★★★ The rom-com formula works so well for a very particular reason, with the primary one being the comfort of seeing two people fall in love. In Prime Video's How to Date Billy Walsh, the filmmakers assume that its leads have the chemistry to go the distance, without ever proving it as such. At first, … Continue reading Film Review: How to Date Billy Walsh
Genres
Film Review: Model House
★ For a horror/thriller about a bunch of vapid models thrown into a house together forced to join their non-existent wits to survive, Model House, in theory, sounds like a blast for the correct subset of viewers. Movies in this genre with simplistic premises thrive or die at the mercy of their cast and director, … Continue reading Film Review: Model House
Film Review: Sting
★★★★ We are all inherently scared of irrational things, many of which never stand an actual chance of hurting us. One of the finest examples: arachnophobia, the fear of spiders. These tiny insects are mostly harmless, even if their bites annoy, or the feeling lingers of accidentally walking into one of their intricately-spun webs by … Continue reading Film Review: Sting
TV Review: Chucky Season 3 – Part 2
With the first half of season three slicing through the White House back in October, it may feel like the extended wait to see Chucky's third outing conclude has dulled the blade ever-so-slighty. Damn you, pesky strikes! Lest viewers have any doubt, we should learn by now never to count out Don Mancini. Only he … Continue reading TV Review: Chucky Season 3 – Part 2
TV Review: Mary & George
Fresh off a banner year for Nicholas Galitzine (Red, White & Royal Blue, Bottoms) and Oscar-winner Julianne Moore (May December, Sharper), tantalizingly soapy STARZ series Mary & George arrives with plenty of fanfare. Set in 1612 and inspired by a non-fiction book, its tale of seduction, deceit, social climbing, and murder will satiate even the … Continue reading TV Review: Mary & George
Film Review: Asphalt City
★★★★ Based on Shannon Burke's 2008 novel, Black Flies, Asphalt City brings a grimy, in-depth character study to light. Leading this dark drama is Tye Sheridan (Ready Player One, Scouts Guide to the Apocalypse), who also produces alongside his onscreen partner, Oscar-winner Sean Penn (Milk, Gangster Squad). As the lead, rookie paramedic Ollie, Sheridan carries … Continue reading Film Review: Asphalt City
Film Review: Wicked Little Letters
★★★★ A film claiming to be "more true than you'd think" is always a great way to immediately snatch audience attention. Wicked Little Letters, set in the 1920s, hones in on what was allegedly the worst letter crime ever. In the sleepy town of Littlehampton, a wave of curse-word-laden handwritten letters swept across the desks … Continue reading Film Review: Wicked Little Letters
Theater Review: Water for Elephants, The Musical
Set in the 1930s during Prohibition, Broadway’s newest book/movie/stage adaptation, Water for Elephants, The Musical, makes a colossal, elephant-sized imprint on a crowded theatre landscape. This “spectacular” show takes the word quite literally, fully immersing the audience in its extravagance and over-the-top excitement. Is there any surprise that many in the ensemble have worked for … Continue reading Theater Review: Water for Elephants, The Musical
BFI Flare 2024: Since the Last Time We Met
★★★★ When one shares a connection with that special someone, it may change over time, yet the feelings never fully dissipate. Even warped by outside factors, that spark still exists. Such is the case in BFI Flare entry, Since the Last Time We Met. A queer drama written and directed by Matias De Leis Correa, … Continue reading BFI Flare 2024: Since the Last Time We Met
BFI Flare 2024: Riley
★★★★ There are times when a film feels so deeply personal that it could only have been conceived from a true, lived-in experience. Throughout many various scenes in Riley, it frequently felt as if I was looking through a mirror of my own coming out story. Similar to titular character Dakota Riley, I too viewed … Continue reading BFI Flare 2024: Riley