I’ve heard that there’s a new Terminator anime on Netflix. I may give it a glance one of these days, but given how most previous Terminator follow-ups haven’t exactly held up, you can perhaps understand why I hesitate. My strongest connection to the Terminator mythology is the character of Sarah Connor. I genuinely think she is one of the best characters in all of action-cinemadom. But I’ve already talked plenty about her in my piece on the first Terminator film,... Read more
How exactly did it take me this long to write about Charlie Chaplin in this space? I guess I can only attribute it to some internalized phobia of talking about silent films even though they not only form the bedrock of modern filmmaking but are also quite good on their own. Accept this apology, and let us all move on … If you don’t know Charlie Chaplin, permit me to direct you to my essay on his work from... Read more
I’m always impressed at how film can so quickly get you curious about things you are not necessarily familiar with. I think I’ve been in an arcade maybe three times in my life, but I really like Disney’s Wreck-it Ralph. The film sees the titular Wreck-it Ralph living in an arcade game where his purpose is to be the bad guy. The monster. The thing civilians toss off the roof at the very end after the good guy saves the... Read more
I wrote a little bit ago about Akira Kurosawa’s Ikiru and how it deconstructs the way that the workplace deteriorates the human soul. I stand by my observations there about both the genius of the film and the necessity all people have to try to cultivate their sense of happiness and purpose independent of what the workforce tells you is important. (If we lived in a more perfect world, all people would have equal opportunity to do this.) But there... Read more
I’ll confess I haven’t yet been assigned jury duty, but there is one movie that actually kind of has me hoping I’ll get the chance. Based on the 1954 teleplay by Reginald Rose, 12 Angry Men is a 1957 drama directed by Sidney Lumet following a jury charged with delivering a verdict on whether an impoverished young boy killed his father. A boy’s life is at stake, yet at the start, a lot of these jurors only view this whole... Read more
We all have regrets in life. One of mine is that I did not let myself become interested in watching horror films until like three years ago. There are a lot of solid movies on my favorites list from the horror genre, movies released within my lifetime, that I chose not to see in theaters because I just didn’t think I could handle catching them on the big screen. At the top of that list is the first “A Quiet... Read more
Today’s film deals with some heavy topics, most notably suicide, which will be discussed in today’s piece. If this is content you don’t feel comfortable engaging with, I’d cordially recommend skipping this post. Craig Johnson’s 2014 off-beat comedy, The Skeleton Twins, sees estranged siblings, Maggie and Milo, reuniting after ten years following Milo’s failed suicide attempt, Milo unaware that Maggie herself was about to take her own life when she received the hospital phone call about him. Maggie takes Milo... Read more
Full confession: I have yet to see a single episode of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. I promise I’m not avoiding it, my television education has just always lagged behind my film education. (Though give me some credit, I am working to catch up and just finished watching Malcom in the Middle yesterday.) So when I think of Will Smith’s iconic roles, my attention generally defers to his 2005 rom-com, Hitch. Alex “Hitch” Hitchens (Will Smith) make a living as... Read more
Here’s a question. By the end of It’s a Wonderful Life, do you think George Bailey ever realized that so many people were on their knees for him that Christmas Eve? The film famously tracks the life of George Bailey, whose boundless dreams and ambitions are only eclipsed by his generous heart and strong moral compass. Over and over, his life calls on him to set aside his own interests and wants in order to rescue his community, and those... Read more
I’ve heard it said before that one of the hardest trials a person can be called to bear is wealth and success. The thought can obviously sit weirdly when it seems like all your problems would be solved with a few extra zeroes in the bank account, but when you also peel back the curtain and see the desolate inner life of those who have never stood in want, monetarily speaking, you see the price you really have to pay... Read more
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