Ridley Scott's masterful Crusades epic Kingdom of Heaven from 2005 is one of the funniest movies I have ever seen. I don't mean it's a comedic film where people are cracking jokes or dropping their pants—although its star, Orlando Bloom, would do exactly the latter in some iconic paddleboard paparazzi photos 11 years later. No,…Read more Kingdom of Heaven is a Beautiful Fantasy About Escaping History
Film Criticism
“Take a Chance on Me”: How Mamma Mia’s Non-Singing Actors Elevated the Movie
Almost 20 years ago, the adaptation of the Broadway musical Mamma Mia was released into movie theaters. Outside of my family of two, few would probably describe the film as a great musical. On some level, I would tend to agree with them. Like many jukebox musicals, Mamma Mia has structural problems. Yet I'd argue…Read more “Take a Chance on Me”: How Mamma Mia’s Non-Singing Actors Elevated the Movie
“Only the Best”: On Edward Norton’s Good/Bad Performance in The Italian Job
When is a performance good and bad? Obviously, there are many performances out there that are so bad they are good. Edward Norton in 2003's The Italian Job is not one of those. His supporting performance as the villainous Steve is a perfectly acceptable and, at times, even frightening baddie performance. It is bad strictly…Read more “Only the Best”: On Edward Norton’s Good/Bad Performance in The Italian Job
On Peter Jackson’s King Kong and the Problem with Directorial Final Cut
This December will be 20 years since Peter Jackson’s remake of King Kong was released. Premiering on the heels of his iconic, Oscar-winning The Lord of the Rings trilogy, few films have probably ever been more anticipated. But when it arrived in theaters (lol, remember going to those?) in Dec. of 2005 it was a…Read more On Peter Jackson’s King Kong and the Problem with Directorial Final Cut
Film Review: Rocky (1976)
Rocky is a film that is easy for me to review. I am so acutely familiar with its rhythms and idiosyncrasies. Its ebbs and its flows. I have seen the film so many times and internalized it so much that, at this point, the film is basically me and I am basically it. Perhaps the…Read more Film Review: Rocky (1976)
Film Review: The Accidental Husband (2008)
In post-9-11 New York, marriage is the air, or so it may seem. The unpredictable nature of love and the fickleness of the human heart will rear their mighty heads. And when they do, they shall tear apart some couples, bring others together and force one woman to make a fateful choice in 2008's forgotten…Read more Film Review: The Accidental Husband (2008)
Film Review: Weapons (2025)
In the dead of night, an entire class of school children save one inexplicably goes missing at the exact same time. The surrounding community is shaken to its core by the disappearance and attempts to make sense of the mystery. Who is behind the abduction, and what do they want? All will be revealed in…Read more Film Review: Weapons (2025)
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
Film Review: She’s All That (1999)
The paradigm governing the teen film shifted profoundly at some point in the last decade. The bizarre, stupefying fantasy lands commonplace in the genre 15-20 years ago have been dismissed, with million-dollar mansions being less frequently commandeered by teenagers for their private parties. There also isn't the same rigid hierarchy, where groups like the jocks continually…Read more Film Review: She’s All That (1999)
Adam Mohrbacher 