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  • Creative Corner
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cinephile, noun ~ cine·phile \ˈsi-nə-ˌfī(-ə)l\ a devotee of motion pictures

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alex.arabian89@gmail.com
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Making a CinephileMaking a Cinephile
Making a CinephileMaking a Cinephile

Cinephile, n


| cine·phile | \ˈsi-nə-ˌfī(-ə)l\ |


a devotee of motion pictures

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  • Reviews
    • RANDOM
        RANDOM
        • Berlinale Review: ‘T2 Trainspotting’ Deftly Balances Sentimentality With Sobering SubstanceBerlinale Review: ‘T2 Trainspotting’ Deftly Balances Sentimentality With Sobering SubstanceFebruary 12, 2017
    • RECENT
        RECENT
        • How Color Is The Key To Unlocking Netflix’s Subversive Cult Body-Horror Hit ‘The Perfection’

          How Color Is The Key To Unlocking Netflix’s Subversive Cult Body-Horror Hit ‘The Perfection’

          January 24, 2022
        • ‘The Velvet Underground’ review: Music doc from Todd Haynes brilliantly reintroduces important counterculture voices to a new generation [Grade: A] (Mill Valley Film Festival)

          ‘The Velvet Underground’ review: Music doc from Todd Haynes brilliantly reintroduces important counterculture voices to a new generation [Grade: A] (Mill Valley Film Festival)

          January 24, 2022
        • Why The Shimmer in ‘Annihilation’ is an allegory for the U.S.’s foreign policy [Retrospective]

          Why The Shimmer in ‘Annihilation’ is an allegory for the U.S.’s foreign policy [Retrospective]

          January 24, 2022
        • Martin Scorsese’s timeless ‘Boxcar Bertha’ and the Marxist undertones of his often overlooked early classic [Retrospective]

          Martin Scorsese’s timeless ‘Boxcar Bertha’ and the Marxist undertones of his often overlooked early classic [Retrospective]

          January 24, 2022
        • Free Guy’s Marxist Parallels To John Carpenter’s They Live

          Free Guy’s Marxist Parallels To John Carpenter’s They Live

          January 24, 2022
        Read More
  • Interviews
    • RANDOM
        RANDOM
        • EXCLUSIVE: Mike Ott and Cory Zacharia Discuss ‘California Dreams’ – See it at SXSW!EXCLUSIVE: Mike Ott and Cory Zacharia Discuss ‘California Dreams’ – See it at SXSW!March 12, 2017
    • RECENT
        RECENT
        • ‘Entertainment right now can be sinister’: Jane Schoenbrun on ‘We’re All Going to the World’s Fair’

          ‘Entertainment right now can be sinister’: Jane Schoenbrun on ‘We’re All Going to the World’s Fair’

          May 30, 2022
        • Interstellar improv: Don Lake spills on the stars behind Netflix’s ‘Space Force’

          Interstellar improv: Don Lake spills on the stars behind Netflix’s ‘Space Force’

          May 30, 2022
        • Interview: Pamela Adlon on Bringing Out the Dead for the Final Season of Better Things

          Interview: Pamela Adlon on Bringing Out the Dead for the Final Season of Better Things

          May 30, 2022
        • Interview: Kristen Stewart on Channeling Princess Diana for Pablo Larraín’s Spencer

          Interview: Kristen Stewart on Channeling Princess Diana for Pablo Larraín’s Spencer

          May 30, 2022
        • Interview: Jane Campion on The Power of the Dog and the Myth of the American West

          Interview: Jane Campion on The Power of the Dog and the Myth of the American West

          May 30, 2022
        Read More
  • Other Publications
    • RANDOM
        RANDOM
        • Steven Spielberg Was Worried He Made ‘Saving Private Ryan’ “Too Tough” For Audiences To EndureSteven Spielberg Was Worried He Made ‘Saving Private Ryan’ “Too Tough” For Audiences To EndureNovember 19, 2018
    • RECENT
        RECENT
        • Read an excerpt from an SF Indiefest award-winning local screenplay

