Category: Reviews

I take a lot of issue with postmodernism. This includes satire, meta-humor, or anything rooted in nostalgia for the sake of nostalgia. Few stories in this vein can get passed their own self-satisfaction, and exist simply to exist. Deconstruction, or at least truth without insight, is meaningless if a story has nothing to put in … Continue reading Bandits (2001) – dir. Barry Levinson →

I will never forget being 14 years old, and listening to "Brothers on a Hotel Bed" all the way through for the first time. My mother had bought me Death Cab for Cutie's Plans a few years earlier as an Easter present. I had never listened to the whole thing all the way through--only the singles "Soul … Continue reading Blinded by the Light (2019) – dir. Gurhinder Chadha →

Filmmaking, like any major endeavor, is ultimately a shot in the dark—especially with poor lighting. No matter the artist—be they as fastidious as Brian de Palma, or as improvisational as Hayao Miyazaki—no one knows what a film is until the final edit. This is never more true than for documentary production. Part of what makes … Continue reading Hoop Dreams (1994) – dir. Steve James →

Day three of Sundance! Today offered another fine crop of films, with some real gems. And one or two that will almost certainly make a splash later in the year. To the Stars (2019) - dir. Martha Stephens A coming-of-age story in the blatant tradition of The Last Picture Show--with a hint of In Cold Blood--To the Stars is … Continue reading SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL 2019 – Day 3 →

Before I get into any criticism, I have to thank my family--specifically my mom, my grandma, my aunts, and my uncles who all made this festival possible for me. For anyone who has ever read this site, my love of movies is quite great. And being from Utah, Sundance is the dream. To have one … Continue reading SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL 2019 – Days 1 & 2 →

There's a trope I really hate in biopics. We have some inspirational tale of adversity that really happened to someone--and, in most cases, this is someone we've heard of before. They accomplish their goals. We end on a sweeping score, and read some epitaph about what happened to all of the main characters. The work … Continue reading BlacKkKlansman (2018) – dir. Spike Lee →

I have a fear of pets. To be clear, this is not the same as a fear of animals. Rather, I experience of a specific anxiety and concern regarding the concept of pet ownership. I'm uneasy of the notion of getting close to a creature who will never feel affection towards me the way I … Continue reading Isle of Dogs (2018) – dir. Wes Anderson →

At the time of this writing, the news cycle in the United States has been dominated by multiple pieces of footage involving a confrontation outside the Lincoln Memorial between students from Covington Catholic High School, Black Hebrews, and Native American activist Nathan Phillips. The narrative is still unfolding--a few hours ago, a woman released a … Continue reading Paddington 2 (2017) – dir. Paul King →

Recently, I was promoted within the city library system in which I am employed. Rather than stay within the same division, however, I was moved to where they needed people. So, as excited and proud as I was to advance professionally, I was not jazzed about leaving the branch I’d been working for nearly a … Continue reading Tampopo (1985) – dir. Juzo Itami →

There's this Ira Glass quote I really love. What Glass says boils down to the notion that people who he works with get into the work they do because they recognize great work; they have good taste. But as with any artist, seeing and doing are totally separate exercises. Even the best of any particular … Continue reading Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) – dir. Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman →