Tag: DRAMA

RESTLESS (2011)

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Restless

Directed By: Gus Van Sant
Written By: Jason Lew
Cinematography By: Harris Savides
Editor: Elliot Graham

Cast: Henry Hopper, Mia Wasikowska, Ryo Case, Jane Adams, Schuyler Fisk

Annabel is a terminally ill cancer patient and is quietly awaiting her death spending her time studying nature. Enoch is struggling to recover from the death of his parents and spends his time attending funerals with his only friend – a ghost named Hiroshi who was a WWII Japanese kamikaze pilot. Just as Annabel’s sister is trying to cope with Annabel’s impending death, Annabel and Enoch fall in love. They both finally have a reason to live, but is it too late to have a life together?
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DIRTY GIRL (2010)

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DIRTY-jumbo

Written & Directed By: Abe Sylvia
Cinematography By: Steve Gainer
Editor: Jonathan Lucas


Cast: Juno Temple, Jeremy Dozier, Mary Steenburgen, Dwight Yoakam, Jack Kelher, Milla Jovovich, Pat Healy, Brent Briscoe, William H. Macy, Nicholas D’Agosto, Tim McGraw, Elsie Fisher

A comedic story of the search for identity and the redemptive power of unexpected friendship. Danielle is the dirty girl of Norman High School. When Danielle’s misbehavior gets her banished to special ed, she teams up with an innocent closet-case and together they head out on a road trip to discover each other and themselves through a funny and serendipitous friendship.

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NORMA RAE (1979)

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Directed By: Martin Ritt
Written By: Irving Ravetch & Harriet Frank Jr.
Cinematography By: John A. Alonzo
Editor: Sidney Levin 


Cast: Sally Field, Ron Liebman, Beau Bridges, Pat Hingle, Barbara Baxley, Gail Strickland, Noble Willingham, Bob Minor, Grace Zabriskie, Frank McRae, 

Like a lot of her family before her, Norma Rae works at the local textile mill, where the pay is hardly commensurate with the long hours and lousy working conditions. But after hearing a rousing speech by labor activist Reuben, Norma is inspired to rally her fellow workers behind the cause of unionism. Her decision rankles her family, especially her fiancé, Sonny, and provokes no shortage of contempt from her employers.

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DIVINES (2016)

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Directed By: Houda Benyamina
Written By: Houda Benyamina, Romain Compingt & Malik Rumeau
Cinematography By: Julien Poupard
Editor: Louic Lallemend & Vincent Tricon 

Cast: Oulaya Amamra, Deborah Lukumuena, Kevin Mishel, Jisca Kalvanda, Yasin Houicha, Majdouline Idrissi 


 A street teenager from a dysfunctional family from a banlieue (HLMs) in Paris comes across a young dancer who turns her life upside down.

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ROOM (2015)

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Directed By: Lenny Abrahamson
Written By: Emma Donoghue; Based on her Novel
Cinematography By: Danny Cohen
Editor: Nathan Nugent 


Cast: Brie Larson, Jacob Tremblay, Joan Allen, Tom McCamus, Sean Bridgers, William H. Macy, Wendy Crewson, Rory O’Shea

ROOM tells the extraordinary story of Jack, a spirited 5-year-old who is looked after by his loving and devoted mother. Like any good mother, Ma dedicates herself to keeping Jack happy and safe, nurturing him with warmth and love and doing typical things like playing games and telling stories. Their life, however, is anything but typical–they are trapped–confined to a windowless, 10-by-10-foot space that Ma has euphemistically named Room. Ma has created a whole universe for Jack within Room, and she will stop at nothing to ensure that, even in this treacherous environment, Jack is able to live a complete and fulfilling life. But as Jack’s curiosity about their situation grows, and Ma’s resilience reaches its breaking point, they enact a risky plan to escape, ultimately bringing them face-to-face with what may turn out to be the scariest thing yet: the real world.

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SLASH (2016)

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slash-feature

Written & Directed By: Clay Liford
Cinematography By: Ellie Ann Fenton
Editor: David Fabelo & Bryan Poyser 


Cast: Michael Johnston, Hannah Marks, Michael Ian Black, Missi Pyle, Sarah Ramos, Angela Kinsey, Sam Eidson 


Freshman Neil’s Vanguard stories are all he cares about…until he meets the older Julia, who pushes him to put his own fan fic online. When the website’s moderator takes a special interest in Neil’s work, it opens up a whole new universe.

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BATTLE OF THE SEXES (2017)

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battleofthesexes

Directed By: Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris
Written By: Simon Beaufoy
Cinematography By: Linus Sandgren
Editor: Pamela Martin 


Cast: Steve Carrell, Emma Stone, Bill Pullman, Andrea Riseborough, Natalie Morales, Sarah Silverman, Elisabeth Shue, Martha MacIssac, Alan Cumming, Eric Christian Olsen, Fred Armisen, Mickey Sumner, Wallace Langham, Matt Molloy, Bridey Elliott, Chris Parnell, Mike Vogel, Tom Kenny, Jamey Sheridan 


In the wake of the sexual revolution and the rise of the women’s movement, the 1973 tennis match between women’s world champion and ex-men’s-champ and serial hustler Bobby Riggs was billed as the BATTLE OF THE SEXES and became one of the most watched televised sports events of all time, reaching 90 million viewers around the world. As the rivalry between King and Riggs kicked into high gear, off-court each was fighting more personal and complex battles. The fiercely private King was not only championing for equality, but also struggling to come to terms with her own sexuality, as her friendship with Marilyn Barnett developed. And Riggs, one of the first self-made media-age celebrities, wrestled with his gambling demons, at the expense of his family and wife Priscilla. Together, Billie and Bobby served up a cultural spectacle that resonated far beyond the tennis court, sparking discussions in bedrooms and boardrooms that continue to reverberate today.

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CALL ME BY YOUR NAME (2017)

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callmebyyourname

Directed By: Luca Guadagnino
Written By: James Ivory
Based On The Book Written By: Andre Aciman
Cinematography By: Sayombhu Mukdeeprom
Editor: Walter Fasano 


Cast: Timothee Chalamet, Armie Hammer, Esther Garrel, Michael Stuhlbarg, Amira Casar 


In Northern Italy in 1983, seventeen year-old Elio begins a relationship with visiting Oliver, his father’s research assistant, with whom he bonds over his emerging sexuality, their Jewish heritage, and the beguiling Italian landscape. I am not the biggest fan of director Luca Guadagnino as it is obvious he has talent but I have never exactly been a fan of his previous films. Visually lucious but the stories and plots left a lot to be desired. Here he seems to have found the right material because here he and his style definitely come through loud and clear.

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GET ON UP (2014)

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GET-ON-UP-TRAILER-facebook

Directed By: Tate Taylor
Written By: Jez Butterworth & John-Henry Butterworth
Story By: Steven Baigelman, Jez Butterworth &  John-Henry Butterworth
Cinematography By: Stephen Goldblatt
Editor: Michael McCusker 

Cast: Chadwick Boseman, Nelsan Ellis, Lennie James, Jill Scott, Dan Ayckroyd, Viola Davis, Craig Robinson, Octavia Spencer, Fred Melamed, Tika Sumpter, Aloe Blacc, Tariq Trotter, Aunjanue Ellis, Keith Robinson

A chronicle of James Brown ‘s rise from extreme poverty to become one of the most influential musicians in history. Of course it would be hard to summarize the life and legacy of James Brown in a single film. That is a near impossible task. Though this film has a nice overview and introduces some aspects that maybe the general public didn’t know.

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