★★★ Is this seriously the second film titled Swan Song to come out in 2021? In my opinion, the wrong one is getting all the acclaim. No, this will not be a Swan Song vs. Swan Song battle royale, but it does go without saying that both films have an incredible emotional depth to them. … Continue reading Film Review: Swan Song
Film Review: Not Knowing
★★★ The coming-of-age gay drama is practically old hat at this point, so what more can Turkish drama Not Knowing add to the conversation? The answer, it seems, is quite significant. The film from writer/director Leyla Yilmaz goes to some dark places, as it explores the effects of bullying on a young gay teen and … Continue reading Film Review: Not Knowing
Film Review: You Mean Everything to Me
★★★★ A disturbing coercive control drama about one seriously twisted romance, You Mean Everything to Me explores the dark side of love. Down on her luck, freshly kicked out of her sister’s house and living out of her car, Cassandra (Morgan Saylor) is about to meet someone who will change her life forever. Enter: Nathan … Continue reading Film Review: You Mean Everything to Me
TV Review: And Just Like That…
This review contains spoilers for the first four episodes of And Just Like That… Please read at your own risk! And just like that… Sex and the City returns with an assured and boldly dramatic vengeance! The new series, titled And Just Like That… brings back all of the main players and their partners, despite … Continue reading TV Review: And Just Like That…
Press Conference: Don’t Look Up Cast & Director
Earlier this week, a select group of journalists submitted questions before a virtual press conference over Zoom for Netflix’s new politically-charged dark comedy, Don’t Look Up. The impressive panel included Director Adam McKay, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Meryl Streep, Jonah Hill, Tyler Perry, and Kid Cudi. To our delight, moderator (and astronomer!) Amy Mainzer chose … Continue reading Press Conference: Don’t Look Up Cast & Director
Film Review: National Champions
★★★ In what has to be one of the more generically-titled movies of 2021, National Champions comes late into the year carrying a specular J.K. Simmons performance inside the coat of a semi-boring drama. While I have no doubts about the intention of the filmmakers to craft a story worth telling, I personally did not … Continue reading Film Review: National Champions
Film Review: Don’t Look Up
★★★★ Don’t Look Up is a brilliant film, simultaneously functioning as both apt socially-charged drama and biting dark comedy. Filling his movies with top-tier talent has always been a trademark of director Adam McKay (see: The Big Short, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, and Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby), and this one … Continue reading Film Review: Don’t Look Up
Film Review: West Side Story
★★★★★ The original West Side Story is widely considered one of the best movie musicals of all time, garnering a whopping ten Oscar wins, and spreading the gospel of Tony and Maria far and wide. Earlier in the week, I watched the 1961 classic for the first time ever (having known the songs mainly through … Continue reading Film Review: West Side Story
Film Review: Mixtape
★★★ Set in 1999 Spokane, Mixtape follows adorable twelve-year-old Beverly (Gemma Brooke Allen) as she accidentally destroys the cassette mixtape belonging to her deceased mother. She is left with only a mysterious track list, and remains clueless as to how to repair it. Now, Beverly will do whatever it takes to find each and every … Continue reading Film Review: Mixtape
Film Review: Death of a Telemarketer
★★★ No offense to anyone in the seedy profession of telemarketing, but there is no secret here that they are among the most despised individuals. Racking up one's phone with senseless calls about imaginary car warranties, special opportunities, and exclusive offers, telemarketers are the scourge of any cell phone owner. Death of a Telemarketer posits … Continue reading Film Review: Death of a Telemarketer