Review| The Spy Who Dumped Me
The first time I ever watched a spy movie was in the 90’s with the release of the first Austin Powers movie. I remember being delighted by childish jokes and humorous spoofs of classic movie tropes. In my mind, spy…
Review| Mission: Impossible – Fallout
It’s true what they say about Mission: Impossible – Fallout. It really is one of the most impressive action films we’ve gotten in a while. While it may not exercise quite as much cleverness or deliver the same punchy twists…
Review| Eighth Grade
Watching Eighth Grade is an experience. Kayla (played brilliantly by newcomer Elsie Fisher) is trying to figure out who she is as she makes the transition from eighth grade to high school. It is affecting, insightful, and relatable and as…
Review| Superfly
The subgenre known as “blaxploitation film”–a term coined by the Los Angeles head of the NAACP, Junius Griffin–rose to prominence in the 1970’s as a direct response to the need for black actors on-screen. Representation mattered in the 1970’s, and blaxploitation…
Review| The Incredibles 2
Pixar’s The Incredibles has taken on whole new dimensions of meaning for me since I’ve been married and become a father. While it’s long been one of my favorite films, hearing Mr. Incredible tell his wife “I’m not strong enough”…
Review| Tag: A Game Worth Playing
As children we all played games and engaged in activities that for many of us have either passed into nostalgia or are no longer possibilities through time constraints or physical limitations. But what if you were so committed to a…
Review| Hereditary
There is a significant distinction between a tragic hero and a foregone conclusion. While both retain the characteristic of giving the audience foreknowledge of their impending fate, only the tragic hero invites the will of the audience to push against…
Review| Ocean’s Eight
Ocean’s Eight makes you feel cooler for having seen it. Of course, it’s a heist film; and in a heist film, you first have to have a devious mastermind who came up with the whole thing. In the case of…
Review| Tully
Tully hit theaters right before Mother’s Day. The trailer shows a raw, though apt picture of motherhood and I would guess many people, like me, decided to take their mom to watch the film. I’m also guessing that most people…
Solo and The Scoundrel’s Journey
Joseph Campbell said of the hero, “When we quit thinking primarily about and our own self-preservation, we undergo a truly heroic transformation…”. In the original Star Wars trilogy, George Lucas embodied this transformation in both the character arc of his main…