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The CHIRP Blog
Entries categorized as “Movies” 103 results
KSanders writesA Series of Unfortunate Events: Reviews of “Boys Cry” & “Volcano”
This month CHIRP volunteer Kyle Sanders attended the 2018 Chicago International Film Festival and reported on what he discovered there...
Sometimes life throws a wrench in your gears. A cosmic event so out of left field you can't explain it or figure out how to overcome it. How you respond could alter the rest of your day, your week, or even the rest of your life.
It's a common narrative device in storytelling, especially in films. Two films that include this device are Boys Cry and Volcano, both of which screened at the Chicago International Film Festival (due to festival restrictions, the following are capsule reviews only):
KSanders writesGrowing Pains: Reviews of “Flammable Children” & “Guie’dani’s Navel”
This month CHIRP volunteer Kyle Sanders attended the 2018 Chicago International Film Festival and reported on what he discovered there...
Childhood sucks when you're a kid. There's so much of life that you're unaware of and when you try and find the answers, oftentimes you're provided the wrong information from the wrong kind of sources. As a minor, your thoughts and feelings are irrelevant, your choices and decisions are undermined by those who think they know best. You're often shut down with the words "Because I said so." Life moves at a glacial pace, to the point where you think you'll never be able to escape the hell of being a kid.
Yet even when you're living under the thumb of authority, you never realize just how much freedom you have until you reach adulthood. At this year's Chicago International Film Festival, two films highlighted the wacky and weary world of adolescence: Australia's Flammable Children and Mexico's Guie'dani's Navel.
Kyle writesThe Call of the Wild: Reviews of “Core of the World” and “Sibel”
This month CHIRP volunteer Kyle Sanders attended the 2018 Chicago International Film Festival and reported on what he discovered there...
Man vs. Nature/Nature vs. Nurture--humanity can't seem to shake these concepts. We try to rise above nature, yet find ourselves called back to it time and time again.
And why is that? Authors like Jack London or Stephen Crane would tell you that nature is indifferent to everything, including the human race; but then again, civilization can be just as cold and harsh. Two films presented at this year's Chicago International Film Festival showed us two characters who took a walk on the wild side to find themselves (due to festival restrictions, the following will be capsule reviews only):
KSanders writesThe Truth Hurts: Reviews of “[Censored],” “Father the Flame” & “United Skates”
This month CHIRP volunteer Kyle Sanders is attending the 2018 Chicago Interntional Film Festival and reporting on what he discovers there...
In a world of "fake news," it's refreshing to see a resurgence of documentaries. Be it a study of an influential icon such as Ruth Bader Ginsburg or Fred Rogers, or the shocking yet true string of incidents that lead to Three Identical Strangers, 2018 has seen several releases of high-profile documentaries making huge gains at the box office. At this year's Chicago International Film Festival, over twenty entries were included on the roster, including (due to festival restrictions, the following are "cluster reviews" only):
[Censored]: Australian filmmaker Sari Braithwaite began as a mission of liberating hundreds of censored clips deemed too immoral by the Australian government. Braithwaite personally viewed each scrap of celluloid (ranging from 1951 to 1978), collected on individual reels and completely devoid of story. What she found startled her, and it wasn't long before she realized some shocking truths about herself as a liberal filmmaker watching continuous loops of cut scenes (and as she points out, these clips were mostly directed by men, for men, with scenes representing male fantasies and desire).
KSanders writesTo the Criminal Belongs the Spoils: Reviews of “Ash is the Purest White” & “Birds of Passage”
This month CHIRP volunteer Kyle Sanders is attending the 2018 Chicago Interntional Film Festival and reporting on what he discovers there...
Crime never pays. Oh sure, it can give you a taste of power and riches, but there is always a constant struggle to maintain such control: you're always having to watch your back or sleep with one eye open to fend off anyone trying to knock you off the throne, be it the authorities, a rival crime lord, or even your own friends or family. It seems the higher you rise up, the further you descend into a hell of your own making. Is there a way out? Is there a way to start over? It can depend on the choices you make for yourself. Two films that provide us possible options screened at this year's Chicago International Film Festival provide us two different outcomes (due to festival restrictions, the following are "capsule reviews" of said films):
Ash is the Purest White: A devoted girlfriend lands herself in prison after covering for her Jianghu crime lord boyfriend. Five years later she is released, only to find that her lover has moved on and the gang world she was comfortably living in has very much changed. Determined to survive, she will use her tenacious wit to climb back to the top. Jia Zhangke directs this gripping crime drama that has surprising moments of humor and stunning cinematography showcasing China's metropolitan and rural landscapes.
