Trends are entirely cyclical. What was once deemed out of date becomes retro, reabsorbed into the lexicon of society, often repurposed into something new. It’s not just clothes (ex. tie dye and bell bottoms), music (ex. vinyl and cassettes), or… Read More ›
First created by artist Monkey Punch in 1967, the adventures of gentlemen thief Lupin III have generated multiple mangas, tv series, and films depicting a variety of escapades. During a press interview for Lupin III vs. Detective Conan: The Movie… Read More ›
At this point in Liam Neeson’s career, the frequency of Taken-like stories he headlines has got to be purposeful. For one, Neeson makes for a damn fine action hero. His characters tend to be believable in their strength and skill,… Read More ›
After revitalizing the superhero genre with his Dark Knight trilogy (2005-2012), taking on the heist thriller with Inception (2010), and exploring the sci-fi family drama with Interstellar (2014), writer/director Christopher Nolan has become somewhat of a pillar in modern filmmaking… Read More ›
In the ‘90s, you couldn’t take two steps without seeing Wesley Snipes projected somewhere. A gifted actor and martial artist, Snipes demanded audiences’ attention with a varied list of projects including White Men Can’t Jump (1992); Passenger 57 (1992); Rising… Read More ›
December 12th, 1980, isn’t that important to many people. Hanukkah had just ended, I wasn’t quite born yet, and Christmas was still just a glow in the distance. What it did bring is Robert Altman’s live-action ode to E.C. Segar’s… Read More ›
There’s something particularly wonderful about a film that challenges you, one which unnerves, unsettles, and burrows in, prompting contemplation past its clear end. This happens with joyful films like Over The Moon (2020), whose infectious songs linger, instilling a desire… Read More ›
2016’s Train to Busan (Busanhaeng) is a marvel of a film. Directed by Yeon Sang-Ho and co-written with Park Joo-Suk, the story of a zombie outbreak in South Korea beautifully balances the emotional stakes (father-daughter) with the larger scope implications… Read More ›
If you’ve been tapped into the entertainment industry at all over the last few years, you’ve likely heard about the tumultuous release of the final 20th Century Fox X-Men-related film, Josh Boone’s The New Mutants. Set for an original release… Read More ›
You have been recruited by the Star League to defend the Frontier against Xur and the Kodan Armada. These seemingly innocuous words displayed across an arcade cabinet as an unseen voice declares them are, in fact, a glorious call to… Read More ›
Time travel movies are a tricky wicket. Use consistent rules and a clear narrative, you end up with Looper (2012). Explain things in in too wide manner which allows for numerous interpretations, you get Avengers: Endgame (2019). Create a rule… Read More ›
Originally released in 1999, writer/director Jim Jarmusch’s Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai is the latest film to receive the Criterion treatment. The film is a rare oddity in that is very much of its period, yet is absolutely… Read More ›
By this point in cinema and television history, everyone knows the fictional story of George Bailey, or someone like him. An individual so aggrieved by their circumstances that they wish with all their might for a change. But as Oscar… Read More ›
It’s been 15 years since James McTeigue’s V for Vendetta hit theaters. Adapted from the Alan Moore/David Lloyd comic book miniseries, V for Vendetta took the Margaret Thatcher-era conservative versus anarchism themes and made them more contemporary for American audiences… Read More ›
I love horror movies. I love my subscription to Shudder. I love Halloween. However, in recent years, I can’t say that I haven’t been drawn to the realm of “elevated horror” more and more. The term “elevated horror” in and… Read More ›
The horror genre is all about taking what terrifies you and giving it life so you can explore that terror in relative safety. Scared of the dark? Let’s personify it. Unnerved by the unknown? Let’s give it physical form. Chilled… Read More ›
I love me some Shirley Jackson, and, more specifically, I love her 1959 novel The Haunting of Hill House and have since I first started getting into horror early in my adolescence. Jackson’s novel was one of the first horror… Read More ›
There’s a brief line said by T.I.’s Lorenzo “Cousin” Bass that contains more than just a slight meaning to the context of the moment in which it’s said. Cousin is speaking to the four leads — Blink (Shameik Moore), Miracle… Read More ›
It’s difficult to say what qualifies a film for the “Criterion treatment.” They’ve restored a variety of films believed lost like Brute Force, produced updated versions of award-winning stories like Taste of Cherry, and they’ve produced first-run (or as close… Read More ›
Werewolves. Vampires. Zombies. Each of these monsters of the dark owe their origins to legends and myths, to a time before science when fear ran roughshod over reason. That part of ourselves remains present even now and yet we find… Read More ›