Joker
No film in recent memory has been as polarizing as Joker. A scroll through Rotten Tomatoes reveals a spectrum of reactions ranging from the highest praise of the year to…
Latest Podcasts
Booksmart
Booksmart has been on our radar since its release in May. With a 97% Rotten Tomatoes score, it’s one of the best-reviewed films of the year. But now, it’s our…
Once Upon a Time In Hollywood
The ninth film from Quentin Tarantino is now playing, and it’s filled to the brim with everything you love or hate about his movies. When Once Upon a Time In…
Avengers: Endgame
Eleven years ago, Iron Man changed comic book movies forever. Not only was the movie great, it was the beginning of a journey through the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with each…
Gloria Bell
April is too early to be talking about the Oscars, but sometimes a gem comes along that’s worthy of the discussion. Director Sebastián Lelio isn’t well-known to American audiences. His…
Rashomon
We’re back! After taking February off for all things Oscars, Jon and Tim are ready to turn the page on 2018…by talking about a really old movie. Yes, that’s right…
Latest Reviews
Ad Astra
I entered the film Ad Astra (or “to the stars”) not really knowing what to expect other than it was another Brad Pitt vehicle. Almost coincident to his star turn…
I lost my body (J’ai perdu mon corps)
J’Ai Perdu Mon Corps (I Lost My Body) played during the Milwaukee Film Festival in 2019. I only got to a couple films this year, but it’s always a joy…
Joker
No film in recent memory has been as polarizing as Joker. A scroll through Rotten Tomatoes reveals a spectrum of reactions ranging from the highest praise of the year to…
Under the Shadow (زیر سایه)
The “haunted house” trope – an abandoned Victorian mansion sitting alone in the middle of a great estate or a crumbling castle on a rain-swept hillside – has been urbanized…
Let The Right One In (Låt den rätte komma in)
Let the Right One In is a foreign, art-house, vampire film starring a bunch of weird-looking Swedish kids. But also it’s a haunting look at isolation, childhood trauma and intimacy…
A Dark Song
If occult magic had real power, what would it take to achieve it? If humanity could summon and control transcendent spirits, would the process be painless? Empowering? Academic? A Dark…
Other Articles
Film Composer Spotlight: Thomas Newman
As iconic as the opening musical blasts of every Star Wars film are, the 20th Century Fox fanfare that (until recently) precedes it is arguably just as iconic. The composer…
Traverse City Film Festival 2019: Top Films
After a leave of absence of reviews from last year’s Traverse City Film Festival (TCFF) even though I was there, I return with short reviews of the most impressive films…
Film Composer Spotlight: John Williams
If one wishes to compose music for film, one cannot necessarily hope to get famous doing so. One cannot expect to have his or her music played regularly or have…
Film Composer Spotlight: Hans Zimmer
There are many creative forces which go into storytelling through film. You may not always be fully conscious of everything being used to communicate a story to you. The easiest…