movie review
Movie reviews of popular politically-driven films that portray the good, bad and ugly of government happenings.
Why you should watch 'Unplanned'
Abortion - something that is still branded as a 'women's right', and is still very hotly debated in today's society. One film challenged the narrative on the issue of abortion, as well as changing hearts and minds on this issue, is Unplanned. Regardless of your stance on the issue; here are some reasons as to why you should watch it.
By Flower Violet6 years ago in The Swamp
Why In The Line Of Fire is an important film
First time I put on In the line of Fire, I didn't take it into comprehension or have the interest of how intelligent this film is. I mostly just put it on for my mother to watch, and then disregarded the film. Years later, when I decided to watch it with the interest I didn't have before. To sit down and comprehend most of the dark material or serious political subject matter. It became one of my favorite films. When I did my research for the production on the film, I found a couple reasons why this is a underrated gem among the other movies. I won’t reveal too many of the important plot details to keep the intrigue to tell.
By Samantha Parrish6 years ago in The Swamp
Learning Politics With RoboCop
I've always been a very studious guy. I just like learning, and it's paid off in many ways, from graduating at the top of my class in high school to getting my current very good day job. However, not all of my learning has come from textbooks and classrooms. I've actually learned more about financial management from playing building sim video games than from my economics classes, for example. Movies have also bolstered my education beyond the classroom. In fact, I gained full understanding of two very complex political issues thanks to my favorite movie of all time, the 1987 sci-fi/action masterpiece RoboCop.
By Adam Wallace6 years ago in The Swamp
The Influence of “Natural Born Killers”
In 1994, the film industry was struck by Oliver Stone’s masterpiece, Natural Born Killers. The original screenplay was written by filmmaker Quentin Tarantino who, in a 2003 interview with Playboy magazine said, “I had my name taken off the script just so people wouldn’t think I had written that.” He hated the film so much due to Stone’s alternations that, confirmed by the Tarantino Archives, he published the original draft in 2000.
By Jordyn Kelsey6 years ago in The Swamp
On ‘Daisies’ and Why it does Matter . Top Story - January 2020.
The Czech New Wave was a film movement that emerged in 1963 which writer Simon Hitchman in his 2015 article suggested was due to increasing pressure for socio-political reform within Czechoslovakia. The country was in the midst of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic (CSR) period in which the country was under communist rule. Film makers needed a voice to combat this oppressive rule and thus the New Wave movement began. During this period, a renowned female director, Vera Chytilova; ‘first lady of Czech cinema,’ according to Fox in 2014, released the film Daisies in 1966. The film is a 70-minute experimental, absurdist look at two young girls who, after deciding that the world ‘has gone bad’ decide that they themselves will ‘go bad’ too. They embark on a series of anarchic, destructive behaviours as a rebellion against society. Theorist Shaviro in 2007 wrote that he regarded Daisies as a ‘violently nihilistic assault’ against the conventions of filmmaking, social normalities and even the spectator themselves.
By Jordyn Kelsey6 years ago in The Swamp
Movie Review: 'La Leyenda Negra' A Cry in Black and White
Aleteia (Monica Betencourt) is hanging onto her American dream but just barely as the powers that be in Washington D.C keep threatening more and more of her existence. Aleteia has become radicalized in the war on immigrants, not just because she herself could be adversely affected, but because she believes in the power of a revolution.
By Sean Patrick6 years ago in The Swamp
A Filmmaker's Review: 'J. Edgar' (2011)
I totally missed this movie when it first came out. Why? Well, there were other films that were out roughly the same time that, even though they didn't star Leonardo DiCaprio, looked far more interesting than a crime drama about one of the world's most problematic FBI Agents. It was subsequently released without much press at the AFI Film Festival in the November of that year and I'm not gonna lie - it was like crickets for some reason. The best I could hope for was the movie poster on the back of an Empire Magazine issue from round about that time. It was then released six days later in the cinemas and even though we had a little bit more of a marketing campaign, I think with the grittiness of the trailer juxtaposed with the lightness of Christmas, nobody really noticed it was on TV for thirty seconds or so. The movie itself should've been released in the summer so that it could've had a wider audience, but with a budget of $35M and a profit of $84.9M, I think the film did do pretty well on its own given the fact that it wasn't pushed so much. I think people were watching it because Leonardo DiCaprio was in it.
By Annie Kapur6 years ago in The Swamp
A Filmmaker's Review: 'LBJ' (2016)
LBJ (2016) is not a bad film by all means, but what we're going to look at here is why critically, it isn't really that great of a film either. Directed by the same man who made This Is Spinal Tap, it fails to live up to prophecy with its confusing over-the-top dialogue and its lack of substance. Not to mention how the Kennedy brothers actually look and sound nothing like the actual Kennedy brothers. When we look at the movie through the eye of entertainment, we can see that yes, it is fairly entertaining. But, as a biopic it doesn't really hold up on its own and has been compared to other films about LBJ's presidency which are, in fact, better and more thorough.
By Annie Kapur6 years ago in The Swamp
Movie Review: 'The Report' Adam Driver Excellent in Modern History Drama
The story behind the so-called Torture Report is a strange and fascinating one. The comedy history podcast The Dollop brilliant captured the absurdity contained in the report in a 2016 podcast called The Torture Psychologists. In that podcast comedians Dave Anthony talked about the strange duo that the CIA turned to in their bizarre and futile attempt to justify torturing supposed terrorists.
By Sean Patrick6 years ago in The Swamp
James Reviews: 'Vice'
Adam McKay has quite the career for himself, serving as writer and producer for various comedies over the years. However, he surprised everyone in 2015 with The Big Short, a serious drama that delved into the 2008 housing crises and the men who bet against the banks and profited off of it. Now he's back with another topical, based-on-a-true-story, biopic about George W. Bush's Vice President, Dick Cheney. All around, it's an interesting look into the infamous politician's life and rise to power, but fails to maintain a consistent tone.
By James F. Ewart6 years ago in The Swamp
