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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
        • THE BEFORE TRILOGY: The Criterion Collection Of A Collective MasterpieceTHE BEFORE TRILOGY: The Criterion Collection Of A Collective MasterpieceMay 16, 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
        • Interview With Robert Schwartzman, Writer & Director Of THE UNICORNInterview With Robert Schwartzman, Writer & Director Of THE UNICORNJanuary 31, 2019
    • 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
        • 10 Best Liam Neeson Movies, Ranked10 Best Liam Neeson Movies, RankedJanuary 24, 2022
    • 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
        • Spontaneous Saturday Shaving SchtickSpontaneous Saturday Shaving SchtickJanuary 9, 2017
    • 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
        • Pamela Adlon Discusses ”Better Things” and the SupernaturalDecember 21, 2022
    • 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: ⇓

Film Review: ‘Dreamland’ Is a Calling Card for Budding Filmmaker Robert Schwartzman

Film Review: ‘Dreamland’ Is a Calling Card for Budding Filmmaker Robert Schwartzman

[Published at Awards Circuit] Any film lover is lying if they say they are not equal parts astounded by, jealous of,...

By Alex Arabian March 12, 2017 Film Reviews, Professional Publications No Comments
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Berlinale Review: ‘Logan’ Redefines a Tired Genre by Diminishing Excesses and Finding Its Humanity

Berlinale Review: ‘Logan’ Redefines a Tired Genre by Diminishing Excesses and Finding Its Humanity

[Published at Awards Circuit] 2017 Berlin International Film Festival: A visceral, violent, sensitive and heartbreaking film, “Logan” overwhelmingly exceeds the hype....

By Alex Arabian February 17, 2017 Film Reviews, Professional Publications No Comments
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Berlin Critics’ Week Review: ‘California Dreams’ Is an Ambitious Blend of Documentary and Fiction

Berlin Critics’ Week Review: ‘California Dreams’ Is an Ambitious Blend of Documentary and Fiction

[Published at Awards Circuit] 2017 Berlin Critics’ Week: From director Mike Ott (“Actor Martinez,” “Lake Los Angeles”), “California Dreams,” a docu-comedy, is one...

By Alex Arabian February 17, 2017 Film Reviews, Professional Publications No Comments
Read More
Berlinale Review: ‘Weirdos’ Is a Beautiful Coming-of-Age Ode to the 1970s and American Counter-Culture

Berlinale Review: ‘Weirdos’ Is a Beautiful Coming-of-Age Ode to the 1970s and American Counter-Culture

[Published at Awards Circuit] 2017 Berlin International Film Festival: “We are all weirdos. That’s what makes us beautiful.” This quote...

By Alex Arabian February 17, 2017 Film Reviews, Professional Publications No Comments
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Berlinale Review: ‘Final Portrait’ Provides Perfect Perspicacity Into the Life of Swiss Artist Giacometti

Berlinale Review: ‘Final Portrait’ Provides Perfect Perspicacity Into the Life of Swiss Artist Giacometti

[Published on Awards Circuit] 2017 Berlin International Film Festival: Actor and filmmaker Stanley Tucci (“Big Night,” “The Lovely Bones”) undertakes...

By Alex Arabian February 17, 2017 Film Reviews, Professional Publications No Comments
Read More
Berlinale Review: ‘DISCREET’ Another Step Forward for Auteur Travis Mathews

Berlinale Review: ‘DISCREET’ Another Step Forward for Auteur Travis Mathews

“DISCREET” Berlinale Poster [Featured on Awards Circuit] 2017 Berlin International Film Festival: “DISCREET” follows the metaphysical journey of an emotionally compromised...

By Alex Arabian February 12, 2017 Film Reviews, Professional Publications No Comments
Read More
Berlinale Review: ‘T2 Trainspotting’ Deftly Balances Sentimentality With Sobering Substance

Berlinale Review: ‘T2 Trainspotting’ Deftly Balances Sentimentality With Sobering Substance

“T2 Trainspotting” U.K. Poster [Featured on Awards Circuit] 2017 Berlin International Film Festival: Danny Boyle‘s original “Trainspotting” was a seminal...

By Alex Arabian February 12, 2017 Film Reviews, Professional Publications No Comments
Read More
Berlinale Review: Steve Coogan’s Career-Best Performance Saves ‘The Dinner’ From Falling Apart

Berlinale Review: Steve Coogan’s Career-Best Performance Saves ‘The Dinner’ From Falling Apart

Oren Moverman [Featured on Awards Circuit] 2017 Berlin International Film Festival: Writer and director Oren Moverman is no stranger to intense...

By Alex Arabian February 12, 2017 Film Reviews, Professional Publications No Comments
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Berlinale Review: ‘Vaya’ Offers Rare Glimpse of Life in Johannesburg

Berlinale Review: ‘Vaya’ Offers Rare Glimpse of Life in Johannesburg

My first published review from Berlin International Film Festival. Watch out come Oscar season for best foreign language picture for...

By Alex Arabian February 10, 2017 Film Reviews, Professional Publications No Comments
Read More
Making a Cinephile: “Edward Scissorhands” Remains Timeless Masterpiece

Making a Cinephile: “Edward Scissorhands” Remains Timeless Masterpiece

Every great director has at least one masterpiece. Every auteur has a distinct style entirely unique to their own imagination....

By Alex Arabian December 31, 2016 Film Reviews 1 Comment
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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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