After totally neglecting the cliffhanger ending of its second season, this week Hannibal brings us up to speed—at least somewhat—reacquainting us with Will Graham after what’s revealed to be a six month gap since that hellish night at Hannibal Lecter’s house. But first, “Primavera” takes us all the way back to that night, presenting the final…
What I love best about the titling scheme Bryan Fuller has chosen for Hannibal—this season, each episode is named after an Italian course; the previous seasons were French and Japanese, respectively—is how it at once constitutes gimmickry and structural importance. Not every episode is perfectly aligned with its title, but many come pretty close. “Antipasto”…
The days are long, the weather hot, and the movies big. That's right it's summer and that means that the winter freeze on movies is over and we can look forward to the popcorn flicks, raunchy comedies, and the first of the Oscar contenders in theaters. Last year we saw huge sleeper hits like Guardians of…
There’s really no way to even begin talking about “South Side Rules” without mentioning that knockout of an ending. Looking back on it, it’s a classic bait-and-switch. Ian and Mickey are too happy—seriously, how adorable is their drunken “Love Is a Battlefield” sing along—and that should be the first sign that something is about to…
Penny Dreadful has been a show shrouded in as much mystery as its storyline. All we had to go off of was its name. A penny dreadful was a work of fiction that was usually written in an extremely graphic fashion that was released over a course of a few weeks, costing a penny. Whatever…
Jason Reitman, of Thank You for Smoking and Juno, brings us his latest comment on modern society: Men, Women, and Children. This film follows the lives of several teenagers and their parents, befitting the title. It focuses on the constraints of our technological world, loss of human connection, with an overarching theme of insignificance. The…
Dan Gilroy makes his directorial debut with Nightcrawler, which he also penned, starring Jake Gyllenhaal. A gripping psychological thriller, Nightcrawler follows Louis Bloom (Gyllenhall), a persistent young man eager to break into the world of L.A. crime journalism. Having first screened on the Toronto International Film Festival, Nightcrawler claims a Halloween release date, a fitting…
Jennifer Kent wrote and directed the Australian horror film, The Babadook. Based on the short film, also by Kent, The Babadook rose to critical acclaim after being premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. This is Kent’s debut feature film, drawing inspiration from early horror, fairy tales, and magic. Kent puts a hand-crafted twist on a…
Jean-Marc Vallee directs the biographical film written by Nick Hornby, Wild. This film is based on the memoir, Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail, written by Cheryl Strayed. Vallee’s Dallas Buyers Club last year elicited two Oscar-winning performances, setting a high standard for Reese Witherspoon in the lead role and Laura…
Tim Burton has given us gothic classics that will last us throughout our lives. From the spook-inducing and gorgeously crafted Nightmare Before Christmas, to the satire of suburbia and tale of acceptance of Edward Scissorhands, he's produced and influenced a multitude of works that started strong. However, in recent years it has become more a…
