Inspired by true events, Bilal: A New Breed of Hero tells the story of a real hero who earned his place in history after liberating himself and inspiring others to do likewise. This Arabic animated feature is intoxicating and beautifully drawn. The animation is textured and multidimensional, almost reminiscent of cutting-edge video game graphics. There…
Science fiction has the ability both to portray fantastical possible worlds and to highlight the realities (and frequently, the iniquities) of our own world. Dystopia especially takes aspects of contemporary culture and society and exaggerates them for dramatic effect. One of the most popular themes of dystopia is class, ranging from the workers of “Metropolis”…
Here it is, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1, the latest addition to this little franchise known as the “Hunger Games,” the franchise which is only the tentpole for every young adult adaptation on the planet. But what’s there to say about this installment? Struggling to find words is a not so good indicator….
Set in Communist East Germany in the early 1980s, cold war paranoia is in full view in Christian Petzold’s Barbara, winner of the Silver Berlin Bear for Best Director at the Berlinale. In Barbara, Petzold has fashioned not only a superb character study but a film that illuminates the effects of oppression on the human…
