The Heartbreaking ‘Our Friend’ is Insightful and Moving: A True Story of Love and Friendship in the Face of Grief
MarioYuwono is from Indonesia, but was born in Italy and attended school in Jakarta, Moscow, Berlin and Los Angeles. He has been obsessed with films ever since he saw his first movie at the age of five, and would go on to spend his younger years reading film encyclopedias and movie guides. Combined with a global upbringing rooted in greater social awareness, this drives him to be more observant of values promoted in films. He believes in cinema’s potential to enable greater empathy and meaningfully expand people’s horizons, in line with
Was The Blockbuster Movie ‘300’ Political Satire in Disguise?
DanielChoi is a writer who’s currently pursuing a BA in Film & Television from New York University. With a background in amateur film production, Daniel is fascinated by how artists’ cultural backgrounds inform their work, subconsciously or not, and how that work is then perceived by different audiences across time and space. He joined
Hollywood Insiderto promote its mission statement of substantive entertainment journalism, and hopes to enrich readers’ understandings of cinema through insightful analysis.
Jan 26, 2021
Photo: ‘300’/Warner Bros. Pictures
Laconic: to speak tersely. The word comes from Laconia, the region of Greece administered by Sparta, the ancient citizens of which were famed for speaking bluntly, with few words–laconically. Over time, the widespread fascination with ancient Spartan culture has been termed Laconophilia, no better example of which being Zack Snyder’s‘300’.
Photo: ”71’/Universal Pictures
’71 is a historical action/thriller about an inexperienced British soldier, Gary Hook, (Jack O’Connell) who is caught in a particularly deadly situation after being unexpectedly sent to Belfast duringThe Troublesin the titular year, 1971. It is a tense and raw depiction of a complex, much ignored (at least cinematically) conflict that is consistently high in thrills despite its thin plot.
’71 is extremely tense from beginning to end. After the first violent incident, the plot takes a sharp turn which thrusts our soldier into a seriously dangerous situation. The tension then continuously escalates until the last few minutes. The violence is very well handled. It often feels random, which is why it works – many deaths feel like tragic shocks rather than expected casualties.
A Tribute to Taika Waititi: The Rise and Journey of this Multi-Talented Director
Cat Sole is a Kiwi screenwriter and script consultant based in Sydney. In a culture that is often more interested in tearing down content in searching for every minute flaw, Cat’s goals are in line with the
Hollywood Insider’s to examine why quality content works and how both filmmakers and critics alike can learn from the best the industry has to offer. This philosophy is reflected in all of Cat’s endeavors.
Jan 25, 2021
Photo/Video: Taika Waititi/
“You know if I can try and make it fun that’s, for me, what being creative is about. It’s about having fun and looking at life through a sort of lens of a child.” – Taika Waititi,Tedx 2010
‘City on a Hill’: No Rest for the Wicked in Boston Crime Drama
Claire L. Wong is a writer from the San Francisco Bay Area who strives to advance intelligent analysis, diversity, and compassionate storytelling in her work. She especially likes writing about science fiction, action, AAPI, and LGBTQ+ stories. She believes that visual storytelling through film and television increases the practice of empathy, which aligns with
Hollywood Insider’s goal to use meaningful entertainment as a unifying tool. (she/her)
Jan 18, 2021
Photo: ‘City on a Hill’/Showtime
Kevin Bacon, Aldis Hodge, and Jonathan Tucker star in Showtime’s gritty crime drama ‘City on a Hill’. Set in Boston in 1992, the city’s crime and corruption have reached a boiling point. Even among the cops and robbers, it’s difficult to tell who are the real “bad guys.”