Tag: inspirational

“The Jungle Book” (2016) – Remarkable Live-Action Remake

Director: Jon Favreau Writer: Justin Marks (based on the novel by Rudyard Kipling) Starring: Neel Sethi, Bill Murray and Sir … More

“Hidden Figures” (2016) – Inspiring NASA Historical Drama

Director: Theodore Melfi Writer: Allison Schroeder (based off novel by Margot Lee Shetterly) Starring: Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer and … More

“Irrational Man” (2015) – Wonderful Woody Allen Drama

Writer/Director: Woody Allen Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Emma Stone and Parker Posey ‘An Overlooked Gem’ Few actors in the world have … More

“Life Itself” (2014) – Extraordinary Roger Ebert Documentary

Director: Steve James Based on the best-selling novel by Roger Ebert Starring: Roger Ebert, Chaz Ebert and Gene Siskel ‘A … More

“The Hundred-Foot Journey” (2014) – Delicious Indian Cooking Drama

Director: Lasse Hallstrom Written by Steven Knight (based off novel by Richard C. Morais) Starring Helen Mirren, Om Puri and … More

“How to Train Your Dragon 2” (2014) – Spectacular Dragon Sequel

Writer/Director: Dean DeBlois Co-writer: Cressida Cowell Starring: Jay Baruchel, Cate Blanchett and Djimon Hounsou ‘A Soaring Sequel’ If there’s any … More

“12 Years a Slave” (2013) – Magnificent Slavery Masterpiece

Director: Steve McQueen Writer: John Ridley (based on true story of Solomon Northup) Starring: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, Paul Dano … More

“The Spectacular Now” (2013) – Spectacular Romantic Drama

Director: James Ponsoldt Writer: Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber Starring: Miles Teller, Shailene Woodley and Brie Larson ‘Spectacular Romantic … More

“Dallas Buyers Club” (2013) – Powerful AIDS Crisis Drama

Director: Jean-Marc Valee Writers: Craig Borten and Melisa Wallack Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Jared Leto, Jennifer Garner ‘Powerful AIDS Drama’ You … More

“Silver Linings Playbook” (2012) – Magnificent Mental Health Masterpiece

Writer/Director: David O. Russell Based on novel by Matthew Quick Starring: Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro ‘Magnificent Masterpiece’ It’s … More

“Lincoln” (2012) – Powerful President Biopic

Director: Steven Spielberg Writer: Tony Kushner (based on novel by Doris Kearns Goodwin)               … More

“Life of Pi” (2012) – Life-Affirming Literature Adaptation

Director: Ang Lee Writer: David Magee (based off novel by Yann Martel) Starring: Suraj Sharma, Irrfan Khan, Tabu ‘Beautiful Book … More

“Batman Begins” (2005) – Breathtaking Batman Beginning

Writer/Director: Christopher Nolan Starring: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Liam Neeson ‘Breathtaking Batman Blockbuster’ “Batman Begins” is directed by Christopher Nolan. … More

“Avengers: Endgame” (2019) – Fantastic Avengers Final Farewell

Directors: Anthony and Joe Russo Writers: Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans and Chris Hemsworth … More

“A Separation” (2011) – Mesmerizing Iranian Masterpiece

Writer/Director: Asghar Farhadi Starring: Payman Maadi, Leila Hatami, and Sareh Bayat ‘Magnificent Masterpiece’ Certain decisions are difficult to make. Especially … More

“Inside Out” (2015) – Pixar’s Emotional Masterpiece

Writer/Director: Pete Docter and Ronaldo Del Carmen Co-writers: Meg LeFauve and Josh Cooley Starring: Amy Poehler, Bill Hader, and Lewis … More

“Wonka” (2023) – A Wonderful Musical

Writer/Director: Paul King Starring: Timothee Chalamet, Sally Hawkins, Hugh Grant                     … More

“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” (2023) – Spectacular Animated Sequel

Director: Joaquim Dos Santos Starring: Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, Jake Johnson                   … More

“Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” (2023) – Movie Review

Writer/Director: James Mangold Starring: Harrison Ford, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Mads Mikkelsen                      … More

“The Holdovers” (2023) – Movie Review

Director: Alexander Payne Starring: Paul Giamatti, Dominic Sessa, Da’ Vine Joy Randolph                 … More

“The Color Purple” (2023) – Movie Review

Director: Blitz Buzuwale Starring: Fantasia Barrino, Taraji P. Henson, Danielle Brooks                   … More

“Barbie” (2023) – Movie Review

Writer/Director: Greta Gerwig Starring: Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, America Ferrera                     … More

