“In Joe Begos’ Bliss, Meat Is Muse”

Waiter, Joe Begos got his splatter horror film in this examination of the artist’s enduring creative struggle. Not complaining! They’re tasty together. Continue reading →

“Simulation Theory Movies Offer Words Of Caution”

What happens when a person doesn’t think their reality is their reality and that their actions have no consequences? Nothin’ good. Continue reading →

“‘VFW’ Salutes the Troops with More Blood Than Brains”

So far, when it comes to Joe Begos and the movies that Joe Begos makes, I’m 2 for 4; I like Bliss, I like VFW (though I like it less than Bliss), and I remember liking Almost Human, but it’s been almost a decade so I might need to revisit. I also never saw Mind’s Eye. Sorry Joe!  There’s … Continue reading →

Andy’s Best Things, 2019 Edition

The best movies, the best albums, the best horror, and the best catty side-swipes at whatever’s annoying me at the time of this writing. Happy New Year! Continue reading →

“The Best Horror Movies of 2019”

Out with the old, in with the new, but first you’d better watch these ten movies and maybe scare the daylights out of yourself. Continue reading →

Andy’s Best Things, 2019 Halftime Edition

Shrugging off television viewing and ranking has lifted a massive weight off of my shoulders, because a) Television sucks, and b) Writing about television sucks way, way more Obviously I’m not above writing about TV now and again, but don’t anticipate that I’ll mix TV into my “best of” shenanigans again anytime soon. I’m much too … Continue reading →

“Boston Calling Preview”

So: I’m writing about music now, too. Don’t give me that look. I know you ostensibly “visit my blog” to “read about movies and television,” and that “my brand is all over the fucking place,” but the reality is this: Freelancing about the movies is great, but really hard, because every asshole who’s sat through a … Continue reading →

Review: Moonrise Kingdom, 2012, dir. Wes Anderson

Moonrise Kingdom marks the most singularly Wes Andersony film of Wes Anderson’s career to date. It also represents a perfect vehicle for the quirks and tics that define his vision as a filmmaker– that impeccable and odd sense of style, seen in his set designs, costuming choices, and musical accompaniments, as well as the trademark … Continue reading →

Review: The Tree of Life, 2011, dir. Terrence Malick

“It’s not what a movie is about, it’s how it is about it.”— Roger Ebert I can’t think of a single contemporary film* I’ve seen that’s quite like The Tree of Life, Terrence Malick’s sprawling, time-spanning, grand opus of spirituality, creation, and human existence. Mercurially free form, the film rejects many traditional notions of narrative … Continue reading →

Late Night Double Feature: Jennifer’s Body/Drag Me to Hell

But don’t worry– I’m not in the back row at the picture show, because you know what they say about the back ro Two horror films, two degrees of director skill. Two beautiful leading ladies, both tormented or prodded by demons. Sounds like a natural pairing for a late-night back-to-back horror bash. Let’s get this … Continue reading →

Review: The Other Guys, 2010, dir. Adam McKay

Wow, Adam McKay– what’s gotten you so worked up? Watching The Other Guys, the answer isn’t particularly secret and nor does McKay seem terribly interested in trying to disguise it. For a bonkers, slapstick, off-the-wall comedy featuring Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg swapping back and forth between being the straight man and acting like lunatics, … Continue reading →

Review: Zombieland, 2009, dir. Ruben Fleischer

How do filmmakers today keep the decaying body of the zombie invasion genre fresh and– so to speak– alive? Decades of offerings focused on the shambling hordes of the undead, many of which exist solely to ape their oft-superior predecessors, have rendered this cornerstone of low-budget indie horror filmmaking inert, arid, and utterly boring. But … Continue reading →

Video Games and Art: A Debating Ouroboros

  There’s a lengthy three-pronged introduction to this article. The first is that while I usually refrain from cursing in this blog, this debate frustrates me in ways that I didn’t think were possible. If there’s a haughtiness or a shortness or an anger to my words, then that’s probably why. Prong numero duo is … Continue reading →

Review: Junebug, 2005, dir. Phil Morrison

Near the end of Junebug, audience surrogate Madeleine sits with Eugene, her father-in-law, and talks quietly and cautiously. She has only just met her husband’s (Alessandro Nivola) family, based in North Carolina, knowing very little about them and about him. Speaking about her mother-in-law, Peg, she muses, “She’s a very strong personality.” Eugene responds with … Continue reading →

Whip It, 2009, dir. Drew Barrymore

One of my very favorite things is going to a movie expecting to dislike it, only to walk out of the theater having had my expectations turned upside-down. There is little that is more satisfying in a movie-going experience than finding a gem where one anticipated trash (though admittedly, sometimes what you want is something … Continue reading →

Timecrimes, 2008, dir. Nacho Vigalondo

The average Joe, it seems, doesn’t understand the subtleties of time travel. They have no concept of the potential paradoxes that can arise from reckless behavior and brash actions; they are deluded enough to think that they can best causality. The hero of Timecrimes, Hector, is such a man; apparently, he has never watched Lost … Continue reading →