There was a point where the Walt Disney company nearly went bankrupt thanks to “The Black Cauldron.” As multiple tomes on the company’s history share, the box office failure of that 1985 animated swing at Tolkien grandeur hit the Mouse House hard. The money coming in from the theme park attendance was the only sizable…
From the very start of The Stylist, it’s a sensory experience. As we are first introduced to Claire (Najarra Townsend), she’s a quiet hairstylist, working on an out-of-towner’s hair. Even from this opening, before the movie tonally shifts into darker territory, there’s a sense of care taken with each precise stylistic choice. Claire engages, asking about the…
Situated in the center of Milan, not far from the famous Duomo, is a less renowned but equally impressive architectural monster. The Torre Velasca was constructed in 1958 and stands well of 300 feet (100 meters) tall. It has a peculiar, mushroom-like shape. Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonThe tower is a…
★ Directed by: Joey Harlow Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonWritten by: Joey Harlow, Benn Perry Starring: Carrie Bradstreet, Benn Perry, Kevin R. Allen, Molly Cunningham, Michael James Alexander Read moreRobert Stack Finally Solves a Mystery in ‘The Strange and Deadly Occurrence’Film Review by: Jason Knight A serial killer is on the…
Based on the first in a trilogy of young adult novels by Patrick Ness, “Chaos Walking” is a science fiction western set on a colonized planet where men’s thoughts can be heard by others. That’s a fertile starting place for a genre film, and the premise is intriguingly visualized by Ness, co-screenwriter Christopher Ford, and director Doug Liman (“The…
The Castle Amphitheater, sometimes called the Provo Castle, is a unique historical building found on the grounds of the Utah State Hospital in Provo, Utah. Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonThe Castle Amphitheater was constructed between 1936-1937 and was one of around 230 public works constructed in Utah under New Deal programs. The…
“I need you to do something for me…” An early festival promo trailer has debuted for a mysterious indie thriller titled Drive All Night, marking the feature directorial debut of the Bay Area’s Peter Hsieh, most known for his stage plays. The film follows Dave, a reclusive swing-shift taxi driver, whose night takes an unexpected…
Coming off his wildly successful short Young Young Men, Noah Stratton-Twine‘s latest, Blue Ruby follows a married couple composed of two eccentric artists who come to ridiculous odds during their 30th wedding anniversary in Paris, France. Which, if you don’t know before viewing, could be a little problematic upon digestion. The film stars Channel 4’s Jo Ball, Andrew…
Iñigo Lopez de Recalde (St Ignatius) after being wounded in the defense of Pamplona against French troops and renouncing his military career, began a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. At a stop in the neighboring city of Manresa in 1522, the young Ignatius said to be wearing only a sack robe, decided to live as…
Visitors to Hove Park will find an unassuming pathway that blends into the ground seamlessly. What most don’t know is that this pathway is actually a public work of art and a maze designed to look like a giant’s fingerprint. Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonThe public display was created in 2006…
Crossing the Streams is our series of guides looking at all the offerings hitting the big streaming services each month. This time we’re checking out the new Amazon Prime arrivals for March 2021, including some Steven Spielberg films, some stellar Westerns, and more! Amazon Prime Pick of the Month for March 2021 Read moreA Guide…
It may seem hyperbolic, but to even attempt at delineating Jacques Rivette’s 1974 masterpiece Céline and Julie Go Boating is an inevitably futile excursion. Rivette’s sprawling epic is an explosive, dizzyingly delightful adventure that remains one of the most ambitious artistic undertakings of the 20th century, placing its two leads within the unrestrictive confines of…
In Egypt, a decade of excavations at the ancient Red Sea port of Berenice (Berenike) has revealed what some researchers are calling the world’s oldest pet cemetery. Nearly 600 animals, mostly cats, but also dogs and imported monkeys, have been found buried just beyond the walls of what was, almost 2,000 years ago, a bustling…
This story is excerpted and adapted from Brandy Schillace’s Mr. Humble and Dr. Butcher: A Monkey’s Head, the Pope’s Neuroscientist, and the Quest to Transplant the Soul, published in March 2021 by Simon & Schuster. A grainy black-and-white film shuddered across television screens in the last days of May 1958. A man in a long…
I would never have expected that Bumblebee would be my first movie review on this site. I’ve never been a big fan of the Transformers franchise. Probably because I don’t really care about transforming cars. The idea of cars turning into robots never really interested me. Against all odds, I still decided to watch this…
★ Directed by: Sylvain White Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonWritten by: Lois Duncan, Michael D. Weiss Starring: Brooke Nevin, Ben Easter, Torrey DeVitto and David Paetkau Read moreRobert Stack Finally Solves a Mystery in ‘The Strange and Deadly Occurrence’Throwback Film Review by: Rachel Pullen I’ll Always Know What You Did Last…
A high-octane riff on Groundhog Day that crisscrosses cyclical design with director Joe Carnahan’s avid addiction to high falls and fireballs, Boss Level doesn’t so much reinvent the timeless concept as much as it blends a few genres together to give it a point of difference. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Following a…
In a small park just off the promenade of the seaside town of Portobello stands a plinth inscribed with the words: Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho Marathon“This fountain has been erected in remembrance of Dr Hugh Dewar, Portobello, by his grateful patients and numerous friends, who deplore the loss in the prime…
Craig Brewer began his career with a $20,000 movie, The Poor & The Hungry. He wrote the original story while still managing a Barnes & Noble store. Set in Memphis, where Brewer still resides, his directorial debut is a down and dirty, black-and-white indie that, in 2000, laid the groundwork for his subsequent films. From…
Of course, we have all heard the expression, “Fit for a king.” Well, in the capital city of Scotland, there is a thoroughfare that was solely constructed for a touring member of royalty. This might be a bit of an exaggeration, but nonetheless, in 1819 a road was christened by Leopold I of Belgium. Read moreA…
When the Providence Children’s Museum moved from their original location in Pawtucket, Rhode Island to the big city, they fortuitously acquired a dragon who was in need of a home. Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonThe year was 1997. Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts was closing an exhibit on Chinese paintings, and…