Letting A Non-White Perspective Take A Prominent Role In Amistad Helps It Become As Powerful As It Is

Despite Steven Spielberg being one of the most prolific figures to ever grace the medium, he does have a few movies that seem to not be as noteworthy in the public eye. 1941 is one of course, while his mid-1980's drama that introduced the world to Christian Bale Empire Of The Sun also feels like it's slipped through the cracks and maybe it's just me, but his 2005 Best Picture nominee Munich also feels like it could be given that distinction. Another one if his films in that category is his 1997 feature Amistad, which I first heard about in the book The Men Who Would Be King (a book chronicling the rise and fall of Spielberg's movie studio DreamWorks) where it was looked back on as both an awards and financial disappointment in the history of the studio.

The Birth Of A Nation's Virtues Are Notably Hindered By A Lack Of Substance

I've been seeing a lot of think pieces about 2016 being the year cinema died or whatever, but maybe a more appropriate label to place on 2016 will be that it was  the year that delivered a bunch of OK but not really all that substantive biopics. Last month brought the OK Sully and the better-but-lacking-in-depth Snowden and now The Birth Of A Nation comes around to make the group as a trio. Regardless if this is a fluke or a larger signal of a trend of 2016 cinema, The Birth Of A Nation is yet another alright motion picture that lacks anything really to say regarding the real-life subject it concentrates its entire story on.

Classic Write-Up: Django Unchained Review

Movies always have a natural disconnect between the viewers and what's happening on screen. However, several movies have this selfish attitude in them where it seems like the filmmakers behind the endeavor are having tons of fun with the plot, but refuse to allow the viewer to connect or engage with what's happening onscreen. In Django Unchained, it's pretty freaking apparent Quentin Tarantino is having an absolute blast with the cinematic adventure he's concocted thanks to how great it is. Plus, he eagerly allows anyone and everyone to join him in having fun with the venture.