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2016 will go down as a rollercoaster, shit-show of a year, whether in regards to the never-ending horrific headlines of violence both at home and abroad, to the astonishing year in politics, to the punch-in-the-gut unexpected deaths of beloved celebrities. 2016 was simply a bully. But that is why we go to the movies, right? To escape, yet see ourselves reflected on screen. To learn about others who are different than us, but hopefully emerge out of the dark theater…

Wow, 2017 was exhausting, wasn't it? With a news cycle on hyperspeed and worldwide tensions amped up to nerve-wracking levels, it is unsurprising that we wanted to excape to the movies. Movies looking back in history were disturbingly timely, and the really good comedies seemed sharper than ever with their social commentary. Then came (FINALLY) a super hero that we were all waiting for, and, to no surprise to anyone except the male bigwigs in Hollywood, she made the most…

As we come to the end of a year that was particularly vicious in the world and in the media, it makes sense that we've been rushing to the movies for escapism. Apparently speaking to a need, superheroes seem to get more popular in cinemas every year, and the big studios feed our want for comfort food, continuing to mine their archives for remakes and reboots rather than come up with new material. But if you crave something more, you…

In a world of superheros and sequels, sometimes it is hard to find greatness at the movies (especially when television is so good these days). Also, it was hard to match the stellar quality of films in 2014, in my opinion, but there were still a lot of good films to see in 2015. Here are my favorite films of the year: Far From the Madding Crowd Far from the Madding Crowd - That Nice Carey Mulligan recieved more press…

Despite the end-of-the-year critics' awards being all over the place, with some saying 2014 was a weak year in the movies, I think it was one of the strongest in years. Here are 10 movies (and one series) that I thought were great in 2014. They are not really in order... except maybe they are a little bit: 1,000 Times Good Night - Juliette Binoche plays a war photographer addicted to her dangerous work. In a switch, her husband (Nikolaj…

 For anyone with a general interest in film, it's always fascinating to look into the world of major filmmakers. Polity makes this possible with their America Through The Lens series, a collection of books on prominent directors and their depictions of America. Covering the works of Clint Eastwood, Martin Scorsese, Spike Lee, Alfred Hitchcock, and Stephen Spielberg, the series examines the major themes explored by each director, the types of characters they portray, and their legacy in American film. The books…