          Read an excerpt from an SF Indiefest award-winning local screenplay

          May 30, 2022
        • 12 Best Original Netflix Movies, Ranked

          12 Best Original Netflix Movies, Ranked

          January 24, 2022
        • Jurassic World: Why There Can Never Be Another Park

          Jurassic World: Why There Can Never Be Another Park

          January 24, 2022
        • 13 Scariest Scenes from The Haunting Series That Terrified Us on Netflix

          13 Scariest Scenes from The Haunting Series That Terrified Us on Netflix

          January 24, 2022
        • 10 Scariest Horror Movies of All Time, Ranked

          10 Scariest Horror Movies of All Time, Ranked

          January 24, 2022
        Read More
  • Shorts & Vignettes
    • RANDOM
        RANDOM
        • Enjoy San FranciscoEnjoy San FranciscoDecember 18, 2016
    • RECENT
        RECENT
        • Watch The Trailer For My New Short Film, “Dave’s Last Night on Earth”

          Watch The Trailer For My New Short Film, “Dave’s Last Night on Earth”

          November 19, 2018
        • The Berlinale 2017 Highlight Reel

          The Berlinale 2017 Highlight Reel

          June 8, 2017
        • “DISCREET” Berlinale Interview

          “DISCREET” Berlinale Interview

          June 8, 2017
        • Roasted Chicken Recipe (Trading Post, Cloverdale, CA)

          Roasted Chicken Recipe (Trading Post, Cloverdale, CA)

          June 8, 2017
        • LA LA LAND takes field-leading 8 ACCA wins, including Best Picture and Best Director for Damien Chazelle

          LA LA LAND takes field-leading 8 ACCA wins, including Best Picture and Best Director for Damien Chazelle

          February 9, 2017
        Read More
  • Creative Corner
    • RANDOM
        RANDOM
        • My Quest To Script An Accurate Account of the Armenian GenocideMy Quest To Script An Accurate Account of the Armenian GenocideFebruary 17, 2016
    • RECENT
        RECENT
        • Emily Mkrtichian on New Artsakh Documentary, “There Was, There Was Not

          Emily Mkrtichian on New Artsakh Documentary, “There Was, There Was Not

          December 17, 2024
        • David Dastmalchian Discusses Career, “Late Night with the Devil,” Dream Collaborations, and More

          David Dastmalchian Discusses Career, “Late Night with the Devil,” Dream Collaborations, and More

          August 22, 2024
        • June Squibb and Josh Margolin Dish on “Thelma”

          June Squibb and Josh Margolin Dish on “Thelma”

          June 29, 2024
        • Boots Riley Talks ”I’m a Virgo,” ”Sorry to Bother You,” Oakland, Gaza, & Leftist Politics

          Boots Riley Talks ”I’m a Virgo,” ”Sorry to Bother You,” Oakland, Gaza, & Leftist Politics

          November 9, 2023
        • Marc Turtletaub Talks ”Jules,” Sir Ben Kingsley, Producing, Directing, & More

          Marc Turtletaub Talks ”Jules,” Sir Ben Kingsley, Producing, Directing, & More

          September 1, 2023
        Read More
  • Archives

Film Reviews

"The scene here is characterized by less of a buffer between celebrity and audience in the form of obsessive fandom and paparazzi, but rather, a unique synergy between the filmmaker and the film lover, for which the SFFS has made an ideal platform for this relationship to blossom."

This section consists of a collection of my professionally published film reviews and unpublished film reviews original to Making a Cinephile™.

Scroll below to view my film criticism portfolio: ⇓

Perfection

How Color Is The Key To Unlocking Netflix’s Subversive Cult Body-Horror Hit ‘The Perfection’

[Published at Living Life Fearless] Netflix’s The Perfection is an intelligent entry into the body-horror subgenre. The sleeper-hit turned heads with its...

