Home Tags AFI Fest

Tag: AFI Fest

‘Sly’ is a Thorough and Eye-Opening Look of Sylvester Stallone-AFI Fest Film Review

Most actors are lucky to achieve one distinguished role over the course of their career or to have a steady stream of work. It’s rare to headline more than one franchise at a time and then start a new one decades later. But there’s not much that’s typical about Sylvester Stallone, who was determined early…

‘The End We Start From’ is a Motherhood-Driven Survival Story / AFI Fest Film Review –

Dystopias don’t emerge purely from science fiction circumstances where zombies walk the earth or aliens have invaded. It’s very possible for civilization as we know it to crumble to an unrecognizable form due purely to events beyond our control, particularly those related to the weather. Those predicting catastrophic outcomes may do their best to prevent…

AFI Fest Film Review – ‘American Fiction’ is a Smart and Savagely Entertaining Satire from Debut Director Cord Jefferson

Liberal society is in the process of reckoning with itself, realizing its shortcomings and the blindspots that have permeated culture for many years. While that’s led to a worthwhile spotlight on the previously underrepresented and a movement to showcase diversity, much of it has become little more than virtue signaling, where the aim of a…

AFI Fest Film Review – ‘Memory’ is a Compelling Look at Life and Loss Featuring Jessica Chastain and Peter Sarsgaard

Losing the ability to make new memories and preserve old ones is a tragic fate that befalls many people. It can be especially difficult for the person suffering since they’re not necessarily aware of what they don’t remember, and others around them may be frustrated by their inability to hold on to moments while simultaneously…

AFI Fest Film Review – ‘Lee’ is a Fitting Tribute to its Devoted War Photographer Subject

Bearing witness to something can be an incredibly powerful act. That’s especially true in an age where pictures and video footage can be easily manipulated or miscaptioned, egging on those seeking confirmation bias for their particular cause without the appropriate or responsible fact-checking. Ellen Kuras’ narrative feature directorial debut Lee spotlights an important, trailblazing figure…

AFI Fest Film Review – ‘Freud’s Last Session’ is a Thought-Provoking Dialogue Between Two Intellectual Greats

It would be hard to find anyone alive today who hasn’t heard of Sigmund Freud. Having a true awareness of who he really was and the contributions he made to the field of psychoanalysis might not be as widespread, but presuming that he was intuitive and wanted to ask uncomfortable questions to glean eye-opening answers…

AFI Fest Film Review – Italy’s Oscar Entry ‘Me Captain’ is a Poignant Immigration Tale

People always want to believe that there’s something better to be found somewhere else. In many cases that’s true, especially in war-torn or impoverished countries where opportunities just don’t exist. Yet the journey to another geographical area is sure not to be simple, and if someone doesn’t have the resources to be comfortable at home,…

Film Review – ‘Bardo: False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths’ is a Wild Cinematic Rollercoaster from Alejandro G. Iñárritu 

To think that we all experience the world the same way is foolish, since every person brings a slightly different perspective to all that they see and do. Yet there are some with highly divergent visions that don’t track with how many of their peers operate, and getting a window into that kind of worldview…

Film Review – ‘Bruised’ is a Passion Project for Actress and Director Halle Berry

Recovering from a very public defeat is not an easy thing. Those who fight for a living are bound to encounter setbacks, but there are degrees to which a loss is infinitely more significant and potentially telling of an impacted future. Rebounding and returning to the ring requires a great deal of work and perseverance,…