Civil War Movie Review - A Movie That Delivers on a Riveting Journalism Story, But Lacks The Divisive War Spectacle.

 By no means a bad film. But this wasn’t a movie about a Civil War

By - Ubong Ekpo

 I had the pleasure last week of attending an early Monday night screening of Alex Garland’s film, Civil War and the film was totally different from what I was expecting. . Civil War, based on its trailers and marketing, made it out to be an epic, thrilling showcase of the United States at war with itself. However, the film ended up being more of a journalism story masked under the guise of being a Civil War film. The details and exacts of how the USA ends up in a Civil War are never truly divulged.  Rather the story was centered around the plight of Kirsten Dunst and her fellow journalist, as they aim to travel to Washington to cover the possible killing of the president. 

 What I liked about the film was it raised concerns regarding the ethics of the press during times of war. Dunst and her colleagues go out of their way to put themselves in real, dangerous war zones to capture live footage. Dunst gave one of her more stronger performances as the reserved, matured journalist Lee. Jesse Plemons, the real life husband of Kirsten Dunst, was the highlight of the film for me, he truly encapsulated the feeling of America in a civil war state. His one scene was chilling and was the one time I felt the spirit of a divided America, as he questions the journalist on where they’re from, what kind of American they are. This was what I was expecting the movie to be like, the tensions that we even feel in the real world are ever so present; I wish the film put more emphasis on those aspects.

   My main gripe with this film was the lack of detail and presence it gave to the actual Civil War. One of the biggest marketing tools was the USA Alliance map, which showcased a divided America. I was expecting to see how these divisions were formed or at least some brief explanation of such, neither was given. We are shown that the USA, in many parts, has been devastated by war, such as amusement parks being war-torn. It would’ve made for a much more exciting, deeper film with a little more backstory.

 Civil War is by no means a bad film but, ultimately, Civil War was a bait and switch to make a journalism-themed movie. I have no problem with seeing a film that challenges the ethics of covering war, whether it’s right or wrong to capture a person's last moments on camera for the sake of news, but it didn’t have to be at the expense of the promising concept. I do understand that the aspect of a civil war, as the United States is reaching levels of division not seen since the Civil Rights era, would be an effective tool to garner viewers, but the film didn’t deliver personally for me. I do recommend that people see it, it is an original as-you-can-get concept and showcases A24 foraying into more entertainment-leaning films. While Civil War doesn’t live up to its premise, it is still a film worth seeing

Immaculate Movie Review - Sydney Sweeney Shines In An Enthralling Religious Thriller

By - Ubong Ekpo

Sydney Sweeney expands her range as she showcases the true horror of being a Virgin Mary 

 I had the pleasure of viewing Immaculate a few nights ago, I was thoroughly impressed with the film overall. Sydney Sweeney gives a breakout performance as nun sister Cecilia. I am not usually a fan of horror films, as I find the writing of films in this genre to be too on the nose and formulaic, but Immaculate was a pleasant surprise. Its one hour, thirty-three minutes runtime could’ve fooled me because I was captivated from the beginning, it felt like it was more of a two-and-a-half-hour film with how much it managed to accomplish. It was much more thought-provoking than I had anticipated and my viewing experience led for the film to resonate with me on a much more analytical, philosophical level.

  Immaculate tells the story of Cecilia, an American nun who decides to join a convent in Italy, which also serves as a hospice-like center to aide ailing Nuns who are about to pass away. While the convent is seemingly innocent at first, it soon takes a darker turn. We eventually discover the convent is a front for the priest, who is a scientist who has been attempting to recreate the immaculate conception, forcing women to be pregnant with a fetus formed from the DNA of Jesus Christ with the nails that crucified him.

    I loved that this film can be seen as a critique of the fanaticism of both religion and science, which are often pitted against each other in the search for the true meaning of the world, yet share numerous commonalities than realized. Often in the real world, the most tragic and violent events stem from a conflict between religions, such as Palestine and Israel. This level of adoration and worship can go beyond normal conventions, to the point where people will blatantly commit sins and excuse it under the guise of being “told” and directed by “ God “ to do so, we see this logic common with suicide bombers. Sweeney’s character, as we find out, was chosen as a guinea pig, to conduct experiments on impregnating her with the new world savior.

  One tactic commonly used to attract and convert new believers, one that was used to manipulate Sweeney’s character, is the weaponization of hope. Due to her surviving a traumatic childhood accident, Cecilia felt her survival was a calling, that she had to have a deeper meaning in life. This internal such for validation is what drove her to become a nun, giving her life to God, as a way to “repay” for saving her life. People will often, rationally or not, devote their lives to God, Christ, Allah, etc, due to what they perceive as miracles occurring in their lives. Even with the complete absence of evidence. In the same vein as religion, in the name of science, we human beings will conduct inhumane experiments, knowing death can be the result, to test out theories. While that is a bit more normalized, we’ve seen countless situations where those in power in Scientific communities take advantage and conduct experiments unauthorized, practically playing God. This can even extend to the power and grace we give to those in professions where people’s lives are at stake for the sake of their jobs, such as doctors and police officers, to the point where they’re even excused for taking a life if it was up to a judgment call, depending on the situation. The film manages to drive that point home, especially once Cecilia realizes she is being used as an experiment under the guise of religion, she constantly remarks how what’s being done to her isn’t “God’s work”. 

 Sydney Sweeney did an amazing job, portraying Cecilia with the truest innocence and pure intentions, then a harrowing scream queen as she attempts to escape the horrors of the convent she finds herself in. In the last twenty minutes of the film, Sweeney carries the film, her character in labor and fighting for her life at the same time. While much attention is paid to Sweeney’s sexual appeal, I find her to be an enduring actress who has much more to offer and can be one of the household-name movie stars of the next generation. Immaculate is a modern horror thriller done the right way, that doesn’t overstay its welcome and understood the exact kind of horror film it wanted to be.