comedy
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Horror for the Holidays (May’s Monthly Horror Recs)
Welcome to the fifth edition of May’s Monthly Horror Recs, where it’s always the time of year for scary movies! Continue reading
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Lessons from the Wasteland: Early Animation
Welcome to class! Each film on this curated watchlist will highlight either a filmmaker, sub-genre, filmmaking technique, or significant topic in order to broaden your cinematic horizons. Continue reading
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“Wake Up Dead Man” Keeps the Knives Sharp (Review)
I would be perfectly excited if Rian Johnson made a new “Knives Out” movie every few years for as long as he wants to. Continue reading
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In “Eternity,” Love Never Dies…It Just Gets Complicated (Review)
Pitting Larry and Luke against each other with their lived experiences is the kind of romantic rivalry you just can’t see anywhere else. Continue reading
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“Rental Family” Finds the Truth in Human Relationships (Review)
There are things with which we all need help, or moments where we just need somebody to be there. Continue reading
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“Is This Thing On?” is Bradley Cooper’s Midlife Mic Check (Review)
“Is This Thing On?” lies somewhere on the spectrum between Judd Apatow and Noah Baumbach as Cooper toes the line between quirky familial drama and genuine laughs. Continue reading
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Paul Thomas Anderson’s Latest is One Banger After Another (Review)
It’s rare to sit down for a movie and realize in real time that you’re watching a masterpiece. You can see the future, and that what you’re witnessing is going to be cherished and discussed for many decades to come.… Continue reading
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Lessons from the Wasteland: Live Action Fantasy
Welcome to class! Each film on this curated watchlist will highlight either a filmmaker, sub-genre, filmmaking technique, or significant topic in order to broaden your cinematic horizons. Continue reading
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Lessons from the Wasteland: Non-Linear Storytelling
Welcome to class! Each film on this curated watchlist will highlight either a filmmaker, sub-genre, filmmaking technique, or significant topic in order to broaden your cinematic horizons. Continue reading
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Five Underseen Horror Films to Watch This July (May’s Monthly Recs)
Welcome to the second edition of May’s Monthly Horror Recs, where it’s always the time of year for scary movies! Continue reading
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“Eddington” is Something Different for Ari Aster (Review)
Alienation is inevitable in the works of Mr. Aster, whose polarizing subjects are, this time, holding an uncomfortable mirror up to an audience that is undoubtedly unsure of what to expect from his latest venture. Continue reading
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“Superman” is Ambitious, but Delightfully Authentic (Review)
There was only one place to start for a brand-new DC universe, and it was their most powerful and inspiring hero. Continue reading
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The 10 Best Films of 2025, So Far: A Midyear Report
Today marks the midway point of both an unusually painful year and the most tumultuous decade in recent memory. Today, we will be examining ten films released this year that our contributors connected with, and have so far taken their… Continue reading
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“The Life of Chuck” is an Inspiration for All Time (Review)
Like most of Flanagan’s work, it’s highly evocative, but this time of memory rather than fright. Continue reading
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Lessons from the Wasteland: Flashbacks
Welcome to class! Each film on this curated watchlist will highlight either a filmmaker, sub-genre, filmmaking technique, or significant topic in order to broaden your cinematic horizons. Continue reading
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Every Best Picture Winner Ranked (Part One)
The Academy Award for Best Picture has been awarded for almost a century to the film deemed to represent not necessarily the most popular, but the most culturally relevant in that year’s cinematic lineup. Continue reading
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Lessons from the Wasteland: John Carpenter
Welcome to class! Each film on this curated watchlist will highlight either a filmmaker, sub-genre, filmmaking technique, or significant topic in order to broaden your cinematic horizons. Continue reading
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“The Monkey” is a Terrifically Fatalistic Ode to Death Everlasting (Review)
Perkins’ wry personality shines through in this delightfully demented ode to the inescapable fate awaiting us all…after all, as long as we know it’s coming, there’s more than enough time to laugh about it. Continue reading
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“Heart Eyes” Has a Lot to Love (Review)
It doesn’t reinvent the wheel of either genre, but the novel approach to their combination gives a fan of both something new to see. Continue reading
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“Love Hurts,” But It Doesn’t Sting (Review)
“Love Hurts” has a unique earnestness to it, and a confidence that can be off-putting to those not expecting an unapologetically silly movie. Continue reading
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Remembering David Lynch
David Lynch, one of the most iconic and stylistically recognizable filmmakers of all time, passed away recently at the age of 78. Continue reading
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Our Most Anticipated Movies of 2025
There are plenty of films, whether they be original, adaptations, or sequels, that we’re looking forward to this year. Continue reading
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“Companion” is a Darkly Thrilling Genre-Bender (Review)
“Companion” is at its most entertaining when you surrender yourself to the wonderful chaos. Continue reading
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The 10 Best Films of 2024
Though it may not have reached the heights of years previous, 2024 has proven to be a fascinating year for cinema. Continue reading
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The Underseen Gems of 2024
Knock on Wood presents: our favorite under-appreciated masterpieces from 2024. Continue reading
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Lessons from the Wasteland: Montage
Welcome to class! Each film on this curated watchlist will highlight either a filmmaker, sub-genre, filmmaking technique, or significant topic in order to broaden your cinematic horizons. Continue reading
