Panther Film Festival Ready For Action!

The time has come, Panthers! Next Tuesday, April 17th, we will be hosting the inaugural Panther Film Festival! This first of its kind festival is a combined effort by the Film Studies Program, The Film Initiative, and Sigma Tau Delta — one which has been in the works since last October when we held our first meet and greet event. Since then, we’ve held several workshops which have drawn in several FIU filmmakers and helped create connections among the filmmaking community. 

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A Quiet Place Will Leave You Speechless

A Quiet Place is the type of movie you see in silence through the silhouette of your fingers as you cower in your seat. From the very first emotionally charged opening scene of director John Krasinski’s first foray into the horror genre, audiences will feel invested in the story of the Abbott family. In this post-apocalyptic world, Lee Abbott – played by Krasinksi – his wife, Evelyn Abbott – played by Emily Blunt – and their three children attempt to survive by living as quietly and unobtrusively as they can. Unnamed and deathly monsters lie in wait for the next loud sound to draw them out of hiding.

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Does Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man Still Hold On To Its Web?

Toby Maguire as the titular web-slinger

Among fans of superhero movies, few films garner as much adoration as Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy. Even in a decade where theaters and box-offices alike have been dominated by a rejuvenated interest in superhero stories, you’d be hard-pressed to find someone that doesn’t hold the original Spider-Man movies in the highest esteem, often regarded as second only to Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight (2008). With Coral Gables Art Cinema holding a one night only after-hours screening of Spider-Man (2002) later this month, I had to ask: how does Sam Raimi’s foray through the world of superheroes hold up nearly twenty years later?

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A Lot To Like in Love, Simon

It’s no secret that one of Hollywood’s favorite things to do is adapt a critically acclaimed piece of young adult literature onto the big screen. Based on the novel Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli, Love, Simon follows high school senior Simon Spier (Nick Robinson) as he wrestles with living out a typical teenage life and coming out to his family and friends. At first glance, Love, Simon appears to be next in line in an assembly line of young adult novel adaptations that are doomed for mediocrity, but it very quickly becomes apparent that there’s some depth to the titular lead. The film is often funny and heartfelt, with some truly touching moments that evoke some feel-good Hughes-ian vibes for more contemporary audiences.

Nick Robinson’s performance as Simon is genuine and raw.

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More Action, Less Skill in Pacific Rim: Uprising

Bring on more of the gigantic monster-fighting robots! Pacific Rim: Uprising is the anticipated sequel to Guillermo del Toro’s 2013 Pacific Rim. Part of the reason the first film gained popularity when it was released was the vibrant inventiveness with which it hit audiences. Del Toro directed the first film and created with it a journey into the conflicted world which pits humanity against the monstrous Kaiju using the giant robots called Jaegers. It was a fun and action-packed adventure film which broke up the continuous flow of overdone narratives in action films at the time. Pacific Rim: Uprising unfortunately falls into the category of movie sequels which destroy the possibilities for a great franchise.

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Miami Theaters Ring In Isle of Dogs with Wes Anderson Retrospectives

If you’ve made a trip to a local art house theater lately, you’ve likely stumbled upon a trailer for Wes Anderson’s upcoming and much anticipated film: Isle of Dogs. Anderson’s fans won’t have to wait much longer for the director’s second stop-motion feature as the film is set to be widely released on April 6th. But for those seeking to revisit the charming, witty,  and ever so symmetrical world of Wes, two of Miami’s premiere independent theaters have put together programs that are sure to quell those cravings.

Wes Anderson’s first venture into stop-motion animation came in his 2009 film, Fantastic Mr. Fox

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