An intriguing narrative on the experience of becoming deaf through a fantastic lead performance from Riz Ahmed and incredible sound design, writer/director Darius Marder crafts one of the best debuts of 2020. The film chronicles the experience of Ruben (Ahmed), a punk-metal drummer as he suddenly becomes deaf on tour with his girlfriend/bandmate Lou (Olivia…
Film Reviews
Review // Antebellum
Shamelessly riding the coattails of Get Out’s success by evoking social discourse through horror, Antebellum is unfortunately more of a horrific mess than anything else. The initial premise of a Civil War era slave named Eden (Janelle Monae) with a dreamlike connection to a woman in the future named Veronica, a successful author and activist…
Review // The Rental
Looking for a celebratory weekend away before starting a major project together, co-workers Charlie (Dan Stevens) and wife Michelle (Alison Brie), along with their friends Mina (Sheila Vand) and boyfriend - Charlie’s brother Josh (Jeremy Allen White), book a stay at a secluded vacation home. The best way to describe The Rental would be something like The…
Review // Da 5 Bloods
Four black US Army G.I’s return to Vietnam in search of a fallen comrade and buried treasure. Officially there to take a battlefield tour and attempt to recover the remains of their sergeant, they hope to also leave with a crate of gold they had hidden on their final mission. Director Spike Lee assembles a…
Review // Capone
After a seemingly career-ending blunder with his disastrous Fantastic Four reboot, all eyes are on writer/director Josh Trank for his latest film Capone, to see if he can repair some of the damage done to his name - his quick rise and fall a more prominent story in the modern film industry than that of Al Capone himself.…
Review // Uncut Gems
The Safdie Brothers continue to prove themselves as unique visionaries with their newest flick, Uncut Gems, putting viewers in the anxiety-inducing life of a compulsive gambler, constantly searching for the next big win. Uncut Gems taps into viewers’ nerves right from the start and then gradually tears them to shreds as they watch Howard Ratner…
Review // Doctor Sleep
Adapting the works of iconic horror author Stephen King is no simple task, but writer/director Mike Flanagan makes it look easy while pulling double duty in a fitting sequel to Kubrick's horror classic. I had an odd sense of intrigue towards this film, especially with news of Flanagan being behind the camera. For those that don’t…
Review // The Lighthouse
With his 2016 feature debut The Witch, writer/director Robert Eggers established himself as a big name and has fittingly returned with The Lighthouse, a dark and stormy tale of cabin fever at its finest. Taking place on an isolated New England island in the 1890s, The Lighthouse follows two lighthouse keepers: the experienced Thomas Wake (Willem Dafoe)…
Review // Ad Astra
The search for truth on an astronomical scale, James Gray's space epic is a thought provoking deep dive into expectation and self determination. Gray's last film, The Lost City of Z, followed explorer Percy Fawcett's 1925 expedition into Amazonia in a part originally written with Brad Pitt in mind. In Ad Astra he finally takes Gray's lead…
Review // Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
A ride in the back of a classic car, soaking up the sun and casual sin of 1969 L.A is the aim for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, but true to form, that particular road is neither straightforward or well travelled in the world of Quentin Tarantino. The hotly anticipated and first Tarantino film…