Production Company(ies)
2.4.7. Films, France 3 Cinéma The Kennedy Marshall Company,
 
Distributor
The Orchard
 
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
 
Filming Location(s)

 
MPAA / Certificate
Not Rated
 
Year of Release
2017
 

 
Genre(s)
Documentary
 
Keyword(s)
documentary, big-game hunting, wildlife conservation, animals, commodities, Shaul Schwarz, Christina Clusiau, Lauren Haber, Julia Nottingham, box office, gross USA, The Orchard, MPAA rating, reviewed by Ben Sachs, Kristen Lopez, Simran Hans, Trevor Johnston, Isobel Raphael, Ed Potton, Leslie Combemale, Marisa Carpico, Amelie Lasker, Christopher Llewellyn Reed, Daniel Krauze, Edward Porter, starring Tim Black, Philip Glass, John Hume, Bill Travers Jr., directed by Shaul Schwarz, Christina Clusiau, written by N/A, producer N/A, budget N/A, critic reviews, Fresh Kernels, audience score, streaming movies, TV shows, theaters, limited release, English, genre, runtime, distributor, documentary film, thought-provoking, big-game hunting industry, breeding industry, wildlife conservation industry, complex consequences, commercial case, emotive kills, African big-game trade, hunters’ reasoning, moral quandaries, Louis Theroux documentary, eye-opening scenes, knotty, balanced idea, necessary, top horror movies, RT podcasts, most anticipated movies, best Netflix series, renewed & cancelled TV shows 2022, worst horror movies of all time, best Netflix series & shows
 

Cast & Crew

Tim Black

Philip Glass

John Hume

Bill Travers Jr.

Shaul Schwarz

Tim Black

Philip Glass

John Hume

Bill Travers Jr.

Shaul Schwarz

Tim Black – self
Philip Glass – self
John Hume – self
Bill Travers Jr. – self
Shaul Schwarz – director
Christina Clusiau – director

 

Shaul Schwarz

NA

Lauren Haber

Julia Nottingham

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Shaul Schwarz, Christina Clusiau
 
Writer(s)
NA
 
Producer(s)
Lauren Haber, Julia Nottingham

 

Film Festivals
Sundance, South by Southwest
 
Awards & Nominations
2 wins & 6 nominations
 
Academy Awards

Top Reviews

Ben Sachs

Kristen Lopez

Simran Hans

Trevor Johnston

Isobel Raphael

Chicago Reader

Spectrum Culture

Observer (UK)

Time Out

Little White Lies

TROPHY
  All Critics (50) | Top Critics (27) | Fresh (48) | Rotten (2)
  Schwarz and Clusiau also come across as glib storytellers, cutting impatiently between several different stories and presenting them in bite-size chunks, as in a TV news broadcast.
 
  March 25, 2020
 
  Ben Sachs
  Chicago Reader
  TOP CRITIC
  Trophy should be mandatory viewing in spite of its narrative presentation.
 
  November 20, 2017 | Rating: 3.5/5
 
  Kristen Lopez
  Spectrum Culture
  TOP CRITIC
  The film gives voice to the commercial case for breeding and hunting, which feels at odds with the emotive way these kills are positioned.
 
  November 19, 2017 | Rating: 2/5
 
  Simran Hans
  Observer (UK)
  TOP CRITIC
  If ‘Blue Planet II’ is a bit too touchy-feely for you, this hard-hitting doc should do the trick.
 
  November 17, 2017 | Rating: 4/5
 
  Trevor Johnston
  Time Out
  TOP CRITIC
  A powerful film, but also sometimes very tough to watch.
 
  November 17, 2017 | Rating: 3/5
 
  Isobel Raphael
  Little White Lies
  TOP CRITIC
  Shaul Schwarz and Christina Clusiau’s disturbing documentary digs into the murk of the African big-game trade with candour and even-handedness.
 
  November 17, 2017 | Rating: 4/5
 
  Ed Potton
  Times (UK)
  TOP CRITIC
  It behooves those of us with curiosity, a conscience, and a desire to find solutions to pay attention. The documentary Trophy asks us to consider one such issue, and as such is worth a little discomfort.
 
  October 18, 2019 | Rating: 4/5
 
  Leslie Combemale
  Cinema Siren
  However, the new documentary, Trophy…suggests that not only is the issue of hunting vs. conservationism not so black-and-white, but that the two [are] intertwined.
 
  December 25, 2018 | Rating: 9/10
 
  Marisa Carpico
  The Pop Break
  In the style of a Louis Theroux documentary, Trophy’s filmmakers give us extensive insight into the hunters’ reasoning for doing things some of us might think cruel and even disgusting.
 
  August 26, 2018 | Rating: 4/5
 
  Amelie Lasker
  FF2 Media
  The stakes are high, so it’s worth considering all points of view. Thanks to the even-handed, illuminating approach of directors Christina Clusiau and Shaul Schwarz … , we can.
 
  February 25, 2018
 
  Christopher Llewellyn Reed
  Hammer to Nail
  Trophy is not a pleasant experience, but it is necessary.
 
  December 8, 2017
 
  Daniel Krauze
  El Financiero
  In an account full of eye-opening scenes, the film gives us a knotty, balanced idea of the moral quandaries involved.
 
  November 20, 2017 | Rating: 4/5
 
  Edward Porter
  Sunday Times (UK)…

 

Plot
Trophy is a startling exploration of the evolving relationship between big-game hunting and wildlife conservation that will leave you debating what is right, what is wrong and what is necessary in order to save the great species of the world from extinction.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
The documentary Trophy features interviews with Tim Black, Philip Glass, John Hume, and Bill Travers Jr.
 

 
Shaul-Schwarz.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)
K T F Films,
 
Distributor
A24
 
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
 
Filming Location(s)
Magic Castle Inn & and Suites, 5055 W Irlo Bronson Memorial Hwy, Kissimmee, Florida, USA
 
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for language throughout, disturbing behavior, sexual references and some drug material.
 
