Ripley Review – A Beautiful New Take On A Classic

Netflix’s new prestige TV show Ripley from Steven Zaillian, the writer behind fantastic movies like Schindler’s List (1993) and The Irishman (2019), isn’t the first adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s classic novel The Talented Mr. Ripley (1955), and it wouldn’t surprise me if it doesn’t end up being the last. The timing is interesting given we … Read more

The First Omen Review – A First Attempt That Promises A Bright Future

We live in an era right now where every somewhat notable horror movie from the past needs to get a legacy sequel of some sort. And I know this trend isn’t exclusive to the horror genre, but where else would you get a masterpiece like The Exorcist: Believer? David Gordon Green is really delivering the … Read more

We’re All Gonna Die Review – A Golden Spike

If you were on the Internet in the late 2000s/early 2010s, you’ve likely run into Freddie Wong before. Past his own wildly popular YouTube channel back in the day, Wong is the architect of Rocket Jump’s acclaimed short films, the TV Shows Video Game High School and Anime Crimes Division, the comedy writing podcast Story … Read more

Review: Netflix’s Avatar The Last Airbender – At Least It’s Better Than The Movie

I had the amazingly good fortune as an 11 year old boy to be seated in front of the television in our basement on February 21, 2005, for the long-awaited premiere of Avatar: The Last Airbender. Over the past few months, the ads for the new fantasy series had played on Nickelodeon, over and over, … Read more

Cuckoo Berlinale Review – Irritating, Unwieldy, Fun

How do you even begin to talk about a movie as weird, messy, but ultimately fun as Cuckoo? It’s a modern giallo from Germany, brought to us by NEON, about a secluded resort in the mountains, strange noises that put you in temporary time loops, and screeching women with red, glowing eyes that try to … Read more

Meanwhile on Earth Berlinale Review – Just Like Space It’s A Whole Lot Of Nothing

I was absolutely enamored with writer/director Jérémy Clapin’s feature debut, I Lost My Body (2019), when I finally watched it for the first time the other day. An animated movie that used the intimate speficity of every carefully crafted frame and brushstroke within to tell a story that celebrated the smallest of sensations that make … Read more

A Different Man Berlinale Review: You Can’t Run From Who You Are

The tale of the disfigured individual, demonized by its society and pitied by the audience, is one that’s been retold many times in cinema. From The Elephant Man (1980) to Wonder (2017) to the here frequently referenced Beauty and the Beast (1991), it’s understood that these people are simply victims of their genetic code—or whatever … Read more

Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom Review – A Modern B-Movie Blockbuster

The DCEU has now officially ended in December 2023. But before we say our goodbyes to a cinematic universe filled with ups and downs (and maybe a few more downs than ups, if we’re being honest), there’s still one final movie to watch. Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom is the second of what was once … Read more

Review: Percy Jackson & the Olympians – Episodes 1 & 2

I must confess first and foremost that Percy Jackson and the Olympians was one of my favorite book series growing up. Throughout middle and high school, I was completely sucked into Rick Riordan’s urban fantasy stories where a world of mythology hides just beneath the surface, and great heroes emerge from otherwise inconspicuous 8th grade … Read more