“If it bleeds, it leads.” That’s the newsroom mantra introducing Nightcrawler protagonist Lou Bloom (Jake Gyllenhaal) to the cutthroat world of “stringing,” in which freelance videographers prowl LA’s streets in search of grisly footage to sell to news stations. The phrase is a neat summation of the lurid priorities of news directors like Nina (Rene Russo),…
A pinprick of light perforates a pitch-black frame. A train rumbles. A woman screams. “Out of the black silence,” booms a guttural, menacing voice, “you were born in pain.” The light at the end of the tunnel grows larger. The woman’s screams die down, supplanted by those of her newborn baby boy. “You were born…
Early each morning, keys turn in locks on the ground floor shops along Pugliano street in the Italian town of Ercolano. Doors open to reveal shiny sequin dresses, furs in a range of browns, and jeans from the 1970s—plus a slew of military uniforms, displayed on hangers, dangling from boxes, or draped on white sheets….
★★ Directed by: Paolo Pilladi Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonWritten by: Greg Lingo, Paolo Pilladi Starring: Jeremy Piven, Taryn Manning, Cathy Moriarty Read moreRobert Stack Finally Solves a Mystery in ‘The Strange and Deadly Occurrence’Film Review by: Vikas Yadav Last Call Movie Review There is no place like home. These six…
Andrew Christ remembers the day he became part of “this 60-year, weird, wild Cold War story.” It was 2019, and the University of Vermont researcher was just four days away from defending his dissertation. He was beyond stressed, and had better things to do than help examine an ice core sample drilled decades earlier. The…
“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.” “Judas and the Black Messiah.” “One Night in Miami.” “The Forty-Year Old-Version.” “Da 5 Bloods.” “Night of the Kings.” That sampling represents the Black films that held viable Oscar chances in 2021. All were highly acclaimed. At one point or another, each garnered the descriptor of “timely.” During and after the…
I appreciate the writing and critical contribution of the people who came up with and proliferated the phrase “vulgar auteurism”, I really do. That being said, it’s one of the stupidest concepts to be thrown into a discussion of movies this century, along with “elevated horror” or “nicecore”. Some names of directors who have been…
At the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, one specimen dwarfs everything else in it: a 27-and-half-meter long dinosaur skeleton. His name is officially ROM 3670, but he’s more commonly known as Gordo, and he’s the largest mounted dinosaur skeleton in Canada, rivaled only by a Futalognkosaurus installed in the lobby. However, Gordo stands out because…
NOTE: This list features TV shows that either began or ended between 2011 to 2021 1. “Mad Men” (2007-2015) — The AMC drama might be the best television show of all time. What makes the show so stinkin’ good (beyond the writing, acting and aesthetics) is the generational conflict. World War II Korea Vietnam Read…
Every step through the woods and meadows of Laumeier Sculpture Park reveals a new exciting discovery. A chain of giant spheres that look like a slithering extraterrestrial creature. Imposing mounds of earth that seem to have been left behind by an ancient civilization. A conglomeration of flaming-red steel oil tanks. Each piece of sculptural art…
They came after the wrong man in Without Remorse, the latest from director Stefano Sollima. Based on a book by Tom Clancy, the film is an origin story of sorts for John Kelly, a Navy SEAL within the Jack Ryan universe. He’s launched into the world of international espionage when Russian soldiers break into his home…
In the past this street was called Carrer Sant Bernat. But as popular belief spread that witches met in this odd covered passageway, the name was changed. It has an elongated layout, parallel to that of Carrer Major, with sections covered with arched vaults, and others that pass in the open air. Read moreA Guide to…
The Zoo, Groovy Yard Art is a tongue and cheek zoo that is home to information on over 25 animals. However, these animals are artistic renditions composed of various mediums. Many are crafted from some combination of metal, aluminum, and wood. Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonAs visitors walk around the art…
Longhua Martyrs Cemetery is a memorial to those who lost their lives at the hands of Chiang Kai-shek’s Kuomintang. Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonDuring the 1920s and 1930s, the site of the Longhua Martyrs Cemetery was home to the Kuomintang prison. At the prison, hundreds of communists were executed in an attempt…
In the summer of 2020 in the small western New York town of Perry, the serpent returned. It moved along the shore of Silver Lake, long as a football field some onlookers reckoned, fangs bared. Its eyes were flecked with gold, a hint of its previous deaths by fire, and of the future that awaited…
Pul Moran, or as it’s famously known Pul Kanjri, is a place very few have on their itineraries when visiting Amritsar. It’s located in close proximity to the India-Pakistan international border. This structure was built by Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the emperor of the Sikh Empire in the Panjab region of India, and was used as…
★★★ Directed by: #ShehrozeKhan Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonWritten by: #MohammedallyShushtari & #ShehrozeKhan Starring: #CarlaElenaRodriguez, #MohammedallyShushtari, #GianbrunoSpena Read moreRobert Stack Finally Solves a Mystery in ‘The Strange and Deadly Occurrence’Short Film Review by Taryll Baker Chocolate follows 17-year-old Jordan, who has grown up his whole life without a father. When his…
“These women know what they signed up for…” Samuel Goldwyn Films has released an official trailer for an indie feature titled The Marijuana Conspiracy, based on a remarkably true story. This entertaining & informative film took place in 1972. It’s about an outlandish study on the effects of marijuana on young women. This film centers…
The star of “Supa Modo” is a bright young girl living in rural Kenya. Jo loves comic books and Jackie Chan movies, and has familiar half-serious, half-joking discussions with her friends about how superheroes would fare in the real world. They all agree Iron Man would not survive the wet season without rustproof armor. Read…
This article is part of The Reading List, a monthly column in which we encourage you to take your enthusiasm for a particularly groovy movie and direct it into a wide array of extracurricular studies. This entry explores the Snyder Cut of Justice League and the many opportunities it presents for comics discovery. Sweet release…
Welcome to Movie DNA, a column that recognizes the direct and indirect cinematic roots of both new and classic movies. Learn some film history, become a more well-rounded viewer, and enjoy like-minded works of the past. This entry recommends movies to watch after you see the Russo brothers’ Cherry. Joe and Anthony Russo‘s ambitious adaptation…