Year of Release
2017
 

 
Genre(s)
Drama
 
Keyword(s)
starring Willem Dafoe, Brooklynn Prince, Bria Vinaite, Valeria Cotto, Christopher Rivera, Caleb Landry Jones, directed by Sean Baker, written by Sean Baker, Chris Bergoch, drama, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Christy Lemire, Kambole Campbell, Jake Wilson, Wenlei Ma, David Stratton, Ryan Gilbey, Brian Eggert, Cory Woodroof, Jason Adams, Dorothy Woodend, Matt Brunson, produced by Sean Baker, Chris Bergoch, Shih-Ching Tsou, Andrew Duncan, Alex Saks, Kevin Chinoy, Francesca Silvestri, R rating, motel, poverty, childhood, Florida, Disney World, underrepresented population, social realism, innocence, misdeeds, summer, empathy, cinematography, young actors, Tangerine, American poverty, misery
 

Cast & Crew

Willem Dafoe

Bobby

Brooklynn Prince

Moonee

Bria Vinaite

Bobby

Moonee

Halley

Jancey

Scooty

Willem Dafoe – Bobby
Brooklynn Prince – Moonee
Bria Vinaite – Halley
Valeria Cotto – Jancey
Christopher Rivera – Scooty
Caleb Landry Jones – Jack
Sean Baker – Director/Writer/Producer
Chris Bergoch – Writer/Producer
Shih-Ching Tsou – Producer
Andrew Duncan – Producer
Alex Saks – Producer
Kevin Chinoy – Producer
Francesca Silvestri – Producer

 

Sean Baker

Sean Baker

Sean Baker

Chris Bergoch

Shih-Ching Tsou

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Sean Baker
 
Writer(s)
Sean Baker, Chris Bergoch
 
Producer(s)
Sean Baker, Chris Bergoch, Shih-Ching Tsou, Andrew Duncan, Alex Saks, Kevin Chinoy, Francesca Silvestri

 

Film Festivals
Cannes, Toronto
 
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 1 Oscar
66 wins & 133 nominations total
 
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees
 

Top Reviews

Christy Lemire

Kambole Campbell

Jake Wilson

Wenlei Ma

David Stratton

Christy Lemire

Kambole Campbell

Jake Wilson

Wenlei Ma

David Stratton

THE FLORIDA PROJECT
 All Critics (319) | Top Critics (75) | Fresh (306) | Rotten (13)
 I knew form the first shot that I was watching a truly great movie… It’s so real, it’s so raw.
 
 September 26, 2018 | Rating: 9.6/10
 
 Christy Lemire
 What the Flick?!
 TOP CRITIC
 A work that combines boundless energy and childlike enthusiasm with dark social realism, Sean Baker’s wildly inventive style of filmmaking has resulted in the gorgeous masterpiece that is The Florida Project.
 
 August 25, 2018 | Rating: 5/5
 
 Kambole Campbell
 One Room With A View
 TOP CRITIC
 Little Moonee is innocent in every sense that counts, and even her worst misdeeds are fuelled by excitement at the possibilities of life.
 
 December 21, 2017 | Rating: 4/5
 
 Jake Wilson
 The Age (Australia)
 TOP CRITIC
 The world captured by Sean Baker’s lens is colourful and bright, despite its impoverished inhabitants, and he never judges or pities them for their choices, even if you might. Here is a movie that shows, not tells.
 
 December 19, 2017 | Rating: 5/5
 
 Wenlei Ma
 News.com.au
 TOP CRITIC
 There isn’t much of a narrative going on here, but Baker succeeds in enveloping the viewer in a very particular place.
 
 December 15, 2017 | Rating: 4/5
 
 David Stratton
 The Australian
 TOP CRITIC
 Baker’s work with his largely inexperienced cast is relaxed and playful, and the film’s tone is fairly assured.
 
 November 16, 2017
 
 Ryan Gilbey
 New Statesman
 TOP CRITIC
 The charm, wrenching emotion, and compassion that Baker finds in his characters are enhanced by his unique touches of humor and unlikely optimism.
 
 March 17, 2022 | Rating: 3.5/4
 
 Brian Eggert
 Deep Focus Review
 The Florida Project is a rainbow in a rainstorm illuminating the nuances of life that consume us all, no matter where we live, how much money we make, what our social status is, how we choose to spend our time and who we spend it with.
 
 February 11, 2022
 
 Cory Woodroof
 Curnblog
 Baker clearly loves every single person he puts inside his camera and feeds off their nasty wise humor of the doomed… The Florida Project is deeply honest
 
 January 14, 2022
 
 Jason Adams
 The Film Experience
 The folks in these stories might be poor, desperate and often completely out of their minds, but there is a curious species of warmth, compassion and even honour in their worlds.
 
 December 29, 2021
 
 Dorothy Woodend
 The Tyee (British Columbia)
 The best picture of 2017, with Willem Dafoe delivering the performance of the year.
 
 November 22, 2021 | Rating: 4/4
 
 Matt Brunson
 Film Frenzy
 This movie really challenged me to look at my own compassion.
 
 August 13, 2021
 
 Hosea Rupprecht
 Pauline Center for Media Studies…

 

Plot
Halley lives with her six year old daughter Moonee in a budget motel along one of the commercial strips catering to the Walt Disney World tourist clientele outside Orlando, Florida. Halley, who survives largely on welfare, has little respect for people, especially those who cross her, it an attitude that she has passed down to Moonee, who curses and gives the finger like her mother. Although the motel’s policy is not to allow long term rentals, Bobby, the motel manager, has made arrangements for people like Halley to live there while not undermining the policy as he realizes that many such tenants have no place to go otherwise. Halley, Moonee and Moonee’s friends, who live in the motel or others like it along the strip and who she often drags into her disruptive pranks, are often the bane of Bobby’s existence, but while dealing with whatever problem arises, Bobby has a soft spot especially for the children and thus, by association, their parents, as he knows that Moonee and others like her are just children acting like a children under whatever guidance they have, Moonee who has less guidance than most. Although there are some lines which he will not tolerate to be crossed, Bobby lets most of the disruptive things that they do go, largely as long as it does not affect the bread and butter of the motel, namely the tourist trade. The summer in this collective is presented, when Moonee and her friends, such as Scooty, are out of school and are left largely to their own devices while self-absorbed Halley does whatever she wants, often just staying in the room watching TV. Halley is supposed to look after Scooty, the son of Halley’s friend Ashley, they who live in the unit immediately underneath Halley and Moonee’s, while Ashley is at work at a local diner. In turn, Ashley pilfers cooked meals from the diner to feed Halley, Moonee and Scooty. Over the course of the summer, Halley systematically begins to alienate one by one the people who are her unofficial support by responding with that disrespect to anything she feels is against her. As such, Halley begins to take more and more extreme measures to maintain the life she leads with Moonee.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
Willem Dafoe delivers a “calming heart” performance in The Florida Project, according to one audience review.
 

