Joseph Holmes

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Joseph Holmes

Joseph Holmes

@NormalGuy8

Writer | Film Critic | Book Reviewer New York Times, Relevant, Christianity Today, Forbes, EWTN, World Magazine, The Dispatch, and Religion Unplugged

Katılım Kasım 2012
1.2K Takip Edilen814 Takipçiler
Jackie Chea ⚖️
Jackie Chea ⚖️@Fair_and_Biased·
Well, I just got out of Young Washington, and I LOVED it. I literally have not a single complaint. I went in trying to understand why critics gave it a 60% while audiences gave it a 92%, and my only conclusion is that the critics hate patriotism, George Washington, and/or Angel Studios. The reviews make that clear, as they were complaining about things like Washington being too handsome, etc. It was a classic American hero’s tale- and very well done. I’ll admit I’m biased because I have family native to Pittsburgh, so I’m intimately acquainted with the history of Fort Duquesne (which became Fort Pitt), the French vs. English in Pennsylvania, etc. That being the case, I was thrilled to see it on screen. They got the little things right – like the fact that the Native Americans traded for items like metal crosses and loved to wear them. Some of those were prominently displayed in their garb. They did a fabulous job handling actual diversity in casting. Instead of creating fake roles, they used REAL, awesome historical characters like Tanacharison, the “Half-King” of the Seneca tribe. They also handled slavery accurately – showing how the English and the colonists were very numb to the plight of the slaves, sending them as extra bodies into battle but not even arming them properly, etc. They didn’t dwell on it, but they didn’t sugar coat it, and they didn’t make the main characters particularly sympathetic to it (as they weren’t). Still, they didn’t make you hate the main characters for this societal sin. Washington was ambitious, headstrong, brave, and you fully understood his second class status as a colonist. His efforts to serve King and country were at odds, and the break with England was clearly inevitable. This wasn’t about the Revolution yet, though – it was about his military rise. The film focused on self-determination, learning from failure, and embracing greatness (with humility). It was well worth seeing, and you SHOULD go see it to support Angel Studios. We need more movies like this.
Jackie Chea ⚖️ tweet media
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Bethel McGrew
Bethel McGrew@BMcGrewvy·
Should I watch Young Washington and The Odyssey and come home to write a grumpy double review everyone will hate in which I explain these movies are actually bad for the same reasons?
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Jen
Jen@bluejeansqt·
@NormalGuy8 Looks like shit but I’m gonna watch it because at least it’s not a remake, re-imagining, sequel, or comic book movie
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Joseph Holmes
Joseph Holmes@NormalGuy8·
"Sharp review with a side of historical fact checking and sociology analysis" is my middle name
Josh M Shepherd@JoshMShep

Sharp film review of 'Young Washington' from @watchonwonder and @AngelStudiosInc, served with a side of historical fact-checking and sociology analysis // More importantly, the film's version of George Washington's transformation doesn’t quite work emotionally. Everything we've come to admire about him is rooted in his defiant ambition. When that ambition seemingly disappears, the audience is left with little of his personality to hold onto.

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Joseph Holmes
Joseph Holmes@NormalGuy8·
Frank Herbert's novel--and Denis Villenueve's adaptation of--#Dune is great because the art was more true than its surface-level message. That's WHY so many people see Paul as a tragic or complex hero rather than villain. That's a feature, not a bug. Hopefully part 3 doesn't ruin it.
McGuire@SonOfGuire

If you want to know why Herbert inevitably failed with his “don’t trust charismatic leaders” theme (and was actually forced to champion the tyrant), check out my 2025 article in Mere Orthodoxy on his atheistic-magical weltanschauung as it unfolds across all six novels. The new format is looking really nice, by the way, @NadyaWilliams81 mereorthodoxy.com/surviving-the-…

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