Director Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s greatest strength (among many) as a filmmaker is his ability to imbue the minutiae of everyday life and the relationships that charge them with wonder and urgency. As one of the most exciting rising directors of today,…
‘Love Hard’ review: An amusing, catfishing disaster that is somehow endearing
From December 1 to December 25, people all over prep for the holidays by watching Christmas movies, often where characters in their picture-perfect Christmas towns stumble upon “the one.” Netflix’s new film, Love Hard, follows this same overused formula. Like…
Album Review: Snail Mail – “Valentine”
One of the many charms Lush, the 2018 debut album from Lindsey Jordan and her band Snail Mail, was its dated quality. Though a musical highlight in the 21st century, Lush sounded like it could’ve debuted in the 1980s during…
‘The Souvenir Part II’ review: Joanna Hogg’s mega-meta, life story sequel is about growth through criticism
The Souvenir Part II, despite its name, isn’t just a sequel to Joanna Hogg’s semi-autobiographical film, The Souvenir from 2019. It is a sequel, yes, but it’s also a stylized re-examination of what that first film was all about and…
‘Last Night in Soho’ review: Stylish but hollow
With all of the delicacy of a meat cleaver, the latest film from Edgar Wright is an erroneously clumsy take on female empowerment. A direct homage to the Italian Giallo movement of the ’60s and ’70s with its technicolor spotlights,…
‘My Hero Academia: World Heroes’ Mission’ Review: Probably the best X-Men movie ever
Films adapted from long running anime are often pretty limited in what they can accomplish, since they’re rarely allowed to have any lasting impact on the ongoing story. Up to this point, the My Hero Academia films have mitigated this…
Album Review: Duran Duran – ‘Future Past’
For all its brightness and colors and over-the-top imagery, the 1980s were a hard decade to age out of. The pop culture stars of that glorious decade were so omnipresent in that boom of media that it was probably for…