Author Archive
Film Review – Deep Water
Twenty years after his last directorial outing, Adrian Lyne has returned to once again explore the depths of toxic relationships. From 9½ Weeks (1986), Fatal Attraction (1987), Indecent Proposal (1993), and Unfaithful (2002), Lyne’s career has been filled with stories of love, infidelity, sexual temptations, and jealousy – usually leading to deadly results. His latest…
READ MORE
Film Review – The Adam Project
The Adam Project (2022) is the kind of sci-fi adventure that is too much of everything and not enough of anything at the same time. Sure, a lot of stuff happens – with plenty of action sequences and quippy punchlines – but none of it resonates.…
READ MORE
Film Review – Turning Red
Disney/Pixar’s latest animated offering, Turning Red (2022) is a candy colored, pop-infused adventure. It continues the studio’s streak of family oriented fun while highlighting more serious, adult-centered issues. The approach has solidified to the point that each film has become a variation of the same themes. Characters…
READ MORE
Film Review – After Yang
Writer/director Kogonada’s After Yang (2022) is a film of subtle, moving power. Its effect doesn’t make itself known right away but washes over us like a dream. Adapted from Alexander Weinstein’s short story “Saying Goodbye to Yang,” Kogonada’s sci-fi tale explores loss, grief, memory, family, and the invisible ties…
READ MORE
Film Review – Fresh
***Warning: This review contains minor spoilers*** Dating can be a stressful and embarrassing undertaking. There are the mundane, recycled questions (“Where are you from?” “What do you like to do?” “What are you into?”), dinners populated with eating and awkward silences, and the inevitable moment…
READ MORE
Film Review – No Exit
No Exit (2022) is the kind of thriller that sneaks up on you. The premise is familiar and it takes a while to get going. Once it does, we surprisingly get caught up in it. It doesn’t necessarily do anything new, but has enough style and…
READ MORE
An Appreciation – Five Easy Pieces
Whenever we talk about Five Easy Pieces (1970), the conversation almost always comes back to the infamous diner scene. Oil rigger Bobby Dupea (Jack Nicholson) tries to get a specific food order, to which the waitress sternly declines. After a heated back and forth, Bobby coolly stands…
READ MORE
Film Review – Hard Hit
Writer/director Changju Kim’s Hard Hit (2021) is a solid, throwback thriller. A remake of the Spanish film, Retribution (2015), this South Korean offering has the DNA of tense, location-specific action films of the past. Characters trapped in a vehicle wired with a bomb will call to mind the premise of Speed (1994).…
READ MORE