Review Archives - Page 2 of 2 - Minorities Report

15 Oct

Chicago International Film Festival Reviews | Part 1

Raul Navedo0 CommentsEnglish Reviews, ReviewsBelushi, Chicago International Film Festival, Gaza Mon Amour, Little Girl, Of Fish and Men, Review, The Columnist

The 56th Chicago International Film Festival is underway and we here at MR could not be happier. I mean, how lucky am I that two of my favorite seasons land at around the same time of year? Film Festival season AND football season! ‘Tis the season to be a cinephile! Along with the MASSIVE and heartbreaking complication that COVID has been this year, film festivals have been among the businesses impacted. Two difficult choices were on the table: Cancel or the three "R"s. Reduce, reformat, restructure! Much to our benefit, Chicago was one of the ones that went with the…

05 Oct

The Haunting of Bly Manor Review

Raul Navedo0 CommentsEnglish ReviewsGothic Romance, Horror, Mike Flanagan, Netflix, Review, Romance, Series, The Haunting of Bly Manor, The Haunting of Hill House

The Haunting of Bly Manor is intoxicating! Like sitting around a campfire, or perhaps in an attic, as a child being told a ghost story. Wherever you were, do you remember how your heart would flutter filling your stomach with excitement and… worry? Wanting to listen but knowing that maybe you shouldn’t for the fear of knowing is what we knew, even then, gave life to the monsters lurking in the dark. Waiting in the empty hallways of our homes at night, or in the closets, or maybe dwelling in the uncharted space underneath our bed. But “monsters don’t exist…

01 Oct

NYFF 2020 Highlights | Making Film Fests Look Good Amid A Pandemic

Raul Navedo0 CommentsEnglish ReviewsLovers Rock, Mangrove, MLK/FBI, New York Film Festival, Night of the Kings, Nomadland, NYFF, Review, Small Axe, The Monopoly of Violence

I know we’re all tired of hearing it but what a strange year it has been. We’ve all felt the impact; individuals, businesses, bank accounts and, of course, the world of film festivals. 2020 has been relentless on the festival circuit causing numerous festivals earlier in the year to cancel their event and slate of films, as happened with Cannes and SXSW. As if this wasn’t painful enough for cinephiles, much of the selection of films expected to release this year began vanishing from the calendar and finding a new home next year while some persisted, opting instead to test…

29 Sep

Lovecraft Country Review | Non-Spoiler

Raul Navedo0 CommentsEnglish ReviewsDIversity, HBO, HBOMAX, Jamie Chung, JJ Abrams, Jonathan Majors, Jordan Peele, Jurnee Smollett, Review

Lovecraft Country is revisionist history with a fantastical twist. Familiar and unfamiliar American truth explored through a new lens. One of horror and imagination. Placing supernatural monsters in the center of terrible human acts and taking us for an adrenaline filled ride you won’t soon forget. Jonathan Majors in Lovecraft Country An African American war vet sets out on the road of Jim Crow Era America in search of his father. The search soon becomes more than he and his companions anticipated as they unknowingly find themselves in the center of H.P. Lovecraft's most horrifying imaginings. The series has been…

25 Sep

Mangrove Review | NYFF

Raul Navedo0 CommentsEnglish ReviewsAmazon, Film Festivals, Film Review, Mangrove, New York Film Festival, NYFF, Review, Small Axe, Steve McQueen

Mangrove is soulful! A film about oppression, injustice, and the will to fight for your human rights to community & life free of persecution… and guess what? It's based on a true story that doesn’t take place in the US. Though true, don’t celebrate. The film hits too close to home and proves that abuse of power runs in the veins of humans and that acts like this are doomed to continue if we don’t learn from history. Class is in session with Mangrove. Shaun Parkes as Frank Crichlow in Mangrove The first of five Steve McQueen films in the…

25 Sep

The Trial of the Chicago 7 Review

Raul Navedo0 CommentsEnglish ReviewsAaron Sorkin, Film, Film Review, Netflix, Review, The Trial of the Chicago 7

The Trial of the Chicago 7 is an incredibly poignant tale about the power of protesting and of the injustice people are subjected to for doing just that. A powerful historical courtroom drama that rocks you to your core and makes you question our justice system, laugh at the fallacy of men, and fear the possibility of ever having to face a judge yourself. What was supposed to be a peaceful protest at the Democratic National Convention of 1968 turned violent as a tens of thousands of demonstrators come head-to-head with the full Chicago Police Force and the Chicago National…

23 Sep

Utopia Review | Gillian Flynn’s Amazon Original Series

Raul Navedo0 CommentsEnglish Reviews, ReviewsAmazon, Amazon Original, Review, Series, TV, TV Review, Utopia

Though not quite as perfect as the name would suggest, Utopia is an imaginative and exciting action drama that keeps you theorizing episode after episode. Unfortunately, the show falls flat because of its drawn out nature and it fails to consistently introduce characters and situations that keep us engaged throughout. A spinoff of the original British dark comedy, Utopia feels like it needed more time in the lab to “…earn [its] place in this crowded world…” Jessica Rothe as Samantha. Cards on the table Gillian Flynn wrote my favorite novel, Gone Girl, so when I heard she had an original…

17 Sep

“Lovers Rock” Film Review | NYFF 2020

Raul Navedo0 CommentsEnglish Reviews, ReviewsFilm Review, Lovers Rock, New York Film Festival, NYFF, Review, Steve McQueen

Steve McQueen’s Lovers Rock is the opening night film at New York Film Festival. I remember when this was announced, Film Twitter couldn't control themselves! I even found myself wondering what side of McQueen to expect. Undoubtedly a talented and multi-faceted director that has shown his versatility numerous times. I knew exactly what side we were getting less than ten seconds into the film. Before even seeing a character I was transported by the cinematography back to 12 Years a Slave. It’s a testament to his style and shows he is a director who has a signature. What can I…

21 Jul

Dear… Review

Raul Navedo0 CommentsEnglish ReviewsApple Review, AppleTv, AppleTV+, AppleTVPlus, Big Bird, Dear..., Jane Goodall, Lin-Manual Miranda, Oprah, Review, Series Review, TV Review, Yara Shahidi

“When senseless acts of tragedy remind us that nothing here is promised. Not one day.[Hamilton] is proof that history remembers. We live through times when hate and fear seem stronger. We rise and fall, and light from dying embers; remembrances that hope and love last longer. And love, is love, is love, is love, is love, is love, is love, is love, cannot be killed or swept aside. I sing Vanessa’s symphony; Eliza tells her story. Now fill the world with music, love, and pride.”[Speech by Lin-Manuel Miranda: 2016 Tony Awards] Powerful messages for these troubling times and a poignant…

16 Jul

The Invisible Man Review

Raul Navedo1 CommentEnglish ReviewsElizabeth Moss, Film Review, Horror, Review, The Invisible Man, Thriller

Far from Hollow Man but not nearly as hollow as the trailers would lead one to believe, The Invisible Man is a thrilling two hours that keep you looking at the empty spaces of the frame more often than your average flick demands. Not in appreciation of the production design but because you, much like our heroine, know that invisible bastard is right in that corner… or is he in that one… maybe by the bookshelf…? Ah, damnit… Cecilia Kass(Elisabeth Moss) is the, apparent, victim of an abusive relationship with Adrian(Oliver Jackson Cohen). One night she musters up the courage…