When TV shows and movies are life…
Dive into Lauren Bradshaw’s reviews on all of the films out of the Middleburg Film Festival each year! Real Festival reviews here first!
CHRISTY is one of my favorite underrated movies of the year, featuring a fantastic lead performance from Sydney Sweeney in the titular role. If you go into the film not knowing much about Christy Martin's story (like I did), you are going to be shocked by this emotional true story and the obstacles she had… Continue reading Interview: Christy Martin, David Michôd, and Mirrah Foulkes for CHRISTY
One of my favorite parts of this job is getting to interview brilliant filmmakers like writer/director Michael Gracey (who also directed THE GREATEST SHOWMAN). If his latest film BETTER MAN is any indication, it is impossible for the man to create anything other than a spectacle. Much should be said for the fact that the… Continue reading Interview: Michael Gracey Director of Better Man
CONCLAVE was one of the films that has most surprised me this year, mostly because on paper the film doesn't look like one I would immediately be drawn to. It was *the* talk of the Toronto International Film Festival, and a movie I have loved to recommend to my friends. Having seen the movie now… Continue reading Interview: CONCLAVE Director Edward Berger
AMERICAN FICTION is one of the most critically-acclaimed films of the year, receiving five Critics Choice Award nominations, including best picture and best adapted screenplay for writer/director Cord Jefferson. Based on the novel Erasure by Percival Everett, the film centers around Monk (Jeffrey Wright), a frustrated novelist who is shocked when he finally finds success… Continue reading Interview: Writer/Director Cord Jefferson for American Fiction
MAY DECEMBER, written by Samy Burch and directed by the legendary Todd Haynes, is one of the most intoxicating movies of the year. A spectacularly shot rollercoaster ride, this riveting film is a vehicle for three incredible acting performances, and will demand conversation as you drive home from the theater. Its brilliant screenplay never lets… Continue reading Movie Review: May December
RUSTIN, directed by George C. Wolfe, is one of the most important and illuminating movies of the year, shining a spotlight on a little-known leader of the Civil Rights Movement, Bayard Rustin. An openly gay man, Rustin was the key architect of the 1963 March on Washington; yet because of who he loved, his legacy… Continue reading Movie Review/Interview: Rustin (Colman Domingo and George C. Wolfe)
NYAD, Netflix's latest crowdpleaser, is so much more than a biopic on record-breaking swimmer Diana Nyad (played by Annette Bening). It is a character study that is not afraid to show Nyad's prickly and problematic personality as she relentlessly attempts to achieve her dream of swimming from Cuba to Florida, despite being in her 60s.… Continue reading Interview: Nyad Screenwriter Julia Cox
I do not say this lightly. Netflix's MAESTRO is an absolute masterpiece, showcasing the best filmmaking of the year. From Bradley Cooper's stylistic direction, to Leonard Bernstein's music providing the score to show-stopping performances from Cooper and Carey Mulligan, this film is not to be missed. MAESTRO's intimate, emotional story grabs hold of you from… Continue reading Movie Review: Maestro
SPENCER, directed by Pablo Larraín (JACKIE), has been one of my most anticipated films since I first heard about it in the production process. Not only does it check all of the boxes of my interests (royals, a female lead, costumes, a haunting score, breathtaking cinematography), but it also has one of the strongest performances… Continue reading Movie Review: Spencer (Middleburg Film Festival)
Another year back in beautiful Middleburg, VA for the Middleburg Film Festival, an event that continues to grow and get better and better every year. This year's schedule is so strong, I was having my own Sophie's Choice over which movies to view at what time. But one thing was for sure, THE LOST DAUGHTER… Continue reading Movie Review: The Lost Daughter (Middleburg Film Festival)