greatness to be the output. A truly great film is usually more than the sum of its parts, it provides something wonderful and unexpected. The Snowman is neither a great a movie...

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Celebrating the Monstrous Love of Guillermo del Toro

Celebrating the Monstrous Love of Guillermo del Toro

Posted by | Oct 16, 2017 | , ,

Over the last month, Audience Everywhere has been celebrating Hispanic filmmakers and representation in recognition of Hispanic Heritage Month. But no celebration of Hispanic contributions to the world of cinema could possibly be complete without mention of Guillermo del Toro. Among other achievements, he is a member of the Three Amigos, as Hollywood has termed them, a triumvirate of critically successful Mexican directors, along with Alfonso Cuarón and Alejandro González Iñárritu. This connection to his country and his countrymen is evident in his work as well as his interactions online. He is consistently supportive of Hispanic filmmakers, without any...

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Happy Death Day Dies A Slow Death

Happy Death Day Dies A Slow Death

Posted by | Oct 16, 2017 | , , |

Overview: A young woman must solve her own murder as she relives it repeatedly. Blumhouse Productions; 2017; Rated PG-13; 96 minutes. The Hook Brings You Back: Any great horror movie needs a satisfying hook. This is necessary for a film to not get lost among the countless other horror entries that come and go every Halloween season. Luckily, Happy Death Day has that buy-in even from the promotional materials. It has been described by many as a horror version of Groundhog Day. Honestly, this was enough to get me in the theater. There are several directions that this film...

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False Prophets and the Hatred of Red State

False Prophets and the Hatred of Red State

Posted by | Oct 12, 2017 | ,

Much has been made lately (and has been made before and will be made again) of the question “is ________ really a horror movie?” This has become even more ridiculous with the questioning of Stephen King’s It, a story about a shape-shifting clown who hunts and eats children. If that’s not horror, what is? But regardless, the goal of a horror movie is, at its simplest,to frighten. But there is no way to guarantee every member of the audience will be frightened of the same thing. We all bring ourselves into the experience of every movie. So, what scares...

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The Battle of the Sexes Fights the Good Fight

The Battle of the Sexes Fights the Good Fight

Posted by | Oct 4, 2017 | , |

Overview: The fight for equal pay for tennis athletes culminates in a final match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs. Fox Searchlight Pictures; 2017; Rated PG-13; 121 minutes.  A Long Road Ahead: We should be closer to equality than we are. This is true when talking about our culture’s treatment of LGBTQ rights, race, and gender. It can sometimes be easy to assume that we have made great strides. However, taking a closer look at a seminal event in regards to equality can present us with some very difficult truths. The Battle of the Sexes, is at its...

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Mother! is an Inspired Creation

Mother! is an Inspired Creation

Posted by | Sep 15, 2017 | , |

Overview: A happy couple’s world is invaded by both natural and supernatural force. Paramount Pictures; 2017; Rated R; 121 minutes. Inspired!: Art is meant to inspire. The best art, or worst, depending on your perspective, rips feeling out of you, seemingly against your will. This is actually more rare in film than one might think. The vast majority of movie-going experiences are viewed, remembered for a day or two, and then completely forgotten. It is the joy and the sorrow of a visual, fleeting medium. Yes, one can purchase a movie and have physical or streaming copies, but that...

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Tulip Fever Is In No Danger of Catching On

Tulip Fever Is In No Danger of Catching On

Posted by | Sep 15, 2017 | , |

Overview: A married woman and an artist hired to paint her portrait fall in love and hatch a plan to be together. Paramount Pictures; 2017; Rated R; 107 minutes Longing for Love: One distinct challenge of the period film is the inability for people in love, regardless of marital status, to say how they truly feel about one another. This longing dictates a challenge for actors, given that one of their most direct avenues of communication, that of dialogue, is immediately removed from their toolbox. This can do one of two things, either create a palpable sense of longing...

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Black Swan and the Search For Perfection

Black Swan and the Search For Perfection

Posted by | Sep 15, 2017 | |

Black Swan, more than anything else, is a film about unachievable goals. In a word, the pursuit of perfection. The screenplay does not exactly make this a secret, or even subtle. The movie practically begins and ends talking about Nina’s (Natalie Portman) desire to be absolutely perfect. Perfection, as a goal of human development, is more than a bit tricky, and the striving for it can even lead to psychological disorders. Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder (not to be confused with OCD), eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia, and Generalized Anxiety Disorder all contain perfectionism as a symptom of...

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An Animation Marathon for Don Bluth’s 80th Birthday

An Animation Marathon for Don Bluth’s 80th Birthday

Posted by | Sep 13, 2017 | |

For the occasion of this, Don Bluth’s 80th birthday, I decided to do something a little different. I am a huge fan of Mr. Bluth, even making maybe ridiculous claims, like saying that Bluth movies outshine all other animated properties, including the vaunted vault of Disney. Despite this, there were a few films in his filmography that I had not seen. So, before writing this, I decided to watch, in order, every one of his films to see what I would learn. Now, I could sit here and write about every one of Don Bluth’s movies in separate sections....

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Patti Cake$ Pleases with a Star Performance from McDonald

Patti Cake$ Pleases with a Star Performance from McDonald

Posted by | Sep 11, 2017 | , |

Overview: The story of aspiring rapper, Killa P, and her desire to somehow get out of Jersey. Fox Searchlight Pictures; 2017; Rated R; 108 minutes Someone To Root For: The best underdog stories are about aspiration, finding a better place, both inside of ourselves and to journey towards. It must be understood why our hero (or heroine) has not made it yet, but also why we should root for them to actually succeed in the first place. These characters must have faults, and an inner nobility that only we and their closest friends and kin are aware of, something...

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Ed Skrein: Representation’s Ally

Ed Skrein: Representation’s Ally

Posted by | Aug 30, 2017 | |

Anyone who is hooked into film and television criticism knows the term whitewashing. Whether it is Scarlett Johansson in The Ghost in the Shell, Tilda Swinton in Doctor Strange, or even Emma Stone in Aloha, whitewashing is a growing issue that is finally getting attention thanks to the ability that the internet grants to discuss hot button topics. The latest film to get caught in the firestorm of whitewashing is the new Hellboy reboot. In this upcoming film, Ed Skrein, known mainly from Game of Thrones and Deadpool, was cast as Major Ben Daimio, who is a character of...

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