Young CriticDa 5 Bloods
In an era of extreme racial tensions, the voices of black artists are more needed than ever. Therefore, it was a godsend to have a new Spike Lee film debut on Netflix. The veteran American filmmaker had “returned to form
Reviews tagged: social commentary
Young Critic
Young CriticThe Hunt (2020)
It seems that every once in a while there is a debate about whether art can provoke violence. As with all these conversations, there are fears and predictions that mass violence and shootings will occur at theaters (this
Young CriticThe Invisible Man (2020)
The best uses of genre in film are when it uses particular tropes to comment on a specific issue. With the commercialization of genre films, however, this can easily be lost to the cashing in and exploitation of clichés.
Young CriticAn Officer and a Spy
Roman Polanski has had a life that is eventful enough to be made into a film. The director was one of the hottest filmmakers in the late 60s with the great success of Rosemary’s Baby (1968), however, only a year after th
Young CriticBombshell
Fox News arose in the 1990s as a refreshing option for conservative Americans. The network grew to be the biggest news conglomerate in the United States. This was all thanks to a partnership between News Corp. CEO Rupert
Young CriticDark Waters
The courtroom film has been a very prolific subgenre, managing to show the intricacies of American justice, with a frequent penchant for flair. The likes of To Kill a Mockingbird (1962), The Verdict (1982) , My Cousin Vi
Young CriticKnives Out
Rian Johnson is creating a reputation for playing with a genre’s expectations. He deeply infuriated the Star Wars fanbase with his bold Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017) and has moved on to the fading murder
Young CriticParasite
Bong Joon Ho is probably the most internationally renowned Korean director of today; having exploited his early successes in Korea like The Host (2006) with some American productions like Snowpiercer (2013) and Okja (201
Young CriticMotherless Brooklyn
Actor Edward Norton had only directed one film, Keeping the Faith (2000), nearly two decades ago. The film flew under the radar for the most part, but it is Norton’s second film that brings about a more ambitious vision:
Young CriticHarriet
It’s incredible to think that the figure of Harriet Tubman has not had a biographical feature film. She was one of the most important and impressive figures during 19th century America, helping lead efforts in the Underg
Young CriticThe Laundromat
There is a subtle through-line in most of Steven Soderbergh’s films that relates to the abuse of power. This was certainly the case in Erin Brockovich (2000), Traffic (2000), The Informant! (2009), and even his Ocean’s t
Young CriticLate Night
The Late Night world of American television is one of the most cut-throat areas of Hollywood and show business. The likes have been parodied in shows such as 30 Rock (2006-2013) and The Larry Sanders Show (1992-1998); bo
Young CriticThe Dead Don't Die
The zombie genre has been surprisingly flexible to infuse symbolism. Since the mainstream launch of the genre with George Romero’s Night of the Living Dead (1968) the genre has explored the fear that people had with infe
Young CriticMa
There’s a reason why horror films have such low budgets; such a volatile genre can deliver massive cultural and commercial hits or some of the worst films ever released. Smart directors are able to spin the low money int
Young CriticUs
Every couple of decades there’s a filmmaker that is able to see and transmit the social state of the country. There have been the likes of Fassbinder in Germany during the 70s and 80s, Oliver Stone in the US in the 80s a
Young CriticCaptain Marvel
The wave of female representation in blockbusters is finally finding traction. After the success of Wonder Woman in 2017 for DC, the rival superhero studio Marvel has released their first stand-alone female superhero wit
Young CriticVelvet Buzzsaw
In a recent Twitter post documentarian Michael Moore thanked Netflix for funding and releasing films that would otherwise have remained in a vault somewhere. This leads to beautiful gems like Roma and Mudbound , but it
Young CriticIf Beale Street Could Talk
Barry Jenkins might just be the best director for romances today. That might not be the conventional thing one might hear from the Moonlight Oscar-winner, but it’s been the most powerful thing in his last two films. His
Young CriticThe Favourite
Yorgos Lanthimos has emerged to the English-speaking world as a savior-like director, bringing an incredibly unique style of directing and telling stories, the likes of which were unseen of since the times of Kubrick. In
Young CriticBen is Back
Julia Robert’s is the best. The American actress can rarely be seen in an unlikeable role; perhaps it’s her contagious smile, the one that lights up the entire cinema or living room where her film is being played. The ac
Young CriticGreen Book
Filmmakers and performers in comedy are people you should never underestimate in producing drama. Certainly in recent years we’ve seen some notable jumps from campy comedy movies to some of the best dramatic pictures of
Young CriticBoy Erased
Dramas about homosexuality can be hard to conceive, as it is easy to fall into pitying the protagonist(s), this especially can happen when the filmmaker is straight. However, Joel Edgerton has proved that he has a gentle
Young CriticBeautiful Boy
Two of the biggest dramatic acting revelations of this decade have been Steve Carell and Timothée Chalamet. The two actors have been paired up in the addiction drama Beautiful Boy , bringing us two of the greatest perfor
Young CriticThe Hate U Give
“Living is easy with eyes closed,” that is a lyric in The Beatles’ song “Strawberry Fields Forever” and it reflects what many in the privileged western world choose to do when the truths of the world appear on the news.