Annihilation

★★★★★ - A Review by Cameron Kanachki

We've had some truly great brainy sci-fi films as of late. Interstellar, Ex Machina, Arrival & Blade Runner 2049 are prime examples of those sci-fi films that have so much thinking in them then have something that leaves you with your jaw wide open.

Annihilation is another example of those films. This is a film that took me a lot of time to wrap my head around, but I definitely know I loved it. Based on the 2014 novel of the same name by Jeff VanderMeer, the film follows Lena Byers (played by Natalie Portman), a former soldier in the U.S. Army & current cellular biology professor at a university. She is still grief-stricken over the disappearance of her husband, Kane (played by Oscar Isaac), a soldier in the Army Special Forces.

One day, Kane returns, but his memory is very foggy & he is very ill. Not long after, Lena & Kane are taken to Area X, a secret government facility in an unknown location in the South (from the maps shown in the movie, it seems to be Louisiana). At the facility, Lena meets Dr. Ventress (played by Jennifer Jason Leigh), who tells her that Kane went into the shimmer with a team & was the only one who survived. The shimmer was formed by an outer-space object collision & is slowly expanding. Ventress recruits her for the next mission, along with physicist Josie Radeck (played by Tessa Thompson), geomorphologist Cass Shepherd (played by Tuva Novotny), & paramedic Anya Thorensen (played by Gina Rodriguez).

The 5 enter the shimmer, with any type of communication & navigation technology failing. They make many discoveries involving what goes on inside the shimmer. But as they get further into the shimmer, the more startling their discoveries get.

The cast is excellent. Portman kills it once again. The supporting cast of women, namely Thompson & Rodriguez, are also excellent.

Alex Garland's direction is amazing. Garland keeps the atmosphere so viciously tense, blending sci-fi & horror perfectly.

Alex Garland's screenplay is brilliant. Garland faithfully adapts VanderMeer's novel, & makes the story just as thought-provoking on screen as on print.

Rob Hardy's cinematography is stunning. The visuals are colorful, especially in the shimmer, & there is an abundance of amazing shots in the shimmer.

Barney Pilling's editing is excellent. Pilling allows the story to slowly unfold, & this is reflected in the methodically slow pacing.

Mark Digby's production design is stellar. The shimmer is so immersive, & the various plants & architecture of the shimmer are stunning.

The sound design is incredible. Some events that occur in the shimmer allow for some absolutely mind-blowing sounds that really stick with you.

The visual effects are impeccable. The wall of the shimmer & the events inside the shimmer allow for some excellent effects.

And the score by Geoff Barrow & Ben Salisbury is excellent. Led by ambient noises, the score really enhances the tense & sometimes scary atmosphere.

This is one of the best films of the year, & one of the best sci-fi films of the decade. The performances are great, the direction is excellent, & the visuals are simply awe-inspiring. This one deserves to be thoroughly delved into.

Annihilation was seen by me at the MJR Marketplace Digital Cinema 20 in Sterling Heights, MI on Thursday, February 22, 2018. It is in theaters everywhere. Its runtime is 115 minutes, & it is rated R for violence, bloody images, language & some sexuality.

Happy End

½★ - A Review by Cameron Kanachki

I've never seen a film by Michael Haneke in my lifetime. I know two things about his films: his films have been acclaimed by many as masterpieces, & you must never expect a happy ending from any of his films.

Happy End, despite the title, doesn't have a happy ending, but that's the best thing to come out of this film: the ending, which was long-awaited after a long, meandering, unfocused mess. The film follows Anne Laurent (played by Isabelle Huppert), the center of a powerful French family in Calais. Her father, Georges (played by Jean-Louis Trintignant), is slowly becoming more ravaged by dementia & has lost his will to live. She finds solace in her fiancé, Lawrence Bradshaw (played by Toby Jones).

Her son, Pierre (played by Franz Rogowski), is the black sheep of the family. He was at the forefront of an accident at a construction site, & he is also an alcoholic.

Her brother, Thomas (played by Mathieu Kassovitz), is a divorcée, currently married to Anaïs (played by Laura Verlinden). His daughter, Eve (played by Fantine Harduin), who lives with his selfish ex-wife, is precocious, to say the least.

All of this family drama will continue to build & build, but a happy end is certainly nowhere in the future of the Laurents.

