At one point in Gloria Bell the titular character mischievously exclaims: “If the world blows up, I hope I go down dancing!” With this, Gloria tells us everything we need to know about who she is and what drives her, presenting a unique portrayal of a woman who lives by her own terms and does…
Everybody Knows Lives Up to Its Title to Its Own Detriment
By: Luis Borrero02/23/2019
Everybody Knows is the sort of movie that uses its central mystery, i.e. the kidnapping of a young girl, not as an end in and of itself, but rather as a means to understand the characters. The movie is not about who is guilty or how things went down ‘that night.’ More precisely, it uses…
The Voice Predicts the 2019 Oscars
By: Dajour Evans, Danielle Guida, Claire Goldberg, Luis Borrero, Angela Wu and Katherine Randolph02/15/2019
Best Picture by Angela Wu Who Will Win: Green Book Who Should Win: Black Panther It’s no secret that the Academy Awards voters are largely, to put it bluntly, old white men. As of 2017, only 39 percent of Academy members were women, just 13 percent were people of color, and only seven out of…
Halftime Takes: What The Oscars Missed
By: Danielle Guida, Luis Borrero and Dajour Evans02/11/2019
Whether you love them or hate them, the Oscars have been filled with controversies. With the ceremony coming soon, Halftime Leisure staff is getting ready for it with our opinions on the nominees. Writers Danielle Guida, Luis Borrero, and Dajour Evans write on who rocked the world of film in 2018 but went unrecognized by…
Trailer Takes: Men in Black: International, Under the Eiffel Tower, and The Upside
By: Luis Borrero, Dajour Evans and Nicole Lai01/16/2019
Men in Black: International : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QA4g17HtNY Dajour: I’ve never seen a Men in Black film in its entirety, which is something I hope to change in the future—just not starting with this film. It didn’t look like absolute trash to me, but something about it just seemed… rehashed. I got a been there, done that…
Mary Queen of Scots is an Uneven, but Enjoyable Period Drama
By: Luis Borrero01/04/2019
Mary Queen of Scots is an entertaining, but ultimately uneven period drama. It has gorgeous costumes, a wonderful pair of lead actresses, some genuinely compelling palace intrigue, and a few moments of inspired storytelling. However, the overall product feels disjointed and unnecessarily modernist, given the numerous, odd attempts by the filmmakers to update the story….
With A Duo of Superb Performances, Green Book Warms Your Heart
By: Luis Borrero11/30/2018
Today’s films are often judged by how nuanced they are at presenting their central themes. They must be direct, but not overtly obvious; thought provoking, but not contradictory; open to interpretation, but not frustratingly vague. However, Green Book, a 2018 dramedy set in the early sixties chronicling the relationship between African-American pianist Dr. Don Shirley…
Honoring a real life hero, A Private War shows the horrors of armed conflict
By: Luis Borrero11/14/2018
Talk about an interesting life. Marie Colvin, an American war correspondent for the British newspaper The Sunday Times, travelled all around the globe to cover some of the deadliest conflicts in recent memory. As she puts it towards the end of the film, she saw the tragedy so we did not have to, a maxim…
Tense and Intimate, First Man Takes You to the Moon and Back
By: Luis Borrero10/16/2018
Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, is by all means an American hero. He was a family man whose ordinary life was turned upside down when he decided to participate in one of the most extraordinary feats in human history. Hence, it may come as a surprise for some that First…
In the Game of Thrones Live Concert Experience, You Always Win
By: Luis Borrero10/05/2018
There is something exceptional about seeing one of your favorite artists perform live. All of a sudden, what you passively listen to while you study comes to life, becoming a full-bodied experience that transcends auditive sensations. Hence, there is a lot to live up to if the main pitch of your concert is bringing a…