In German-occupied Poland during World War II, industrialist Oskar Schindler gradually becomes concerned for his Jewish workforce after witnessing their persecution by the Nazis. Schindler’s List is, arguably, the defining Holocaust film. I remember having to get a waiver signed when I was in the eighth grade, so we could watch the film once we finished our Holocaust unit. (Yes. We had a Holocaust unit.) … Continue reading 8. Schindler’s List (1993)
An insane general triggers a path to nuclear holocaust that a War Room full of politicians and generals frantically tries to stop. Stanley Kubrick brilliantly satirized the Cold War tensions between the US and Russia in Dr. Strangelove, a black comedy that he wrote, directed, and produced. Even more brilliant, he criticized the ridiculous idea of mutually assured destruction. The concept of mutually assured destruction, or … Continue reading 39. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
A spoiled heiress running away from her family is helped by a man who is actually a reporter in need of a story. Out of 100 films on the AFI list, only 8 of them are pre-code films. And, out of those 8 films, only one of them is a romantic comedy that greatly alludes to sex throughout the film: It Happened One Night. Honestly, … Continue reading 46. It Happened One Night (1934)
To put it simply, Once Upon a Time in…Hollywood was made so Quentin Tarantino could rewrite the Manson murders. At least, that’s what I took from it. The film, for lack of a better description, felt like Tarantino was jacking himself off for the too long run time of two hours and forty one minutes. It’s a completely self-indulgent film. It’s also one that thrusts … Continue reading Once Upon a Time in…Hollywood (2019)
I have been thinking about this film for three days. I don’t know if I liked it. I don’t know if I hated it. I think my indecision about the film lies in the realization that the film can easily be interpreted as a “white savior” film. One of my favorite things about film is that, depending on the person, a film can be interpreted … Continue reading The Nightingale (2018)
The Walt Disney Company, in just ten years, went from being on the verge of being picked apart and taken over to one of the most powerful and successful film companies of all time. Have you ever asked yourself how they did that? I did, when I was in college. In fact, I spent an entire semester researching and writing a paper on the subject. … Continue reading The Near Fall and Rise of the Walt Disney Company
The 1973 film adaptation of Godspell is what I think a mild acid trip while reading the bible would be like. A retelling of the Gospel of St. Matthew, the film Godspell takes place in 1970s New York City. We start by watching John the Baptist walk across a bridge. We are then introduced to, who we will discover, are Jesus Christ’s disciples, going about … Continue reading Movie Musical Monday: Godspell
