Guest Post: “Do You Never Get Lonely?” (The Banshees of Inisherin, 2022)
On April 1, 1923, Colm Doherty (Brendan Gleeson) rejects the invitation of a 2 o’clock trip to the pub from his friend Pádraic Súilleabháin (Colin Farrell). This afternoon pint is a daily ritual for the best friends. Upon hearing the surprising news, Pádraic’s sister Siobhán (Kerry Condon) jokes that “maybe he [Colm] just doesn’t […]
I believe in softcore pornography… but isn’t that for straight dudes?
I believe in softcore pornography… but isn’t that for straight dudes? Part One: The Discourse, erotic thriller nostalgia, and the feminist angles For the past two years, give or take, I’ve been formulating and untangling a whole mess of interrelated thoughts on the State of the Sex Scene in mainstream film and television. […]
Review: The Sea Beast
The Sea Beast Directed by Chris Williams Starring Karl Urban, Zaris-Angel Hator, Jared Harris Released June 08, 2022, streaming exclusively on Netflix Netflix Animation, the streaming behemoth’s in-house animation studio, has only produced a handful of films since launching in 2019 with the Christmas film Klaus. The studio’s output prior to this year […]
Review: The Princess
The Princess Directed by Le-Van Kiet Starring Joey King, Dominic Cooper, Olga Kurylenko Released July 01, 2022, streaming exclusively on Hulu (U.S.) The Princess lays its cards on the table from the first scene. The film opens with a swooping exterior shot of a castle tower; the camera zooms through a window at […]
Review: Spiderhead
Spiderhead Directed by Joseph Kosinski Starring Chris Hemsworth, Miles Teller, Jurnee Smollett Released June 17, 2022, streaming exclusively on Netflix Chris Hemsworth may be one of Hollywood’s most underutilized, underappreciated stars. As Thor, Hemsworth became a household name, but the MCU is never where he’s done his best work. One doesn’t have to […]
“I’m a slave to rock and roll”: Tom Cruise in Rock of Ages (2012)
It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of an electric guitar must be in want of a groupie. Or something like that. Starting a band to get a girlfriend is a time-honored tactic employed by teenaged film protagonists, after all. Even today, with rock and roll reportedly dead, the […]
Review: Watcher
Watcher Directed by Chloe Okuno Starring Maika Monroe, Karl Glusman, Burn Gorman Released June 03, 2022, now playing in theaters A young woman moves to a foreign country with her husband. They arrive together, a unit, but their daily lives quickly take divergent paths. He goes to his job at a marketing firm. […]
Guest Post: Unconventional Soulmates in Sean Baker’s “Starlet” (2012)
EDITOR’S NOTE: In case you didn’t catch the byline, this is a guest post! Please enjoy this piece from a writer whose work I am thrilled to feature (because I love reading her work elsewhere): Veronica Phillips. For Starlet’s twenty-something year old protagonist Jane (Dree Hemingway), conventional understandings of intimacy regarding sex, love, […]