The Night Before reunites the filmmakers behind 2011's great "cancer comedy": 50/50. There's Joesph Gordon-Levitt, again occupying the story's lead role. There's also Seth Rogen, again providing schluby support. Finally, there's Jonathan Levine, again taking the director's chair. Missing is 50/50's screenwriter Will Reiser, whose sensitive prose provided that film with the perfect balance of comedy…Read more Film Review: The Night Before (2015)
The Complex – Chapter VI: Sophomore Year
Laying in her cramped, twin-sized bed Sarah listened to her house. The storm wouldn't let up. Outside, snow and wind pushed relentlessly against the facade, prompting creeks and moans. Even laying underneath a pile of blankets, Sarah bristled at both the sounds of the storm and the room's meatlocker-like temperature. The sealant around her bedroom's sole window was…Read more The Complex – Chapter VI: Sophomore Year
Film Review: Apocalypto (2006)
It's sometimes hard to remember that Mel Gibson is a formidable filmmaker. After the controversial release of 2004's Passion of the Christ, his arrests, and his slew of unhinged, drunken tirades, this talent became understandably lost in the shuffle. His 2006 effort Apocalypto (the last film Gibson directed) however, is a clear reminder of his directorial strengths. This ambitious, Mesoamerica-set action film…Read more Film Review: Apocalypto (2006)
Film Review: Dracula (1931)
The 1930s were a golden age for multiple movie genres. While many associate this decade with the rise of the gangster film, it was also a high point for cinematic horror, specifically at Universal Studios with its monster movie phase. Filled with notable titles, the Universal Monsters period included the release of classics like Frankenstein, The Mummy, The Wolf…Read more Film Review: Dracula (1931)
Film Review: The Intern (2015)
I want to preface this review with a simple declaration: The Intern, Robert De Niro's big film from 2015, is not a travesty. This isn't a Dirty Grandpa, nor is it a Heist, Killing Season or The Big Wedding. Instead, The Intern is probably closest to De Niro's 2009 vehicle, Everybody's Fine. Like that earlier…Read more Film Review: The Intern (2015)
On Hank, Dodger, Sadie and My Contradictory First Year of Fostering
There are a lot of things you can do to understand yourself better: from getting your head shrunk by a quack, to writing dumb, rambling blog entries. I have done both in my life - sometimes to a nauseating degree. A more unconventional method, however, is the act of fostering dogs. Rarely have I had…Read more On Hank, Dodger, Sadie and My Contradictory First Year of Fostering
Film Review: Interview With the Vampire (1994)
By the mid-90s Brad Pitt's star began to explode, with major roles in Legends of the Fall, Seven and 12 Monkeys. The film that initiated this period however was 1994's Interview With the Vampire. Based on the 1976 novel by Anne Rice, the film pairs Pitt with Tom Cruise as Lestat de Lioncourt, who at the time was already a…Read more Film Review: Interview With the Vampire (1994)
Film Review: Vampyr (1932)
If one were to compose a list of horror films that feature exemplary mood-building, the original Nosferatu would obviously make the cut. However, the lesser-known yet similarly-themed Vampyr would also demand inclusion. Written and directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer (The Passion of Joan of Arc), Vampyr is a profoundly disturbing film, with a menacing tone that seems embedded…Read more Film Review: Vampyr (1932)
Film Review: In the Heart of the Sea (2015)
"The story of the Essex is the story of two men," we are told early in Ron Howard's latest film, the maritime adventure yarn, In the Heart of the Sea. It is a disingenuous statement however. While the film does grapple with important themes and contains a thrilling moment or two, it lacks well-written characters - male or female.…Read more Film Review: In the Heart of the Sea (2015)
“That’s Not for You to Decide” – On Choice, Identity and Self-forgiveness in Marvel’s Jessica Jones
Marvel's Jessica Jones has been correctly if exhaustively interpreted as a critique of abusive relationships and rape culture. It also lends itself to more general readings. The clash between David Tennant's Kilgrave and Krysten Ritter's Jessica Jones highlights the importance human beings attach to the idea of functional agency. Many of the show's characters seem…Read more “That’s Not for You to Decide” – On Choice, Identity and Self-forgiveness in Marvel’s Jessica Jones
Adam Mohrbacher 