 
Sean-Baker.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer,
 
Distributor
A24
 
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
 
Filming Location(s)
Sacramento, California, USA
 
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for language, sexual content, brief graphic nudity and teen partying
 
Year of Release
2017
 

 
Genre(s)
Comedy/Drama
 
Keyword(s)
starring Saoirse Ronan, Laurie Metcalf, Timothée Chalamet, Lucas Hedges, Tracy Letts, Odeya Rush, directed by Greta Gerwig, written by Greta Gerwig, comedy, drama, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Anupama Chopra, Robert Daniels, Roxana Hadadi, Ryan Gilbey, Larushka Ivan-Zadeh, Donald Clarke, Brian Eggert, Fletcher Powell, Nick Levine, Yasmin Omar, Ian Brill, MPAA rating R, high school, mother-daughter relationship, coming-of-age, adolescence, teenage, prom night, sexual experience, aspirations, personal tale, exceptional leading performance, best of the year, best of recent years, intimate, emotional, funny, quirky, sad, true, great characters, fine choice of music, pleasant experience
 

Cast & Crew

Saoirse Ronan

Laurie Metcalf

Timothée Chalamet

Lucas Hedges

Tracy Letts

Lady Bird McPherson

Marion McPherson

Kyle Scheible

Danny O’Neill

Larry McPherson

Saoirse Ronan – Lady Bird McPherson
Laurie Metcalf – Marion McPherson
Timothée Chalamet – Kyle Scheible
Lucas Hedges – Danny O’Neill
Tracy Letts – Larry McPherson
Odeya Rush – Jenna Walton

 

Greta Gerwig

Greta Gerwig

Scott Rudin

Eli Bush

Evelyn O’Neill

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Greta Gerwig
 
Writer(s)
Greta Gerwig
 
Producer(s)
Scott Rudin, Eli Bush, Evelyn O’Neill

 

Film Festivals
Telluride
 
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 5 Oscars
122 wins & 229 nominations total
 
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees
 

Top Reviews

Anupama Chopra

Robert Daniels

Roxana Hadadi

Ryan Gilbey

Larushka Ivan-Zadeh

Film Companion

812filmreviews

Pajiba

New Statesman

Metro Newspaper (UK)

LADY BIRD
  All Critics (398) | Top Critics (87) | Fresh (394) | Rotten (4)
  Lady Bird combines wisdom and tenderness, humor and grace. It’s light-footed without being lightweight. And it captures, with great feeling, the turbulence of a girl growing up. I can’t recommend it enough.
 
  September 5, 2018 | Rating: 4/5
 
  Anupama Chopra
  Film Companion
  TOP CRITIC
  Greta Gerwig’s directorial debut, Lady Bird, is the millisecond of possibility, the speck of unflinching nerve, which might only occur once in our lives.
 
  September 5, 2018 | Rating: 3.5/4
 
  Robert Daniels
  812filmreviews
  TOP CRITIC
  It is a female coming-of-age story that is both nostalgic and unflinching, and it will ensnare you deeply in its grasp.
 
  May 11, 2018
 
  Roxana Hadadi
  Pajiba
  TOP CRITIC
  The densely packed detail which makes this such a luminous work shows Gerwig to be an uncommonly alert filmmaker.
 
  February 22, 2018
 
  Ryan Gilbey
  New Statesman
  TOP CRITIC
  One of the finest teen comedies ever. Movie perfection
 
  February 21, 2018 | Rating: 5/5
 
  Larushka Ivan-Zadeh
  Metro Newspaper (UK)
  TOP CRITIC
  One element of the film’s genius is its ability to root us firmly in Lady Bird’s perspective. It does more.
 
  February 20, 2018 | Rating: 5/5
 
  Donald Clarke
  Irish Times
  TOP CRITIC
  Gerwig bows a modest, spirited film of idiosyncratic dialogue, mannered style, and sharp insight, providing an incredible showcase for the talents of Ronan and Metcalf, as well as her own.
 
  March 17, 2022 | Rating: 4/4
 
  Brian Eggert
  Deep Focus Review
  Greta Gerwig is a major talent.
 
  July 21, 2021
 
  Fletcher Powell
  KMUW – Wichita Public Radio
  Though Lady Bird is a coming-of-age story with familiar tropes such as prom night and a disappointing first sexual experience, it’s really a film about teenage aspiration.
 
  June 30, 2021 | Rating: 5/5
 
  Nick Levine
  NME
  Saoirse Ronan’s stunning portrayal of adolescence is completely lacking in vanity.
 
  June 25, 2021 | Rating: 5/5
 
  Yasmin Omar
  Harper’s Bazaar
  There are many films that try to remind older audience members how it feels to be young, albeit in a superficial way. It reminds us of the real struggles of adolescence while at the same time providing great insight into the challenges of parents…
 
  April 13, 2021
 
  Ian Brill
  Battleship Pretension
  Not only incredibly authentic – perhaps cringingly so – but also marginally profound, even as its scope stays strictly on the almost unsubstantial life of a teenager.
 
  December 5, 2020 | Rating: 6/10
 
  Mike Massie
  Gone With The Twins…

 

Plot
Christine “Lady Bird” McPherson (Saoirse Ronan) is a high school senior from the “wrong side of the tracks”. She longs for adventure, sophistication, and opportunity, but finds none of that in her Sacramento Catholic high school. This movie follows the title character’s senior year in high school, including her first romance, her participation in the school play, and most importantly, her applying for college.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
Lady Bird stars Saoirse Ronan and Laurie Metcalf both received Academy Award nominations for their performances in the film.
 

 
Greta-Gerwig.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)
Pakula-Mulligan Brentwood Productions,
 
Distributor
DOF, Superlative Films
 
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
 
Filming Location(s)
Columbus, Indiana, USA
 
MPAA / Certificate
Not Rated
 
Year of Release
2017
 

 
Genre(s)
Drama
 
Keyword(s)
starring John Cho, Haley Lu Richardson, Rory Culkin, Michelle Forbes, Parker Posey, Erin Allegretti, directed by Kogonada, written by Kogonada, drama, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Hannah Strong, Wendy Ide, Ben Nicholson, Peter Bradshaw, Kevin Maher, Nigel Andrews, Calum Baker, Daisy Leigh-Phippard, Gisela Savdie, Jason Adams, Richard Propes, MPAA rating, produced by Danielle Renfrew Behrens, Aaron Boyd, Giulia Caruso, Ki Jin Kim, Andrew Miano, Chris Weitz, architecture, modernist buildings, friendship, family, love, small town, Midwest, architecture scholar, illness, speaking tour, library, intimacy, conflicted emotions
 

Cast & Crew

John Cho

Haley Lu Richardson

Rory Culkin

Michelle Forbes

Parker Posey

Jin

Casey

Gabriel

Maria

Eleanor

John Cho – Jin
Haley Lu Richardson – Casey
Rory Culkin – Gabriel
Michelle Forbes – Maria
Parker Posey – Eleanor
Erin Allegretti – Emma

 

Kogonada

Kogonada

Danielle Renfrew Behrens

Aaron Boyd

Giulia Caruso

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Kogonada
 
Writer(s)
Kogonada
 
Producer(s)
Danielle Renfrew Behrens, Aaron Boyd, Giulia Caruso, Ki Jin Kim, Andrew Miano, Chris Weitz

 

Film Festivals
Sundance
 
Awards & Nominations
9 wins & 32 nominations
 
Academy Awards

Top Reviews

Hannah Strong

Wendy Ide

Ben Nicholson

Peter Bradshaw

Kevin Maher

Little White Lies

Observer (UK)

Sight & Sound

Guardian

Times (UK)

COLUMBUS
 All Critics (132) | Top Critics (42) | Fresh (128) | Rotten (4)
 Imperfect, but more than enough to put Kogonada on the map.
 
