Directed by Ava DuVernay I often have a hard time breaking down a film like Selma, parsing apart the importance of the film's message with the way it's handled and the ways it attempts to engage the audience. Some films lead with a heavy hand, announcing their importance before we meet the characters involved, but others, … Continue reading Selma (2014)
Lyndon Johnson
The Right Stuff (1983)
Directed by Philip Kaufman The Right Stuff is an epic about the Mercury Seven. These were the first astronauts selected to risk life and limb as the U.S. competed with the Soviet Union in the space race. Their efforts are certainly noble, but the film takes a wide enough look at the powers that sent them … Continue reading The Right Stuff (1983)
Secret Honor (1984)
Directed by Robert Altman A Robert Altman movie typically features large, ensemble casts with overlapping, occasionally improvised dialogue, and an emphasis on the energy of a room over one particular individual. The best of these might be Nashville (1975), a sprawling film which covers too many characters to remember and ends on a somber note celebrating … Continue reading Secret Honor (1984)
Seven Days in May (1964)
Directed by John Frankenheimer Seven Days in May is a political thriller set in the imagined future of 1970. Shot in 1963, not long after the Cuban Missile Crisis, the film discusses the threat of nuclear war at a time when that threat was very real. Wait, that's today. Before we meet President Jordan Lyman … Continue reading Seven Days in May (1964)
The Post (2017)
Directed by Steven Spielberg Is it okay to call Steven Spielberg underrated? The Post was rushed into production and has mostly gone unnoticed with only the requisite attention because of the Oscar-bait quality of the film as well as the trifecta of Spielberg, Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks. It's a period piece with occasionally heavy-handed messages … Continue reading The Post (2017)
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