‘I Am Mother’ Review: Cool sci-fi apocalyptic world building can’t save shallow story | Sundance 2019

I Am Mother has some really cool apocalyptic sci-fi imagery that aids its incredible world-building. However, the story that populates it doesn’t live up to those technical standards, instead, more concerned with the relationship between a droid and the human…

Film Canon: Moi, Un Noir (1958)

“These young people are torn between tradition and mechanization, between Islam and alcohol. They are faithful to their beliefs, but idolize modern stars of boxing and cinema.” Feeling stifled by his intellectual Parisian upbringing, Jean Rouch  first came to Africa…

‘Little Monsters’ Review: A reminder to thank our teachers in hilarious horror-comedy | Sundance 2019

A zombie film is probably not what comes to mind when thinking of films that appreciate teachers but after Little Monsters, it makes total sense. Director Abe Forsythe celebrates childhood and the teachers who made it meaningful all the while zombies…

‘The Nightingale’ Review: A messy and violent look at humanity | Sundance 2019

There’s no denying The Nightingale is a difficult watch. (When the theater manager says they have psychologists waiting outside if you need to leave, it’s pretty serious.) But while The Nightingale is punishing in its depiction of sexual violence, there’s…

The Standoff at Sparrow Creek Movie Review: Strong thriller setup slips in execution

Silence can be the most effective sound used in a movie. Tension and suspense can be amplified with little to no sound as much as using epic music made by John Williams or Hans Zimmer. Movie audiences are so used…

The Magicians Season 4 Premiere Review: The SyFy series returns in top form

Great series that dabble in the fantasy genre are few and far in-between and when they manage to succeed (such as HBO juggernaut Game of Thrones) they tend to need to straddle the line between the fantastical (dragons!) and deep realism…

Review: The Vanishing Stair by Maureen Johnson

The highly anticipated sequel to Truly Devious, The Vanishing Stair by Maureen Johnson is a killer second book in the trilogy. Picking up shortly after the first book ends, Stevie finds herself back at home, miserable, friendless, and still trying…