Guys. Guys. Gals, too: We did it! We managed, for the first time in a long time, to drop a “films by women” column in the month it’s intended for! I’ll take the credit for this, but only because I take the blame for them not dropping in a timely fashion for the last few months … Continue reading
On episode 107 of the great, wonderful, and very good Be Reel podcast, hosted by the splendiferous Chance Solem-Pfeifer, we talked Halloween. And the Halloween franchise. And John Carpenter’s career as a whole. And “elevated” horror, a buzz phrase that nearly makes me Hulk Out™, because boy is it just the worst buzz phrase. It’s so bad I might … Continue reading
It’s all in the subject line: Rambo, the franchise, summarized. (There’s even a dismissive blurb about the Rambo kids’ show that no one likely remembers, which, honestly, that’s for the best.) I know we’re a ways out from Rambo V, but it’s never too early to do your homework, and there’s some homework to do on this totally nutty … Continue reading
“Rambo.” There’s a blast-from-the-past name, right? Bet you weren’t expecting to hear about Rambo anytime soon, huh? Well: Too bad. Rambo’s coming back. Is that a plus or a minus? Depends on how you like your action movies; Rambo (2008) sticks to a pretty classic 1980s aesthetic of “white dude kills scores of brown dudes,” but … Continue reading
I like a good, standardized talking head doc that’s lean, simple, but knows how to tell a nonfiction story through primary sources and such as that. But I like creative, nonstandard docs that feel more like art than journalism, and that’d be Robert Greene‘s Bisbee ’17, which you may recall I wrote about last month. Bisbee ’17 … Continue reading
I dig Dan Stevens and I make no apologies. But I do make unexpected analogies! I remember reading, I think, Have a Nice Day: A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks, Mick Foley’s 1999 autobiography, and I remember Foley writing about Vince McMahon’s habit of getting in the ring and taking chairs to the face and stunners … Continue reading
Short version: We saw Jump, Little Children, whose members did jump but also are not little children, play at Boston’s City Winery at the end of September. They were great. Longer version: I was introduced to this group back in college and I’ve been a fan since, so watching them play a decade and change … Continue reading
“Enough already with Apostle pieces!” you say. “Ha ha ha! Deal with it, sucker!” says I, swinging my second article about one of my recent favorites, Gareth Evans’ new horror joint, right at your face. I didn’t get to write all of the pieces about Mandy, but lord I tried. I am now making up for that … Continue reading
Hello! I did another music review! This time, it’s Gregory Alan Isakov’s latest, Evening Machines, far and away one of the 2018 albums that’s gotten under my skin; the thing grows on me every time I listen to it. It’s wonderful. Frankly, I’m just going to cut off right here, except to say that if you’re … Continue reading
Question: Does anyone care if Paste‘s Criterion round-ups publish the month after they’re intended for? This used to bother me just on grounds of professional, writerly pride, but I’m not sure anymore if it’s worth me being bothered by; by the time these pieces land, every release from the preceding month is commercially available, which feels … Continue reading
It’s October! Which means it’s still Oktoberfest! Only just, of course, but “only just” is just enough. You’ve got a couple days left. Seize ’em. You can start, naturally, by reading my thoughts on the festival, farmed from brewers at Night Shift, Marshall, and Silvaticus, because of course I’m going to speak with MA breweries … Continue reading
Weird to see a “women’s film” spotlight focused on movies from September posted in October, but, uh, mea culpa and such as that. The dog ate my homework. I dunno. There’s not a great excuse for the delay; that being said, I’d still offer that documenting the movies on Septembers slate matters, because some of … Continue reading
Continuing my side career as a major Trillium Brewing Company booster: My interview with Esther Tetreault, one of the most joyful interviews I’ve conducted all year (aided in no small part by drinks*), about Trillium’s past, present, and future, including a discussion of “beer therapy” and a back and forth on the company’s apparent evolution … Continue reading
Well, hey, look at that, a new Gareth Evans movie. I’ve been waiting on more Evans since 2014’s The Raid 2: Berandal, a high point in action filmmaking (if a little bit bloated, but the bloat is all good bloat); he has a way about the camera that ensures the camera is as involved in what … Continue reading
Upfront: I dug Kate Plays Christine, documentary filmmaker Robert Greene’s last movie, but I am floored, still, by Bisbee ’17, his latest, and I saw it over two weeks ago. Maybe that makes me…I don’t know, simple? I think Kate Plays Christine hangs around the edges of fast comprehension. It’s elusive. I like an elusive film, and I’m … Continue reading
A Constant Visual Feast 