Double Feature: Won’t You Spend a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood?

In a perfect world, each piece of media stands alone as its own, absent of comparison and lens-holding to similar things and works. That’s not always how the world works, however, and sometimes, it’s easier and more effective to analyze things as the sum of parts. When looking at the two most […]

Boyz n the Hood

One out of every 21 Black-American males will be murdered in their lifetime…most will die at the hands of another black male. In 1984 Inglewood, California, ten-year-old Tre is intellectually gifted, but lacks direction and the right influence, raised only by his single mother, Reva (Angela Bassett). The decision is made to send him to […]

Extra Ordinary

World. Class. In Ireland, the Extra Ordinary loner Rose (Maeve Higgins) is attempting to live a normal life. She’s got the talents that see her talk to the paranormal, sending spirits and ghosts to where they need to be. Her skills were cultivated alongside her father, Vincent Dooley (Risteárd Cooper), a legendary paranormal expert who […]

First Cow

In any endeavor, it’s the getting started that’s the puzzle. Sometime in the early 19th century, a talented cook, fittingly named “Cookie” (John Magaro) has banded with a group of fur trappers, serving as their in-house (in-trek?) provider of nourishment on the Oregon Trail, hoping to find riches. Along the way, he crosses paths with […]

Swallow

“Every day, try to do something unexpected. Push yourself to try new things.” It’s a passage Hunter (Haley Bennett) reads from a book. Her current life, by her own admission, is going great. She’s married to the love of her life, Richie (Austin Stowell), who has just been named to a very senior lucrative position […]

The Invisible Man (2020)

“Don’t let him win by bringing him back to life.” That’s a statement Cecilia Kass (Elisabeth Moss) hears from Tom (Michael Dorman), a lawyer who happens to the brother of Cecilia’s husband, millionaire tech whiz entrepreneur Adrian (Oliver Jackson-Cohen). A tumultuous marriage between the two has seemingly seen its conclusion, punctuated by Cecilia walking away […]

Hollow Man

The spirit is willing to do a lot of things when the flesh is nonexistent. Brilliant biologist Doctor Sebastian Caine (Kevin Bacon) is furiously at work attempting to crack the formula for invisibility and re-visibility that would be used for the U.S. military. Alongside his lab team, which includes scientist—and ex-girlfriend—Linda (Elizabeth Shue) and researcher […]

Fantasy Island (2020)

“Anything and everything is possible on Fantasy Island.” That’s what the overseer of the island, Mr. Roarke (Michael Peña) says, anyway. The island is purported to have mystical powers, the type of powers that can make a fantasy real. Five individuals are about to find out for themselves: stepbrothers Bradley (Ryan Hansen) and Brax (Jimmy […]

Downhill (2020)

“Every day is all we have.” That’s the mantra that Pete (Will Ferrell) has adopted from his late father. It’s been less than a year since his father’s passing, and it’s something he’s not fully over. He hopes this trip to the Alps with wife, Billie (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) along with two sons Emerson and Finn […]

The Assistant (2019)

TPS reports? Not quite, but the work that assistant Jane (Julia Garner) does is soul-crushing monotonous. Her responsibilities working at this big movie production company include—but are not limited to—dealing with angry customers, fetching food, and keeping the place organized. Was it mentioned that she’s barely getting paid, and working seven days a week? It’s […]