The cast is unsatisfactory. Isabelle Huppert is really wasted here, & it's a shame because she is one of the greatest actresses of all time. Jean-Louis Trintignant & Toby Jones are also somewhat wasted. Fantine Harduin & Mathieu Kassovitz do a good job with what they're given.

Michael Haneke's direction is underwhelming. Haneke is totally unfocused behind the camera. He has no idea what he is doing with the film. It's tonally inconsistent, & has no idea what it wants to be: Is it a satire? Is it a family drama? What is it? We don't know.

Michael Haneke's screenplay is terrible. The plot & story are so boring, & the dialogue is completely nonsensical & pseudo-intellectual.

And Monika Willi's editing is awful. There are barely any cuts in the film. Even though I'm a fan of long takes, something has to happen in them. Would it have harmed anyone if Willi actually made a cut more than once every 5 minutes? Probably not. Also, the film drags on, making the film's runtime feel unbearable.

This was one of the worst films of 2017. It's nonsensical, boring, & a bad start for my venture into the filmography of Michael Haneke. Let's hope his previous films are better.

Happy End was seen by me at the Landmark Main Art Theatre in Royal Oak, MI on Monday, February 19, 2018. It is no longer in theaters in the Detroit area. Its runtime is 107 minutes, & it is rated R for some sexual material & language.

Early Man

★★★★½ - A Review by Cameron Kanachki

When I was a kid, one of my favorite films was the animated film Chicken Run. The excellent humor, coupled with the fantastic animation by the team at Aardman, made it a favorite of mine.

After a few years, I have returned to the films of Aardman with Early Man, a slightly flawed but overall great animated film. Set in the Stone Age, the film follows Dug (voiced by Eddie Redmayne), a young caveman living in a valley created by the meteor that hit years before. He is more ambitious than the other people in his tribe, wanting to go hunt something bigger than rabbits, namely woolly mammoths. However, the chief of the tribe, Bobnar (voiced by Timothy Spall), is against it.

One day, an army led by Lord Nooth (voiced by Tom Hiddleston) barges into the valley, driving the tribe into the volcanic lands outside of the valley. Lord Nooth announces the death of the Stone Age & the birth of the Bronze Age. Dug, in an attempt to attack them, ends up falling into their cart & is led to the city. In the city, in an attempt to escape, Dug is mistaken for a soccer player & is sent on to the field for a match.

After being discovered, Dug challenges Nooth's team to a match for the valley. Nooth brushes him off at first, but agrees to the match when he realizes how much he can profit off of the supposed win.

In order to this, Dug needs a lot of help, which comes in the form of Goona (voiced by Maisie Williams), a young Bronze Age girl who loves soccer, but is upset at Nooth's team's exclusion of women. With the help of Goona & the tribe, they might just pull off an upset for the ages, both Stone & Bronze.

The voice cast is excellent. Eddie Redmayne actually makes me like him for once, with his voice talents paying off more than some of his live-action performances. Tom Hiddleston, Maisie Williams & Timothy Spall are great as well.

Nick Park's direction is good. His work isn't as steady as it was on Chicken Run, as it doesn't have as much panache as his older films, but it's still good enough to outweigh the flaws.

The screenplay by Mark Burton, James Higginson & Nick Park is amazing. Just like all of the other Aardman films, there is a lot of offbeat humor that fires out a lot of laughs.

And the animation is stellar. The stop-motion animation that Aardman is known for is still top-notch, & has been since their inception.

This is a great animated film. Although it isn't elite, it still gets a lot right for it to be better than most non-Disney & non-Pixar animated films.

Early Man was seen by me at the MJR Marketplace Digital Cinema 20 in Sterling Heights, MI on Saturday, February 17, 2018. It is in theaters everywhere. Its runtime is 89 minutes, & it is rated PG for rude humor & some action.

The Michigan Movie Guy's 2018 Oscar Predictions

The night we have all waited for has arrived. Tonight, the Oscars will be on. This is the most uncertain Oscars in years. I am pretty sure I'll only get half of the winners right. Here are my predictions for all the categories, but this year, I will go in reverse order from the past 2 years, starting with the shorts & ending with Best Picture. Let's get it!

Best Documentary Short

I haven't seen any of the shorts, as the screenings for the documentary shorts were few & far between. However, I am biased towards Edith+Eddie, as I have heard there is a Detroit area connection to the short.

