drama
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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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Coppola’s “Megalopolis” is a Plea for the Future from the Past (Review)
Coppola is the singular creative visionary – a position that comes with an infinity of expectations and pressure, but if anyone can handle them, it’s the five-time Oscar winner who has delivered four of the greatest films ever made. 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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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 Life-Affirming Beauty of “Sing Sing” (Review)
The formerly incarcerated men tell their own stories in a way that feels true to the spirit of the program, within a film that treats their situation with the necessary gravity while maintaining a levity that becomes crucial to the… Continue reading
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Lessons from the Wasteland: Long Takes
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 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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The Wasteland Spotlight: The 2024 Tribeca Film Festival
If you’re looking for new outlets for checking out films, this article series is a perfect way to seek out new channels to dive into. Continue reading
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“The Exorcism” is the Poster Child of Squandered Potential (Review)
Conceptually, it could be brilliant – but how does one pull it off? Continue reading
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Lessons from the Wasteland: Stanley Kubrick
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 Unexpected Humanity of “Sasquatch Sunset” (Review)
On the surface, a wonderfully ridiculous comedy about the life of a Sasquatch family over the course of a year, “Sasquatch Sunset” quickly reveals itself to be something else entirely. Continue reading
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“Civil War” is a Timely, Apolitical Vision of Disaster (Review)
While the film takes place during a fictional near-future civil war in the United States, it doesn’t have much interest in engaging with the war itself, or its causes. Continue reading
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Lessons from the Wasteland: Narration
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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Looking Ahead to the 2025 Oscars
Every year, when the Academy Awards are done and over with, the minds of curious cinephiles are always thinking ahead. It will be nearly a year before next year’s ceremony, but it’s never too early to start predicting – especially… Continue reading
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Editor Jonathan Alberts Discusses the Ending and Music of “All of Us Strangers”
In my interview with All of Us Strangers editor Jonathan Alberts, he discussed his process, editorial style, working relationship with writer/director Andrew Haigh, and more. We also discussed the ending of the film, an emotional gut punch that I would… Continue reading
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Lessons from the Wasteland: The Coen Brothers
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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“All of Us Strangers” Editor Jonathan Alberts on Genre, Style, and Post-Production Discoveries
We were lucky enough to interview Jonathan Alberts, the editor of All of Us Strangers. As of February 22, the film is available to stream on Hulu, and I urge all of the uninitiated to check it out as soon… Continue reading
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How To Win Your 2024 Office Oscar Pool
A time-honored office tradition is slinging money on the Oscars. Because, and let’s be honest, one of the most simple joys in life is upstaging your co-workers. And this year’s Oscars are right around the corner, set to air the… Continue reading
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Lessons from the Wasteland: Science Fiction
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 Wasteland Spotlight: 7th Annual Animation First Film Festival
If you’re looking for new outlets for checking out films, this article series is a perfect way to seek out new channels to dive into. For this edition, I highlight some of the films premiering at France’s 7th Annual Animation… Continue reading
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The Wasteland Spotlight: 2024 Sundance Short Films
If you’re looking for new outlets for checking out films, this article series is a perfect way to seek out new channels for new films to dive into. For this edition, I highlight some of the short films premiering at… Continue reading
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Ten Takeaways from the 2024 Oscar Nominations
Another year, another round of Oscar nominations to over-analyze until the glorious cycle repeats itself next awards season. Let us embark on this journey together as we discuss ten snubs, surprises, musings, and takeaways from the 2024 Oscar nominations. Continue reading
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If I Picked the Oscars: A Dream of 2024
If you had control over the Academy Awards…what would you nominate? It’s a question that’s almost certainly run through the minds of every cinephile, and instead of hopelessly dreaming this year, I decided to put them into words. Continue reading
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The 10 Best Films of 2023
By all accounts, 2023 was an incredible year for film. Our contributors saw a cumulative hundreds of films from January to December, but there were some clear favorites. What follows is the combined Knock on Wood Top 10 of 2023. Continue reading
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William Friedkin’s “Sorcerer” Deserves Your Attention
William Friedkin’s forgotten 1977 thriller “Sorcerer” deserves a renaissance. Here’s why. Continue reading
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The Underseen Gems of 2023
While some films garner awards attention and spread rapidly across the zeitgeist through word-of-mouth, the majority find it difficult to break through the myriad of new releases. Each of our writers will take you on a journey through some of… Continue reading
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Examining “The Boy and the Heron” as Miyazaki’s True Masterpiece
In the complete picture that is the Ghibli pantheon, “The Boy and the Heron” is a culmination of Miyazaki’s works and the themes that have proliferated each one. Continue reading
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“The Shepherd” Showcases a Disturbing Streaming Trend
Disney+ doesn’t cycle through content like Max, Netflix, and Hulu, so theoretically, it should be the top dog when it comes to the so-called “Streaming Wars.” Continue reading
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“Napoleon” Has a Complex
Whatever your opinions are about historical epics, overlong movies, and surrealist performances that clash with the film’s tone, “Napoleon” will get you thinking, for better or for worse, about what you just saw. Continue reading
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