Film Review: Battle of the Sexes

The match is set; a stand-off between a woman and a man; the man, a chauvinist who thinks he is better than any woman in the game of tennis; the woman, a strong, determined and ruthless competitor. The match already took place, in 1973 no less, yet the issues plaguing the game, the gender issues that were relevant then, are still relevant now, which is a problem. Regardless of who won (if you don’t already know, you are a couple words away from finding out on Goggle), the real issue present is that a battle of sexes in 2017 shouldn’t exist, but it does. So the question remains, who really won in 1973?  Continue reading

Night Film Reviews’ Best and Worst Films of 2016

Each and every year, as the age of cinema increases, so does the skepticism of the art forms relevance and focus. Ever since doing a “Best of” list to showcase the best that cinema has to offer each and every year, there is always someone or a group of people declaring that the end of cinema; its ultimate demise, is upon us. Yet, this year, moreso, than any other year, phrases such as “profoundly moving”, “the reason we go to the movies”, and “historical achievement” are just some of the many phrases thrown around to more than one of the films released in 2016. Continue reading

TIFF40 2015 Film Review: A Tale of Love and Darkness

“It’s better to be sensitive than to be honest”. 

It is no surprise that first time writer/director Natalie Portman is taking a Pro-Jewish stance in her newest film A Tale of Love and Darkness. A celebrated novel by one of, if not the most prolific novelists hailing from Israel, Amos Oz; a last name that literally translates to “hope” in Hebrew. Oz is a novelist whose book serves as a large and hopeful story towards conflict flooding the Middle East. Sadly for Portman, whose keen eye and collaboration with many talented directors, has allowed her to visually over-stylize her film with beauty and tones of dark and tragically elegant glimpses, without much of a handle on narrative and storytelling.  Continue reading