Will Win/Could Win/Should Win: Edith+Eddie

Best Animated Short

For the first time, I was able to see all 5 of the Oscar-nominated animated shorts. I loved all of them.

Will Win: Dear Basketball

Could Win: Garden Party

Should Win: Revolting Rhymes

Best Live-Action Short

Also for the first time, I was able to see all 5 of the Oscar-nominated live-action shorts. I thought all of them were great.

Will Win: DeKalb Elementary

Could Win/Should Win: The Silent Child

Best Documentary Short

Sadly, I've been unable to see any of the documentary nominees, as only one was in theaters near me, but it was almost an hour away, & I haven't had time to watch the other nominees, which were either on Netflix or on demand. But one of them has piqued my interest, & I hope to watch it soon, & that one will be the winner.

Will Win/Could Win/Should Win: Faces Places

Best Animated Feature

I've seen 3 of the 5 nominees (Coco, Loving Vincent & The Boss Baby). I'll never understand why The Boss Baby was nominated. That was one of the worst films of 2017. The Lego Batman Movie should have been nominated instead.

Will Win/Could Win/Should Win: Coco

Best Foreign Language Film

I've seen 2 of the 5 nominees (A Fantastic Woman & The Insult), which is the most I've seen ever before the Oscars. I haven't watched On Body & Soul on Netflix yet, I didn't see The Square when it was in theaters, as the closest theater showing it was almost an hour away (but I do own it on DVD now), & Loveless will not be in the Detroit area until March 23.

Will Win/Should Win: A Fantastic Woman

Could Win: The Square

Best Original Song

All of the songs here are great. But one stands out to me: Sufjan Stevens' Mystery of Love from Call Me by Your Name. It is just so beautiful.

Will Win: This is Me from The Greatest Showman

Could Win: Remember Me from Coco

Should Win: Mystery of Love from Call Me by Your Name

Best Original Score

All of the scores here are excellent. Dunkirk's score is pulse-pounding, Phantom Thread's score is classically-inspired, The Shape of Water's score has an underwater feel to it, Star Wars: The Last Jedi's score is one of John Williams's best, & Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri's score is reminiscent of Carter Burwell's past scores for films by the Coen Brothers.

Will Win: The Shape of Water

Could Win/Should Win: Phantom Thread

Best Visual Effects

All of these films had great visual effects. But 2 stand out: Blade Runner 2049 & War for the Planet of the Apes. Blade Runner 2049 had seamless CGI & practical effects, while War for the Planet of the Apes had excellent motion-capture effects.

Will Win/Should Win: Blade Runner 2049

Could Win: War for the Planet of the Apes

Best Sound Mixing

Sound mixing is the process of mixing the sounds with the film, & leveling them out to sound crisp & clear. All 5 films had great sound mixing, & equally deserve to win. But one deserves it the most.

Will Win/Should Win: Dunkirk

Could Win: Baby Driver

Best Sound Editing

Sound editing is the creation of sounds for a film. All 5 films here had great sound editing, & equally deserve to win. But one deserves it the most.

Will Win/Should Win: Dunkirk

Could Win: Baby Driver

Best Makeup & Hairstyling

Darkest Hour & Wonder both had excellent makeup & hairstyling, but Victoria & Abdul's makeup & hairstyling was not Oscar-nominee-worthy. I, Tonya really should've been nominated, & The Shape of Water should've made the shortlist. Also, there should be 5 nominees in this category instead of 3.

Will Win/Could Win/Should Win: Darkest Hour

Best Production Design

The 5 nominees had great production design, but Blade Runner 2049 & The Shape of Water had some excellent production design.

Will Win/Could Win/Should Win: The Shape of Water

Best Costume Design

4 of the 5 nominees had excellent costume design, but Phantom Thread had some of the best costume design I've ever seen. Every costume in the film was a work of art.

Will Win/Could Win/Should Win: Phantom Thread

Best Film Editing

Film editing is the process of making the film into a finished product in post-production. While Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri was well-edited, it doesn't really fit here. I would have nominated Get Out in its place. The Shape of Water was excellently edited. But Baby Driver, Dunkirk, & I, Tonya had some amazing editing.