 October 8, 2018 | Rating: 3/5
 
 Hannah Strong
 Little White Lies
 TOP CRITIC
 In its precision – the framing of each shot is as eloquent as the dialogue – and measured pacing, Columbus is a balm, a deep tissue massage for the soul.
 
 October 7, 2018 | Rating: 4/5
 
 Wendy Ide
 Observer (UK)
 TOP CRITIC
 From all the formal elegance there emerges something subtly but profoundly affecting about family and friendship.
 
 October 5, 2018
 
 Ben Nicholson
 Sight & Sound
 TOP CRITIC
 This is a challengingly intelligent film, and Richardson is just superb.
 
 October 5, 2018 | Rating: 4/5
 
 Peter Bradshaw
 Guardian
 TOP CRITIC
 Brainy and sensual, cool and emotional, this wildly impressive feature debut is a coming-of-age drama that consistently defies expectation.
 
 October 5, 2018 | Rating: 4/5
 
 Kevin Maher
 Times (UK)
 TOP CRITIC
 The movie’s framings are uncannily beautiful. They remind us that films, like buildings, are formed by squares and spaces that catch light and shadow. The dialogue is a wonder too.
 
 October 3, 2018 | Rating: 4/5
 
 Nigel Andrews
 Financial Times
 TOP CRITIC
 While the characters are often swallowed up by the amazing buildings, their humanity never fades in this sweet and memorable drama.
 
 June 30, 2022 | Rating: 4/5
 
 Calum Baker
 Radio Times
 Columbus just let me watch two people fumble through their lives and let me feel for them. It asks us to acknowledge the intellectual facts but make our own intuitive conclusions about what they should do, and how they and we feel.
 
 February 21, 2022
 
 Daisy Leigh-Phippard
 Screen Queens
 A smart script with strong performances and a unique aesthetics [Full review in Spanish]
 
 August 24, 2021
 
 Gisela Savdie
 El Heraldo
 A gorgeously simple meditation on the intermingling of public and private spaces
 
 July 2, 2021
 
 Jason Adams
 My New Plaid Pants
 The film’s most revelatory performance belongs to Haley Lu Richardson.
 
 September 5, 2020 | Rating: 3.5/4.0
 
 Richard Propes
 TheIndependentCritic.com
 Columbus is transcendent.
 
 July 1, 2020
 
 CJ Sheu
 Review Film Review…

 

Plot
When a man falls ill during a speaking tour, his son Jin finds himself in Columbus, Indiana where he strikes up a friendship with a young architecture enthusiast named Casey, as they explore the town and their own emotions.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
Fresh Kernels praises Haley Lu Richardson’s “revelatory performance” in Columbus.
 

 
Kogonada.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)
Fox 2000 Pictures, New Regency Productions, Linson Films,
 
Distributor
Lionsgate Films
 
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Wide)
 
Filming Location(s)
Place-des-Arts Station, Montréal, Québec, Canada
 
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for strong violence throughout, some language and brief nudity.
 
Year of Release
2017
 

 
Genre(s)
Action
 
Keyword(s)

Cast & Crew

Keanu Reeves

Common

Laurence Fishburne

Riccardo Scamarcio

Ruby Rose

John Wick

Cassian

Bowery King

Santino D’Antonio

Ares

Keanu Reeves – John Wick
Common – Cassian
Laurence Fishburne – Bowery King
Riccardo Scamarcio – Santino D’Antonio
Ruby Rose – Ares
Lance Reddick – Charon

 

Chad Stahelski

Derek Kolstad

Basil Iwanyk

Erica Lee

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Chad Stahelski
 
Writer(s)
Derek Kolstad
 
Producer(s)
Basil Iwanyk, Erica Lee

 

Film Festivals

 
Awards & Nominations
4 wins & 10 nominations
 
Academy Awards

Top Reviews

Kambole Campbell

Alexandra Heller-Nicholas

K. Austin Collins

Jake Wilson

Simran Hans

One Room With A View

The Blue Lenses

The Ringer

The Age (Australia)

Observer (UK)

JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 2
  All Critics (278) | Top Critics (64) | Fresh (247) | Rotten (31)
  An antidote to overly elaborate action films, John Wick: Chapter 2 doubles down on both the mythology and the violence of the first film, delivering a great followup that doesn’t lose sight of what makes it so damn entertaining.
 
  August 25, 2018 | Rating: 4/5
 
  Kambole Campbell
  One Room With A View
  TOP CRITIC
  John Wick: Chapter 2 doesn’t radically subvert the genre, but it doesn’t intend to. What it does is something so much better: it loves it and celebrates it with charm, skill and devotion.
 
  August 25, 2018
 
  Alexandra Heller-Nicholas
  The Blue Lenses
  TOP CRITIC
  John Wick: Chapter 2 delivers another full-throttle round of brutal, beautiful violence.
 
  August 10, 2017
 
  K. Austin Collins
  The Ringer
  TOP CRITIC
  Basically this is a film about nothing, but you could also call it art for art’s sake, with some of the most elegant action since the 1980s heyday of Walter Hill.
 
  May 17, 2017 | Rating: 3/5
 
  Jake Wilson
  The Age (Australia)
  TOP CRITIC
  An adrenaline-pumping blockbuster polished to near perfection, save its sequel-baiting conclusion.
 
  February 19, 2017 | Rating: 4/5
 
  Simran Hans
  Observer (UK)
  TOP CRITIC
  John Wick laid out the basics of its codified criminal community, but Chapter 2 builds from them an intricate world that has the claustrophobic quality of any professional industry.
 
  February 17, 2017
 
  Alison Willmore
  BuzzFeed News
  TOP CRITIC
  John Wick: Chapter 2 does exactly what good sequel should: it replicates aspects of the original while also expanding its mythology through a measure of novelty and one-upmanship.
 
  April 5, 2022 | Rating: 3/4
 
  Brian Eggert
  Deep Focus Review
  The Raid movies make the John Wick films look like outtakes from Driving Miss Daisy by comparison.
 
  August 17, 2021 | Rating: 2/4
 
  Matt Brunson
  Film Frenzy
  As ever, it’s the action that dazzles. Stahelski choreographs the killing sprees with gruesome elegance and the flick contains genuinely tense and unpredictable moments.
 
  April 29, 2021 | Rating: 4/5
 
  Nick Levine
  NME
  Hits all the right notes. It’s a tad too long but fans of the original will be reminded of why they fell in love with John Wick in the first place.
 
  March 4, 2021 | Rating: 3.5/5
 
  Richard Crouse
  Richard Crouse
  The violence has become a shade more graphic, though it’s also gained a self-awareness that lends to superior humor.
 
  December 5, 2020 | Rating: 4/10
 
  Mike Massie
  Gone With The Twins
  If you aren’t excited for a third chapter when the credits start to roll, check your pulse; you might have died from shock.
 
