Author Archives
UNC Charlotte '18 graduate | Film Intern at CLTure | North Carolina Film Critics Association member | Lover of bad teen horror movies and 90s pop music
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“The Black Phone” rings, you answer.
Scott Derrickson almost directed Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, but left the project over “creative differences,” leading Sam Raimi to take over the franchise. While that may seem like a bit of a career setback for Derrickson, losing… Read More ›
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Phil Tippett’s “Mad God” is a gem…an oozing, ugly, horrid gem.
As much as I find amazement in the animation work of studios like Pixar and DreamWorks and feel the warmth of a hug in the hand-drawn animation of Studio Ghibli and Folimage, stop-motion always has felt like the pinnacle of… Read More ›
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Paramount Pictures honors the 40th anniversary of “Grease 2” with a limited edition steelbook.
I have a fascinating relationship to Grease 2; my friends might call it an abusive relationship, but I would describe it as unlikely. The thing is, most of the world views Grease 2 as a, pardon the pun, grease fire… Read More ›
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“Fire Island” is far from your run-of-the-mill gay-friendly rom-com.
The biggest gift I was ever given in life was being gay. Sure, a significant percentage of the world hates me and thinks I’m going to burn in Hell, and the other part really only shows up for Pride Month… Read More ›
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Strap in, Ghostrider. “Top Gun: Maverick” is a blockbuster film in every fiber of its being.
I would like to make an illicit confession to you, dear reader: I do not particularly care for Tony Scott’s 1986 film Top Gun. I don’t hate it, or even actively dislike it, but I certainly view the film in… Read More ›
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Sandra Oh-led horror film, “Umma (엄마),” is available on home video now.
In a world of more opportunity for those who don’t all fit the same straight white male checklist, there are a plethora of new and exciting perspectives being shown by budding new filmmakers, making the film world a more interesting… Read More ›
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No matter the tools, this “Firestarter” won’t ignite.
Here’s the thing with making adaptations of Stephen King’s written works: there’re so many that haven’t been made yet! King is still at his apex of churning out quality genre content regularly, and to this day, he continues to write… Read More ›
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The kids are so incredibly not alright in Eskil Vogt’s “The Innocents (De uskyldige).”
“I believe the children are our future Teach them well and let them lead the way” – Whitney Houston Is there anything more innocent than the joy of a child’s summer vacation? Playing with friends in the sun all day… Read More ›
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With trademark winking humor amongst the terror, “Lux Æterna” is a Gaspar Noé vehicle through-and-through.
How does one describe Gaspar Noé and his films to the uninitiated? “Unconventional” barely scratches the surface of what covers the vast swath of aggressive, assaulting, psychedelic, hypersexual, ultra-violent, anxiety-ridden, nihilistic, and overwhelming trademarks that pervade Noé’s body of work…. Read More ›
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“We’re All Going to the World’s Fair” but should we?
Before anyone asks: no, this is not a spiritual musical successor to Rodgers and Hammerstein’s 1945 musical State Fair, so don’t get your hopes up like I did. The internet — a beacon of hope and knowledge in modern human… Read More ›
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Warm and unimposing, yet “Mothering Sunday” withers under its less conventional approach.
Working at the box office of an independently owned arthouse cinema gives you insight to a lot of things, mostly that not many people want to come to the movies anymore, which is a damn shame. However, there are still… Read More ›
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Cooper Raiff continues to deliver strong crowd-pleasing stories in his second feature, “Cha Cha Real Smooth.” [SXSW Film Festival]
There’s always *that* Sundance film each year that comes out the festival the most triumphant one way or another, whether it be from the awards it won or the stars it has within it or the amount of money a… Read More ›
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“The Cow” fails to deliver on an intriguing concept. [SXSW Film Festival]
There was a viral tweet going around a few days ago from E! News with some truly stunning pictures of Anne Hathaway and a caption that read “Did Anne Hathaway make a deal with the devil? She is literally aging… Read More ›
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Drama “To Leslie” offers another powerful leading role for Andrea Riseborough. [SXSW Film Festival]
Every gay has their actress, or at least the one that we consider “our own” in a way the mainstream doesn’t fully. Sure, we all generally love Gaga and Meryl and Glenn, and so many other classic gay icons, but… Read More ›
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The horror of “Soft & Quiet” is in the truth of it, for better or worse. [SXSW Film Festival]
It’s often said that money is the root of all evil, and while over the course of all human history that might be true, in the modern era, it’s becoming more clear that white supremacy is the root of all… Read More ›
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Pete Ohs’s “Jethica” offers an approach to forgiveness and grief we’d all be better to consider. [SXSW Film Festival]
Jethica is a film that wastes no time in laying its narrative out on the table with a refreshing efficiency. No padding, no filler, no three hour runtime, just a film that has a statement to make, makes it, and… Read More ›
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Aisha Dee slays in Australian horror comedy “Sissy.” [SXSW Film Festival]
We’ve all had our experiences with bullies. Some more than others, certainly, but looking back on the pitfalls of adolescence in the light of adulthood, there’s always that nagging voice in the back of your head telling you “If you… Read More ›
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Regina Hall and Zoë Renee bring the damn house down with their performances in “Master.” [SXSW Film Festival]
One of the larger debates during my senior year of high school was the rift between my Black friends debating the merits of attending a Historically Black College & University (HBCU) or that of a Primarily White Institute (PWI), and… Read More ›
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The message of Augusto Sandino’s “A Vanishing Fog (Entre la niebla)” stays with you long after the credits roll. [SXSW Film Festival]
In recent years, Colombia has really begun to reveal itself as a very interesting home for strange, introspective indie cinema in a way I don’t think anyone expected. With global voices taking the mainstream stage and with storytellers unafraid to… Read More ›
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Every element of Damien Power’s “No Exit” works together to create an engaging adult thriller.
Remember adult thrillers? Remember when major studios actually made them? James Mangold’s Identity at Columbia, Tarsem Singh’s The Cell at New Line Cinema, or even Nimrod Antal’s criminally underrated Vacancy at Screen Gems. It doesn’t really matter if films like… Read More ›