Pop Culture Shock

There's a lyric that I quite love from The National's "Walk It Back," where Matt Berninger sings in a particularly dejected croon, "Nothing that changes changes anything." Berninger's line is a sour reinterpretation of "the more things change, the more things stay the same." We like to think we're evolved. We like to think we … Continue reading The Favourite (2018) – dir. Yorgos Lanthimos →

There's a line I really like from Kelly Fremon Craig's The Edge of Seventeen. As Hailee Steinfeld's Nadine kneels over a toilet bowl, throwing up all of the liquor she has consumed as Haley Lu Richardson's Krista consoles her and holds her hair, Nadine, in tears, drunkenly inquires, "Why do you like me? I don't even like … Continue reading Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018) – dir. Marielle Heller →

Taiwanese master Edward Yang always takes time with his films, which, in turn, take their time with viewers. They're not enlivened by deceptively ballet-like set pieces, or thrilling explorations of the world, nor are they vast mysteries with one great turn after another. That isn't to say Yang's films aren't thrilling, or ambitious, or captivating. … Continue reading Taipei Story (1985) – dir. Edward Yang →

In late 2015, my maternal grandfather died very suddenly, following a vicious battle with pancreatic cancer. I think all of us had taken for granted the notion the he would be around for several years longer. My grandpa was only 61. He had spent the last several years taking good care of himself--he loved to … Continue reading Manchester by the Sea (2016) – dir. Kenneth Lonergan →

Science has always been my weakest subject, but I've always been somewhat attached to the idea of a physical change versus a chemical change. For anyone who hasn't had a middle school chemistry lesson in a while--a physical change is when an adjustment is made to a substance that does not necessarily change the atomic … Continue reading Burning (2018) – dir. Lee Chang-dong →

Parenthood is so daunting to me. At some point, yeah, I’d like to have kids of my own. The trouble is, I know I’m going to make a million mistakes, and no amount of “Dear Theodosia”-inspired love will ever quell that anxiety. I can only give my progeny what I, with my limited life experience, … Continue reading Dogtooth (2009) – dir. Yorgos Lanthimos →

In my memory, my high school had a caste system identifiable to any post-Breakfast-Club high school might. Jocks, overachievers, scene kids, band people, stoners, etc. At the time, I didn’t identify with any particular clique. Now, I would guess I technically belonged to the Kevin Smith strain of beta nerds who were into anime, video … Continue reading The Shape of Water (2017) – dir. Guillermo del Toro →

Any piece of art is an argument. Some are well-defined. Some are incomplete. Some are surprising, in good ways and bad. In fact, most films that get made have very comprehensible philosophies. Even terrible movies are capable of having some ethos. As amateurish and unintentionally hilarious as a dud like Birdemic: Shock and Terror is, … Continue reading mother! (2017) – dir. Darren Aronofsky →

I am a sucker for love stories. I love romantic comedies. I love stories about love at first sight. I love two people finding and falling for each other, against all odds. Similarly, I'm a sucker for Richard Linklater, who may be my favorite working filmmaker, and possibly my all-time favorite. His films capture the … Continue reading Before Sunrise (1995) – dir. Richard Linklater →

I don’t think very much about my sexual orientation. Yes, I’m bisexual, but I never formally "came out." At no point did I ever find such a practice to be necessary. One day, I admitted to myself of something I had suspected for a while, which was that I was attracted to men as well … Continue reading Love, Simon (2018) – dir. Greg Berlanti →