Theatrical Review: The Mauritanian (2021)

In a great story with The Mauritanian, Tahar Rahim plays Mohamedou Ould Slahi, a man who was kept at Guantanamo Bay without charge for years by the U.S. government because he was accused for being one of the major recruiters of the 9/11 attacks. The film opens with Slahi at a gathering in Mauritania in November 2001, where he gets picked up by the U.S. government in the middle of the night, promising his mother he would be right back. Instead, his family had no idea where he was for years; until they found out in 2005 that he was being held in Guantanamo Bay. This is when his case lands on the desk of lawyer Nancy Hollander (Jodie Foster). She tries to get him out of Guantanamo (referred to as Gitmo throughout) using Habeas Corpus, since he’s never been charged with anything. On the other side is military lawyer Stuart Couch (Benedict Cumberbatch) for the prosecution who seeks out the death penalty.

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Harriet (2019)

Directed by: Kasi Lemmons. Starring: Cynthia Erivo, Leslie Odom Jr., Joe Alwyn. Runtime: 2h 5 min. Released: November 1, 2019. Harriet tells the story of Harriet Tubman (Cynthia Erivo), who escapes slavery and becomes an American hero, freeing slaves and changing history. One thing the film gets right is in the depiction of Harriet as … Continue reading Harriet (2019)

Togo (2019)

Directed by: Ericson Core. Starring: Willem Dafoe, Julianne Nicholson, Christopher Heyerdahl. Runtime: 1h 53 min. Released: December 20, 2019. Some spoilers follow. The story of the sled dog, Togo, who led the 1925 serum run in Nome, Alaska, but was considered by most to be too small and weak to ever lead a dog race. … Continue reading Togo (2019)

The Irishman (2019)

Directed by: Martin Scorsese. Starring: Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci. Runtime: 3h 29 min. Released: November 27, 2019. Martin Scorsese brings an all-star cast of Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci to the little screen in Netflix’s The Irishman, a mafia movie that follows Frank Sheeran (De Niro), a mafia hitman … Continue reading The Irishman (2019)

Just Mercy (2019)

Directed by: Destin Daniel Cretton. Starring: Michael B. Jordan, Jamie Foxx, Brie Larson. Runtime: 2h 17 min. Released: December 25, 2019 (limited). (This review contains spoilers.) A well-acted true story, Just Mercy is about world renowned civil rights defense attorney Bryan Stevens (Michael B. Jordan) as he starts a company, Equal Justice Initiative, defending the … Continue reading Just Mercy (2019)

Brian Banks (2019)

Directed by: Tom Shadyac. Starring: Aldis Hodge, Greg Kinnear, Sherri Shepard. Runtime: 1h 39 min. Released: August 9, 2019. (This review contains spoilers) A football player’s dreams in the NFL are halted when he is falsely accused of rape and spends six years in prison. He gets released and fights to clear his name within … Continue reading Brian Banks (2019)

Richard Jewell (2019)

Paul Walter Hauser turns in easily one of my favourite performances of last year as Richard Jewell. He’s been on my radar since 2017’s I, Tonya as an absolute scene-stealer as Shawn there, but he steals the entire show here as Jewell.

Review: The Zookeeper’s Wife (2017)

Released: March 31, 2017. Directed by: Niki Caro. Starring: Jessica Chastain, Daniel Bruhl, Johan Heldenbergh. Runtime: 2h 4 min. The WWII era makes for some fascinating films. I sometimes like them more when they have different perspectives or depict main conflicts other than with the German Reich. The Zookeeper’s Wife is the former, offering a … Continue reading Review: The Zookeeper’s Wife (2017)

Eddie the Eagle (2016)

Released: February 26, 2016. Directed by: Dexter Fletcher. Starring: Taron Egerton, Hugh Jackman, Jo Hartley. Runtime: 1hr 46 min. Inspired by the life story of Eddie “The Eagle” Edwards, the only slightly fact-based Eddie the Eagle is a touching story about chasing a dream. What makes this so inspiring is that Eddie was never the … Continue reading Eddie the Eagle (2016)

Get on Up (2014)

Released: August 1, 2014. Directed by: Tate Taylor. Starring: Chadwick Boseman, Nelsan Ellis, Dan Aykroyd. Runtime: 139 min. Timelines in biography films can be difficult to depict, especially when dealing with a 54-year timeline that the ambitious Tate Taylor tackles while depicting the life story of James Brown, the Godfather of soul. Wow, though, Taylor … Continue reading Get on Up (2014)