Author: Jillian Chilingerian
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FYC: ‘TÁR’ for Best Original Screenplay
Todd Field summons the audience’s attention when he places the end credits at the beginning of the film to gear up for the two-and-a-half-hour symphony he is about to command. When people hear the term “Original Screenplay,” they immediately equate it with the most outrageous idea. In this category at the Oscars, there are plenty…
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FYC: ‘Babylon’ for Best Original Score
When Damien Chazelle announced his next film was going to be Babylon, the excitement of the young director returning to musicals ignited a flame on Film Twitter. Sadly, the film turned out to not be a musical but Chazelle gifted us with something even better that is far from the sanitized musical La La Land.…
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‘All Quiet on the Western Front’ – Interview with Producer Malte Grunert
All Quiet on the Western Front is the newest adaptation of Erich Maria Remarque’s novel of the same name. Directed by Edward Berger, it stars Felix Kammerer, Albrecht Schuch, Daniel Brühl, Sebastian Hülk, Aaron Hilmer, Edin Hasanovic, and Devid Striesow. I was lucky enough to speak to Malte Grunert, a producer on the film. Jillian…
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‘All Quiet on the Western Front’ – Interview with Heike Merker & Frank Petzold
All Quiet on the Western Front is the newest adaptation of Erich Maria Remarque’s novel of the same name. Directed by Edward Berger, it stars Felix Kammerer, Albrecht Schuch, Daniel Brühl, Sebastian Hülk, Aaron Hilmer, Edin Hasanovic, and Devid Striesow. I was lucky enough to speak to Heike Merker, from the Makeup and Hairstyling team,…
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‘Pamela, A Love Story’ – Review
Although her story is tragic, Pamela Anderson and Ryan White bring a sense of romance to her recap that feels like an exercise in meditation and a tale of ownership rather than a documentary. In a post-Framing Britney Spears world, society is reflecting on past mistreatment of over-sexualized women in media and one of the most…
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‘Shotgun Wedding’ – Review
Shotgun Wedding is the latest showcase for JLo as she returns to the romantic-comedy wedding genre. The film moves between action and family drama and features an eclectic cast. The happy couple, Tom and Darcy bring together their culture clashing families for their wedding in the Philippines. Surprisingly, bringing together their dysfunctional families on a…
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‘Cat Person’ – Review (Sundance)
Adapted from the sensationalized 2017 New Yorker short story, Cat Person is an honest depiction of female discomfort in the modern world of dating that will spark further discussion around gray areas and consent and even hit too close to home for my own dating experiences. Women carry a sense of fear in their everyday…
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Jillian’s Top Ten Films of 2022
Many are calling the film year 2022 “the soul sister of 1999” because of its fantastic year of storytelling and I would have to agree with this statement. Now three years since the start of the pandemic, it seems that the anxieties on if the theatrical experience would survive have lessened as filmmakers displayed a…
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‘Close’ – Review
Lukas Dhont uses the relationship between two adolescent boys as a cathartic study on the intersectionality of friendship, identity, masculinity, and grief. 13-year-old Leo lives in a rural town where his family spends seasons growing and harvesting flowers. While his family labors away, Leo fills his time making the fields his playground with his best…
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FYC: TÁR for Best Picture
During the pandemic, Focus Features gave Todd Field the option to write about anything for his return to cinema after a 16-year break. Within a 12-week time frame, Field delivered a draft to the studio. In response, he received no notes and total creative freedom. Field describes his experience making the film as “the most…
Oscars Central 