2019’s surprise of the holiday season was writer/director Rian Johnson’s Knives Out, a whodunit that takes all the hallmarks of the great mystery writers and gave it his own spin. First, there’s the rich family where motive is everywhere and… Read More ›
If someone were asked to name a filmmaker whose had a massive impact on American cinema, writer/director John Hughes is easily one of the first to come to mind. He directed eight films, each with their own respective fandoms, almost… Read More ›
Parenthood changes you. It’s not for everyone and there’s good reason for people wanting to avoid it ever happening to them, but, for those who do become parents (by birth, by adoption, however), there’s a palatable shift in how one… Read More ›
There are a number of films that felt influential to my identity during my childhood. The Goonies (1985), Lethal Weapon (1987), The Terminator (1984), Spaceballs (1987) to name a few. These are films which, even now, with their various faults,… Read More ›
If the story of your life was told by another, would it be a great tale involving the taming of wild beasts and passionate love affairs, would it rattle off the far-flung places you’ve explored, or would it be a… Read More ›
“Well, now that you’ve seen our film you are an accomplice to murder. And so we ask you to remember that it’s very much within your interests not to tell a soul outside of this theater who dunit.” It’s with… Read More ›
Three years ago, Film Fest 919 opened the 2019 festival with Noah Baumbach’s Marriage Story, and I was taken. It was a much more muted affair for the Frances Ha and While We’re Young filmmaker, known for his quirkier approach… Read More ›
The French have such a knack for absurdist comedies and horror comedies (this film being the former), that it’s hard not to almost smile ear to ear and enjoy how far out there and how ridiculously things unfold on screen…. Read More ›
Three years ago, Rian Johnson’s humble follow-up to …let’s just say, polarizing… Star Wars: The Last Jedi came out in the form of Knives Out. Unlike said film set in a galaxy far far away, the consensus on Knives Out… Read More ›
“This, too, shall pass.” None of us ever really knows how much time we have. Depending on your outlook, that’s either an optimistic or pessimistic notion, one which will either spur you on to take chances or freeze you in… Read More ›
Realism is overrated. We experience it every day: the fear, the frustration, the constantly moving goal posts. Sometimes, it’s really nice to experience something so off the rails, so unrealistic, that all you can do is hold on and go… Read More ›
By 1978, writer/director Just Jaeckin was known for his erotic films Emmanuelle (1974), The Story of O (1975), and Madame Claude (1977). Seeking a break from this, Jaeckin developed romantic comedy Le dernier amant romantique (The Last Romantic Lover) with… Read More ›
Since its first film release, The Secret of Kells, in 2009, animation studio Cartoon Saloon has made a name for itself by developing remarkable stories of adventure, catharsis, and healing through the lens of adolescence. Each of the four films… Read More ›
The Banshees of Inisherin is the new film from Academy Award-winner Martin McDonagh. As a former visitor, seeing a film shot in his proverbial backyard is a nice reprieve from watching his previous film Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, which… Read More ›
Originally titled Blazing Samurai, the Paramount Animation family film Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank released in theaters July of 2022, an anthropomorphic take on the Mel Brooks-directed comedy classic Blazing Saddles (1974). Loaded top to bottom with star… Read More ›
Nick Park’s Wallace and Gromit characters first appeared in 1989’s A Grand Day Out and have gone on to spawn and spin-off other productions. One such character, Shaun the Sheep, was a central part of 1995’s A Close Shave and… Read More ›
June 24th, 2022: the United States Supreme Court overturned the 1973 decision to make abortion in the U.S. legal. This is not only a blow to the modern Women’s Rights Movement, but it also opened the door for the Supreme… Read More ›
In its history, horror has covered a wide range of styles, formats, and tones. It was only a matter of time before the genre would turn inward to look at itself, which it did with aplomb in 1996’s Wes Craven-directed… Read More ›
There’s an old adage that man’s best friend is his dog. It should be no surprise, then, that in March of 1955, writer Otto Binder and artist Curt Swan introduced Krypto in Adventure Comics #210, a story featuring Superboy. Over… Read More ›
After spending time on the festival circuit, writer/director Nicola Rose’s feature-length directorial debut, Goodbye, Petrushka, hit VOD and digital in July of 2022. Utilizing mixed media and multiple genres, Rose’s film explores growing up via a romantic lens, both literal… Read More ›