Review: ‘The Devil All the Time’: The Road to Chaos is Paved with Good Actors

Antonio Campos’ new Netflix film, The Devil All the Time, can be called many things; but subtle is not one of them. There are not many words in the English language to quantify the insanity of this picture. Truly, the most accurate description is that all 138 minutes are completely bonkers. This multi-generataional epic follows the lives of several families connected to Knockemstiff, Ohio from the mid-1940’s to the 1960’s. Continue reading “Review: ‘The Devil All the Time’: The Road to Chaos is Paved with Good Actors” →

Review: ‘I’m Thinking of Ending Things’ is a Treat For Fans of Kaufman’s Unique Style

Unlike the rest of the world, Charlie Kaufman has had a successful 2020. His debut novel, Antkind, was published to critical acclaim in July, while his third film, I’m Thinking of Ending Things, was just released on Netflix. Based on the 2016 novel by Canadian writer Ian Reid, I’m Thinking of Ending Things stars Jessie Buckley and Jesse Plemons as a young couple who are driving to meet his parents for dinner. The visit turns out to be much more eventful than anticipated. Continue reading “Review: ‘I’m Thinking of Ending Things’ is a Treat For Fans of Kaufman’s Unique Style” →

Review: Somehow, ‘The Kissing Booth 2’ is Worse Than the First Film

I love high school comedy films, and I have no shame in saying so. I probably love them more than the average person does. In fact, when I’m not watching new 2020 releases, I’ve spent these last few months binge-watching late ’90s/early 2000s teen comedies on a quest for the best (But I’m a Cheerleader is currently winning), all of them being first watches for me. Continue reading “Review: Somehow, ‘The Kissing Booth 2’ is Worse Than the First Film” →

Review: ‘The Old Guard’ is a Decent Adaptation with Some Great Representation

As a queer person, I love it when we are given visibility in narratives, and love it even more when our queerness isn’t just the only characteristic we have. The Old Guard, Netflix’s new film based on Greg Rucka’s fantastic graphic novels, is very satisfying in that regard, especially because queer visibility is important in every genre. Director Gina Prince-Bythewood’s combination of the comic’s gritty atmosphere and the common tropes in today’s superhero films, while good, still leaves a lot to be desired. Continue reading “Review: ‘The Old Guard’ is a Decent Adaptation with Some Great Representation” →

Review: ‘Desperados’ is a Hot Mess with a Good Message

It makes me very sad when bad movies happen to have good actors. Nasim Pedrad, a former SNL star who is highly talented in many ways, hasn’t really had her big break yet. It would seem, in theory, that landing the lead role in a comedy would be a step up from being the saving grace of Guy Ritchie’s atrocious Aladdin remake. Unfortunately, I don’t think Desperados is going to contribute much to her stardom. Continue reading “Review: ‘Desperados’ is a Hot Mess with a Good Message” →

Review: ‘One Way to Tomorrow’ is a Turkish Version of the Before Trilogy

One Way to Tomorrow, Netflix’s first original film from Turkey, is a pleasant if unimaginative tale of a chance encounter between two strangers who have more in common than they initially believe. The film’s somewhat confusingly translated title references the fact that the two main characters, Ali (Metin Akdülger), a lawyer, and Leyla (Dilan Çiçek Deniz), a violinist, have purchased one-way tickets on a 14-hour train journey from the Turkish capital city of Ankara to the seaport of Izmir. One Way to Tomorrow, which is adapted from the 2014 Swedish film How to Stop a Wedding, explores concepts of forgiveness, acceptance, and the intimacy that can quickly develop between strangers. Continue reading “Review: ‘One Way to Tomorrow’ is a Turkish Version of the Before Trilogy” →

Review: ‘Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga’ is Just as Campy and Enjoyable as its Namesake

The Eurovision Song Contest is a fever dream like no other. For the past few years, we’ve had performances featuring Germans confessing their love for Genghis Khan, a Romanian singer “summoning” demons onstage, a Russian song dedicated to grandmothers, and a Polish singer churning butter onstage – and those are only the bottom tier of weird. The COVID-cancelled contest is so absurd, in fact, that we now have a Will Ferrell movie about it – and unlike some of his most recent ventures, this one’s actually good. Continue reading “Review: ‘Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga’ is Just as Campy and Enjoyable as its Namesake” →

Review: ‘A Whisker Away’ is a Fun Tale of Puppy Love With Cats

Studio Colorido have been one of the few anime studios to really make a mark internationally in the past few years. A Whisker Away, their second collaboration with Toho Animation after 2018’s Crunchyroll-exclusive film Penguin Highway, is good enough, even if its love story of naïve obsession is a little more than worrisome. The film is directed by Junichi Sato and stars Mirai Sasaki and Natsuke Hanae as the two main characters. Continue reading “Review: ‘A Whisker Away’ is a Fun Tale of Puppy Love With Cats” →

Review: ‘The Lovebirds’ is the Fun Film We Need Right Now

Not every romantic relationship is the way a romantic comedy makes it seem – there will be fights, and there will be long fights. Michael Showalter’s The Lovebirds challenges this notion in an entertaining way, and much like his previous collaboration with Kumail Nanjiani, 2017’s The Big Sick, this film is fantastic in the way it combines genres to create a compelling story – albeit in a very different way. Continue reading “Review: ‘The Lovebirds’ is the Fun Film We Need Right Now” →