  September 24, 2020 | Rating: 4/5
 
  Leigh Monson
  Substream Magazine…

 

Plot
Retired assassin John Wick is forced back into the game when he is compelled to repay a past favor, leading him on a violent mission to take out a ruthless crime boss in Rome in John Wick: Chapter 2.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
NA
 

 
Chad-Stahelski.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)
Film Four UK Film Council Darlow Smithson Productions,
 
Distributor
Film Movement
 
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
 
Filming Location(s)
Kiyose, Tokyo, Japan
 
MPAA / Certificate
Not Rated
 
Year of Release
2016
 

 
Genre(s)
Drama
 
Keyword(s)
After the Storm, drama, Japanese, Hiroshi Abe, Yôko Maki, Kirin Kiki, Taiyô Yoshizawa, directed by Hirokazu Koreeda, written by Hirokazu Koreeda, Film Movement, box office gross $270.2K, Dolby Digital, parental responsibilities, personal bonds, forgiveness, dissolute private detective, distrustful family, death of father, cultural lines, timeless observations, critic reviews, Paterson, Like Father Like Son, The Distinguished Citizen, Hasta la Vista!, L’économie du couple, Karen Han, Moira MacDonald, Tara Brady, Wendy Ide, Kevin Maher, Charlotte O’Sullivan, Pieter-Jan Van Haecke, Nicholas Bell, Michael J Casey, Yasser Medina, Dustin Chang, Roger Moore, family life, contemporary Japan, relationships, modern world, repairing brokenness
 

Cast & Crew

Hiroshi Abe

Yôko Maki

Kirin Kiki

Taiyô Yoshizawa

Hirokazu Koreeda

Shinoda Ryota

Shiraishi Kyoko

Shinoda Yoshiko

Shiraishi Shingo

Hiroshi Abe – Shinoda Ryota
Yôko Maki – Shiraishi Kyoko
Kirin Kiki – Shinoda Yoshiko
Taiyô Yoshizawa – Shiraishi Shingo
Hirokazu Koreeda – Director, Screenwriter

 

Hirokazu Koreeda

Hirokazu Koreeda

NA

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Hirokazu Koreeda
 
Writer(s)
Hirokazu Koreeda
 
Producer(s)
NA

 

Film Festivals
Cannes, Toronto
 
Awards & Nominations
2 wins & 13 nominations
 
Academy Awards

Top Reviews

Karen Han

Moira MacDonald

Tara Brady

Wendy Ide

Kevin Maher

CutPrintFilm

Seattle Times

Irish Times

Observer (UK)

Times (UK)

AFTER THE STORM
 All Critics (138) | Top Critics (41) | Fresh (133) | Rotten (5)
 The hard part is that it takes work, which isn’t quite a message we associate with movies but which remains, as with the rest of the film, true to life. The resulting work is beautiful, and strikingly human.
 
 December 8, 2017 | Rating: 10/10
 
 Karen Han
 CutPrintFilm
 TOP CRITIC
 Quiet revelations and fleeting poetry – a lottery ticket, we’re reminded, is a piece of a dream – pleasingly ensue.
 
 June 15, 2017 | Rating: 3.5/4
 
 Moira MacDonald
 Seattle Times
 TOP CRITIC
 As ever, the director has fashioned a lovely, appealing, lightly comic film that exists somewhere between late Ozu and early Spielberg.
 
 June 13, 2017 | Rating: 4/5
 
 Tara Brady
 Irish Times
 TOP CRITIC
 Hirokazu Koreeda’s bittersweet comedy about three generations of a Japanese family is a gentle delight.
 
 June 4, 2017 | Rating: 4/5
 
 Wendy Ide
 Observer (UK)
 TOP CRITIC
 The miracle of Abe’s performance, and indeed of Koreeda’s direction, is that, despite everything, you don’t actually loathe Ryota as a character. You pity him.
 
 June 2, 2017 | Rating: 4/5
 
 Kevin Maher
 Times (UK)
 TOP CRITIC
 This isn’t a weepie but as you realise what’s happening you may want to cry.
 
 June 2, 2017 | Rating: 4/5
 
 Charlotte O’Sullivan
 London Evening Standard
 TOP CRITIC
 Kore-eda vividly explores the complexity of familial relations while touching gently upon the fundamental importance of treasuring small moments of happiness.
 
 September 14, 2020
 
 Pieter-Jan Van Haecke
 Psychocinematography
 One of Kore-eda’s most emotionally poignant films and strongest familial dramas to date, After the Storm is an absolute pleasure.
 
 September 8, 2020 | Rating: 4/5
 
 Nicholas Bell
 IONCINEMA.com
 It’s quiet, sweet, and surprisingly hopeful – just the sort of story you’d expect from Japanese maestro, Hirokazu Kore-eda.
 
 August 5, 2020 | Rating: 3.5/5
 
 Michael J. Casey
 Boulder Weekly
 Koreeda, with meticulous formal control of the frame, makes an enriching observation about family ties and parental obligations. [Full review in Spanish]
 
 July 24, 2020 | Rating: 7/10
 
 Yasser Medina
 Cinemaficionados
 Taking on many Japanese social issues – divorce, unemployment, elderly care, albeit very subtly, After the Storm is another gentle family tale with great measured performances from everyone involved.
 
 July 17, 2020
 
 Dustin Chang
 ScreenAnarchy
 Beautifully layered, bittersweet and forlorn.
 
 April 11, 2020 | Rating: 3.5/4
 
 Roger Moore
 Tribune News Service…

 

Plot
After the death of his father, a private detective tries to reconnect with his family in the Japanese drama, After the Storm.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
Hiroshi Abe delivers a standout performance as the dissolute private detective trying to reconnect with his family.
 

 
Hirokazu-Koreeda.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)
Universal International Pictures,,
 
Distributor
Walt Disney
 
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Wide)
 
Filming Location(s)
Longcross Studios, Chobham Lane, Longcross, Surrey, England, UK
 
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action, and for some language
 
Year of Release
2017
 

 
Genre(s)
Adventure/Action
 
Keyword(s)

Cast & Crew

Chris Pratt

Zoe Saldana

Bradley Cooper

Dave Bautista

Vin Diesel

Peter Quill

Star-Lord

Gamora

Rocket (Voice)

Drax

Chris Pratt – Peter Quill, Star-Lord
Zoe Saldana – Gamora
Bradley Cooper – Rocket (Voice)
Dave Bautista – Drax
Vin Diesel – Baby Groot (Voice)
Michael Rooker – Yondu
Kevin Feige – Producer
James Gunn – Director, Writer

 

James Gunn

James Gunn

Kevin Feige

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
James Gunn
 
Writer(s)
James Gunn
 
Producer(s)
Kevin Feige

 

Film Festivals

 
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 2 Oscars
52 wins & 102 nominations total
 
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees
 

Top Reviews

Kambole Campbell

K. Austin Collins

David Sims

Angie Han

Christopher Orr

One Room With A View

The Ringer

The Atlantic

Mashable

Austin Chronicle

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2
  All Critics (424) | Top Critics (83) | Fresh (360) | Rotten (64)
  While it may not have the novelty of its predecessor, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is hilarious, brimming with pathos, and real pretty to boot.
 
