A little more than 20 years ago, rap superstar Eminem starred in 8 Mile, a semi-autobiographical look at his rise to the top of the hip hop world, focusing on his upbringing, broken household, and unwavering zeal to make a better life for himself. In addition to being a commercial and critical success, the film … Continue reading The Beastie Boyos – Kneecap
The Marvel Cinematic Universe began as an ambitious experiment in shared worldbuilding, a multi-year gamble that could have gone bust at any moment. The idea of creating a massive overarching narrative that allowed for cross-pollination, cameos, and a climactic showdown of dozens of superheroes was completely unheard of, and the fact that the entire plan … Continue reading Make Me Lose Control – Deadpool & Wolverine
Director Osgood Perkins is quite adept at establishing mood. This makes sense, as he's the son of Norman Bates himself, Anthony Perkins. Despite a relatively small body of work, Oz knows how to use his camera and lighting schemes to properly set the emotional tone. Even lesser works like Gretel & Hansel are still able … Continue reading Sata-Nic Cage – Longlegs
I've said many a time before that one of my basic philosophies when it comes to film criticism is that I'm much more forgiving of an ambitious failure than I am a safe mediocrity. Essentially, if you take a risk and fall short, that's still better for me than playing things by the numbers and … Continue reading Trouble with the Curve – Despicable Me 4
Over the last decade, Yorgos Lanthimos has gone from a celebrated director of Greek films to one of the most revered cinematic auteurs in the world. With his signature combination of intentionally stilted dialogue, darkly comic analogs to the human experience, bonkers depictions of abstract relationship concepts, and refreshingly frank discussions and depictions of sexuality, … Continue reading The Circle of Life – Kinds of Kindness
We're at the midway point of the year, where Summer Blockbusters and various studio tentpole films dominate the multiplexes. However, away from the typical glitz and glamor, we're also smack dab in the middle of Festival Season, where high profile independent works compete for hardware and distribution, clamoring for those precious moments of attention that … Continue reading Back Row Thoughts – Festive Tykes
This review represents a new record for me and this blog. As I write this, it is almost eight months to the day since I first saw The Bikeriders, newly released in theatres this past weekend. I took in the feature as one of the 15 films I viewed during last year's AFI Fest in … Continue reading An Easy Ride – The Bikeriders
From the moment Inside Out 2 was announced, I was a bit apprehensive. I put this down to two things. One is that I love the original Inside Out so, so much, that I didn't want its legacy to be potentially ruined by an underwhelming sequel. We're talking about my favorite film of the 2010s, … Continue reading Hi, Anxiety! – Inside Out 2
I try not to let certain factors enter my personal calculus when it comes to watching a film, but sometimes it's unavoidable. For instance, the idea of so-called "nepo babies," a gag-inducing bit of cutesiness used to mock or denigrate (sometimes playfully, sometimes very much not) those who receive opportunities and powerful positions due to … Continue reading The Falling Apple – The Watchers
I've said plenty of times before that I'm a fan of the Mad Max series (Fury Road is in my Top 100 of the 2010s for the fire guitar guy alone), and in how director George Miller expertly orchestrates his world-building. Sometimes the exposition and spectacle are way over the top, while other times he … Continue reading On the Road Again – Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
I Actually Paid To See This 