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The 25 Best Movie Musicals of the Last 25 Years
Musicals have certainly had their ups and downs over the years, but it’s quite clear that musicals are experiencing a high water mark in entertainment spectacle and audience engagement. Continue reading
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Too Many Movies, Too Little Time: A Summary of the 2024 Fall Movie Season (Part Two)
To commemorate the conclusion of the season, we have reviewed every new release (that I have seen) that has not been previously covered on our site. Continue reading
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Awards Season Ramps Up: A Summary of the 2024 Fall Movie Season (Part One)
To commemorate the conclusion of the season, we have reviewed every new release (that I have seen) that has not been previously covered on our site. Continue reading
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Lessons from the Wasteland: Mel Brooks
Welcome to class! Each film on this curated watchlist will highlight either a filmmaker, sub-genre, filmmaking technique, or significant topic in order to broaden your cinematic horizons. Continue reading
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Wallace & Gromit Return with a “Vengeance Most Fowl” (Review)
This new film is the confluence of the best ideas and imagery this series has offered in its 35 years of history, and to bring back one of their most iconic baddies is just icing on the cake. Continue reading
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The Movies That Made Us – A One-Year Anniversary Celebration
Even if they weren’t the exact movie that made you a cinephile, every film fan has one (or many) that you can cite as one of the central inspirations for that passion. Continue reading
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“Moana 2” Struggles with Structure (Review)
One song every quarter of an hour cements what I already knew (and this is the kicker) – I think this would have made a very good series. Continue reading
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“Red One” is Not Bad…It’s Something Much Worse (Review)
It’s a movie designed to live as a Blu-ray in front of the checkout aisle at Target with a 30% off sticker slapped on the case. Continue reading
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“Anora” is the Fairytale of Your American Dreams (Review)
“Anora” lets us bask in director Sean Baker’s perspective on Americana, its broken dream, and the ever-expanding wealth gap and classism rotting at the country’s core. Continue reading
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Lessons from the Wasteland: Symmetrical Composition
Welcome to class! Each film on this curated watchlist will highlight either a filmmaker, sub-genre, filmmaking technique, or significant topic in order to broaden your cinematic horizons. Continue reading
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Family History is “A Real Pain” (Review)
This should be the poster child for how to approach historical trauma with sensitivity and tact while maintaining a levity that is necessary to escape the ever-present pull of misery. Continue reading
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Live from 1975, it’s “Saturday Night!” (Review)
Complex and controversial history aside, it’s undeniable that SNL changed the landscape of television and entertainment as a whole. This is the perfect time for a movie like this. Continue reading
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Pharrell Williams Takes Us Through his LEGO Life “Piece by Piece” (Review)
The story itself doesn’t matter. It all comes down to how it’s told. Continue reading
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The Most Exciting Film Festival Premieres of 2024
Film festivals happen throughout the year, but the premieres ramp up from the end of the summer through the beginning of fall. Continue reading
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“Omni Loop” Juggles Buddy Comedy, Black Holes, and Existential Regret (Review)
Despite biting off more than it can chew, I could see “Omni Loop” becoming an underground hit. Continue reading
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Lessons from the Wasteland: Martin Scorsese
Welcome to class! Each film on this curated watchlist will highlight either a filmmaker, sub-genre, filmmaking technique, or significant topic in order to broaden your cinematic horizons. Continue reading
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Everything We Didn’t Review: A Summary of the 2024 Summer Movie Season
To commemorate the conclusion of the season, we have reviewed every new release (that I have seen) that has not been previously covered on our site. Continue reading
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“Borderlands” Spectacularly Reinforces the Video Game Movie Curse (Review)
“Borderlands” is a neutered-down experience that will disappoint fans, and dull would-be fans that don’t know what they’re missing. Continue reading
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Lessons from the Wasteland: Horror (Part II)
Welcome to class! My full time job is working at a university, and I teach as well. One of my dreams has always been to teach a film class. Taking students through the world of cinema and helping them learn… Continue reading
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“Deadpool & Wolverine” is a Worrisome Reflection of a Risky Future (Review)
Even if you don’t take into account its lack of rewatch value, “Deadpool & Wolverine” will not stand the test of time. Continue reading
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Sean Wang Strikes Gold with Poignant Coming-of-Age Triumph “Dìdi” (Review)
“Dìdi” is a perfectly preserved time capsule of a movie, executed with the care and precision that imbues it with an instantly authentic feel. Continue reading
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The 10 Best Films of 2024, So Far: A Midyear Report
Whether or not 2024 will outlast 2023 in terms of beloved classics, there’s still plenty of time for the new releases to surprise us. Continue reading
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“Kinds of Kindness” is Lanthrimos’ Ode to Desire and Control (Review)
Lanthimos wants his films to get back to what works best about his filmmaking style and language: the acknowledgment that there’s inherent absurdity to the natural depravity behind our desire for control, and to be controlled. Continue reading
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Off the Beaten Path: Martin Brest’s Student Film “Hot Dogs for Gauguin” is a Rare, Explosive Treat
It’s very well put together, but it’s only a hint at the mastery that Brest will come to have over the language of cinema. Continue reading
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