Eight-year-old Axe’Re Shallowhorn recorded a film of his mother dancing at the beach, throwing sand in front of the camera for special effect. The film, entitled “Entre Terre et Ciel,” or “Between Earth and Sky,” will be screened on the first day of the Depth of Field festival hosted by the UCLA Department of World […]
Category Archives: Film & TV
Second Take: ‘Aquaman’ is a somewhat stale superhero story with unparalleled box office success
“Aquaman” should have floundered. Yet it seemingly has swum to success. The film, released Dec. 21, has since become the DC Extended Universe’s most prosperous action flick, bringing in over $940 million worldwide. The last DC film to garner such success was the 2016 release “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” which grossed a total […]
Movie review: ‘Mortal Engines’ retreads tired tropes of far superior classics
“Mortal Engines” tries to be the steampunk version of “Star Wars,” but still falls short. First-time director Christian Rivers borrowed heavily from the same character sheets and story beats as the global science fiction franchise when making this film, and it shows. This isn’t necessarily his fault; Rivers was previously a storyboard artist and visual […]
Movie review: ‘If Beale Street Could Talk’ paints visual poetry woven with incisive critique
“Moonlight” was only the beginning for director Barry Jenkins. Almost two years after his second feature film’s best picture win, Jenkins’ name has resurfaced in the Oscars conversation following the release of his highly anticipated new film “If Beale Street Could Talk.” Adapted from James Baldwin’s 1974 novel, the film is a delicate period romance […]
Movie review: ‘Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle’ tangles dark and dull despite stunning visuals
Immersed in the mighty jungle of Andy Serkis’ new film, no one will sleep tonight. Completely swerving Disney’s playful approach, Netflix brought audiences a darker adaptation of Rudyard Kipling’s “The Jungle Book,” merging live action and animation to vividly bring the animal kingdom to life. The film follows Mowgli (Rohan Chand), a man-cub raised by wolves who […]
Second Take: ‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’ adds much-needed diversity to Marvel franchise
Peter Parker has donned the Spider-Man suit in countless films, but in “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” Miles Morales will be stepping into the famous web slinger’s shoes. Miles first appeared in the comics in 2011 when his character took on the Spider-Man mantle following Peter Parker’s death. He will make his film debut in the […]
After Dark: ‘Scott Pilgrim vs. the World’ screening 1-Ups other cult classic experiences
Los Angeles’ blend of midnight movies, cult screenings and historic theaters offers late-night scares and childhood nostalgia back in the theater. Join columnist Nina Young as she attends different cult screenings each week to find out why audiences stay out so late after dark. An 8-bit version of the Universal Pictures logo starts off “Scott […]