Category: movies

Scene Breakdown: ‘Emma’ (2020) and the Showcase of Overwhelming Emotions

movies, scene breakdown

There are a lot of things Autumn de Wilde’s Emma gets right, and a few things that it doesn’t. (Namely, it’s length. As Austen’s longest book, if this film was a mini-series instead, goodness, it’d be sublime.) But where it continues to stand out apart from its stunning cinematography is the showcase of overwhelming emotions. In this adaptation, emotions are front and center—no one is shying away from them, and they are on display with such spectacle, it places the necessary emphasis on just how engulfing feelings can be. The detail about Emma as a book that has always stood

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Music Monday: ‘Gunpowder Milkshake’ (Original Score) by Frank Ilfman

movies, music review

Gunpowder Milkshake is easily one of the most enjoyable films I watched this year, and its companion original score composed by Frank Ilfman is right alongside it as impeccable. Frank Ilfman’s original score for Gunpowder Milkshake is both action-packed and slowly-encompassing. A large part of it reminds me of one of my all-time favorites, The Man from U.N.C.L.E.’s by Daniel Pemberton. There is something so brilliantly whimsical about it even in the darker tones the instruments are trying to convey. In every way, the score easily complimented the film brilliantly. Sometimes you notice the greatness of an original score after

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Disney’s ‘Jungle Cruise’ Is Great Because Real Joy is Infectious

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No Jungle Cruise is not a mindblowing masterpiece by any means, but there is so much infectious joy all throughout, it made the movie utterly great. And perhaps that is because I went into it without expecting anything other than complete nonsense, and yet knowing I would appreciate Emily Blunt‘s character Lily Houghton just because it is portrayed by her. While comparisons all over the internet were drawn to films like The Mummy and Pirates of the Caribbean, I wouldn’t necessarily agree with those either. Jungle Cruise is its own breed of chaos, and it is purely joyous because there

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Scene Breakdown: Netflix’s ‘Set it Up’ and the Best Meal Ever

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Do you also think about the best meal ever aka the pizza scene from Netflix’s Set it Up on a daily basis or are you normal? I recently re-watched the movie, and I’m happy to report that it holds up just as well as it did when it first released. I’m also now once again utter garbage for the pizza scene. Sure sex is great, but have you ever eaten pizza straight from the box while drunk in your sort of enemy, now turned friend’s bedroom after sneaking up to said room from a ladder? Charlie vocalizes that this specific

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‘Set it Up’ and the Beauty Behind “And Yet…”

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Good news, Netflix’s Set it Up still holds up. You know how sometimes you obsessively watch a movie for a period of time and then abandon it for a while only to revisit and realize that it’s just not that good anymore? That’s not the case with Set it Up. It’s just as glorious as I remember, and maybe even more because this time around, I have a lot more feelings about the “and yet…” of it all. (On top of the pizza scene, which basically owns me.) While the idea is explored through almost every character’s point of view,

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Music Monday: ‘F9: The Fast Saga’ (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) by Various Artists

movies, music review

Ever since the first film Fast and The Furious released back in 2001, not only have these films have grown so much with action, thrill, and of course, racing, but they also have had so many soundtracks that compliment this amazing franchise. The latest film in the series, F9: The Fast Saga not only came through with a mind-blowing story, which includes the come back of some original crew members (hint Tokyo Drift), but also hard hitting soundtrack composed by Brian Tyler. The F9: The Fast Saga features a diverse list of artists from legends like RZA from WuTang, The

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‘Gunpowder Milkshake’ Intricately Balances Warmth and Nerdy Girl Power

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Gunpowder Milkshake intricately balances warmth and nerdy girl power landing itself on the list of the kind of film energy we could all channel this summer. Navot Papushado’s directed feature is gorgeously executed, and though full of a lot more violence than I would generally prefer, in its storytelling it’s somehow entirely wholesome. The film is a gritty explosion of emotions, and so dazzlingly colorful, it’s impossible to look away even during the violent outbursts. (Close your eyes but open them again.) Director Papushado told Film School Rejects: “Every color in the film means something different,” says Papushado. “For example,

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‘Addams Family Values’ Should Be Your Summer Vibe Inspiration

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We’re now at the midway point of summer, and whether you’re the type of person who desperately wants to hold onto every warm day we have left or the type of person who has already moved into countdown mode for the fall, 1993’s Addams Family Values makes for a great watch this time of year. You may well be surprised if you haven’t seen it, assuming that it definitely skews more Halloween, and it mostly does. The Addams Family inherently exists in a state of perpetual autumn, but the storyline of this delightfully macabre film actually plays out during the

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Music Monday: ‘Luca’ (Original Score) by Dan Romer

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Pixar’s Luca is Disney’s latest release, and with a new animated film comes an incredibly stunning original score composed by Dan Romer. The original score contains 30 new tracks and runs a little over an hour. Luca’s score feels so appropriate for the summer heat and unsurprisingly, touches on the Disney magic brilliantly. If you are anything like us and you play original scores, including park themes, all over the house, then this is one of the scores that will be on a loop too. Some of our favorites include “Buonanotte, Boys,” “The Sea Monster,” and “I Wish I Could

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Quietly Keeping it Together Elinor Dashwood Style

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Cruella is a true vibe of a movie, and I found Emma Thompson delightful to watch in it, but that’s unsurprising, as I find her delightful to watch in pretty much everything she does. A few days after going to see it, Sense and Sensibility was on television as I was flipping through channels, and that’s always a movie I keep on whenever I come across it. It’s a favorite of mine not only because it’s another great Emma Thompson performance, but because Elinor Dashwood holds a special place for me as one of the Jane Austen heroines whose personality

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‘In the Heights’ and the Celebration of Homecoming: A Roundtable

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In the Heights isn’t a perfect film, but it’s a beautiful one nevertheless, and it’s the celebration of homecoming, which can easily translate off-screen to anyone who’s ever felt out of place. As most well produced musicals, it’s an absolute thrill in a myriad of ways, and for the Latinx community, it’s telling stories that feel personal. In the Heights is also a film that’s bringing to light necessary discourse about Afro-Latinx and Black erasure from prominent stories where they should have been front and center. The conversations are happening all over social spheres and (hopefully) inspiring people to see

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‘A Quiet Place II’ Screams Through Powerful Sequences

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A Quiet Place will always be one of the most shocking films for me as a non-horror aficionado because I never expected to love it as much as I do. I’ve also never seen a film like this in theaters, and that in and of itself, feels like some sort of an accomplishment. But in spite of its suspense and the gore tied to the monsters, A Quiet Place II has some of the most beautiful stories to tell. It’s a love letter to the next generation. A love letter to understanding people and families and especially children. And A Quiet Place II is

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Scene Breakdown: “We Were Happy Here” and How Wes Anderson’s ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’ Takes on Romance

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Wes Anderson’s whimsical world is often full of a plethora of themes worthy of analysis and breakdown. And of all the films, The Grand Budapest Hotel‘s take on love isn’t as evident as in other films, but it’s bold and reflective when the words are finally spoken in a way that works. This isn’t The Royal Tenenbaums or Moonrise Kingdom, but it’s reflective of the importance of setting in relationship. We’ve written about how Pemberley is where Elizabeth’s feelings towards Darcy begin to develop in both the books and almost every adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. A setting is always

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