★★★ (Written by Intern, Sean Barry) The Critic aptly rewards patient viewers by steadily improving in quality as the story progresses. Despite a relatively slow beginning, tensions snowball until its gripping conclusion. A surprising story structure ultimately makes this project more than a simple star vehicle for veteran actor Ian McKellen. Gorgeous period-accurate costumes, sets, … Continue reading Film Review: The Critic
Film Review: Greedy People
★★★★ (Written by Intern, Sean Barry) In light of growing police brutality scandals flooding the country, more stories concerning police and their misadventures on the job have risen to the forefront. Some showcase dramatic beats, while others take a more comedic approach. Greedy People lies somewhere in the middle, boasting initial satirical humor that ultimately … Continue reading Film Review: Greedy People
Film Review: MaXXXine
★★★★★ In this outrageously entertaining finale of his surprise X trilogy, writer/director/editor Ti West culminates the story of “being a star” that he has been building towards since the very beginning. Switching gears into grimy 80s slasher sleaze, MaXXXine presents an entirely different subgenre of horror than either of its predecessors. Stylistically owing much to … Continue reading Film Review: MaXXXine
Film Review: Hit Man
★★★★ After first bearing witness to actor Glen Powell’s formidable talent as Dickie Dollar Scholar, Chad Radwell, in Ryan Murphy’s excellent-yet-short-lived Scream Queens, it instantly became obvious that he was destined for greatness. In my wildest dreams, I could not have imagined the breakout star he would eventually be hailed as, leading major summer tentpoles … Continue reading Film Review: Hit Man
Film Review: Marmalade
★★★★★ 2024 just started, and even still we already have one of the most unique and entertaining features of the year. Stranger Things breakout Joe Keery certainly knows how to pick them. Marmalade emerges as a semi-hybrid genre mixture, carefully blending crime, comedy, romance, and drama to intoxicating effect. As with Spree before it, Marmalade … Continue reading Film Review: Marmalade
TV Review: Tokyo Vice – Season 2
For its sophomore season, Max original crime/drama series Tokyo Vice swings for the fences. Picking up directly after its multiple dangling threads from last season’s finale, the seedy underbelly of 90s Tokyo greets us for a return. Many new additions—including a couple strong characters, and a major shift in the status quo—keep things feeling fresh. … Continue reading TV Review: Tokyo Vice – Season 2
Film Review: Hayseed
★★★★ In the spirit of Knives Out and other modern whodunnits, indie flick Hayseed depicts an engaging treat that challenges viewers to actually pay attention. Writer/director/producer Travis Burgess embraces his obvious inspirations with a loving touch of admiration that permeates the film. The phrase “passion project” is maybe a tad bit overused, yet that perfectly … Continue reading Film Review: Hayseed
Film Review: The Marsh King’s Daughter
★★★★ (Written by Intern, Kali Coogan) Need to heal some deep childhood trauma? A rifle and the wilderness is surely the key to a solution in tense thriller The Marsh King's Daughter. Based on Karen Dionne's bestselling novel, the story delves into an intricate web of family dynamics, redemption, and a haunting specter of a … Continue reading Film Review: The Marsh King’s Daughter
Film Review: Pain Hustlers
★★★ The opioid epidemic has been covered cinematically to the point of overexposure, so what more could a new Netflix drama really add to the conversation? Pain Hustlers aims to tell a different story, shifting focus from the victims of the crisis to the greedy pharmaceutical companies responsible in the first place. Morally grey and … Continue reading Film Review: Pain Hustlers
Woodstock 2023: The Kill Room
★★★★ The logline of The Kill Room sounds like the start of some bad joke. A hitman, his boss, an art dealer, and a money-laundering scheme—what could possibly go wrong? This dark comedy crime/thriller is far more entertaining than I had ever expected. Setting aside the obvious draw of a Pulp Fiction reunion with the … Continue reading Woodstock 2023: The Kill Room