Author Archives
MA in Cinema Studies, University of Chicago '19 | Gardner-Webb University '18 | Interested in the Representation of Trauma on Screen and the Ethics of Viewership| A Sucker for Classics, Film Noir, and Dramas| Violinist, When I Get Around to Practicing | Cat Mom
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With strong performances, a compelling story, and a satisfying blend of romance and mystery, all “32 Weeks” needs is a better ending.
Sometimes, writers get a tad bit lazy with their narratives and throw in a character with amnesia as a cheap and easy way to wiggle themselves out of plot holes and avoid the extra work of coming up with a… Read More ›
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The good intentions of dramatic thriller “Choir Girl” fall flat as the story devolves into a questionable savior fantasy.
Choir Girl sets up a story that begs to be told through pictures. Its protagonist, Eugene (Peter Flaherty), is a shy street photographer who hopes that his pictures will expose the hardships of everyday life in his neighborhood and, eventually,… Read More ›
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Spike Lee brings David Byrne’s once in a lifetime musical experience “American Utopia” to HBO and HBO Max.
On October 9th, The Broadway League announced, to the severe disappointment of theatre professionals and fans, that Broadway will remain closed until June 2021. It’s difficult to imagine that the musicals, concerts, and plays that have been a New York… Read More ›
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“Luz: The Flower of Evil” offers a folk-horror tale that is both all-too-realistic and wonderfully fantastical.
Last year, Ari Aster set the bar high for “daylight” horror films with Midsommar, a terrifying fantasy that casts its disturbing events against a beautiful, blossoming, sunlit backdrop. The genre-play proved to be quite successful for Aster, although the effect… Read More ›
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A quiet film with fantastic suspense, “Wildland (Kød & blod)” is a different flavor of mafia movie. [Fantasia Film Festival]
Although the Fantasia International Film Festival was held virtually this year, it still featured an incredible lineup of wild and visceral films that celebrated everything gory and horrific. Many of the featured titles were loud and boastful with their colorful… Read More ›
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Constructed upon utter chaos, “#ShakespearesShitstorm” loses itself in its visual style as it tries to dissolve the more pretentious side of The Bard. [Fantasia Film Festival]
Over twenty years after his first experimental Shakespeare film adaptation, Tromeo and Juliet (1996), Lloyd Kaufman and the team at Troma Entertainment have released yet another irreverent and outlandish adaptation with #ShakespearesShitstorm, a wacky musical-comedy and gross-out fest based on… Read More ›
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Following the fish-out-of-water rom-com formula, “A Mermaid in Paris (Une sirène à Paris)” is a dazzling visual treat. [Fantasia Film Fest]
Multi-talented writer and director Mathias Malzieu, who is known for his success as a novelist and musician as well as filmmaker, returns to this year’s virtual Fantasia Film Festival with a delightful grown-up fairytale. Malzieu’s previous animated film, Jack and… Read More ›
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“The Mortuary Collection” struggles to keep its stylistic balance, but it’s a fun, nostalgic ride. [Fantasia Film Festival]
The word “nightmarish” is one of those terms frequently thrown around when describing horror films. While the jump-scares, villains, and gore of the horror genre can certainly haunt us in our sleep, oftentimes, the plots of horror movies are quite… Read More ›
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Dark comedic thriller “Patrick” is so beautifully filmed, you’ll forget all the characters are nude. [Fantasia Film Festival]
One of film’s unique narrative strengths is the camera’s ability to manipulate perspective. A movie can put us behind the mask of a serial killer on Halloween or on the tip of a shark’s nose just before it attacks. Point-of-view… Read More ›
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Fantasia International Film Festival Selection, “Morgana,” is a must-see story for women of all ages. [Fantasia Film Festival]
Among the list of things that you might expect to save your life one day, perhaps one of the least likely is a night with an escort and a headfirst dive into the world of feminist pornography production. For middle-aged… Read More ›
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Teddy Grennan takes a stab at rape-revenge with “Ravage,” a well-intentioned but misguided horror flick.
Anyone familiar with rape-revenge films knows that the formula for this horror sub-genre can be particularly tricky. While the genre continually offers up new ways for audiences to process and discuss trauma, rape-revenge films can be quite problematic when not… Read More ›
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HBO Documentary Films’s “Stockton On My Mind” creates a new story around impoverished towns and highlights the strength of local communities.
The 2020 American presidential election is well underway, one that may prove to be the most interesting (or frustrating) elections of the past few decades as the candidates navigate campaign strategies in the midst of a global pandemic. As voters… Read More ›
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Mind-bending docu-puzzle “In Bright Axiom” sets out to defy expectations, but gets lost in its ambition.
If you spend time with kids on a regular basis, then at some point you’ve probably been asked to play a confusing game with vague rules and unclear objectives that the kids invented themselves. It might be a live-action-role-playing-game that… Read More ›
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AI flick “Archive” creates a nostalgic scrapbook of classic sci-fi, but lacks unique elements of its own.
The dreams of easing our loneliness with humanoid robot companions and the realities of AI technology development have raised intriguing questions about ethics and the limits of technology, questions that have made way for fantastical cinematic plots and memorable robot… Read More ›
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ASMR short “Tingle Monsters” is a chilling slice of internet horror with an important message.
For those who enjoy the soft whispering, feather-like brushing, and light tapping of ASMR videos, the idea of “ASMR horror” may be especially unsettling. Horror works extremely well when it invades our safe spaces, and directors often succeed by setting… Read More ›
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Teen comedy “CRSHD” is a fun and colorful take on coming-of-age in the social media generation.
From Rebel Without a Cause (1955) to The Breakfast Club (1985) to Lady Bird (2017), each generation has its special coming-of-age films that it can claim as its own. These are the movies grounded in a cultural milieu that take… Read More ›
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“Clementine” has all the makings of a juicy coming-of-age story, but struggles to pull it all together.
From writer/director Lara Jean Gallagher, Clementine is a psychological drama and emotional think-piece that deals with the consequences of a breakup and the rocky, unstable journey from one stage of life to the next. Aspiring artist Karen (Otmara Marrero) is… Read More ›
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Jimmy Olsson’s short “Alive” teaches a straightforward lesson, confronting biases about romance and sex.
Swedish writer and director Jimmy Olsson, who is known for short films like Repressed (2011) and 2nd Class (2018), examines some difficult subjects in his latest short, Alive. Running at just twenty-three minutes, Alive deals with ableism and relational boundaries… Read More ›
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Feminist folktale horror film “The Other Lamb” is resonant and memorable, but loses itself in symbolism.
If Céline Sciamma’s recently-released Portrait of a Lady on Fire paints a picture of female community and camaraderie at its best, honing in on the lives of women as they create space for each other outside of patriarchal society, then… Read More ›
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Bold political thriller “Run This Town” speaks to millennials and Gen Z’s entering the workforce, posing complex questions about integrity and corruption.
Although we’re just two months into the new year, 2020 has already seen the landmark trials of two immensely powerful figures who were both accused of abusing their power in different ways: President Donald Trump, who was acquitted by the… Read More ›