By Alex Arabian January 24, 2022 Film Reviews, Professional Publications No Comments
Read More
The Velvet Underground

‘The Velvet Underground’ review: Music doc from Todd Haynes brilliantly reintroduces important counterculture voices to a new generation [Grade: A] (Mill Valley Film Festival)

[Published at Awards Watch] Much like the eponymous band it explores, The Velvet Underground defies documentary narrative conventions by focusing on its...

By Alex Arabian January 24, 2022 Film Reviews, Professional Publications No Comments
Read More
Annihilation

Why The Shimmer in ‘Annihilation’ is an allegory for the U.S.’s foreign policy [Retrospective]

[Published at Awards Watch] Alex Garland’s sophomore directorial feature, Annihilation, explores the ideas of corruption, destruction, and rebirth. Throughout the film,...

By Alex Arabian January 24, 2022 Film Reviews, Professional Publications No Comments
Read More
Boxcar Bertha

Martin Scorsese’s timeless ‘Boxcar Bertha’ and the Marxist undertones of his often overlooked early classic [Retrospective]

[Published at Awards Watch] 1972’s Boxcar Bertha is an often overlooked, critically debated entry into Martin Scorsese’s filmography, mostly because it is...

By Alex Arabian January 24, 2022 Film Reviews, Professional Publications No Comments
Read More
Free Guy

Free Guy’s Marxist Parallels To John Carpenter’s They Live

Shawn Levy’s Free Guy & John Carpenter’s They Live Are Both Clever Leftist Anthems [Published at Incluvie] Shawn Levy’s Free Guy is one of the most...

By Alex Arabian January 24, 2022 Film Reviews, Professional Publications No Comments
Read More
F9

F9: The Fast Saga’s Most Ridiculous, Albeit Entertaining Yet

F9: The Fast Saga Launches A Series Of Increasingly Batshit Scenarios [Published at Incluvie] Justin Lin’s F9: The Fast Saga, or, as...

By Alex Arabian January 24, 2022 Film Reviews, Professional Publications No Comments
Read More
Joe McMillan

Halt and Catch Fire’s Trailblazing Queer Representation

Joe McMillan – Halt and Catch Fire‘s Queer Antihero [Published at Incluvie] Joe McMillan (a mesmerizing Lee Pace) is one of...

By Alex Arabian January 24, 2022 Film Reviews, Professional Publications No Comments
Read More
Candyman

Candyman’s Use of Historical Black Puppetry as Narrative Device

Nia DaCosta Digs Deep Within the Annals of Black Art History in Candyman [Published at Incluvie] Nia DaCosta’s use of Black...

By Alex Arabian January 24, 2022 Film Reviews, Professional Publications No Comments
Read More
Netflix

Lin-Manuel Miranda’s ‘Vivo’ Is A Waywardly Watchable Musical Mess

[Published at Living Life Fearless] An animated musical feature taking place at the juxtaposition of tourist and Cuban cultures, with Lin-Manuel...

By Alex Arabian August 24, 2021 Film Reviews, Professional Publications No Comments
Read More
How ‘An American Pickle’ Speaks to Our Generational Detachment

How ‘An American Pickle’ Speaks to Our Generational Detachment

[Published at Living Life Fearless] On its surface, Brandon Trost’s An American Pickle is a sweet, breezy film with an oversized heart...

By Alex Arabian November 17, 2020 Film Reviews, Professional Publications No Comments
Read More
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Recent Posts

  • Emily Mkrtichian on New Artsakh Documentary, “There Was, There Was Not
  • David Dastmalchian Discusses Career, “Late Night with the Devil,” Dream Collaborations, and More
  • June Squibb and Josh Margolin Dish on “Thelma”
  • Boots Riley Talks ”I’m a Virgo,” ”Sorry to Bother You,” Oakland, Gaza, & Leftist Politics
  • Marc Turtletaub Talks ”Jules,” Sir Ben Kingsley, Producing, Directing, & More

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