Tarek Lakhrissi’s futuristic narrative Out of the Blue takes place at a radical moment in time, when a politically conservative era is suddenly coming to an end. Lakhrissi avoids traditional apocalyptic narratives to meditate instead on the nature of transition itself. In the final scene, the film’s central character delivers a thoughtful speech exploring ideas of freedom and liberty, self-determination and queer futurity.
Tran Quoc Bao succeeds in telling us a story about martial arts, human decay, and friendship. The originality shown by his filmmaking is admirable and brings fresh air to the classic Chinese martial arts genre.
Netflix's new thriller Apex, starring Charlize Theron, puts a twist on survival horror. Despite its setting in the beautiful- yet-dangerous Australian wilderness, Apex is not a movie about man vs. nature. Instead, it’s woman vs. man. While checking out the title card and its unpretentious Netflix release might lead viewers to believe Apex is just another celebrity project churned out of the streaming machine, Apex - whether by luck or by intention - is a consistently harrowing film about the reality of being a woman in a public space.
The film seems like an extreme interpretation of the conspiracy theorists that exist in real life. And then, there’s the twist.
For anyone who is not a cis white woman, a justice-fueled murderous rampage is not framed as liberation. Instead, they contribute to harsh stereotypes that vilify minority women with dangerous consequences.
"Be good. It doesn’t mean you can’t be tough. It doesn’t mean you always have to be nice. Just be good."
Miley Cyrus shares her struggles as a songstress with a young audience, all while staying upbeat for the Disney brand.