“All Of Us Strangers” (2023) – Movie Review

Writer/Director: Andrew Haigh Starring: Andrew Scott, Claire Foy, Jamie Bell                     … More

“The Fabelmans” (2022) – Movie Review

Writer/Director: Steven Spielberg Starring: Gabriel LaBelle, Michelle Williams, Paul Dano                     … More

“Judas and the Black Messiah” (2021)- Movie Review

Writer/Director: Shaka King Co-writer: Will Berson Starring: Daniel Kaluuya, LaKeith Stanfield and Jesse Plemons ‘Breathtaking Historical Biopic’ Racism has always … More

“In the Heights” (2021) – Movie Review

Director: John M. Chu Writer: Quiara Alegria Hudes Starring: Anthony Ramos, Corey Hawkins and Melissa Barrera ‘A Marvelous Musical’  It … More

“Mulan” (2020) – Movie Review

Director: Niki Caro Writers: Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver Starring: Yifei Liu, Donnie Yen and Tzi Ma ‘Remarkable Live-Action Remake’ … More

“Minari” (2020) – Movie Review

Writer/Director: Lee Isaac Chung Starring: Steven Yeun, Alan Kim and Youn Yuh-jung ‘A Mesmerizing Masterpiece’ Foreign films are rarely rewarded … More

“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” (2020) – Movie Review

Director: George C. Wolfe Writer: Ruben Santiago-Hudson (based on August Wilson’s play) Starring: Viola Davis, Chadwick Boseman and Colman Domingo … More

“Hillbilly Elegy” (2020) – Movie Review

Director: Ron Howard Writer: Vanessa Taylor (based on book by J.D. Vance) Starring: Amy Adams, Glenn Close and Gabriel Basso … More

“The Father” (2020) – Movie Review

Writer/Director: Florian Zeller Co-writer: Christopher Hampton Starring: Anthony Hopkins, Olivia Colman and Mark Gatiss ‘Powerful Dementia Drama’  Dementia is a … More

“The Disciple” (2020) – Movie Review

Writer/Director: Chaitanya Tamhane Starring: Aditya Modak, Arun Dravid and Sumitra Bhave ‘Mesmerizing Music Drama’ Over the past decade or so, … More

“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” (2019) – Movie Review

Writer/Director: Quentin Tarantino Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie ‘Powerful Period Piece’ Few filmmakers in the world have … More

“The Mustang” (2019) – Movie Review

Writer/Director: Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre Co-writers: Mona Fastvold and Brock Norman Brock Starring: Matthias Schoenaerts, Jason Mitchell and Bruce Dern ‘A … More

“Little Women” (2019) – Movie Review

Writer/Director: Greta Gerwig Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Florence Pugh and Laura Dern ‘An Astonishing Adaptation’ When it comes to the most … More

“Judy” (2019) – Movie Review

Director: Rupert Goold Writer: Tom Edge (based on stage play) Starring: Renée Zellweger, Jessie Buckley and Finn Wittrock ‘Gorgeous Garland … More

“Just Mercy” (2019) – Movie Review

Writer/Director: Destin Daniel Cretton Co-writer: Andrew Lanham (based on book) Starring: Michael B. Jordan, Jamie Foxx and Brie Larson ‘Captivating … More

“Honey Boy” (2019) – Movie Review

Director: Alma Har’el Writer: Shia LaBeouf Starring: Noah Jupe, Shia LaBeouf and Lucas Hedges ‘A Powerful Memoir’ Few actors in … More

“Harriet” (2019) – Movie Review

Writer/Director: Kasi Lemmons Co-writer: Gregory Allen Howard Starring: Cynthia Erivo, Leslie Odom Jr. and Janelle Monáe  ‘Brilliant Historical Biopic’ When … More

“Dark Waters” (2019) – Movie Review

Director: Todd Haynes Writers: Mario Correa and Matthew Michael Carnahan Starring: Mark Ruffalo, Anne Hathaway and Tim Robbins ‘Tense Legal … More

“Blinded by the Light” (2019) – Movie Review

Writer/Director: Gurinder Chada Co-writers: Paul Mayeda Berges and Sarfraz Manzoor Starring: Viveik Kalra, Kulvinder Ghir and Hayley Atwell ‘A Marvelous … More

“Mary Poppins Returns” (2018) – Movie Review

Director: Rob Marshall Writer: David Magee Starring: Emily Blunt, Lin Manuel-Miranda and Ben Whishaw ‘A Marvelous Musical’ Before I begin … More

