In the rare event where game recognizes game or a filmmaker puts his camera on another filmmaker, there’s no telling what moments of unflinching honesty and remarkable ambition you will find. In his 1982 film Burden of Dreams, documentarian Les… Read More ›
Rian Johnson is back with Benoit Blanc for a new mystery that is coming for a short theatrical window before hitting Netflix. His third entry in his murder mystery franchise is arguably the worst one unfortunately. This is not to… Read More ›
“If you can’t bite, don’t show your teeth.” – Bubbe (Carol Kane) in Caught Stealing There are a number of ways to spin the “fish out of water” theme in stories. Sometimes it’s a tale where someone gets whisked away… Read More ›
It’s common wisdom that all the good songs of Wicked (2003) are in the first half. But if the majority of songs in the anti-fascist melodrama of Act 2 were as silly and energetic as “Dancing Through Life,” the whole… Read More ›
Spinal Tap II: The End Continues arrives with the kind of baggage only a decades-delayed sequel can carry. The original This is Spinal Tap (1984) didn’t start life as a blockbuster or even much of a mainstream success; rather, it built its… Read More ›
Stories are about as limited as one’s imagination. Peaceful creatures can find themselves on a quest to save the land, people of average heritage feel the pull to right wrongs, and villains can be born from the mildest of slights…. Read More ›
The Roses is a fine example of how two fantastic comedic leads can elevate material that might not fully deserve them and how a movie can still stumble when its supporting cast and pacing can’t keep up. Benedict Cumberbatch (The… Read More ›
How does one define success? Not only is this a deeply personal question, it shifts and changes based on age and experience (to name a few factors). My children would define success as unlimited game time and Halloween candy with… Read More ›
Starting with 2024’s Drive-Away Dolls, director/co-writer Ethan Coen with co-writer Tricia Cooke began what we now know is a trilogy of lesbian B-movies, a triptych of sorts, that include Honey Don’t! (2025) and the upcoming (and not-yet-dated) Go, Beavers!. These… Read More ›
Director David Cronenberg (A History of Violence) is known to many as a director of “body horror” stories. Underneath that horror, those stories remain riddled with deeper, more profound themes. His latest film, The Shrouds (2024), now available via Criterion… Read More ›
The year is 2025 and corporations own everything including the United States government. The populace does their best to survive on the scraps provided by their network masters, but a massive class divide has arisen, creating strife and distrust amongst… Read More ›
When it was announced that contemporary cinema’s most interesting enfant, Ari Aster, was developing a COVID-19 western, it did more than turn a few heads. Tackling one of the most uncertain and anxious times in recent memory seemed like an… Read More ›
Mr. K has a lot going for it and most of that energy comes from the always-captivating Crispin Glover (Back to the Future). In one of his most fascinating performances to date, Glover embodies a spiraling character trying desperately to… Read More ›
“Take the rod; and you and your brother Aaron assemble the congregation and speak to the rock before their eyes, that it may yield its water. You shall thus bring forth water for them out of the rock and let… Read More ›
“God forbid you ever had to walk a mile in his shoes ‘Cause then you really might know what it’s like to sing the blues…” – “What It’s Like” by Everlast (1998) The stories we tell ourselves are all predicated… Read More ›
Dreams are incredibly powerful. Whether we experience them awake or asleep, our dreams shape our reality by imagining what could be. It may manifest in our minds as talking stuffies, personified num-nums, or twisted versions of those closest to us,… Read More ›
It is not impossible for a white, male director to tell great stories about identities they do not share. This year, PTA directed One Battle After Another (2025); two years ago, Scorsese delivered a masterpiece in Killers of the Flower… Read More ›
“Have you talked to [Redacted] lately” is a question that many mothers love to haunt their single children with. “What about [Redacted],” “I just ran into [Redacted] at the grocery store,” “[Redacted] was at church today,” or, as kicks off… Read More ›
“Welcome aboard, passengers. Just so you know, we are expecting some turbulence this evening, so please ensure your seat belts are fastened, baggage is safely stowed, and hold on to your vaginas.” – M3GAN in M3GAN 2.0. A single tale… Read More ›
Filmmaker Andrew de Burgh seems to have questions of the human existence on his mind. In his debut feature, The Bestowal (2018), a suicidal man sits with Death, debating life, the universe, and everything. In his follow-up, The Seductress from… Read More ›