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

Film Review: The Courier (2019)

When one thinks of a bad car crash, they typically imagine it as being a loud, ugly and often bloody affair. Additionally, they think that such an incident would never involve them, that it is something that always happens to “other people.” On both these levels, The Courier – which is being released on BluRay,…Read more Film Review: The Courier (2019)

Film Review: The Irishman (2019)

"Would you like to be a part of this history?" When Jimmy Hoffa poses this question in Martin Scorsese's 24th feature film - the gangland saga The Irishman - the movie is already approximately a third of the way through its epic, three-and-a-half hour runtime. Yet despite its length, tonal restraint and veritable cadre of…Read more Film Review: The Irishman (2019)

Film Review: Hail Satan? (2019)

I recently had the opportunity to review an interesting doc entitled Hail Satan?. While the movie certainly grapples with important and timely themes, it is unfortunately a cursory look at the sick, hypocritical way that the Christian right has become embedded in American political life. Enjoy it all on FilmMonthly! Full Review

A Collection of Recent Reviews

Anyone who knows me well knows that I have largely retired from the film reviewing game. While it once served as my central writing focus, and, in fact, probably turned me into the writer I am today, I no longer find it to be my primary interest. Instead, I now plunk away mostly in the…Read more A Collection of Recent Reviews