Trying to Empathize With The Whale
The dissipating buzz surrounding The Whale (2022) was inevitable considering that its only major attraction post its film festival run were the names attached, namely those of the director, Darren Aronofsky, and star, Brendan Fraser. Although their star power can be felt in this film, it is not nearly enough to make The Whale seem like anything more than it is: a typical Oscar-baity, A24, indie “think-piece.”
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.
Scream 2022: What’s a “Re-quel”?
Only the Scream franchise would introduce the word “re-quel” – a term so cinematically dense – into its already meta screenplay and premise. I expect nothing less from a series that has psycho-analyzed the totality of the horror genre while simultaneously creating its own expansive, trope-filled storyline. And in an age of tired reboots and sequels of once original and groundbreaking cinema, you would think that the new Scream would be equally as tired, especially with the franchise being in the state it was in prior to this installment. But 2022’s Scream proudly proclaims that this reboot is exactly what the franchise needed.