Review| ‘Hacksaw Ridge’, Pacifism, and Mel Gibson’s Surrender
With the mere mention of a new creative endeavor by Mel Gibson, the public memory once again recalls the man’s actions ten years ago as he drunkenly accosted police with anti-Semitic and misogynistic language. It was an ugly scene and…
Reviewing the Classics| Knowing Our Neighbors Outside Our Rear Windows
When Alfred Hitchcock and the horror genre are mentioned in the same breath, the conversation is more than likely revolving around Psycho – Hitchcock’s 1960 classic that single-handedly evolved the horror genre into a new kind of monster. If Psycho…
Review| The Birth of a Nation (1915) Still Demands Our Attention
In 1915, director D.W. Griffith released The Birth of a Nation, the world’s first epic movie. It is a 3 hour and 10 minute film about the Civil War and the Reconstruction era from the perspective of the Confederacy, culminating…
Review| The Birth of a Nation
Missed in history stories can be some of the best and most interesting stories. And when the story is from the perspective of a minority group often overlooked by a culture’s texts, it can be truly fascinating. Nat Turner’s slave…
Review| ‘Magnificent Seven’ a Worthwhile Remake
Long gone are the days when we could ask, “Why are they remaking [film name here]?” and expect a reasonable answer. Though this summer’s multiple box-office bombs might have slowed the sequel/reboot/remake fever that has gripped Hollywood over the last…
Oh! The Horror… of ‘Blair Witch’ (2016)
Oh! The Horror… | Of Blair Witch (2016) “A third and final transformation to the magic circle has to do with the disappearance of the circle itself, while its powers still remain in effect. During [Lovecraft’s story, “From Beyond”], as…
Who-ology| S03E00 The Runaway Bride
“The Runaway Bride”—a Christmas episode—follows immediately on the heels of the season 2 finale: just after losing Rose, the Doctor is thrown into a new adventure. He doesn’t seek it out. It appears right in front of him in the…
Reviewing the Classics| Seven Samurai
Seven Samurai, directed and co-written by Akira Kurosawa, is a masterwork of filmmaking. Set in late-16th century feudal Japan, the backdrop for the story is one of upheaval and unrest. A poor farming village is under continual threat from pillaging…
Review| ‘Snowden’ Shows Our Worship of Security
“Most Americans don’t want freedom, they want security.” Citizen Four won the Academy Award for Best Documentary in 2015. By the time that award show aired, I had watched the documentary three-or-four times with friends, trying to loop as many…
Oh! The Horror… of ‘The Blair Witch Project’ (1999) & ‘Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2’ (2000)
The Blair Witch Project’s promotional attack in 1999, leading up to its July release, was a marvel on the levels of The Exorcist and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Matter of fact, it may have been the perfect combination of…