  August 25, 2018 | Rating: 4/5
 
  Kambole Campbell
  One Room With A View
  TOP CRITIC
  Even as Vol. 2 proves to be overlong and needlessly complex, with a last act that doesn’t merely drive the point home so much as hold you hostage to it, the movie proves endearing.
 
  August 10, 2017
 
  K. Austin Collins
  The Ringer
  TOP CRITIC
  In Marvel lingo, Guardians 2 feels like a great six-issue arc, the kind of storytelling that used to be the backbone of superhero comics.
 
  June 16, 2017
 
  David Sims
  The Atlantic
  TOP CRITIC
  Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 also serves as a reminder of why it is we keep coming back to these movies, even as we know every single time that the heroes will prevail and the world will not end: it’s the characters, stupid.
 
  May 30, 2017
 
  Angie Han
  Mashable
  TOP CRITIC
  As Baby Groot’s companions battle the tentacular horror in the background, we’re treated to the delightful spectacle of the mini-veggie juking his way through “Mr. Blue Sky” in the opening credits.
 
  May 12, 2017
 
  Christopher Orr
  The Atlantic
  TOP CRITIC
  All in all, it’s a helluva fun ride and the platonic ideal of a Saturday afternoon matinee.
 
  May 11, 2017 | Rating: 3/5
 
  Marc Savlov
  Austin Chronicle
  TOP CRITIC
  It entertains by finding an equilibrium between diversionary thrills and emotional substance.
 
  April 4, 2022 | Rating: 3.5/4
 
  Brian Eggert
  Deep Focus Review
  Like its predecessor, it stands on its own and might as well have 10 sequels without having to flirt with other Marvel movies. Paradoxically, despite being the funniest film in the MCU, it is, at the same time, the most emotional [Full review in Spanish]
 
  January 2, 2022 | Rating: 5/5
 
  Luis Bond
  Globovision
  Baby Groot steals the show…
 
  August 25, 2021
 
  Hosea Rupprecht
  Pauline Center for Media Studies
  The jokey demeanor that informed the first film remains, even if writer-director James Gunn forces too many gags. But the freshness of the characters remains intact, and the actors continue to interact in a manner that supports the narrative spine.
 
  August 17, 2021 | Rating: 3/4
 
  Matt Brunson
  Film Frenzy
  You just can’t help but have a smile on your face right away.
 
  June 24, 2021
 
  Nicolás Delgadillo
  Discussing Film
  Not all the pieces fit … but what doesn’t work never sticks around long enough to ruin the whole shebang.
 
  May 19, 2021 | Rating: 3/5
 
  Michael J. Casey
  Michael J. Cinema…

 

Plot
After stealing a mysterious orb in the far reaches of outer space, Peter Quill from Earth is now the main target of a manhunt led by the villain known as Ronan the Accuser. To help fight Ronan and his team and save the galaxy from his power, Quill creates a team of space heroes known as the “Guardians of the Galaxy” to save the galaxy.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
NA
 

 
James-Gunn.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)
Fox 2000 Pictures, Chernin Entertainment, Levantine Films,
 
Distributor
Wolfe Releasing
 
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
 
Filming Location(s)

 
MPAA / Certificate
Not Rated
 
Year of Release
2017
 

 
Genre(s)
Drama/Romance
 
Keyword(s)
Princess Cyd, drama, romance, LGBTQ+, 2017, 1h 36m, directed by Stephen Cone, written by Stephen Cone, produced by Stephen Cone, Madison Ginsberg, Bryan Hart, Grace Hahn, starring Rebecca Spence, Jessie Pinnick, Malic White, James Vincent Meredith, Tyler Ross, Matthew Quattrocki, reviewed by Mike D’Angelo, Guy Lodge, Heather Hogan, Katie Walsh, April Wolfe, Sheila O’Malley, Taylor Baker, Casey Cipriani, Danielle Solzman, Diondra Powers, Lena Wilson, box office performance, budget, MPAA rating, relationships, coming-of-age, Chicago, summer, LGBTQ+ romance, feminine sexuality, gender identity, women, female characters, novelist, exploration, authenticity, critic reviews, audience score, Fresh Kernels
 

Cast & Crew

Rebecca Spence

Jessie Pinnick

Malic White

James Vincent Meredith

Tyler Ross

Miranda Ruth

Cyd Loughlin

Katie Sauter

Anthony James

Tab

Rebecca Spence – Miranda Ruth
Jessie Pinnick – Cyd Loughlin
Malic White – Katie Sauter
James Vincent Meredith – Anthony James
Tyler Ross – Tab
Matthew Quattrocki – Ridley
Director – Stephen Cone
Producers – Stephen Cone, Madison Ginsberg, Bryan Hart, Grace Hahn
Writer – Stephen Cone

 

Stephen Cone

Stephen Cone

Stephen Cone

Madison Ginsberg

Bryan Hart

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Stephen Cone
 
Writer(s)
Stephen Cone
 
Producer(s)
Stephen Cone, Madison Ginsberg, Bryan Hart, Grace Hahn

 

Film Festivals

 
Awards & Nominations
3 wins & 2 nominations
 
Academy Awards

Top Reviews

Mike D’Angelo

Guy Lodge

Heather Hogan

Katie Walsh

April Wolfe

AV Club

Guardian

Autostraddle

Los Angeles Times

Village Voice

PRINCESS CYD
  All Critics (43) | Top Critics (15) | Fresh (41) | Rotten (2)
  So many movies are all sizzle and no steak; it’s kind of refreshing, in a way, to be frustrated by all steak and no sizzle.
 
  July 20, 2020 | Rating: B-
 
  Mike D’Angelo
  AV Club
  TOP CRITIC
  Stephen Cone’s Princess Cyd is a soft-treading beauty, warm, light and perceptive on fragile questions of feminine sexuality, gender identity and finding your place in your skin.
 
  July 20, 2020
 
  Guy Lodge
  Guardian
  TOP CRITIC
  Princess Cyd is quiet almost to the point of stillness and deeply generous. It believes women will heal each other and their communities. It hopes.
 
  April 20, 2018
 
  Heather Hogan
  Autostraddle
  TOP CRITIC
  As comfortable to slip into as an afternoon in the sun, as satisfying as a late-night piece of cake, Princess Cyd is a jewel of a film that plumbs thematic depths far below its surface.
 
  December 3, 2017
 
  Katie Walsh
  Los Angeles Times
  TOP CRITIC
  Sometimes the calm between these two women is realistic. But the director often cops out the second his characters get into messier emotions.
 
  November 30, 2017
 
  April Wolfe
  Village Voice
  TOP CRITIC
  Its leisurely quality-its disinterest in “pumping” things up, its focus on the small yet vivid spaces of listening, understanding, struggle, identity-is its greatest asset.
 
