Who is you? That is the titular question at hand during the entirety of Barry Jenkins' visceral character study, Moonlight. After a string of underwhelming films this year, such as Jason Bourne and Cafe Society, I was floored when Moonlight not only delivered, but inspired me as well. As a filmmaker, it is common to hear, … Continue reading A Searing Portrait of Repressed Identity: Moonlight Review
A beautiful woman navigates the seas one stormy night, her eyes heavy with sorrow and exhaustion. Powerful currents pull her back towards danger, but fear pushes her forward. A wave rises forty, fifty feet above her, and as it is about to crash down on her, she holds up a pick and strikes her three-stringed shamisen (Japanese lute). The … Continue reading Why You Need to See Kubo and the Two Strings
Phil Stevens is a mad man. No two ways about it anymore. He's one part Charlie Chaplin, presenting a silent demeanor that is accessible to people of any language (given they want to sit through the horror show) and one part Eric Stanze (in his keen attempt to bring true artistic merit to extreme cinema). … Continue reading The Fickleness of Memory: Lung II Review
The enigma that is Terence Malick has been discussed with film fans ever since his feature debut, Badlands. The man is a recluse as he avoids interviews, never likes having pictures taken of him, and rarely ever makes public appearances. Many thought we'd never get to see who the man actually was like. That's until … Continue reading The Deconstruction of Terence Malick in Knight of Cups
Last week we posted our review for My Master Satan: 3 Tales of Drug Fueled Violence. A day or two before that, I sat down with director Dakota Bailey for a few words about his killer debut feature. L24: Alright a couple basic questions. I usually do interviews one question at a time so it … Continue reading Interview with Evil: A Few Words with Director Dakota Bailey
Books adapted for the screen (big or small) tend to create a vocal audience. There’s always concerns about casting the right actors or what plot points might have to be sacrificed. Hollywood isn’t known for its loyalty to the text, but some works don’t translate well to the big screen. There have been a few … Continue reading Sci-Fi Novels We’d Love to See on the Big Screen: Part I
When I first started watching the new horror anthology film My Master Satan: 3 Tales of Drug Fueled Violence (abbreviated from here on out as MMS), I had zero idea what to expect. Garrett sent me a copy of the screener via email, and I went ahead and added it's director, Dakota Bailey, on Facebook so … Continue reading The Dark Societal Reflections in My Master Satan: 3 Tales of Drug Fueled Violence
There exists an ever present pull within the independent film world to reach far beyond one's grasp. This is no secret. In fact, it's led to some of the finest debuts in cinema history; The 400 Blows (Truffaut), The Evil Dead (Raimi), El Mariachi (Rodriguez). But while it can yield fruitful rewards, it's also extremely … Continue reading Romance with a Twist: West of Her Review
The 2016 summer season is coming to an end and a couple of weeks ago I started seeing numerous articles saying, "the summer box office was in disarray". I let out a slight sigh and thought to myself, "Finding Dory and Pets are going to be really good and we still have Bourne and Suicide … Continue reading 6 Reasons Why Suicide Squad is Destined to Succeed
It's always a moment of excitement/horror when I notice a new Nicolas Winding Refn film is playing nearby. I embraced his work on Bronson, a hyperkinetic, rage fueled, Clockwork Orange inspired weird-fest. I think Drive is one of the most overrated films of the past ten years and I often half-jokingly describe Only God Forgives as “the best comedy … Continue reading The Confused Superficiality of The Neon Demon