Will Win/Should Win: Dunkirk

Could Win: Baby Driver

Best Cinematography

With Mudbound's well-deserved nomination in this category, Rachel Morrison became the first woman to ever be nominated for Best Cinematography. Darkest Hour's cinematography was well-done, I personally wouldn't have nominated it. I would've nominated Get Out instead. Dunkirk's cinematography was a welcome return for 70mm film. The Shape of Water's cinematography was beautiful, with such an abundance of green, giving the film an underwater tone. But Blade Runner 2049's cinematography is some of the best ever. Every shot is immaculate. And if it does win, Roger Deakins will win his first Oscar for Best Cinematography, after 13 Oscar nominations without a win.

Will Win/Should Win: Blade Runner 2049

Could Win: The Shape of Water

Best Adapted Screenplay

Every film here had an amazing screenplay & stayed true to their source material. But Call Me by Your Name's screenplay was a once-in-a-generation screenplay. It was so beautiful & realistic & full of heart.

Will Win/Could Win/Should Win: Call Me by Your Name

Best Original Screenplay

All of these films had some great screenplays. Get Out & The Shape of Water had some of the most original screenplays I've ever seen. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri was full of some brilliant dialogue. And The Big Sick & Lady Bird felt so real & had so much heart.

Will Win: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Could Win: Get Out or Lady Bird

Should Win: Lady Bird

Best Supporting Actress

These 5 nominees all gave great performances. But 3 stand out: Allison Janney, Lesley Manville, & Laurie Metcalf.

Will Win: Allison Janney

Could Win/Should Win: Laurie Metcalf

Best Supporting Actor

This is the first time since 1991 where 2 nominees in this category were from the same film. The 5 nominees all gave great performances. But 2 stand out: Willem Dafoe & Sam Rockwell.

Will Win/Could Win/Should Win: Sam Rockwell

Best Actress

All 5 nominees were amazing (although I wouldn't have nominated Meryl Streep & instead would've nominated Vicky Krieps for Phantom Thread). But this category is just about locked.

Will Win/Could Win: Frances McDormand

Should Win: Saoirse Ronan

Best Actor

All 5 nominees were amazing. I've warmed up to Denzel Washington's performance in Roman J. Israel, Esq. (along with the film), & I'm not as upset about the nomination as I once was. But this category has been locked for a long time.

Will Win/Could Win: Gary Oldman

Should Win: Daniel Day-Lewis

Best Director

When you look at how well a film is directed, you should look at how scenes fit with the film & how the characters react to events in the film. All 5 nominees are more than worthy of a nomination here.

Will Win: Guillermo del Toro

Could Win: Christopher Nolan

Should Win: Greta Gerwig

Best Picture

This is one of the best lists of Best Picture nominees in a long time. All of these films are in my top 25 of 2017. It is also the most uncertain list of Best Picture nominees in a long time. 3 of these films could easily win Best Picture. I would be happy with a lot of these winning. There is a big chance my prediction will be wrong. But I'm going with my gut here.

Will Win: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Could Win: The Shape of Water or Get Out

Should Win: Lady Bird

Well, these are my Oscar predictions. Check back throughout the night to look if I was right or wrong on my predictions, & don't forget to watch the Oscars tonight at 8pm on ABC!

Black Panther

★★★★★ - A Review by Cameron Kanachki

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has been on a huge roll lately. They just keep churning out better & better films, with bigger & bigger box office results.

Black Panther not only continues this trend, but cements itself as the best Marvel film yet. The film follows T'Challa, AKA Black Panther (played by Chadwick Boseman), who has returned to the supposed Third World country of Wakanda, which is secretly one of the most technologically advanced nations in the world due to their abundance of vibranium, to assume the throne & the power of the Black Panther after the death of his father, T'Chaka (played by John Kani). He returns with Nakia (played by Lupita Nyong'o), T'Challa's ex-girlfriend, & Okoye (played by Danai Gurira), the leader of the Dora Milaje regiment.

In Wakanda, T'Challa's mother, Ramonda (played by Angela Bassett); his sister, Shuri (played by Letitia Wright); his best friend W'Kabi (played by Daniel Kaluuya); & elder statesman Zuri (played by Forest Whitaker) await his arrival. Jabari Tribe leader M'Baku (played by Winston Duke) challenges T'Challa for the throne, but is defeated.

Meanwhile, half-Wakandan, half-American ex-black ops soldier Erik Stevens, AKA Killmonger (played by Michael B. Jordan) teams up with South African arms dealer Ulysses Klaue (played by Andy Serkis) to steal a Wakandan artifact. They plan to sell it to CIA Agent Everett K. Ross (played by Martin Freeman). Now, T'Challa must face off against Erik, but not without T'Challa pondering on the future of Wakanda.