  November 3, 2017 | Rating: 3.5/4
 
  Sheila O’Malley
  RogerEbert.com
  TOP CRITIC
  Episode Three: The Princesses, The Captain, The Fixer, & The Guns
 
  August 22, 2021 | Rating: 60/100
 
  Taylor Baker
  Drink in the Movies
  Cyd’s summer is more about exploration than catching up on the latest bestsellers. The film examines Cyd’s sexual fluidity with the greatest of ease and her conversations with her aunt are revelatory for a movie starring women.
 
  November 18, 2020
 
  Casey Cipriani
  Bustle
  In an era in which so many people struggle to find their true self, Princess Cyd is a beautifully-made film that should encourage people to know that it is better to live authentically than to live a lie.
 
  July 20, 2020
 
  Danielle Solzman
  Solzy at the Movies
  The magic of Stephen Cone’s Princess Cyd doesn’t revolve around Cyd as the title may suggest, but this humble-yet-wholehearted film gives its female characters unabashed agency over the lives they’ve chosen to lead.
 
  July 20, 2020
 
  Diondra Powers
  Black Girl Nerds
  The cinematic equivalent of a bath bomb, this fizzy feature is sure to delight – at least until the charm fades.
 
  July 20, 2020
 
  Lena Wilson
  The Playlist
  What begins as a breezy, drifting character study subtly transforms into an emotional puzzle in which the answers to some questions come into focus, while others become fuzzier. Welcome to life.
 
  May 19, 2020
 
  Steven Prokopy
  Third Coast Review…

 

Plot
A 16-year-old girl visits her aunt in Chicago for the summer and falls for another girl, while she and her aunt challenge each other’s sex and spirit in Princess Cyd.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
Princess Cyd stars Rebecca Spence as Miranda Ruth, Jessie Pinnick as Cyd Loughlin, and Malic White as Katie Sauter.
 

 
Stephen-Cone.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)
CNN Films, HBO Max Tremolo Productions,
 
Distributor
A24
 
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
 
Filming Location(s)
Miramar High School, Miramar, Florida, USA
 
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for some sexuality, drug use, brief violence, and language throughout
 
Year of Release
2016
 

 
Genre(s)
Drama/Lgbtq+
 
Keyword(s)
starring Mahershala Ali, Alex R Hibbert, Ashton Sanders, Trevante Rhodes, Janelle Monáe, Naomie Harris, directed by Barry Jenkins, written by Barry Jenkins, produced by Adele Romanski, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, drama, LGBTQ+, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Nijla Mu’min, Elissa Suh, Elena Lazic, Lisa Kennedy, Rick Mele, Candice Frederick, Brian Eggert, James Luxford, David Gonzalez, Ben Turner, Kip Mooney, Mahershala Ali as Juan, Alex R Hibbert as Little, Ashton Sanders as Chiron, Trevante Rhodes as Black, Naomie Harris as Paula, coming of age, Miami, community, kindness, support, love, masculine identity, drug use, brief violence, language throughout, some sexuality, Dolby Digital, Scope (2.35:1), A24, 1h 51m
 

Cast & Crew

Mahershala Ali

Alex R. Hibbert

Ashton Sanders

Trevante Rhodes

Janelle Monáe

Juan

Little

Chiron

Black

Teresa

Mahershala Ali – Juan
Alex R. Hibbert – Little
Ashton Sanders – Chiron
Trevante Rhodes – Black
Janelle Monáe – Teresa
Naomie Harris – Paula

 

Barry Jenkins

Barry Jenkins

Adele Romanski

Dede Gardner

Jeremy Kleiner

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Barry Jenkins
 
Writer(s)
Barry Jenkins
 
Producer(s)
Adele Romanski, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner

 

Film Festivals
Telluride, Toronto
 
Awards & Nominations
Won 3 Oscars
228 wins & 296 nominations total
 
Academy Awards
Oscar Best Picture Winners, Oscar Best Writing Winners, Oscar Nominees, Oscar Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published Winners, Oscar Winners
 

Top Reviews

Nijla Mu’min

Elissa Suh

Elena Lazic

Lisa Kennedy

Rick Mele

Bitch Media

StageBuddy.com

Little White Lies

Denver Post

Shadow and Act

MOONLIGHT
 All Critics (396) | Top Critics (91) | Fresh (389) | Rotten (7)
 Moonlight displays the kind of empathy and humanity that we desperately need right now.
 
 February 17, 2021
 
 Nijla Mu’min
 Bitch Media
 TOP CRITIC
 Jenkins boils a life down to its decisive moments; a life in three parts is an eloquent and acute summation with Nicholas Britell’s heart-rending music underlining.
 
 March 13, 2020
 
 Elissa Suh
 StageBuddy.com
 TOP CRITIC
 Jenkins’ authorial voice is resounding and strong and his determination admirable.
 
 March 21, 2018
 
 Elena Lazic
 Little White Lies
 TOP CRITIC
 “Moonlight” arrives as a gift, one worth keeping – and regifting.
 
 February 16, 2018
 
 Lisa Kennedy
 Denver Post
 TOP CRITIC
 Moonlight may be a quiet, understated gem. But you can expect the buzz surrounding it to become deafening.
 
 August 15, 2017
 
 Rick Mele
 Shadow and Act
 TOP CRITIC
 Through each of their performances, and the rich narrative, Jenkins delivers an authentic, necessary statement of black male self-love.
 
 March 22, 2017 | Rating: B+
 
 Candice Frederick
 Reel Talk Online
 TOP CRITIC
 The director’s filmmaking radiates a poetry in his storytelling and visual aesthetic, creating a film that resonates with the viewer in the head and heart.
 
 April 9, 2022 | Rating: 4/4
 
 Brian Eggert
 Deep Focus Review
 Ending as enigmatically as it begins, Moonlight is a film about the lives that slip between the cracks. Its unmissable.
 
 February 21, 2022 | Rating: 5/5
 
 James Luxford
 City AM
 Moonlight is one of the very best films of the year so far. It is a reminder that despite background, geographic location, race, or sexual orientation, everyone seeks comfort, shelter, someone, and a space in which we can truly be ourselves.
 
 February 14, 2022 | Rating: 4/4
 
 David Gonzalez
 Reel Talk Inc.
 The cinematic treatment leaves this diminutive urban story feeling grand, classical and majestic.
 
 September 2, 2021 | Rating: 5/5
 
 Ben Turner
 The Pink Lens
 A refreshing, bracing break from not just what Hollywood churns out, but also from the awards-driven independent films that dominate the end of the year.
 
 August 28, 2021 | Rating: A
 
 Kip Mooney
 College Movie Review
 Black lives matter in the quiet, contemplative Moonlight, but let’s not stop there.
 
