Nostalgia is a tricky thing. It has a way of sugar-coating things – songs, books, toys, even experiences – so that all we remember is the way we think we felt about it. The older we get, the more frequent… Read More ›
Reviews
Get ready to jump to hyperspace: “Solo: A Star Wars Story” is available now.
Solo: A Star Wars Story may have been doomed to fail from the beginning. Prequels, in general, are tricky propositions. The entire concept is intended to shed new light on existing characters while also providing extensive back story. This is… Read More ›
Unfortunately, even inspired storytelling can’t help “Mermaid’s Song” sing on key.
The seaweed is always greener in somebody else’s lake; or perhaps in the case of Mermaid’s Song, the dust settles differently upon each poor family’s farm. Naturally, you can see that the saying isn’t quite as catchy as the one… Read More ›
Craig William Macneill’s “Lizzie” examines the complicated life that spawned a legend.
Lizzie Borden took an axe And gave her mother forty whacks; when she saw what she had done, She gave her father forty-one. A nursery rhyme beloved by fellow weird kids around the world, the tale of Lizzie Borden has… Read More ›
Heed the call of “The Song of Sway Lake” where time wants to stand still.
Close your eyes and picture the best day in your life. Imagine the sights, the smells, and the sounds. Remember how it all felt on your skin. On your nerves. On your bones. As you open your eyes, you remember… Read More ›
Jennifer Garner’s back in action with “Peppermint”.
There’s something deeply cathartic about a well-made revenge flick. Watching the mayhem unfold on screen while the hero pursues victory like an unrelenting Valkyrie, dispatching adversaries with dogged determination until they all lie broken and defeated at their feet. These… Read More ›
The magic just isn’t there in “A Wizard’s Tale”.
Let’s throw out the term “international animation.” What do you think of? Japan’s magically eloquent Studio Ghibli? Or perhaps the UK’s pleasantly quirky claymation studio, Aardman? Even France’s beautiful two-dimensional animation studio Folimage could come to mind. Mexico, however, hasn’t… Read More ›
Semi-autobiographical drama “MDMA” demonstrates first-time director Angie Wang’s promise.
Autobiographical films can be a difficult nut to crack. Spend too much time with the minutiae, the audience can grow bored. Spend too little time, however, the audience has nothing to latch onto. There’s a delicate sweet spot wherein the… Read More ›
“Final Score” Win: Win.
The best thing about cinema is the varied options available. In the mood for something challenging? Pop in Blade Runner 2049 and prepare for a deep dive into a rich world of philosophical complexity. Perhaps you’d prefer something more madcap?… Read More ›
Director Panos Cosmatos’s second feature “Mandy” is an epic tale of heavy metal, demons, and blood.
Some films need to be seen and experienced to be believed; where rumor becomes hype and gives way to the possibility of a false god or a new revelation. As with all things, where you fall depends on how well… Read More ›
Documentary “Susanne Bartsch: On Top” explores an enigma at the heart of nightlife culture.
As a young, queer individual, it’s imperative for myself to know the history that has made the queer community so strong today: the culture, the tragedy, the struggle, and in the case of queer New Yorkers in the 1980’s, the… Read More ›
“We the Animals” explores family dynamics through the perspective of a child.
In a cinematic landscape filled with large, loud options, sometimes it’s the quietest ones that make the boldest impact. Such is the case with director Jeremiah Zagar’s We the Animals, an adaptation of Justin Torres’s 2011 award-winning novel of the… Read More ›
Familiar and clichéd, “Mara” isn’t the stuff of nightmares.
The opening titles of Mara state that 40% of the world’s population suffers in some form from sleep paralysis, which seems like a generally applicable number. They soon follow it up with the idea that two thirds report having encountered… Read More ›
Go with a smile: “The Happytime Murders”.
If you were asked to name the first Muppet to pop into your head, the answer would inevitably be tied to your introductory experience. If you named Big Bird or Kermit, you likely know how to get to Sesame Street…. Read More ›
Don’t sign up for this “Boarding School” experience.
The discomfort we find in sleeping in unfamiliar environments is utterly naturalistic. Without familiar smells, shapes, or sounds, the unknown deepens, opening our psyche up to terrors that make our skin crawl as a means of self-preservation. This alone would… Read More ›
“Madeline’s Madeline” can be found at the crossroads of identity and madness.
Reality is a fickle thing. It requires the individual to trust that the world they engage with is the truth. Undeniably, what defines “truth” and “reality” is subjective due to perception. If perception is muddled, warped, or otherwise hindered, then… Read More ›
“Arizona” takes off those rainbow shades, revealing a mischievous dark comedy underneath.
There are films where you know from the get-go that they are going to shock you and then there are films that come out of nowhere. Arizona, the latest from RLJE Films, unequivocally falls into the category of the later…. Read More ›
“Down A Dark Hall” is a surprisingly elegant and beautifully constructed YA adaptation.
Lois Duncan deserves more respect as an author, at least from people of a certain age who grew up reading her books. To many people, Duncan’s novels, however silly they could sometimes be, were the first tastes of dark, twisted… Read More ›
Documentary “A Whale of a Tale” offers an unbiased look at globally scrutinized Japanese village Taiji.
Those that claim art cannot affect change haven’t lived under the scrutiny resulting from a painting, a song, or a story. They are blind to the way a community shifts its stance or approach because of a strongly worded letter…. Read More ›
Unfortunately, technical prowess doesn’t outweigh narrative weakness with “Along Came The Devil”.
Horror films involving demonic possession seem to be one of the hottest trends in recent years. From the Conjuring series, the Insidious series, and the upcoming Suspiria remake, horror films about possession utilize supernatural elements recycled time and again in… Read More ›