The Voyeuristic Faux-Feminism of Poor Things
Lanthimos’s strength, to me, seemed to lie in crafting thought-provoking concepts, even when his execution was markedly wanting in depth. Poor Things continues this trend, featuring an intriguing set-up (based off the novel by Alasdair Gray) and a resulting film that is underwhelming eye-candy at best and morally transgressive at worst.
Grasp The Nettle! The Wondrous Balderdash of Baron Munchausen
I was one of those kids at school who needed the crayons to be taken away from them. My mom tells the story of my first day of school, and how I cried at the end of the day when I wasn’t able to bring the picture I’d drawn home with me. I was the artsy kid in high school, even more artistic kid by the time I got to enrolling into a Fine Art degree in college. For as long as I can remember, I’ve always made things. But when I think about the kinds of things which have influenced me along the way, one of the earliest memories I have is of gloomy Sunday afternoons growing up in the bleak seventies of rural England, and watching the sketch comedy series, Monty Python’s Flying Circus with my Dad.
Bros and the Absurdity of Modern Dating
There is something so utterly ridiculous and yet so completely sweet about Billy Eichner’s Bros. Only Eichner could write a movie about a podcast host, working as one of the museum curators at a new LGBTQ+ museum, falling in love with an estate attorney/aspiring chocolatier. Bobby Lieber (Eichner) must navigate not only the complex world of modern dating but also the nuances and changing discourse around gay culture. And it all works just about perfectly.
For the First Time Ever, Christianity Is the Butt of a Joke,Thanks to ‘Honk for Jesus, Save Your Soul’
If you were driving down a highway and saw a sign that said “Honk for Jesus” would you honk? Would you go to a church that advertised itself? Would you even go to a church that was located on a highway? Despite being non religious, I considered these questions while watching the climax of Honk for Jesus, Save Your Soul, directed by Adamma Ebo, as Trinitie Childs practically begs the passersby to honk for her sanity (and Jesus).
Into the Sex and the City Cinematic Universe
And just like that… I watched every episode of Sex and the City. I must be a really good judge on how to spend my time!
Our Flag Means Death Delivers Absurdity and Romance on the High Seas
The best show of the year is an LGBTQ+ pirate rom-com. Our Flag Means Death tells the story of real-life pirate Stede Bonnet, the 18th-century aristocrat who gave up his luxurious life for an adventure on the seas. He earned the name “The Gentleman Pirate'' for his peculiar approach to piracy, building his ship the Revenge rather than seizing one by mutiny and paying his crew in wages.
Eat or Be Eaten: Fresh Takes on the Horrors of Dating
Fresh has all the ingredients to be the perfect modern thriller. It’s a black comedy about the horrors of modern dating starring Daisy Edgar-Jones and Sebastian Stan. There are plenty of mundane horrors to be had in the dating world, but Fresh ups the stakes and throws a cannibal into the dating pool.
Pivoting Episode 1: The New Show to Hold You Over in What Already Seems Like an … Interesting Year
FOX’s newest comedy Pivoting, tells the story of three women in their thirties whose best friend Coleen, has just died. Awakened by the realization that life is short, they each decide to make big life changes.
No Such Thing as a Small Role: The French Dispatch
Wes Anderson is capable of more than his usual fantastical endeavours. In his newest film, he creates something entirely different, even from his nine other films of similar style. The French Dispatch, written, directed, and produced by Wes Anderson, is an anthology of several shorter stories tied together through a writer’s room of the fictional newspaper, Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun. Seemingly inspired by The New Yorker, this film is a tribute to journalism and eccentric storytelling.
All Good Things Must Come To An End: Brooklyn 99 Final Season
Nothing good can last forever -- including Brooklyn 99. Since the very beginning, I have always been a fan of the 99. From watching it when I was younger with my family, to finishing the final season amongst friends, it has been a constant in my life. I was devastated when Fox cancelled the show but ecstatic when NBC decided to give it another chance. When I heard the news that Brooklyn 99’s eighth season would be the show’s finale one, I understood that all good things must come to an end.
Plan B
In 108 minutes, Plan B, directed by Natalie Morales, perfectly sums up the utter panic and chaos that is teenagerhood. The film follows two girls on an epically hyperventilating and winding road-trip to find the Plan B pill within their 24-hour window. There is not a ticking clock on the screen, but through the hyperactive dialogue and split-second decisions gone wrong, viewers can feel the powders of the Plan B pill disintegrating grain by grain.
Only Murders In The Building
Everyone loves a whodunit — or at least that’s what the steady growth of murder mysteries à la Knives Out and the true-crime rage I’ve written about for nearly 3 years tells me. The newest hit of the sort, stacked with stars from both screen and stage, finds favor across generations and genres. Only Murders in the Building, created by Steve Martin and John Hoffman, follows three unlikely friends as they create a podcast investigating, well, a murder in their building.
What We Do in the Shadows is Back for Season 3
What is the recipe for success for a half-hour comedy these days? Apparently, it's to take a beloved New Zealand mockumentary about vampires and adapt it to American television.
What We Do in the Shadows, helmed by Oscar-winning Taika Watiti and Jermaine Clement of the original 2014 film of the same name, is a vampire-centric mockumentary-style show entering its third season. For those unfamiliar with the show, the main premise is that a group of centuries-old vampires emigrate to Staten Island from Europe, hoping to conquer the New World, but end up just being roommates in a dilapidated manor, getting into weekly shenanigans.
Ghosts: A Heart-Warming Comedy That’s Bound to Raise Your Spirits!
Not a fan of horror? Well, this is the perfect ghost-themed show for you. Full disclosure: I hate horror movies. Whether it’s because of the jump-scares, eerie music or avoidable bad choices made by the protagonist, horror movies have never been my style. I have, however, always been fascinated by the idea of spirits and ghosts and can’t help but ask the same question whenever I watch a horror movie: what happens to all the normal people who die? Are all ghosts really vengeful spirits or creepy kids?
Easy A: A Showcase & A Time Capsule
Let me start by acknowledging how unusual the plot is. The movie centers around a lonely teenage girl becoming an outcast after being shamed and bullied about losing her virginity. Not exactly Ferris Bueller's Day Off material. With that said, Emma Stone brings a certain sense of perky wit and sarcasm that makes the journey enjoyable and pleasant.
Revisiting O Brother, Where Art Thou?
I think we can all agree that there’s something uniquely, well, peculiar about the Coen brothers’ movies. And yet, Joel and Ethan Coen are considered two of the greatest writers and directors of American cinema -- and for good reason. Their films combine quirky and lovable characters, laugh-out-loud humor, and an intriguing aesthetic. O Brother, Where Art Thou? presents all of these and more. Still, our modern understanding of race and representation require us to examine it with a critical lens.
