Film
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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 âVengeance Most Fowlâ (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 â A One-Year Anniversary Celebration
Even if they werenât 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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âMoana 2â Struggles with Structure (Review)
One song every quarter of an hour cements what I already knew (and this is the kicker) â I think this would have made a very good series. Continue reading
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The Monumental Journey of âThe Brutalistâ (Review)
âThe Brutalistâ speaks beautifully and honestly to Americaâs betrayal of immigrants and the broken promise of the infamous (some might say mythical) American Dream. Continue reading
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âWickedâ Destroys All Doubt (Review)
âWickedâ is a coin with many faces, and its many morals are what makes it unique; itâs vivacious proof that a musical does not have to acknowledge its lessons directly in the lyrics of its songs. Continue reading
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âGladiator IIâ is Too Focused on Legacy (Review)
Ridley Scottâs movies are typically visually and tonally excellent, creating memorable images and sequences, but he doesnât really elevate material. Continue reading
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âRed Oneâ is Not BadâŚItâs Something Much Worse (Review)
Itâs 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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âThe Seed of the Sacred Figâ is a Titanic Achievement (Review)
âThe Seed of the Sacred Figâ doesnât exist because the director willed it into being, it exists because it demands to. There is no world in which it doesnât. Continue reading
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âLook Backâ on the Beauty of Art and the Everyday (Review)
âLook Backâ is a compelling argument for the power of art to transcend space and time and connect with the deepest parts of ourselves. Continue reading
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âAnoraâ is the Fairytale of Your American Dreams (Review)
âAnoraâ lets us bask in director Sean Bakerâs perspective on Americana, its broken dream, and the ever-expanding wealth gap and classism rotting at the countryâs core. Continue reading
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âConclaveâ Confronts Controversy with Grace and Faith (Review)
Controversy and the Church, for better or worse, go hand-in-hand. Continue reading
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Lessons from the Wasteland: Westerns
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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Clint Eastwoodâs âJuror #2â is Failed by the System it Celebrates (Review)
Thereâs a certain quality to âJuror #2â that I will forever find endearing, and that is its willingness to embrace the inherent excitement of its premise. Continue reading
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âBetter Manâ Rises Above the Biopic Formula (Review)
Itâs abundantly clear that this was a deeply personal film for Robbie Williams. Continue reading
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Steven Soderberghâs Experimental Horror âPresenceâ is a Haunting Delight
âPresenceâ is not a scary movie. Itâs actually very sweet, charming, and strangely funny, and horror-averse moviegoers will be relieved at the lack of deliberately jarring jump scares. Continue reading
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âWe Live in Timeâ Has its Heart in the Right Place (Review)
Even with a structure thatâs frustratingly inconsistent, the greater frustration is that there are such compelling themes, ideas, and performances that ideally would have been done a bit more justice. 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 âA Real Painâ (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, itâs âSaturday Night!â (Review)
Complex and controversial history aside, itâs 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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Coppolaâs âMegalopolisâ is a Plea for the Future from the Past (Review)
Coppola is the singular creative visionary â a position that comes with an infinity of expectations and pressure, but if anyone can handle them, itâs the five-time Oscar winner who has delivered four of the greatest films ever made. Continue reading
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âSalemâs Lotâ Captures the Crowd with a Thrilling Absurdity (Review)
Iâm afraid my experience at this premiere makes this movie impossible to rate objectively â it was one of the most energetic and reactive crowds I have ever been a part of at the cinema, and everyone there seemed perfectly… Continue reading
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Pharrell Williams Takes Us Through his LEGO Life âPiece by Pieceâ (Review)
The story itself doesnât matter. It all comes down to how itâs 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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âApartment 7Aâ Reflects the Timeless Horror of âRosemaryâs Babyâ (Review)
For all intents and purposes, âApartment 7Aâ is a remake of âRosemaryâs Baby.â If youâve seen the original, especially recently (as I have), the beats will feel incredibly familiar Continue reading
