Few would dispute that Mike Flanagan knows how to tell a great dramatic story. However, even the famed horror director has outdone himself this time. A master of suspense and dramatic storytelling, Flanagan tells his most ambitious story to date with The Fall of the House of Usher for Netflix. The eight-part limited series debuts … Continue reading Fantastic Fest 2023: ‘The Fall of the House of Usher’ – Sexy, Bloody, Gothic Horror is Back on Netflix
Fantastic Fest 23: ‘So Unreal’ – Cyberspace and the Digital World on Film
While the 1999 Wachowski film The Matrix looms large over the cyberpunk genre, directors and artists have long been interested in the subgenre. After all, as computers gained a foothold in American culture, the figures that promoted them became fascinations. Through various projects, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and Paul Allen became integrally tied to the … Continue reading Fantastic Fest 23: ‘So Unreal’ – Cyberspace and the Digital World on Film
TV: ‘Sex Education’ – A Final Season Farewell for Characters That Belong Together
Few shows began quite like Sex Education. The British pseudo-rom-com followed a group of teenagers over four seasons as they dealt with the pressures of growing up. Of course, sex and relationships occupy their mind, but the power of the series always came in the ways the relationships between each character evolved. With the cast … Continue reading TV: ‘Sex Education’ – A Final Season Farewell for Characters That Belong Together
Film Review: ‘El Conde’ – A Fascist Vampire Still Living On Blood And Death
Pablo Larraín, the director behind the American biopics Jackie and Spencer, is back in his native Chile to poke at the horrendous dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet. The infamous man ruled ruthlessly from 1973 to 1989. As seen in his Oscar-nominated docudrama No, Larraín is not afraid of looking back into his country's troubled past. Even … Continue reading Film Review: ‘El Conde’ – A Fascist Vampire Still Living On Blood And Death
Review: ‘A Haunting in Venice’ – It’s No Mystery, This is Branagh’s Best Poirot Yet
It seemed that after the critically and commercially lukewarm Death on the Nile, the case closed on Kenneth Branagh’s Hercule Poirot franchise. However, the famed star and director has reinvigorated the series with the fresh and smart A Haunting in Venice. Boasting a new cast, new locale, and a looser adaptation of Agatha Christie’s source … Continue reading Review: ‘A Haunting in Venice’ – It’s No Mystery, This is Branagh’s Best Poirot Yet
Review: ‘A Haunting In Venice’ – Branagh’s Poirot Goes Dark In A Supernatural Crime
The third of his series featuring Agatha Christie's legendary detective is off-the-bat a tone changer compared to Orient Express and Death On The Nile. Immediately, it had me intrigued because Kenneth Branagh's choice to adapt Christie's Hallowe'en Party instead of another previously adapted book (Evil Under The Sun was the original sequel to Nile under … Continue reading Review: ‘A Haunting In Venice’ – Branagh’s Poirot Goes Dark In A Supernatural Crime
Review: ‘Bottoms’ – Revenge Of The Ladies With A Can Of Whoop-Ass
Most hormone-raging high-school sex comedies have mainly involved teenage boys looking to get laid for the first time. Porky's and the infamous peephole, Fast Times At Ridgemont High and Phoebe Cates, and American Pie with the use of webcams. None of them included sex and creating plans to make their own fight club, as one … Continue reading Review: ‘Bottoms’ – Revenge Of The Ladies With A Can Of Whoop-Ass
Venice Film Festival 2023: ‘Through the Night’ – An All-Too-Common Tragedy
"He said, she said" narratives stem from a patriarchal lens, yet filmmakers continue to shift that truth. After all, in a post-Me Too era for American filmmakers, there's genuine hope that the lines have been redrawn. However, the mindset of "deserving" sex and power continues to corrupt. Director Delphine Girard reminds the audience in Through … Continue reading Venice Film Festival 2023: ‘Through the Night’ – An All-Too-Common Tragedy
Review: ‘BS High’ – A Stunning Vision of Greed In Youth Athletics
After a series of scam documentaries took the world by storm, the "Scam Culture" genre was born. With successful shows like The Dropout, Super Pumped, and WeCrashed, many tried to find the next big story. Oscar-winning directors Travon Free and Martin Desmond Roe circled the sad tale of Bishop Sycamore. The fake high school, whose … Continue reading Review: ‘BS High’ – A Stunning Vision of Greed In Youth Athletics
Review: ‘Asteroid City’ Wes Anderson’s Crater-Sized Existential Study
Humans strive to make sense of the nonsensical. People fall in and out of love. Lives are found, and lives are lost. Plans are carefully made and are attempted to be executed until life throws unexpected curve balls, deeming adjustment necessary for survival. Life’s journey is unpredictable and often illogical. Nevertheless, humans have tried to … Continue reading Review: ‘Asteroid City’ Wes Anderson’s Crater-Sized Existential Study