Anyone who spends much time at the movies can become so accustomed to the Hollywood three-act structure that they don’t even notice how entries of all genres start to bleed together into a single, predictable blur. So, it’s indescribably refreshing…
Movie Review: Sweet Virginia
It’s easy to see why the dark and shadowy world of film noir remains an attractive avenue for filmmaking. Exploring a world filled with sex, sin and the possibility of redemption shows us at our best and our worst. Based…
Movie Review: My Friend Dahmer
John Wayne Gacy. Son of Sam. The Hillside Strangler. It’s fascinating to see serial killers rise in fame alongside pop culture icons such as Elvis Presley or Madonna. One of the most gruesome butchers to emerge from the 20th century…
Movie Review: The Light of the Moon
The Light of the Moon is a tremendous film that will stick with you long after watching and may be one of the most important films that you watch this year. Timely in its dealing with abuse, the story revolves around…
Movie Review: Lady Bird
When I tell people I live in California I get two replies: “What part do you live in?” and “How close are you to Hollywood.” This belief that so much of what defines California is its glamour is in the…
Movie Review: Wonderstruck
The thought of Todd Haynes directing a kids movie is, at first glance, inherently odd. Similar to Martin Scorsese tackling Hugo, the established filmmaker behind mature, dense, softly impressionable R-rated films like I’m Not There, Velvet Goldmine, Safe and Carol doesn’t…
Movie Review: Jigsaw
The Saw franchise is an interesting case study. What initially started as a smart psychological thriller spawned into one of the most successful horror titles of all time, producing eight sequels and revamping the “torture porn” genre as we know…