 August 18, 2021 | Rating: 3.5/4
 
 Matt Brunson
 Film Frenzy…

 

Plot
Three time periods – young adolescence, mid-teen and young adult – in the life of black-American Chiron is presented. When a child, Chiron lives with his single, crack addict mother Paula in a crime ridden neighborhood in Miami. Chiron is a shy, withdrawn child largely due to his small size and being neglected by his mother, who is more concerned about getting her fixes and satisfying her carnal needs than taking care of him. Because of these issues, Chiron is bullied, the slurs hurled at him which he doesn’t understand beyond knowing that they are meant to be hurtful. Besides his same aged Cuban-American friend Kevin, Chiron is given what little guidance he has in life from a neighborhood drug dealer named Juan, who can see that he is neglected, and Juan’s caring girlfriend Teresa, whose home acts as a sanctuary away from the bullies and away from Paula’s abuse. With this childhood as a foundation, Chiron may have a predetermined path in life, one that will only be magnified in terms of its problems when he reaches his difficult teen years when peer pressure affects what he and many of his peers do, unless he follows Juan’s advice of truly making his own decisions for himself.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
Mahershala Ali won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Moonlight.
 

 
Barry-Jenkins.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)
Chartoff-Winkler Productions,
 
Distributor
Paramount Pictures
 
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Wide)
 
Filming Location(s)
Montréal, Québec, Canada
 
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG-13 for brief strong language
 
Year of Release
2016
 

 
Genre(s)
Drama
 
Keyword(s)
Arrival, Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Forest Whitaker, Denis Villeneuve, Eric Heisserer, Shawn Levy, Dan Levine, Aaron Ryder, David Linde, Drama, Sci-Fi, PG-13, Box Office, $100.5M, Reviewed by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, Kristen Lopez, K Austin Collins, Anne Cohen, Angie Han, Devika Girish, Brian Eggert, Alex Behan, Matt Brunson, Nathan Mattise, Jason Adams, Olly Richards, Linguistics, Extraterrestrial Visitors, Global War, Communication, Mystery, Time, Space, Thinking Person’s Sci-Fi, Emotional, Terrific Performance, Must-See Experience, Head Themes, Genuine Affecting Emotion, Meticulously Crafted, Jóhann Jóhannsson Score, Beautiful, Original, Cerebral, Hypnotic, Strange, Quintessential Science-Fiction Blockbuster, Singular, Transcendent Viewing Experience, Far More Focused on Humanity, Thought-Provoking Puzzler, Captivating, Atmospheric Spectacle, Expansive, Weighty, Complex Concepts, Communication, Perception of Time and Space, Strong Performances, Special Effects, Dark and Foreboding Tone, Smart, Sophisticated, Challenging, Remarkably Compelling
 

Cast & Crew

Amy Adams

Jeremy Renner

Forest Whitaker

Michael Stuhlbarg

Mark O’Brien

Louise Banks

Ian Donnelly

Colonel Weber

Agent Halpern

Captain Marks

Amy Adams – Louise Banks
Jeremy Renner – Ian Donnelly
Forest Whitaker – Colonel Weber
Michael Stuhlbarg – Agent Halpern
Mark O’Brien – Captain Marks
Tzi Ma – General Shang

 

Denis Villeneuve

Eric Heisserer

Shawn Levy

Dan Levine

Aaron Ryder

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Denis Villeneuve
 
Writer(s)
Eric Heisserer
 
Producer(s)
Shawn Levy, Dan Levine, Aaron Ryder, David Linde

 

Film Festivals
Venice, Telluride, Toronto
 
Awards & Nominations
Won 1 Oscar
70 wins & 269 nominations total
 
Academy Awards
Oscar Best Achievement in Sound Editing Winners, Oscar Nominees, Oscar Winners
 

Top Reviews

Alexandra Heller-Nicholas

Kristen Lopez

K. Austin Collins

Anne Cohen

Angie Han

All Critics

Top Critics

Fresh

Rotten

The Blue Lenses

ARRIVAL
  All Critics (436) | Top Critics (89) | Fresh (412) | Rotten (24)
  Arrival transcends the limitations that so often govern the less creative examples of the subgenre, instead using it as a loose conceptual foundation upon which to build a theoretically-informed examination of what precisely … makes us human.
 
  August 25, 2018
 
  Alexandra Heller-Nicholas
  The Blue Lenses
  TOP CRITIC
  Arrival couldn’t have arrived (pun intended) at a better time.
 
  November 20, 2017
 
  Kristen Lopez
  Culturess
  TOP CRITIC
  I think of Arrival in terms of color: the milky grays of the clouds rolling over the Montana plain; the bright blue of computer screens bouncing off the gray tents on the makeshift army compound.
 
  August 10, 2017
 
  K. Austin Collins
  The Ringer
  TOP CRITIC
  Arrival isn’t exactly your typical alien movie — it’s so much better than that. This is a movie about how language actually influences the way you think and live your life.
 
  June 28, 2017
 
  Anne Cohen
  Refinery29
  TOP CRITIC
  Everything about Arrival feels meticulously crafted, from the gorgeously composed shots to the Jóhann Jóhannsson score.
 
  June 13, 2017 | Rating: 8/10
 
  Angie Han
  Slashfilm
  TOP CRITIC
  A Spielberg-Nolan lovechild of sorts, wondrous and mind-bending in equal parts, Denis Villeneuve’s latest is a quintessential science-fiction blockbuster steeped in genre traditions and made singular by Amy Adams’s transporting performance.
 
  January 3, 2017
 
  Devika Girish
  Film Comment Magazine
  TOP CRITIC
  Both cerebral and achingly emotional, Arrival sustains a message about hope and understanding for a better humanity that audiences may need right now.
 
  April 9, 2022 | Rating: 3.5/4
 
  Brian Eggert
  Deep Focus Review
  One of the most beautiful, emotional and original science-fiction films of the last decade.
 
  November 5, 2021
 
  Alex Behan
  Stuff.co.nz
  The best film of 2016. A motion picture that turns out to be far more focused on humanity than on otherworldly visitors, it’s a transcendent viewing experience that gets under the skin and into the heart.
 
  August 18, 2021 | Rating: 4/4
 
  Matt Brunson
  Film Frenzy
  Arrival just might be the overall best movie of the decade with the way it cleverly examines what we believe while simultaneously delivering a tense, gripping sci-fi story.
 
  July 28, 2021
 
  Nathan Mattise
  Ars Technica
  Hypnotic and strange and beautiful – have I said beautiful fifteen times yet? Because it deserves that word no fewer than that many.
 
  July 2, 2021
 
  Jason Adams
  My New Plaid Pants
  An astonishingly beautiful film, both visually and emotionally.
 
  April 23, 2021 | Rating: 5/5
 
  Olly Richards
  NME…

 

Plot
Linguistics professor Louise Banks leads an elite team of investigators when gigantic spaceships touchdown in 12 locations around the world. As nations teeter on the verge of global war, Banks and her crew must race against time to find a way to communicate with the extraterrestrial visitors. Hoping to unravel the mystery, she takes a chance that could threaten her life and quite possibly all of mankind.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
Amy Adams delivers a “terrific performance” in Arrival, according to the Critics Consensus on Fresh Kernels.
 

 
Denis-Villeneuve.jpg