Essay: Ferguson, SELMA, And Hope

“I saw Ava DuVernay’s Selma at a “for your consideration” screening the same night a grand jury in St. Louis County declined to indict Darren Wilson in the fatal shooting of Michael Brown.” (Via Badass Digest.)

Review: The Babadook, 2014, dir. Jennifer Kent

“Classifying Jennifer Kent’s feature debut, The Babadook, is tricky. Ostensibly this is a horror film—freaky stuff happens on an escalating scale, so qualifying Kent’s tale of a single mother’s fractious relationship with her young son with genre tags seems like a perfectly logical move. But The Babadook is so layered, so complex and just so … Continue reading →

Review: Horrible Bosses 2, 2014, dir. Sean Anders

“Why does every single Jason Bateman character ever insist on associating with morons? Bateman’s always been the smartest, most hapless schmuck in the room; ever since his days on Arrested Development, viewers have gravitated towards him out of sympathy, wanting to support his innate, down-to-earth likeability. But there’s a point at which an actor’s persona … Continue reading →

TV Review: Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Episode 2.08, “USPIS”

“And just like that, with a flurry of story, a guest stint from Ed Helms, and a helping of penis humor, Brooklyn Nine-Nine is back on track. “USPIS” perfectly highlights what the show does so, so well as compared to Season Two’s less successful episodes (“Lockdown,” “Halloween II”)—finding something valuable for each and every member … Continue reading →