Midnight Special Movie Review — A pitch-perfect 80’s sci-fi throwback
Midnight Special proves that you don't need huge explosions, action set pieces, or over-the-top special effects to make a great sci-fi movie The 80s are back in style. From Carly Rae Jepsen's EMOTION to Stranger Things to Everybody Wants Some, it seems like Hollywood had a board meeting and decided that this is the decade we're…
Green Room Movie Review — A tense thriller that pits punks against Nazis
Tense, grizzly, and incredibly well-made, Green Room is a unique and incredibly strong entry in the thriller genre. What can I say about Jeremy Saulnier's dark and twisted Green Room that hasn't already been said? It's a movie that has never truly existed until now. Maybe the general premise has, but the way Saulnier tackles it is unique in almost…
Star Trek Beyond Movie Review — Focus on character revitalizes the reboot franchise
Justin Lin's Star Trek Beyond shows that a blockbuster can be in the same realm as a character drama and still be successful Going into Star Trek Beyond I wasn't feeling the highest on Star Trek Into Darkness (check out my review here). I thought it was thisclose to being a great movie. But two things kept it from that. The first was…
Star Trek Into Darkness Movie Review — A solid but underwhelming follow up
It doesn't live up to the first movie in the franchise, but Star Trek Into Darkness holds its own as an action thriller With Star Trek Beyond hitting theaters this week I thought it'd be the perfect time to go back and review its predecessor, Star Trek Into Darkness (the title gets a negative review). I need to explain my history…
Atomic Blonde review — Charlize Theron is the action hero we need
Atomic Blonde is a fun, 80s romp of an action movie with a performance announcing Charlize Theron as our next great action heroine There’s a scene about two-thirds of the way through Atomic Blonde that can only be summed up as “that scene.” It’s the scene that will stick with you at the end movie. At…
Why ‘Closet Monster’ is a Modern Gay Masterpiece of Accepting Yourself
While there has been a resurgence of great gay coming-of-age stories, Closet Monster has been pushed to the side. However, it deserves to get its due as a queer masterpiece. I have watched this movie 4 times before being able to put into words what this movie makes me feel. Closet Monster revolves around Oscar Madly as…
2018 Oscar Nominations — Final Predictions
The Oscar nominations for the 90th Annual Academy Awards are upon us! This has easily been the most unpredictable season in recent memory for the Oscars. There is still no solid Best Picture frontrunner and most categories don't have a solid group of nominees yet. Come nominations morning — Tuesday, January 23rd — we are…
Tower review — Bravely reconstructs the first American school shooting
Tower is one of the most innovative documentaries in recent memory by blending rotoscope animation with live-action footage to emotional results. Many times with documentaries, especially those covering historical events, it feels like you are being taught a piece of the past that stays in the past and belongs in the past. However, with Tower, Keith Maitland,…
Krisha review — Bold and emotionally breathtaking
Krisha is an incredible debut film by Trey Edwards Schultz with an emotional powerhouse performance by Krisha Fairchild As I'm sitting here trying to write this review for Krisha, I'm finding that I don't even know where to start. The experience of the film is, for lack of a better term, emotionally devastating. Simply put, it's one of the…
Lion review — A remarkable true story beautifully told
Lion is one of the few inspirational true stories that translates beautifully on screen thanks to director Garth Davis and a strong performance by Dev Patel A Long Way Home, the book that the movie Lion is based on, is essentially devoid of emotion. That's not to fault the book's author and subject Saroo Brierley. He simply wasn't equipped with…