How to Train your Dragon – 2010

While this movie may sound like an instruction manual for wizards, it is in fact a very well-made animated film that teaches a lot of important lessons. One of the things this film aims to teach is about acceptance and inclusion, which it does beautifully. This film takes the story of a boy and his […]

Wild – 2014

Cheryl Strayed isn’t my hero, but I do find her journey inspiring. Her life was full of pain and struggle and she channeled that pain into a challenge from which most would shrink. Hiking the Pacific Coast Trail is challenging for experienced hikers, but she did it with no experience, which is all the more impressive. […]

Subgenre: Survival Film

Survival For the second time in less than a year, I am preparing my house for a hurricane. The lengths to which I am going to ensure my house survives makes me think about films in which people have gone up against impossible odds, only to survive circumstances far more severe than mine. So, with […]

Christine – 2016

The death of Christine Chubbuck was a tragedy and it opened the eyes of the news media to the sensationalism to which they were prone. It also prompted a renewed awareness into suicide prevention and depression. Rebecca Hall gives a phenomenal performance as Chubbuck and displays an impressive subtlety in her acting that shows exactly […]

Toy Story – 1995

As I continue with animation month, I would be remiss not to acknowledge the contributions of Pixar. Their first attempt at animation was a resounding success and Toy Story has spawned a massage franchise. There a number of unanswered questions presented by this film, but none of them take anything away from the quality of […]

The Social Network – 2010

Facebook is one of the most powerful tools at the disposal of everyone, from high school freshmen to celebrities. The origin of Facebook is widely known, thanks in part to the exaggerated events of this film. Written by the always pithy Aaron Sorkin and directed by David Fincher, this film takes a shadowy public figure and […]