Kendra Brea Cooper
This years nominees for the Movie of the Year at the MTV Movie awards offer us stories of love, loss, rights, and ethics. They bring up difficult issues about war and what it means to pull the trigger, what love means when there is no guarantee of a future, and the struggle for civil rights in the past, and what that all means today. Airing on MTV April 12th.
Directed by Clint Eastwood, this film about Navy Seal Chris Kyle has been heavily criticized for its promotion of certain American values that align with going to war and killing in the name of freedom. This one should be watched with a critical eye, even just for its symbology.
The revolution has begun. Some say this is a critique of modern society, and others say it's a picture of what we could be in the future. The question is when do we know it is time for a revolution? Katniss reluctantly takes a leadership role as the face of hope and change, because everyone around her knows it is time.
It's another movie where a group of misfit criminals come together to achieve a noble goal, only this time set in space. Redemption among the stars.
With one of the best villains in a movie this year, Gone Girl was on many must watch lists. It asks the question about real intimacy and whether or not we really know a partner. Our understanding of relationships is a social construct full of anxieties.
The Fault in Our Stars teaches us to love regardless of an uncertain future. It has a very "live in the moment" feeling.
Selma offers viewers an incredibly important time in history, when some of the legal battles in civil rights were won, but racism was still persistent. During the Oscar award acceptance speech, Common and John Legend stated “We say that Selma is now, because the struggle for justice is right now...we know that the Voting Rights Act that they fought for 50 years ago is being compromised right now in this country today,”
There is a message in this film, a reminder, a truth that reflects problems in the U.S. today.
This is a coming of age film, where the main character actually came of age during the 12 year filming. Viewers see all the moments we consider life touchstones, like birthdays and breakups, through the eyes of a child who grows into a young man.
A very talented 19 year old drummer, Andrew, endures pressure and abuse from a conductor, Terence Fletcher, all in the name of carving out perfection. Blood, sweat, tears and broken drumsticks.
Pop culture and all that ideology sitting in the blind spot. Also crafts.
