Wings (1927) Director: William A. Wellman Screenwriters: John Monk Saunders, Hope Loring, Louis D. Lighton Starring: Clara Bow, Charles ‘Buddy’ Rogers, Richard Arlen, Jobyna Ralston, El Brendel, Richard Tucker, Gary Cooper Wings stands as a landmark of early cinema: a silent-era spectacle that not only captured audiences with its daring aerial sequences but also earned … Read more
News of the World (2021) Director: Paul Greengrass Screenwriters: Paul Greengrass, Luke Davies Starring: Tom Hanks, Helena Zengel, Tom Astor, Travis Johnson, Andy Kastelic, Ray McKinnon, Mare Winningham The Western genre often leans on familiar beats: lone riders, quickdraw showdowns, and sweeping images of open plains. While those elements can be comforting and entertaining, they … Read more
This article was written exclusively for The Film Magazine by Scott Z. Walkinshaw. Love and Monsters (2020) Director: Michael Matthews Screenwriter: Brian Duffield, Matthew Robinson Starring: Dylan O’Brien, Jessica Henwick, Michael Rooker, Ariana Greenblatt, Dan Ewing Michael Matthews’ Love and Monsters arrives as a welcome refresh in the post-apocalyptic young-adult subgenre, a film that favors … Read more
“It’s a pretty dark reflection of some of the more shadowy aspects of my interior life.” A festival standout last year, Black Bear earned praise for its claustrophobic relationship drama and a powerhouse performance from Aubrey Plaza. As the film approaches its digital release in the UK, writer-director Lawrence Michael Levine discusses the personal inspirations … Read more
Crip Camp (2020) Directors: James Lebrecht, Nicole Newnham Screenwriters: James Lebrecht, Nicole Newnham Starring: James Lebrecht, Judy Heumann, Ann Cupolo Freeman, Denise Sherer Jacobson, Neil Jacobson, Lionel Je’Woodyard, Joseph O’Conor, Corbett O’Toole, Eunice Fiorito, HolLynn D’Lil, Dennis Billups Crip Camp is a moving, clear-eyed documentary that tells how a small summer camp helped spark a … Read more
Burrow (2020) Director: Madeline Sharafian Screenwriter: Madeline Sharafian Burrow, part of Pixar’s SparkShorts program, is a compact and charming animated short that earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Short Film in 2021. Clocking in at roughly six minutes, director and writer Madeline Sharafian delivers a concise fable that mixes classic children’s storytelling with … Read more
My Octopus Teacher (2020) Directors: Pippa Ehrlich, James Reed Screenwriters: Pippa Ehrlich, James Reed Starring: Craig Foster, Tom Foster Wildlife documentaries remain one of the most enduringly popular genres in film and television. From high-profile nature series to unexpected viral sensations, audiences repeatedly return to stories that bring the natural world close to home. My … Read more
Two Distant Strangers (2021) Directors: Travon Free, Martin Desmond Roe Screenwriter: Travon Free Starring: Joey Bada$$, Andrew Howard, Zaria “Say their names. Remember their names.” Those lines close the Oscar-nominated live action short Two Distant Strangers, a stark and unflinching short film that confronts the repeated, racially motivated killings of Black Americans by law enforcement. … Read more
Collective (2019) Director: Alexander Nanau Screenwriters: Alexander Nanau, Antoaneta Opriș Featuring: Cătălin Tolontan, Vlad Voiculescu, Tedy Ursuleanu Collective is a powerful Romanian documentary directed by Alexander Nanau that earned rare double recognition at the 2021 Academy Awards, receiving nominations for both Best Documentary Feature and Best International Feature Film. These nominations underscore the film’s quality … Read more
Genius Loci (2021) Director: Adrien Merigeau Screenwriters: Adrien Merigeau, Nicolas Pleskof Starring: Nadia Moussa, Georgia Cusack, Jina Djemba Genius Loci is a striking French animated short that stands apart from mainstream Western animation through its abstract visuals, immersive sound design, and mature thematic focus. Directed and co-written by Adrien Merigeau, and realized visually with the … Read more
