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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Repetitive tricks see the “Smile” leaving your face.
If you or a loved one has ever been shown that video of that car coming around a winding road in a picturesque field with tranquil music only for a horrifyingly grotesque jumpscare to pop out at you at the… Read More ›
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For its 40th anniversary, a 4K UHD edition of “Poltergeist” is heeerrrreee.
You always remember your first. Some are scary, some are bloody, most are just plain bad, but everyone remembers their first…horror movie. For my pivotal moment of exposure, I dropped in on my sister’s slumber party with her middle school… Read More ›
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No need to say “Goodnight Mommy.”
Naomi Watts: Queen of Remakes, Duchess of Reboots, Countess of Reimaginings. From one of her first roles in Children of the Corn: The Gathering, her breakout studio role in The Ring (and the subsequently unfortunate The Ring Two), her blockbuster… Read More ›
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Cat-and-mouse horror thriller “Orphan: First Kill” is another rip-roaring good time with one truly bad bitch.
Spoiler Warning: This review will quickly spoil the major twist revealed at the end of Orphan (2009), but not for Orphan: First Kill (2022) because I’m not a sadist. There’s something wrong with Esther, and it has been for much… Read More ›
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Whatever you do, don’t “Fall.”
I am a man of multitudes. I love roller coasters and various other thrill rides, and the higher off the ground, the more excited I become. I also love flying and am glued to my window from the second we… Read More ›
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Now available from Paramount Pictures Home Entertainment, “Event Horizon” on 4K UHD with a limited edition steelbook.
As a child of divorce, I totally understand the feeling of being tossed back and forth between parents for weekend trips, holidays, etc., but the situation at Event Horizon is getting a little problematic, and CPS might need to get… Read More ›
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Actor Amber Midthunder goes pound for pound with the Predator in “Prey.”
Another day, another 20th Century Studios film sent to the Hulu graveyard by The Big Mouse in his efforts to slowly choke the life out of the once thriving 87-year-old studio. While assuring audiences from the time of the acquisition… Read More ›
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Nothing can stop you from enjoying “Downton Abbey: A New Era” as it’s available to all on home video.
After roughly a decade of convincing, I finally took the deep dive into my Downton Abbey journey early in May as the release date for the sequel film, Downton Abbey: A New Era approached. It was a daunting task, shoving… Read More ›
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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 ›