On Freaky and the Horrifying Connection Between Meat and Mind

Freaky, the enormously entertaining 2020 body-switch horror-comedy, is a movie that straddles several different genres. Yet more than anything it’s a coming-of-age story. While hardly a novel subject, the film also stages a discourse on bodies, on human meat, which allows for a resonant and interesting take on its tried-and-true story. Freaky proposes that bodies are central…Read more On Freaky and the Horrifying Connection Between Meat and Mind

TV Review: The Alienist: Angel of Darkness (2020)

Recently, I had the treat of watching and reviewing the second season of The Alienist, subtitled as Angel of Darkness. While not a towering entry into the genre of serial killer entertainment, it is an effective and, at times, surprisingly touching character piece. It is also beautifully acted and contains production values of a caliber…Read more TV Review: The Alienist: Angel of Darkness (2020)

A Woman In Orhan

She could hardly remember a time when she could be reasonably described as happy. Occupying a luxurious apartment in a quaint river town, the material circumstances of her life couldn’t be better. The raw, nearly unimaginable suffering occurring just outside her doors hardly touched someone like her, or so you might be tempted to believe.…Read more A Woman In Orhan

“Colossal We Come These Renegades in the Ring”: On the Triumph of Male Fragility in The Greatest Showman and Eurovision Song Contest

We can all agree that the last few years in Donald Trump's America have felt like an eternity - filled with a dizzying array of national outrages and humiliations. But if there has been one theme that has consistently defined this period it is raw male fragility, particularly white male fragility. Being a part of…Read more “Colossal We Come These Renegades in the Ring”: On the Triumph of Male Fragility in The Greatest Showman and Eurovision Song Contest

Two Wildly Different WWII Films

For years now, I have been moving in a different direction on my blog, having resolved to draw down on the amount of film criticism I am pumping out in favor of essays and original prose. I thought that my literal legions of fans would prefer to experience my own unfiltered genius rather than mere…Read more Two Wildly Different WWII Films

Film Review: Survive the Night (2020)

I continue to struggle with my retirement from film reviewing. Each time I attempt to hang up my keyboard and ride off into the sunset, I find a new movie that I just can't wait to sink my analytical teeth into. Thus, today I am presenting a review that I penned for FilmMonthly.com somewhat recently;…Read more Film Review: Survive the Night (2020)

Et Lamiis Malleus: Chapter I

--- Chapter 1 --- Heinrich Kramer was not an imposing man - at least not physically. Now in his mid-50s, the inquisitor was beginning to show his age, with crows feet snaking their way from the corners of his eyes and bunny lines breaking out across the tops of his cheeks.  Perhaps then it was…Read more Et Lamiis Malleus: Chapter I