Tag / chris pine

by Jaime Rebanal

A Wrinkle in Time – Review

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Disney’s A Wrinkle in Time is a film of a rather significant first, because it is the first film with a budget of over $100 million to have been directed by an African-American woman. While it’s certainly admirable on Ava DuVernay’s end that she managed to get this made, unfortunately talking about the film itself will be a whole other story. The film’s social significance cannot be overstated but because of that whole other story regarding the actual quality of the film, it also sets a worrying note for WOC filmmakers working in Hollywood. It’s worrying because of the possibility that this film will end up being weaponized against them, especially when it isn’t so much a failure as said concept would end up making it out to be.

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by Jaime Rebanal

The Worrying Stature of A Wrinkle in Time

Don’t let that title deter you from reading more, I’m not going to cover my own opinion of Ava DuVernay’s A Wrinkle in Time but rather the worrying note it leaves for the future of female POC filmmakers working in Hollywood. From directing Disney’s A Wrinkle in Time, director Ava DuVernay, whose previous films include the Academy Award-nominated Selma and 13th, had become the first black woman to direct a live-action film with a budget that exceeds $100 million. Of course, its release was set to become a big deal within the film industry across the globe but its fate at the box office was perhaps one thing that was always going to be leaving us feeling uncertain about what it means for WOC filmmakers in the future.

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by Jaime Rebanal

Wonder Woman – Review

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It’s already about time, we finally have received a live action Wonder Woman film. Among many things that surprise me, one that comes out the most is the fact that it had taken this long for the demigoddess to receive her own film and we’ve finally come this far, but at the same time comes the first female-directed superhero film with a female lead, with Patty Jenkins directing for the first time since 2003’s Monster. After the disasters of Catwoman and Elektra, what’s there to be said about Wonder Woman? The most pleasing thing to report is the fact that not only is it just a great superhero movie as a whole and one of the better ones to have come in recent memory, but just a great film all around. After all of these years without having her own live action film, not only does Wonder Woman finally manage to have the spotlight for herself but she’s also set an example for the very highest points of superhero cinema from recent memory.

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by Jaime Rebanal

Star Trek Beyond – Review

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I’m not a huge Star Trek fan personally. I was always rather indifferent to the series (even though I admittedly quite love The Wrath of Khan) but when the series hits its highest points, it’s usually rather interesting what pops out. With Star Trek Beyond I was admittedly rather skeptical because I was not particularly fond of J. J. Abrams’s takes on the series and now with Justin Lin behind the camera, there were only two things that I could expect knowing that a radically different approach were going to be made with the series. Either it could go down the path to which Lin chose to suit the Fast and the Furious films (which I’ve never been to fond of) and in turn head down a much worse route or bring a kick of energy to the franchise that could grab my interest. Thankfully, Star Trek Beyond leaned toward the latter, even if it suffers what the previous reboots suffered through at the same time. Continue reading →

by Jaime Rebanal

The Finest Hours – Review

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Another one of those frustratingly inspirational by-the-numbers “based on a true story” films once again. I’ve taken issue with films of this sort whether it’s blatant Oscar bait like The Theory of Everything, but this isn’t particularly any surprising when you have Disney as the producers of said film. Directed by Craig Gillespie, who was prior responsible for Million Dollar Arm (which I already rather disliked), what he’s created is once again another by-the-numbers biopic but while it’s not inherently a bad film, not enough is present that would have me considering it a good film either. Continue reading →