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Film reviews

Bones And All Review

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There are many films in which creatures want to live normal lives. There are ones in which they wish they were not what they were born to be. Luca Guadagnino’s Bones and All involves a gruesome trail that is harrowing, but mesmerizing. With Taylor Russell and Timothee Chalamet as the creatures, Bones and All is a poetic journey dealing with society and irreparable consequences. The film portrays many grotesque situations and Guadagnino delivers fragments of difficult questions. In Bones and All, the film’s premise speaks for itself.

Bones and All starts with Maren (Russell), a young and lovely lady who cannot resist her urges. She is a cannibal. The time frame the film is set in is Ronald Reagan’s America. Maren’s father has left her to fend for herself. She goes on the road in hopes of starting a new life. She first meets another individual named Sully (played by Mark Rylance) and he is also a cannibal. She does not click with him. Then she meets Lee (Chalamet), another cannibal, but they are both looking for the same thing, a life that is normal. They team-up and drive thousands of miles through Ohio, Kentucky, Iowa, and many other states. They are two cannibals falling in love, but do not want to live the rest of their lives as cannibals. Their journey together makes them want to reconcile with their pasts. They also meet Jake (played by Michael Stuhlbarg) who is a shady guy. All the characters in Bones and All make the audience curious about whether Maren and Lee can find love or acceptance in the rough journey they embark upon. The movie is quite graphic in the beginning, but its overall landscape is rich in feeling for all its characters.

I love Bones and All because of how Guadagnino knows how to blend emotions in the film. He tones down the moments with sad sound effects and captures his characters’ emotions. Bones and All is a story of redemption, but with horrific creatures. However, the director makes it clear that Maren and Lee wish they did not have their cannibalistic urges. Their journey slowly disregards the Hannibal factor and makes love and society the more important elements in Bones and All.

Bones and All has many of the same loving themes as Guadagnino’s Call Me by Your Name (2017). Chalamet and Stuhlbarg both starred in that film as well. Guadagnino transitions Chalamet’s performance from one questioning who he loves to someone wanting love. The only difference is he wants love as a cannibal. Bones and All is strong in the heavy emotional scenarios. Guadagnino can incorporate love and feelings into his films, no matter how obscure the subject matter.

Will Maren and Lee start a new life? Will their urges come back to haunt them? Can they do good for the world? Bones and All is a ride of curiosities on a bizarre level. While repulsive at first, ultimately effective in terms of its message. Three and a half stars for Bones and All.

Film reviews

The Fabelmans Review

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I love movies. I have had a fascination with cinema since a young age, and I love writing reviews about the movies I watch. Steven Spielberg also started loving movies when he was young, and he has made many masterpiece films. The Fabelmans is another one of his masterpieces. It’s a film that inspires everyone to follow their heart, to persevere, and to always remain committed to a craft that you love.

The Fablemans takes place in the 1950s and 1960s. The film is based Spielberg’s life, and his passion to make films. Sammy Fabelman (played by Gabriel LaBelle) is an enthusiastic boy who becomes inspired to make art through a video camera. His parents are Mitzi and Burt Fabelman (played by Michelle Williams and Paul Dano). Mitzi wants the best for her son and she supports his desire to create movies. Burt has mixed feelings about the whole thing.

Sammy’s motivation to make films comes from experiencing a train suspense sequence in a movie. He grows up being fascinated with various filming techniques. Over time, he learns more and more about filmmaking. It becomes clear that he has a talent for the craft, and he is fully committed to it. He begins to realize that filmmaking can change his life.


The performances of LaBelle, Williams, and Dano are superb. The Fabelmans has its audience feeling Sammy’s emotion as he strives through the changes of his life while being passionate about film. Its vivid, realistic, and powerful.

I love The Fablemans and I was very touched by it. I am a fanatic for cinema nostalgia and this film has plenty of that. Sammy faces problems within his own life that are unavoidable. He is concerned with whether his father supports him and his craft. But through his directing Spielberg shows that Sammy can turn despair into hope. Sammy’s life reminds us what it means for people to follow their dreams. The film tugged at my emotions as Sammy has his moments of being unsure if he can continue his love for film.

While watching The Fablemans I found myself having many questions. Does Sammy really want to do movies for the rest of his life? Will his craft get better over the years? Will his father support how much Sammy truly loves movies? The Fabelmans is a journey showing the complexity and sometimes the harshness of Sammy’s world, mostly with his mom and dad.

As I said, I love movies and wanted to do something with my life relating to movies. I started doing film reviews when I was very young. Just as Sammy finds love in filmmaking, I found love in writing film reviews. The Fabelmans shows Sammy learning his craft, through editing, learning to direct, etc. I always like to try to think how I can improve my craft as a film reviewer. The truth is that everyone can keep gradually growing to develop their talents, as they remain committed to what they love.

In The Fabelmans Sammy’s mother tells him, “Movies are dreams that you never forget.” This saying was probably the most emotionally moving part of the film for me, because it’s something I believe. This line really connected me to The Fabelmans. I will never forget this film. Experiencing a movie about one loving film as much as I do was very special. The Fabelmans made me feel upbeat and appreciative of my film review craft, and will make others feel upbeat in many areas of their life as well. Four stars for The Fabelmans.

Film reviews

She Said Review

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People now know that Harvey Weinstein is an incredibly terrible and lecherous person. She Said is the story of how this rat was cornered, launching the #MeToo movement.

She Said focuses on two New York Times reporters, Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor (played by Carey Mulligan and Zoe Kazan). In 2017 they are investigating a case of sexual harassment by Weinstein that was being dismissed. They dig deep through the trail of celebrities that Weinstein worked with, many of whom said that Weinstein would punish them if they spoke up, or get them awards for complying with his sexual advances. Sadly, because they knew Weinstein was protected, many of them threw away their careers,. This motivates Twohey and Kantor to put together the pieces. Why was Weinstein allowed to keep his criminal behavior hidden? Why did his employers cover for him when they knew he was doing what was wrong? Why did no one take the chance to speak up for their own safety? The questions, accusations, and the paper trail are monstrous. But Twohey and Kantor are heroic for helping the victims find a voice.

I remember the harrowing news of the many allegations of sexual harassment cases starting in 2017. I remember friends, colleagues, and acquaintances resigning from their jobs because they or their superiors were facing charges for sexual harassment. I remember male celebrities getting scorched in the press, one by one, for their terrible behavior. She Said helps us understand why so many made the tough choice to resign or keep quiet, instead of fighting back.

The details of Twohey and Kantor’s interviews are disturbing. I could feel the stress rising in me as the graphic details were exposed. She Said digs deep into why there were so many barriers helping Weinstein avoid the inevitable. As more victims are interviewed, the heavier the true story gets. I found myself praying that the victims would speak up, and being provoked to anxiety hoping that the press would take a stand against Weinstein. With Weinstein’s schemes and dangerous activities, She Saidpaints an extreme picture of how much people suffer when they are taken advantage of.

Although we thought we knew how bad Harvey Weinstein was, She Said will change the way the world views him. Its deep investigation boils the plot. The film’s message is to not be afraid to take a stand, and that no one should receive the kind of treatment that Weinstein’s victims endure. She Said is disturbing because it’s based on a true story, it’s recent, and much of the terrible behavior that Twohey and Kantor unveil still happens today. She Said will have its audience, as I was, praying for redemption for the women who suffer from the unforgivable behavior of these men. Three and a half stars for She Said.