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Camera Obscura: Interview with Director Aaron B. Koontz

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Looking Beyond Eyes: An Interview with Aaron B. Koontz

By Christopher M. Rzigalinski

Schedules can be hectic. My flight back to Los Angeles from a wedding in New York and director Aaron B. Koontz’s packed press schedule meant that we couldn’t talk directly. But our good friends at the Katrina Wan Press Agency had our backs. Samantha Arevalo and Camelia Adibi forwarded my questions to Aaron so the Cinephellas community could get some insight into his artistic process, being a first-time director, and why he wanted to tackle Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in the new film Camera Obscura. I’d like to thank Samantha, Camelia, and Aaron for taking time out of their busy schedules, and I hope Aaron’s answers get you as hyped for the movie as I am.

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Review-Wonder Woman (2017)

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by Nile Fortner

Finally, a movie about the iconic DC Comics character, Wonder Woman has hit the big screen. A character that finally has her own big feature movie, a movie 75 years in the making!  

When DC first launched their expanded-cinematic-universe, many fans were not thrilled with the start of this cinematic universe. I personally enjoyed Man of Steel, even though some people argued that Superman was too moody and depressing. That film was followed by Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and fans as well did not react to well to that movie either. I have parts I like about the movie and other parts I can’t stand. I did not like the portrayal of Lex Luthor and how they forced Doomsday into the movie. Suicide Squad had its issues, and many people seemed to give up on DC Comics setting up this expanded-cinematic-universe. Many fans saw Wonder Woman as the last chance for this cinematic universe to work and finally give us a movie in this universe that blows audiences away with action, story, and character development.

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The ALIEN Film Franchise and Where It Went Wrong…

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by Nile Fortner

Most people who saw the original Alien film directed by one of my all time favorite directors, Ridley Scott (Blade Runner, Thelma and Louise) a horror classic. Not just in the sci-fi and horror department, but in all aspects of film. The first Alien film is more than just a creature feature that pounces out of the dark and kills our characters. It is a film that stands the test of time and considered a classic.

Surprisingly, critics were not all that kind to the film when it hit theaters way back in 1979. The Chicago Reader once described the film as “An empty – headed horror movie, with handsome cinematography.” I personally like most of the Alien films, and I was enthusiastic about the new film in the franchise, Alien: Covenant. However, before I went into this movie, I decided to go back and visit the Alien flicks (that means you too Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem) leading into Covenant.

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Cinephellas Podcast – Episode 9 (Peter Spirer and Peter Baxter Interview)

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Removing Borders: A Conversation with Peter Spirer and Peter Baxter

by Christopher Rzigalinski

On this episode of the Cinephellas podcast I’m talking to the Peter Spirer and Peter Baxter, co-directors of Spirit Game: Pride of a Nation. The documentary uses lacrosse, which the Iroquois nation calls its “medicine game,” as a lens through which to explore Iroquois history and indigenous peoples’ relationships with the United States and Canada. How is it, the film asks, that countless schools and universities across North America play teach the game to its students without relating its ceremonial past? To answer that question, the Peters and I discuss the Catholic Church’s oppressive Doctrine of Discovery, the Iroquois challenges to traditional ideas of sovereignty, and how sports can be used as a tool for activism. Spirit Game is a powerful statement about how popular culture can help change the world for the better.

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Review- Alien: Covenant (2017)

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It’s been five years since Prometheus and in that time the film has received a very mixed reaction. There were a lot of unanswered questions that have been waiting for a sequel to go into more detail about where these prequels fit into the Alien mythos and Covenant might be the film that puts things back on track. Anyone looking for concrete answers to Prometheus will be disappointed, but as it’s own beast that adds more layers to the universe and it’s as close to the original film as we’ve gotten in nearly 40 years.

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Review- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

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Save the Galaxy Again with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

by Nile Fortner

Back in 2014, Marvel Studios attempted their riskiest adventure yet, releasing a film based on the not so popular superhero team known as The Guardians of the Galaxy. When the film hit theaters, it was a massive success, and turned characters such as Star Lord and Groot into prominent names. Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2 has now hit cinemas, and many are wondering, “Do our favorite space ‘A-holes’ have what it takes to strike lightning in a bottle twice?”  The answer is hell yes! 

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Cinephellas Podcast – Episode 7 (Olson Brothers Interview)

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A Conversation with the Olson Brothers

by Chris Rzigalinski

It’s hard enough directing a movie when one intelligent mind is behind the camera. But brothers Obin and Amariah Olson find a way to merge two brilliant perspectives. Their latest project, The Shadow Effect, explores the consequences of trauma on Gabriel (played by Cam Gigandet), an ex-Navy Seal unaware he’s in the throes of a scientific experiment. As a result, the lines between reality and imagination are blurred. Gabriel must figure out if his murderous flashbacks are delusions or if the mysterious Dr. Reese (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) is manipulating him. Along the way, Gabriel is forced to question the sincerity of the people closest to him, including his wife, Brinn (Britt Shaw).

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Review – Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2.

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by Old King Clancy

When the first Guardians of Galaxy was released in 2014 it felt like a very odd choice for Marvel to make following the success of The Avengers; a sci-fi series featuring a talking tree, a psychotic raccoon, the tubby guy from Parks & Rec., and directed by a guy from Troma? Never should’ve worked. And yet, $770 Million and worldwide praise later, the film did work and serves as one of the highlights of Marvel’s cinematic universe, so no pressure on the sequel.

To get it out of the way quickly, Vol. 2 doesn’t live up to the first, only because the first film had no expectations of it, it came from nowhere, and blew everyone away. While the sequel had the unfortunate luck to come second, it’s still a burst of color and fun, while one of the best standalone MCU films to date.

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Bates Motel – Season 5 Finale Review!

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It’s Time To Check Out of Bates Motel (For Now)

by Nile Fortner

On Bates Motel: The Final Check Out, Vera Farmiga (Orphan, Source Code) said, “I am going to miss the sh*t out of playing Norma Bates.” She also mentions how the show is, “unique, and it’s one of a kind.”  Well as a big fan of this series, I, and I’m sure many of you agree, that we will all miss the sh*t out of Bates Motel and it really is so unique and one of a kind.

Series finales often feel awkward, and try too hard to please fans. Sometimes it is like they are rushing to the finish line in a way that leaves audiences confused, wanting more, and dissatisfied. In my opinion, the last two seasons of Bates Motel, are easily the best, and was some of the best television I’ve seen in a very long time. Throughout the series and finale of this show, that I feel like is underrated, we saw how much Norman Bates, played by Freddie Highmore (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, August Rush), has changed over the course of the show, and we’re reminded just how much has been lost for all of our characters. Everyone of the characters, from Caleb, Chick, Romero, Emma, Dylan, Norma, and of course Norman. Ultimately, Dylan and Emma escape, they seem like they will be happily ever after, and free to start their own family away from the nightmare of family and White Pine Bay.

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