Creating the bonds of friendship in high school already sucks. Yet, if you're a member of the Yellowjackets, that friendship has been pushed to a new level of sacrifice. After all, it's not every day that your plane crashes in the woods, and you're forced to eat your friends. The dramatic mystery series revived Showtime … Continue reading TV Review: ‘Yellowjackets’ – Season 1 – Lost in the Woods, But Finding a Way Through It
SXSW 2023: A24’s ‘Beef’ Springs to Life with Wong and Yeun’s Darkly Comic Performances
As television continues to bring in movie stars to headline their projects, stars get the chance to play out of type. This allows performers to flex their acting muscles and often tell stories that audiences may not associate with them. Netflix hopes that Beef, the new series from Lee Sung Jin, draws you in with … Continue reading SXSW 2023: A24’s ‘Beef’ Springs to Life with Wong and Yeun’s Darkly Comic Performances
SXSW 2023: ‘Raging Grace’ Tells an Immigrant Story In a Haunted House
The immigrant and low SES horror film continues to gain traction in recent years. In the past few years, Nanny and His House were among the best films of the year, and struck to the heart of anxiety of moving to a new world. Director Paris Zarcilla shows a ton of potential with Raging Grace. … Continue reading SXSW 2023: ‘Raging Grace’ Tells an Immigrant Story In a Haunted House
Review: ‘One Fine Morning’ – A Choice Between Love and Responsibility
Few directors quite hit the heart of an internal struggle like Mia Hansen-Løve. Her film Bergman Island was sneakily one of the best films of 2020. Her quiet ability to put her protagonists through mental and emotional anguish makes her stories feel remarkably human. This case proves true again for One Fine Morning, her latest … Continue reading Review: ‘One Fine Morning’ – A Choice Between Love and Responsibility
SXSW 2023: ‘The Artifice Girl’ Tells a Tale of Evolving Artificial Intelligence
What does it mean to play God in the era of artificial intelligence? Does the creation of a new technology mean we know own its future direction? The Artifice Girl, from director and writer Franklin Ritch, examines these questions over three acts. While the film could easily adapt to the stage, the moral questions become … Continue reading SXSW 2023: ‘The Artifice Girl’ Tells a Tale of Evolving Artificial Intelligence
SXSW 2023: ‘BlackBerry’ Examines the Rise and Fall of a Tech Giant
Many of us had a BlackBerry phone at some point. This author had one for all of high school until the iPhone took over the market. The famed device allowed more forms of communication than any before and helped revolutionize the cell phone world. Yet anyone under thirty may only remember the fall from grace. … Continue reading SXSW 2023: ‘BlackBerry’ Examines the Rise and Fall of a Tech Giant
SXSW 2023: ‘Cora Bora’ Lands Big Laughs Amongst Tragedy
How one recovers from tragedy varies by the person. Many try to move on with life, while others attempt to escape everything that reminds them of the trauma. Director Hannah Pearl Utt examines a young woman who loses herself in the aftermath of one such event. Starring a very funny Megan Stalter, Cora Bora asks … Continue reading SXSW 2023: ‘Cora Bora’ Lands Big Laughs Amongst Tragedy
SXSW 2023: ‘Peak Season’ Plays Takes Full Advantage of Its Gorgeous Setting
The comedy about directionless people feeling the pressure of arrested development has been a staple of indie cinema for years. Popularized by films at Sundance throughout the 1990s and 2000s, it has become a reliable method of storytelling. Yet there are stories that can break through the genre for one reason or another. Peak Season … Continue reading SXSW 2023: ‘Peak Season’ Plays Takes Full Advantage of Its Gorgeous Setting
SXSW 2023: ‘With Love and A Major Organ’ ‘With Love and A Major Organ’ Shows Heart – Literally
Oftentimes, the best magical realism begins with a simple idea or metaphor. How we communicate those metaphors is very much in question, though. Director Kim Albright and screenwriter Julia Lederer take the idea of "giving one's heart away" quite literally. The resulting sci-fi drama is both a wonderful reflection on the power of love and … Continue reading SXSW 2023: ‘With Love and A Major Organ’ ‘With Love and A Major Organ’ Shows Heart – Literally
SXSW 2023: ‘Talk to Me’ Scares with Grotesque and Violent Frights
When we lose people we love, we often yearn to speak with them one last time. The lengths some would go to for that conversation may be too great, but any price would be worth it for others. In the directorial debut of Michael & Danny Phillippou, characters find themselves unaware of the power they … Continue reading SXSW 2023: ‘Talk to Me’ Scares with Grotesque and Violent Frights