They did what I thought was impossible: figure out how to carry on the Scream franchise without Sidney Prescott. And, in a shocking turn of events, I’m happy about it. Like most fans of the heavily self-aware franchise, I saw the film as close to premiere day as I could. Scream is one of those series that is near and dear to my heart, as I’m … Continue reading Scream VI (2023): A Bloody Hell of a Good Time
The aging patriarch of an organized crime dynasty in postwar New York City transfers control of his clandestine empire to his reluctant youngest son. It is crystal clear why The Godfather is so high up on the AFI list. It’s the “be all, end all” of movies for many. It’s a masterclass on filmmaking, honestly. And there’s so many components that director Francis Ford Coppola … Continue reading 2. The Godfather (1972)
Before I can go any further, I need to tell you a bit of my own family history. I grew up with an amazing, loving father. He discovered he had a brain aneurysm in his temporal lobe, behind his eye when I was twelve and my brother eight years old. My father was only forty-four years old when he had his first stroke. One of … Continue reading The Whale (2022)
A cynical expatriate American cafe owner struggles to decide whether or not to help his former lover and her fugitive husband escape the Nazis in French Morocco. I’m going to be honest: I have tried to start this article four times now. All because I have no idea what I want to say about the film Casablanca. It’s a film that I own. It’s a film … Continue reading 3. Casablanca (1942)
The life of boxer Jake LaMotta, whose violence and temper that led him to the top in the ring destroyed his life outside of it. Raging Bull is a film that is often synonymous with 1980s American culture. Directed by Martin Scorsese, Raging Bull oozes a particular brand of masculine energy. The film, starring Robert De Niro, Cathy Moriarty, and Joe Pesci, introduces the audience … Continue reading 4. Raging Bull (1980)
The manipulative daughter of a Georgia plantation owner conducts a turbulent romance with a roguish profiteer during the American Civil War and Reconstruction periods. Weird to me that that’s a synopsis for this film. I feel like the film is about more than that. However, with it’s blatant glorification of the south during slavery, Gone with the Wind is a mighty hard pill to swallow. There … Continue reading 6. Gone with the Wind (1939)
The story of T.E. Lawrence, the English officer who successfully united and led the diverse, often warring, Arab tribes during World War I in order to fight the Turks. I remember first seeing this film in college. I was taking a class on Filmmakers of the 50s and 60s. We were studying David Lean and we watched Lawrence of Arabia over 2 class periods over 2 … Continue reading 7. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
In German-occupied Poland during World War II, industrialist Oskar Schindler gradually becomes concerned for his Jewish workforce after witnessing their persecution by the Nazis. Schindler’s List is, arguably, the defining Holocaust film. I remember having to get a waiver signed when I was in the eighth grade, so we could watch the film once we finished our Holocaust unit. (Yes. We had a Holocaust unit.) … Continue reading 8. Schindler’s List (1993)
Listen: save for Doctor Strange, Scott Derrickson can’t write a film for nothin’ (and I attribute Doctor Strange‘s success to the visuals and the control that Marvel had over the subject matter. There were standards to uphold.) Nearly every time I have watched a film written and directed by that man, I end up watching a film with flimsily put together characters who have little to … Continue reading The Black Phone (2022)
Did I love it? No. Did I hate it? Also no. Taika Waititi’s second Marvel film definitely pales in comparison to the filmmakers first, Thor: Ragnarok. Love and Thunder had almost all the right pieces in place, except for that emotional pull. Was it just me or did you also feel little to nothing about Thor and Dr. Jane Foster? Because I was incredibly underwhelmed and didn’t … Continue reading Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)
