“Men are so quick to blame the gods: they say that we devise their misery. But they themselves- in their depravity- design grief greater than the griefs that fate assigns.” ― Homer, The Odyssey Pulling ones’ self up by bootstraps… Read More ›
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In an era of hypernormalization, Geremy Jasper’s musical opera “O’Dessa” may just be the seed for revolution. [SXSW]
Trigger Warning: Photosensitive viewers should take precautions before viewing as they are several brief sequences and two longer sequences involving flashing lights. “… to comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable …” There’s a long tradition of using stories to… Read More ›
With “Kraven the Hunter,” Sony sets the same traps for itself in its latest and last Spider-Man Universe film.
We are gathered here, today, to acknowledge the end of the Sony’s Spider-Man Universe (SSU) with the home release of the J.C. Chandor-directed Kraven the Hunter (2024), the latest attempt of taking an absolute bastard villain and turning him into… Read More ›
“Old Guy” misses the mark on promises suggested by its premise and cast.
Old Guy, directed by Simon West (Lara Croft: Tomb Raider; Con Air; Expendables 2) and written by Greg Johnson (The Last Son), at least piqued my interest as an entertaining, silly, action movie with a cast that includes Lucy Liu… Read More ›
“Millers in Marriage” cranks family drama up to 11.
No matter what the subject matter at hand is, throwing it into a family dynamic automatically adds an additional level of intensity, uncomfortableness, and familiarity. Usually, the best versions of these dynamics focus on some terrible tragedy past or present… Read More ›
Ethics and morals, ambition and purpose are examined in the tense, journalism thriller “September 5,” now on home video.
When creating a film about the morality and ethics of journalism, centering a story around the Munich massacre of 1972 is an inspired choice. September 5 (2024), co-written and directed by Tim Fehlbaum (The Colony), is a film about an… Read More ›
Dark comedy “Timestalker” deconstructs tropes of love and romance.
As a child of the ‘90s, fantasy tales of romance have always felt like the coziest of blankets. Could it be that true love always won in the end? Or, having existed in a world filled with divorce, addiction, and… Read More ›
“Sniper: The Last Stand” Digital Code Giveaway
Since the 1993 Tom Berenger and Billy Zane-starring actioner Sniper, there have been an additional 10 stories in the series with the latest, The Last Stand, releasing on digital in January. Directed by Danishka Esterhazy (Killer Body Count) and featuring Chad… Read More ›
Jesse Eisenberg’s sophomore directorial feature, “A Real Pain,” is available on digital ahead of its physical release.
There’s this strange compulsion by many to respond to someone’s discomfort with “everyone has problems.” Whatever the intention, all it ever does is minimize what a person is feeling with the implication that “why should someone be feeling badly about… Read More ›
“Like Father Like Son” lacks tension in its attempt to challenge its audience.
Trigger Warning: Like Father Like Son utilizes frequent use of unexpected fast cuts with visual imagery accompanied by white flashes which may disturb photosensitive viewers. What makes a killer a killer? For centuries, this question has been asked by plebs… Read More ›
“Studio One Forever” is a “Celebration of Life” for historic West Hollywood club.
It’s an important rite of passage for each generation to mourn the loss of the cultural norms and trends that defined its youth. Unfortunately, this mourning usually manifests as some iteration of the tone-deaf and demeaning phrase, “Kids today will… Read More ›
When the debt comes due, you’ll be singing the hymn of “The Devil and the Daylong Brothers.”
What is a soul worth? If one believes that it’s not a thing that can be manifested on its own, that comes to us naturally, or that it is a gift instilled in us by our creator, well, that’s three… Read More ›
“Eternal You” explores the promise of extending one’s lifespan through digital transitions.
Once something to be imagined in your favorite sci-fi tale, artificial intelligence (A.I.) is now being forced into everything from your smartphone to your toaster. Instead of being used to expand human consciousness through exploratory play like Star Trek: The… Read More ›
Kelsey Egan’s sophomore effort “The Fix” offers challenging ideas within an accessible action body horror package.
In 2021, director/co-writer Kelsey Egan brought audiences within the perimeter of a private utopia tucked away within a greater ecological threat that destroyed memories in her sci-fi thriller Glasshouse. Exploring the connection between memory and trauma, Egan challenged audiences to… Read More ›
“Back in Action” is a comfortingly dependable family action comedy that will warm your January doldrums.
January is often viewed by those who track film releases as a doldrums period. Either theaters are filled with awards-hopefuls or the titles that studios/distributors dump in hopes of recouping some of their investment. Yes, this even applies to digital… Read More ›
The “Conclave” home release on 4K has unanimous support.
The sin Cardinal Lawrence fears may be “certainty,” but Conclave (2024) is a film forged with it, and the 4K UHD home release is no different. The extras include a featurette on the making of the film and a director’s… Read More ›
Tiffany Kim Stevens’s darkly comedic satire “Trigger Happy” threatens to cross-over into reality.
Satire of any sort is a difficult storytelling genre to nail. Go too far in one direction, people dismiss the ideas as far-fetched and implausible (ex. the revelation of Sorry to Bother You (2018)); go too far in the other,… Read More ›
Family drama “Daruma” brings its desire for perseverance and good fortune home.
Contrary to what some American politicians (and some of their base) would tell you, having children isn’t a cure-all. In the same way that pets for the holidays are a great idea filled with visions of beautiful smiles and joyous… Read More ›
Come for the chaos, stay for the commentary track on filmmaker Jason Reitman’s home edition of “Saturday Night.”
For 49 years and 50 seasons, the Not Ready for Primetime Players have entertained audiences with positively insane sketches, zeitgeist-hijacking music videos, and musical moments that have shifted entire industries in the live sketch program Saturday Night Live. It’s a… Read More ›
“Aladdin 3477: The Jinn of Wisdom” is a sky sail ride into the future by way of filmmaker Matt Busch.
“No wish that I fulfil will bring true happiness, for that comes from within. Any desire you seek, you have the power to achieve yourself. And, the journey is its own reward.” – The Jinn of Wisdom in Aladdin 3477:… Read More ›