The film tells the story of a dysfunctional family, revolving around a frustrated miniature artist named Annie (Toni Collette). At the beginning of the movie, Annie grieves her mother’s death. They were estranged until her mother started suffering from dementia. Annie’s not overwrought by the death but experiences spooks while in her workshop one night.Continue reading “Hereditary”
Category Archives: Review
Little Fires Everywhere
Besides watching movies, I also love curling up with a good book. This year, my Goodreads goal is 50 books. I’m a little over 40% of the way there, mostly thanks to many technically heavy books on marketing, filmmaking, and story structure. That said, there’s truly nothing more pleasurable than great fiction storytelling. Just likeContinue reading “Little Fires Everywhere”
I, Tonya
After long admiring its nouveau Americana soundtrack, I finally sat down and watched Craig Gillespie’s I, Tonya, a critical darling from 2017 that stars Aussie actress Margot Robbie as its titular heroine full of gumption. Crafted with extraordinary, ethereal ice skating shots, the film develops a narrative about class and domestic violence. It offers anContinue reading “I, Tonya”
Pariah
Illuminated by warm orange and pink lights, Dee Rees’ Pariah (2011) is an emotionally raw coming-of-age film about a queer Black teenager named Alike (Adepero Oduye), who comes from a conservative, dysfunctional family living in Brooklyn. Rees (best known for her work in Mudbound), the movie’s director-writer, takes us on Alike’s journey. She divides the film betweenContinue reading “Pariah”
Ingrid Goes West
Directed by newcomer Matt Spicer, Ingrid Goes West emerges as an admittedly low-key funny social media satire with neither a novel nor clear message, exhilaratingly filtered with Instagram gloss that propels a cloud of loosely condescending irony. It follows the lonely life of a very insecure Ingrid Thornburn (Aubrey Plaza), a disturbed young woman who takesContinue reading “Ingrid Goes West”
Avengers: Infinity War (minor spoilers)
Avengers: Infinity War delivers on its promise of being the biggest superhero event of the season, year, and decade. It’s exactly what you’d expect it to be, and a little bit more. Between two to three dozen superheroes in one movie, viewers will get tons of blow-ya-mind fight scenes in the movie’s 160 minutes, which, admittedly,Continue reading “Avengers: Infinity War (minor spoilers)”
Bridesmaids
Bridesmaids isn’t the be all end all feminist comedy film that it’s lauded as but it offers food for thought about the dainty, polished roles that women are typically pigeonholed in. If you can stomach its raunchy food for thought, of course. Kristen Wiig portrays Annie, a neurotic woman in her late thirties going throughContinue reading “Bridesmaids”
Trainwreck
Anchored by Amy Schumer’s comedic brio, Trainwreck brings warmth and sharp humor to taboo subjects like sex and death. It reveals Schumer’s talents as a writer, actress, and comic but simultaneously showcases the current limitations of the modern love genre. Trainwreck revolves around Amy Townsend, a thirtysomething magazine writer who works hard, parties harder, and has seriousContinue reading “Trainwreck”
Throwback: Heathers
It’s been a while since I’ve watched Heathers but I have recently gotten the chance to read Daniel Waters’ brilliant screenplay during a long car ride. Heathers has always been one of those movies that I adequately enjoyed but never fully understood. It always struck me as a hair too cynical, the protagonist as aContinue reading “Throwback: Heathers”
A Quiet Place
John Krasinski is the co-writer, director, and star in A Quiet Place, an imaginative horror film with a disarmingly surprising amount of heart. The movie takes place in a rural part of a dystopian world, in which a family has somehow managed to survive in their humble abode on a farm for well over aContinue reading “A Quiet Place”
Stacey Nguyen 