Using the word “dumb” to describe a film is often seen as degrading. Who wants to see a movie that’s “dumb,” and who would even make a “dumb” movie? What is often lost in translation when a film is given such a seemingly pejorative nickname is...
During the 90s, there was a period where British independent dramedies were operating on an international level. Films like The Commitments, Billy Elliot, Pride, and The Full Monty were not only becoming hits in the United Kingdom, they were...
One of the things that makes Quentin Tarantino a great director – indeed, I would argue the key to making him a great director – is his ability to blend a history of the old with something completely new. By throwing back to genres and influences...
Last Sunday, Big Little Lies concluded its second, and potentially final season. It was a season that should not have happened – they had completed the book in the first miniseries, the A-list actresses all had new projects lined up, and there...
Natural horror is both the best and worst subgenre in existence. On the one hand, it’s a cheap way to elicit thrills, often relying on jump scares and fake outs to make an audience scream on cue like the puppets they are. On the other hand, they...
What is art? What defines it? Can a film simply consisting of technological innovations qualify? What if those innovations are utilized solely for a heartless, soulless cash grab, lacking of any style or substance? If so, must we discount those...
When a director breaks onto the big screen with a fiery debut, it can be one of the most exciting and frightening times for cinephiles. On the one hand, there’s a new talent on the scene that could provide the next Modern Day Classic. On the...
Ed. Note: It is impossible to review Spider-Man: Far From Home without spoiling Avengers: Endgame. If you haven’t seen Endgame yet, congratulations. You are the only one.
One of the most exciting moments a critic – and even a general audience member – can have is when a new talent bursts onto the scene. While writer/director Lulu Wang has made a few smaller features before, The Farewell is the kind of breakout...
We don’t really get many “insane concept” films anymore. I don’t mean high concept, aka traditional films with crazy plots, like Her or The Shape of Water. I mean truly dumb ideas that either work or they don’t – films like Bugsy Malone, a...
Cinema has, in the modern era, become quite stale. Long gone are the days when film was transgressive, when artists took risks in their narrative, visual, and thematic storytelling. Once upon a time, there was the French New Wave, the Italian...
Something I’ve done on this site for quite some time, as a means of explanation for readers, as a fun little throwback, and as an analytic trademark, is compare modern directors to directors of the past. Christopher Nolan is the new Spielberg...
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