A Wrinkle in Time reminded me of a kid-friendly absurdist David Lynch project with less fragile female characters. Lauded for directing 13th and Selma, Ava DuVernay is truly a visionary in the world of contemporary cinema. She illuminates the issue of racial inequality with nuance and panache. It comes as a surprise then, that her debutContinue reading “A Wrinkle in Time”
Tag Archives: movie
The Shape of Water
In aqua-toned splendor, Guillermo del Toro’s The Shape of Water emerges as an eccentric, sci-fi fairy tale that amplifies the voices of those who are seldom heard. Sally Hawkins stars as Elisa Esposito, a mute cleaning woman who lives a humdrum life. Her best friends are Giles (Richard Jenkins), a struggling advertisement artist, and Zelda, anContinue reading “The Shape of Water”
Girls Trip
I’ve watched Girls Trip twice already, so there’s no hiding how I feel about it. Tiffany Haddish makes me incredibly happy whenever I see her. I’m convinced that any movie that features Chaka Khan’s “I’m Every Woman” will instantly become a favorite of mine (re: Bridget Jones’s Diary). Some critics might take a reductive approach and deemContinue reading “Girls Trip”
Mudbound
Dee Ree’s Mudbound consists of nuanced ambiguities that make it a force of moral clarity. It confronts the ugly truths of racism—lynchings, heinous verbal abuse, forced poverty—while also gesturing at the precarious, but very possible nature of hope. I can think of so many examples in pop culture where ostensibly progressive works serve to uphold theContinue reading “Mudbound”
Marshall
Reginald Hudlin’s Marshall is a stylish biopic about a specific slice in late Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall’s law career. The jazzy courtroom drama follows the case of The State of Connecticut versus Joseph Spell. The all-star cast includes Chadwick Boseman, Josh Gad, Kate Hudson, Sterling K. Brown, and Dan Stevens. These actors hail from typical box office crowdContinue reading “Marshall”
The Big Sick
I somehow always end up enjoying Judd Apatow stuff, whether or not I intend to (PopStar: Never Stop Never Stopping, Love, Girls). His work possesses this addictive quality of sincerity embedded deep within the ostensible superficiality of modern relationships. What always makes me iffy about his previous work is its lack of diversity in termsContinue reading “The Big Sick”
Stacey Nguyen 