The cast is spectacular. Chadwick Boseman is powerful & commanding as T'Challa. Michael B. Jordan is absolutely phenomenal, turning what could have been a run-of-the-mill villain into a villain that you could sympathize with. Letitia Wright is the breakout, with her performance being so light-hearted & full of life. And the rest of the cast provides great supporting performances.

Ryan Coogler's direction is excellent. Coogler, who has previously directed 2013's Fruitvale Station & 2015's Creed, has directed his best film yet. Coogler has transcended the superhero film tropes & created something more than a superhero film: a cultural masterpiece.

The screenplay by Ryan Coogler & Joe Robert Cole is brilliant. The dialogue & plot are both excellent, & the story is so incredibly told, being so much more intricate than you may think.

Rachel Morrison's cinematography is astounding. Morrison, who has worked with Coogler on Fruitvale Station & has recently become the first woman to be nominated for an Oscar for Best Cinematography for Mudbound, is cementing herself as one of the best cinematographers of her generation with her work here. There are so many majestically wide shots in the film, including one that is just jaw-droppingly astounding.

The editing by Debbie Berman & Michael P. Shawver is excellent. Berman, who co-edited Spider-Man: Homecoming, & Shawver, who has edited all of Coogler's films, keep the film on the right track without any terrible cuts.

Ruth Carter's costume design is absolutely beautiful. The costumes are realistically modeled from African clothing, & the costumes are just so colorful & respectful to African culture.

Hannah Beachler's production design is breathtaking. Beachler, who has worked on all of Coogler's films, has designed such spellbinding sets that look so awesome.

The makeup & hairstyling is impeccable. The makeup & hairstyling are both very authentic to African culture & also very lovely.

The sound design is incredible. From the sounds of the battles to the sounds of Wakanda, the sounds are loud & sound crisp & clear.

The visual effects are breathtaking. The CGI looks flawless, & the effects are just so absolutely colorful & beautiful to look at.

And the music is fantastic. The score, composed by Ludwig Göransson, who has worked on all of Coogler's films, is influenced by local music from Senegal & South Africa that is a treasure to listen to, & doesn't sound like a generic superhero film score. And the original songs, produced by Kendrick Lamar, one of the best rappers of our time, & also featuring songs by The Weeknd, SZA & Vince Staples, is not only a great film soundtrack, but a great rap album by itself.

This is the best film of the year so far. It's Marvel's best achievement so far, & has broke ground in terms of cultural significance. This may just be the best superhero film ever made.

Black Panther was seen by me at the MJR Troy Grand Digital Cinema 16 in Troy, MI on Friday, February 16, 2018. It is in theaters everywhere. Its runtime is 134 minutes, & it is rated PG-13 for prolonged sequences of action violence, & a brief rude gesture.

The 15:17 to Paris

½★ - A Review by Cameron Kanachki

Almost every great director has made a dud in their careers. Woody Allen had Scoop, Steven Spielberg had 1941, Francis Ford Coppola had Jack, Ridley Scott had A Good Year, David Lynch had Dune, & the Coen Brothers had The Ladykillers. Only a few directors are completely unscathed so far, namely Paul Thomas Anderson, Quentin Tarantino, Richard Linklater, Martin Scorsese, Denis Villeneuve & Wes Anderson.

Clint Eastwood has gone throughout his directorial career without a true dud, but that has come to an end with The 15:17 to Paris, a disappointing mess. Based on the 2016 book The 15:17 to Paris by Anthony Sadler, Alek Skarlatos, Spencer Stone & Jeffrey E. Stern, which was in turn based on the true story of the prevented 2015 Thalys train attack, the film follows Anthony Sadler (played by Anthony Sadler), Alek Skarlatos (played by Alek Skarlatos) & Spencer Stone (played by Spencer Stone), 3 childhood friends. Alek lives with single mother, Heidi (played by Judy Greer) & Spencer also lives with his single mother, Joyce (played by Jenna Fischer).

Anthony, Alek & Spencer meet at a Christian high school & keep in contact with each other through the years. Alek joins the Army, while Spencer joins the Air Force. During their next leaves, Alek & Spencer meet up with Anthony in Europe, wanting to travel throughout the continent. After traveling through Germany & Amsterdam, they decide to go to Paris to finish off the trip. But a terrorist is planning to attack the train, & they miraculously stop it.

