Kubo and the Two Strings Movie Review — One of the most gorgeously animated movies ever
With some of the most beautiful animations committed to film, Kubo and the Two Strings is a movie that prides itself on story and delivers on its promise “If you blink, do it now.” Some movies just remind you how much you love movies. These are the movies that transport you to a different world, dazzle you…
12 Years A Slave Movie Review — A Beautiful, Unflinching Film
Chiwetel Ejiofor guides "12 Years a Slave" with a strong, adroit performance. The first time I went to watch 12 Years a Slave it was at the height of its acclaim, buzz, and frontrunner status for the Oscars. There were so many expectations for the film and that may have clouded my original…
2014 Oscar Predictions: Best Supporting Actor (Is Jared Leto a Lock to Win?)
While Barkhad Abdi and Michael Fassbender are potential spoilers, Jared Leto is pretty far ahead in the race. Best Supporting Actor is one of the major categories that I would consider a lock. Jared Leto's transformative role in Dallas Buyers Club is emotional, funny, flashy, and heartbreaking. It's almost a tailor made…
2016 Oscar Predictions: Final Predictions
The Oscars are this Sunday, which means it's time to give you our FINAL 2016 Oscar Predictions. This means that from this point forward I are sticking with out picks and not changing at all. Now, while I try to use the most analytic process to choose who I think will win, sometimes you just have to…
2017 Oscar Predictions: Can Denzel Washington Win Oscar #3 in Best Actor?
Denzel Washington (Fences) could win his 3rd Oscar while Casey Affleck (Manchester by the Sea) is in the hunt for his first Oscar for Best Actor. For the longest time, it looked like Best Actor was going to be one of the sure-bets of the night. Until it didn't. After Denzel Washington (Fences) shockingly upset frontrunner Casey Affleck…
Sweat Broadway Review — A timely play on our political and social climate
Sweat tells a timely story that is made all the more effective from its strong perspective and sensational performances. Though Sweat, Lynn Nottage's Pulitzer-Prize winning play that opened this Spring, takes place in the dawn and wake of the Bush presidency (2000 and 2008), its relevance to our current political climate is palpable. The play is set mostly…
This is Where I Leave You Book Review — Darkly Funny, Emotionally Heavy, A Must Read
Judd Foxman has had a tough life recently. His baby was strangled by its umbilical cord in the womb, his wife is having an affair with his boss, and his father has just died. This is pretty heavy for the first few chapters of a comedic book, but this sets up for the premise of…
Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock Book Review — A Strong Concept is Let Down by Weak Writing
Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock tells the story of Leonard Peacock (imagine that) as he is about to embark on a life-changing mission. He has decided that today, his 18th birthday, to kill his former best friend Asher Beal and then kill himself. It’s a very interesting concept. To hear about teen on teen violence from the…
Me Before You Book Review — Jojo Moyes constructs a perfect tearjerking romance
I could not help but be drawn to the novel Me Before You after a barrage of positive reviews from family and friends, and I was even more drawn to the novel when a movie adaptation was announced. The author of Me Before You, Jojo Moyes, conjures an idiosyncratic story that revolves around a protagonist, Louisa…
I Am Not A Serial Killer Book Review — A creepy, but entertaining look into sociopathy
The author of I Am Not A Serial Killer, Dan Wells, constructs a novel that I describe as a blend of the show Dexter, Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein, and basically any show on the Syfy Network. In Wells’ premiere novel I Am Not A Serial Killer—the first novel in his John Cleaver series—we are presented with…