★★★★★ Serving as the definitive Spider-Man cinematic experience, Across the Spider-Verse expands the scope of the mythology like never before, forming a deeply emotional visual extravaganza. This trio of directors (Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, Justin K. Thompson) have crafted a movie that manages to transcend its complex inspirations. While the previous animated iteration, Into … Continue reading Film Review: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
SIFF 2023: The Mattachine Family
★★★★ Chosen family is the name of the game here, a term that queer people the world over have claimed as their own. In The Mattachine Family, writer Danny Vallentine and director/husband Andy Vallentine explore modern love, the strangeness of queer identity, fatherhood, and the true meaning of family with this charming little dramedy. As … Continue reading SIFF 2023: The Mattachine Family
Film Review: Fool’s Paradise
★★ A satire of Hollywood is always a welcome treat; look no further than last year's outrageous Babylon, or even the gold standard in Ben Stiller's Tropic Thunder. Marking hilarious actor Charlie Day's directorial debut, Fool's Paradise attempts to be the ultimate in satirical, ridiculous scenarios, commentating on everything from celebrity pretentiousness to the nonplussed … Continue reading Film Review: Fool’s Paradise
Film Review: Blackberry
★★★★ Some of the best biopics are the ones about the formation of a major company. Think: The Social Network, Wolf of Wall Street, Tetris, or The Founder. To my surprise, Blackberry easily joins their ranks as a fictionalized true-story dramedy “inspired by real people and real events that took place in Waterloo, Ontario.” Based … Continue reading Film Review: Blackberry
TV Review: Bupkis
Pete Davidson appears to be a very divisive figure based merely on the women he has bedded, as well as his alleged extra-large wiener size. Both are addressed in his new Peacock series, Bupkis. The line between fact and fiction blurs, as the inspirations behind this peak into Davidson’s private life bleeds over into the … Continue reading TV Review: Bupkis
Film Review: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
★★★★★ Cementing itself as one of the greatest action/sci-fi trilogies of all time, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 delivers a stunning spectacle of effects, and dazzling emotionality to boot. James Gunn pulls out all the stops to make sure the Guardians are given a sendoff worthy of celebrating. A particular standout this go round … Continue reading Film Review: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Film Review: Peter Pan & Wendy
★★★ The newest cog in the Disney remake machine has arrived, this time in the form of David Lowery’s newest rendition of the timeless tale, Peter Pan & Wendy. While one’s mileage may certainly vary when it comes to these live action reimaginings, I have personally loved many more of them than I have hated. … Continue reading Film Review: Peter Pan & Wendy
SFFILM 2023: Ernest & Celestine: A Trip to Gibberitia
★★★★ A decade after the first Ernest & Celestine wowed critics and captured the hearts of fans everywhere, their return trip has been booked in whimsical sequel, Ernest & Celestine: A Trip to Gibberitia! While the last movie explored Celestine’s tense family connections and burgeoning career as a mouse tooth fairy, Gibberitia turns the mirror … Continue reading SFFILM 2023: Ernest & Celestine: A Trip to Gibberitia
Film Review: Beau is Afraid
★★★★★ Ari Aster’s film career thus far could lovingly be called divisive and polarizing; for this viewer, both Hereditary and Midsommar are among the best horror films made in the last decade. With Beau is Afraid, Aster enters his dark dramedy era in a flourish of brashness and a crescendo of emotionality. Due to the … Continue reading Film Review: Beau is Afraid
Film Review: Mafia Mamma
★★★★ I can hear the Oscars introduction already: a cheesy misadventure featuring accidental deaths, sex-positive messages of female empowerment, and steel legs that ricochet bullets—this is Mafia Mamma. All joking aside, while Mafia Mamma will not win any awards, this comedy is worth its weight in severed fingers for the amount of fun I had … Continue reading Film Review: Mafia Mamma