The cast is dreadful. Sadler, Skarlatos & Stone are horrendous as themselves. But Greer & Fischer are even worse. They are completely out of place here. They can do drama, but not here.

Clint Eastwood's direction is awful. Eastwood cannot manage to keep the film interesting at all. The film is completely boring, & Eastwood is seemingly unable to do anything about it.

Dorothy Blyskal's screenplay is a disaster. Blyskal has managed to overwrite, writing too much to fill the runtime. Also, the dialogue is nothing short of cringe-worthy.

Tom Stern's cinematography is terrible. Stern uses the shaky camera technique throughout the entire film, even when it is not necessary, which gave me a headache.

And Blu Murray's editing is horrible. The film has many scenes that do not belong in the film, & it's a crime that they were not left on the cutting room floor. Also, the film is horribly paced, as the film drags on & on, making the film's 94-minute runtime feel like 3 hours.

This is by far the worst film of the year so far, & one of the worst films I've ever seen. The film has horrible acting, direction, writing & technical elements, & the incident (which lasted only 2 minutes in real-life as well as in the film) does not have enough in it to warrant being a feature-length film. It would've worked a lot better as a documentary. If this still isn't the worst film of 2018 at the end of the year, then there must be something horrendous coming our way.

The 15:17 to Paris was seen by me at the MJR Marketplace Digital Cinema 20 in Sterling Heights, MI on Saturday, February 10, 2018. It is in theaters everywhere. Its runtime is 94 minutes, & it is rated PG-13 for bloody images, violence, some suggestive material, drug references & language.

The Insult

★★★★★ - A Review by Cameron Kanachki

The power struggle in the Middle East between Israel, Lebanon & Palestine has been occurring since time immemorial. All 3 countries have fought over land & religion for centuries, & the fighting will definitely not end anytime soon.

The Insult excellently details the major consequences of a seemingly inconsequential event. The film follows Tony Hanna (played by Adel Karam), a Lebanese Christian garage owner in Beirut. He lives with his pregnant wife, Shirine (played by Rita Hayek). While working in his garage, he has inflammatory speeches from former President-elect & pro-Christian, anti-Palestine militia leader Bachir Gemayel playing in the background.

One morning, Yasser Salameh (played by Kamel El Basha), a Palestinian refugee, comes into the neighborhood with his construction crew. Yasser lives with his wife, Manal (played by Christine Choueiri), in a refugee camp, & his legal status is uncertain. Yasser's crew tries to fix Tony's broken pipe; however, Tony refuses to have his pipe fixed, even though it is against code as it is. Angered by this, Yasser insults Tony.

After this, Tony is angered, demanding an apology from Yasser. When Yasser comes to apologize, he notices Gemayel's speech playing in the background. Offended, Yasser refuses to apologize. However, Tony says a monumentally offensive remark to Yasser, leading to Yasser punching Tony.

This eventually leads to a court dispute between the two. However, it is taken to the highest court in Lebanon. But the court case opens up many old wounds, causing national confrontations & exposing repressed memories of the Lebanese Civil War.

The cast is excellent. Karam & El Basha (who won the Volpi Cup for Best Actor at last year's Venice Film Festival) play off of each other so well, with both performances being so human & so tense.

Ziad Doueiri's direction is amazing. Doueiri, a former camera operator for Quentin Tarantino, keeps the atmosphere so tense & claustrophobic that you can't escape.

The screenplay by Ziad Doueiri & Joelle Touma is brilliant. The dialogue is very realistic, & the plot is so intricate, starting off as one thing & ending up delving more & more than into unlikely & twisty territory than we could have ever thought.

And Tommaso Fiorilli's cinematography is excellent. Fiorilli excellently captures the grimy, intense atmosphere along with the brutal chaos.

This is one of the best foreign films I've seen in a while. This is a well-acted & well-directed film that is more than worthy of its Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language Film.

The Insult was seen by me at the Landmark Main Art Theatre in Royal Oak, MI on Friday, February 9, 2018. It is currently showing at 1 theater in the Detroit area: the Landmark Main Art Theatre in Royal Oak. Its runtime is 112 minutes, & it is rated R for language & some violent images.