“[It was] more important for me to bring our culture to Coachella instead of bringing out my flower crown,” Beyoncé says in the behind-the-scenes footage from her concert film, Homecoming (Beyoncé 2019). Released on Netflix, it features her 2018 Coachella performance, which marked Beyoncé as the first black woman to headline the music festival since […]
It must be intentional that movie theaters darken the auditorium more than usual, when a horror film is shown. As the door closed behind auditorium 2, it was near impossible to know where to find a seat or who was watching the process. The tension was palpable in the darkness, and by the time Michael […]
UI Senior Tristen Ives breaks down their short film ‘lights, camera, hair!’ (2018), and shares about shaving their head to stand up for ‘The Shining’ (1980) actress Shelley Duvall. #MeToo, #TimesUp, and other movements have recently rallied women across industries. In the film industry, the treatment of women on set is often unjust. Stanley Kubrick’s The […]
Director Jordan Peele says he hesitates to cast white actors as leads in his films; he’s “seen that movie.” Largely featuring black actors in his films thus far, his films have been labeled as “race” films. In recent years, more directors have tackled politically controversial topics through film as a way to bring more positive […]
Blue is, traditionally, a calming color. It is usually associated with emotions that mollify or content, and is used as a quintessence of wisdom. In his film Moonlight (Jenkins, 2016), Barry Jenkins uses waves of blue and red to influence the emotional valence of its characters and in turn, the audience. Through his editing and […]
Think of the long, winding road that you traveled down with your family. From the backseat, trees sweep past, and flecks of sunlight, and then starlight, flit on and off your triggered pupils. You have no idea where you are, or even where you’re going, but that’s ok. Surrounded by the beauty of the frontier, […]
Viewed from behind the safety of anxious fingertips, a certain Disney Renaissance classic has charmed and scarred audiences since its theatrical release. Disney’s The Little Mermaid (Disney, 1989) was everything I expected it to be and more. It was magical, romantic, silly, and of course, musical. The danger and horror were things that came later […]
Consider this film a hearing aid. If Beale Street Could Talk reiterates James Baldwin’s timeless messages about race, and necessarily emphasizes the rejection of circular injustices against which black Americans have fought for years.
I’ll admit I didn’t know much about Fred Rogers before I watched his featured documentary. Released on June 8, Won’t You Be My Neighbor? reached theaters nationwide, but fell short of my interests. Avoiding what I assumed to be a corny, treacly display of a puppeteer’s career, I opted to stay home on release day. There […]
Philip Runia