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âSpeak No Evilâ Review: Reimagining Genre (and Cultural) Boundaries
Itâs not a horror movie, per se, but more of a ticklish, unsettling character comedy before it becomes a full-throttle thrill ride straight to the finish line. 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 Didnât 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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âAlien: Romulusâ Revives the Spacebound Terror (Review)
âAlien: Romulusâ is at its best when Ălvarez releases any inhibitions and lets loose: a slice of dismal future life, injected with a healthy dose of creature-driven terror. Continue reading
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âBorderlandsâ Spectacularly Reinforces the Video Game Movie Curse (Review)
âBorderlandsâ is a neutered-down experience that will disappoint fans, and dull would-be fans that donât know what theyâre 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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âTrapâ is Another Shyamalan Masterwork (Review)
Itâs not an exaggeration to say that watching âTrapâ was the most fun Iâve had in a cinema so far this year. Continue reading
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âDeadpool & Wolverineâ is a Worrisome Reflection of a Risky Future (Review)
Even if you donât take into account its lack of rewatch value, âDeadpool & Wolverineâ will not stand the test of time. Continue reading
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Sean Wang Strikes Gold with Poignant Coming-of-Age Triumph âDĂŹdiâ (Review)
âDĂŹdiâ 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 âSing Singâ (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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The Singular Horror Experience of âLonglegsâ (Review)
âLonglegsâ gets under your skin in a way thatâs very difficult to put into words. Continue reading
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âMaXXXineâ Blends Sex, Violence, and Hollywood in Ti Westâs Trilogy Capper (Review)
Despite some very clunky plotting, Westâs homages are so well done that I ultimately find myself coming down in their favor. 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, thereâs still plenty of time for the new releases to surprise us. Continue reading
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âKinds of Kindnessâ is Lanthrimosâ 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 thereâs inherent absurdity to the natural depravity behind our desire for control, and to be controlled. Continue reading
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âA Quiet Place: Day Oneâ is Proof Positive of Hope Amidst Desolation
Worries about âprequel-itisâ and the unnecessary additions to an already-developed world are warranted and understandable, but âDay Oneâ instantly distinguishes itself with a self-sufficient narrative and character development that properly takes advantage of the seriesâ intentional visual storytelling. Continue reading
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Off the Beaten Path: Martin Brestâs Student Film âHot Dogs for Gauguinâ is a Rare, Explosive Treat
Itâs very well put together, but itâs 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 youâre 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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âThe Exorcismâ is the Poster Child of Squandered Potential (Review)
Conceptually, it could be brilliant â but how does one pull it off? Continue reading
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âThe Watchersâ is a Convincing Argument for a Career (Review)
Shyamalanâs debut is clearly inspired by her fatherâs thriller and horror work, but forges a path all its own by way of presentation. Continue reading
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Revenge Comedy âThelmaâ Takes a Cleverly Pleasant Approach to Aging
âThelmaâ is not the first of its kind â revenge movies starring elderly folks â but itâs certainly the best. Continue reading
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The Sweet, Unconventional Love of âHumanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Personâ (Review)
Despite the delicious tease of the title, thereâs a deliberate play on expectations â instead of a morose meditation on the inevitability of death, âHumanist Vampireâ is a black comedy about morality and obligation that asks us to confront the… 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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âFuriosaâ is an Action-Driven Trek Through a Familiar Wasteland (Review)
This is it: the prequel that proves why prequels should exist. A film that both complements and aggrandizes the original while being functionally independent and standing on its own. Continue reading
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Roâs Colored Glasses: Revisiting the Time-Traveling Antics of âMr. Peabody and Shermanâ
Roâs Colored Glasses is a series where I re-examine these films from my childhood with a more refined and educated perspective, and re-evaluate them as fairly and objectively as possible (if there even is such a method). Continue reading
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Divisive Reviews Make Me Even More Excited About âMegalopolisâ
I always admire a risk, and Megalopolis looks to be one of the riskiest films ever put to the screenâŚand for that alone, it has my anticipation. Continue reading