“Adrift” (2018) – Movie Review

Director: Baltasar Kormakur Writer: Aaron Kandell, Jordan Kandell and David Branson Smith Starring: Shailene Woodley and Sam Claflin ‘Spectacular Survival … More

“Wonder Woman” (2017) – Movie Review

Director: Patty Jenkins Writers: Allan Heinberg, Zach Snyder and Jason Fuchs Starring: Gal Gadot, Chris Pine and Connie Nielson ‘Wonderful … More

“Maudie” (2017) – Movie Review

Director: Aisling Walsh Writer: Sherry White Starring: Sally Hawkins, Ethan Hawke and Kari Matchett ‘Deeply Moving Biopic’ Maud Lewis is … More

“The Glass Castle” (2017) – Movie Review

Writer/Director: Destin Daniel Cretton Co-writer: Andrew Lanham Starring: Brie Larson, Woody Harrelson and Naomi Watts ‘Astonishing Adaptation’ When it comes … More

“Call Me By Your Name” (2017) – Movie Review

Director: Luca Guadagnino Writer: James Ivory (based on novel by Andre Aciman) Starring: Timothee Chalamet, Armie Hammer and Michael Stuhlbarg … More

“Moonlight” (2016) – Movie Review

Writer/Director: Barry Jenkins Based on the play by Tarell Alvin McCraney Starring: Mahershala Ali, Ashton Sanders and Naomi Harris ‘Magnificent … More

“Lion” (2016) – Movie Review

Director: Garth Davis Writer: Luke Davies (based off novel by Saroo Brierley) Starring: Dev Patel, Nicole Kidman and Rooney Mara … More

“La La Land” (2016) – Movie Review

Writer/Director: Damien Chazelle Starring: Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone and J.K. Simmons ‘A Musical Masterpiece’ Before I begin this review, I … More

“Southpaw” (2015) – Movie Review

Director: Antoine Fuqua Writer: Kurt Sutter Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Rachel McAdams and Forest Whitaker ‘Breathtaking Boxing Drama’ Is it just … More

“Room” (2015) – Movie Review

Director: Lenny Abrahamson Writer: Emma Donoghue (based on novel) Starring: Brie Larson, Jacob Tremblay and William H. Macy ‘A Moving … More

“12 Years a Slave” (2013) – Movie Review

Director: Steve McQueen Writer: John Ridley (based on true story of Solomon Northup) Starring: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, Paul Dano … More

“Gravity” (2013) – Movie Review

Writer/Director: Alfonso Cauron Co-writer: Jonas Cauron Starring: Sandra Bullock, George Clooney and Ed Harris ‘A Groundbreaking Achievement’ How often do … More

“Dallas Buyers Club” (2013) – Movie Review

Director: Jean-Marc Valee Writers: Craig Borten and Melisa Wallack Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Jared Leto, Jennifer Garner ‘Powerful AIDS Drama’ You … More

“About Time” (2013) – Movie Review

                 Writer/Director: Richard Curtis Starring: Domhnall Gleeson, Rachel McAdams and Bill Nighy ‘Remarkable … More

“Silver Linings Playbook” (2012) – Movie Review

Writer/Director: David O. Russell Based on novel by Matthew Quick Starring: Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro ‘Magnificent Masterpiece’ It’s … More

“The Perks of Being a Wallflower” (2012) – Movie Review

Writer/Director: Stephen Chbosky Starring: Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, Ezra Miller ‘Meaningful Masterpiece’ “Why do nice people choose the wrong people … More

“Lincoln” (2012) – Movie Review

Director: Steven Spielberg Writer: Tony Kushner (based off novel by Doris Kearns Goodwin)               … More

“Life of Pi” (2012) – Movie Review

Director: Ang Lee Writer: David Magee (based off novel by Yann Martel) Starring: Suraj Sharma, Irrfan Khan, Tabu ‘Beautiful Book … More

“The Last Black Man in San Francisco” (2019) – Movie Review

Writer/Director: Joe Talbot Co-writer: Rob Richert Starring: Jimmie Fails, Jonathan Majors and Rob Morgan ‘Powerful Gentrification Drama’ Gentrification is a … More

“Wonder Woman” (2017) – Movie Review

Director: Patty Jenkins Writers: Allan Heinberg, Zach Snyder and Jason Fuchs Starring: Gal Gadot, Chris Pine and Connie Nielson ‘Wonderful … More

“Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” (2024) – Movie Review

Writer/Director: George Miller Starring: Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Hemsworth, Tom Burke                     … More

“American Fiction” (2023) – Movie Review

Writer/Director: Cord Jefferson Starring: Jeffrey Wright, Issa Rae, Sterling K. Brown                   … More