The internet is a great thing for movies. It provides this avenue for a multitude of voices to not only proclaim their love for film but to also dig into its deeper meanings and implications. But with the good comes the bad and the age of the cinematic surprise is waning. Not…
It has been several days since I saw Der Samurai. While this time of reflection has allowed me to grow to appreciate just what the film tries to do and actually accomplishes, one fact remains patently unchanged. I have no idea what was real, nightmare, or ultimately what this movie…
We all have our own thing. That singular hobby or obsession that is ours. There is a deep love that accompanies the time spent with that outlet. Be it music, movies, cars, food, or whatever else you have that allows you to open, it is the one place where you are fully you. There are…
A few years back on a trip to Disney World I remember sitting down for the Michael Jackson 3D film Captain EO. The strange mixture of space opera, muppets, and music all under the confused direction of Francis Ford Coppola reminded me of Jackson’s penchant for lengthy music…
There are a lot of different types of film, like any art form. If you like everything you see, or conversely hate everything, you probably aren’t allowing yourself to be fully open to what is out there. Art can be made for many reasons, but for me, it is at its most effective when it is trying…
Horror is kind of in a strange space. There was a time when the medium truly resided in this area of counter culture. These dirty, grimy, and altogether alternative films indulged in violence with a surprising amount of brains. They were the opportunity to tell stories in a different…
Stigma is a fickle beast. It causes us to shut down, to level assumptions instead of searching for knowledge. When you say BDSM it conjures images of ropes, whips, handcuffs, and pain. No matter what your friend’s mom has to say about how much she enjoyed 50 Shades of Grey, my bet…
America is synonymous with free speech or at least that’s the branding it purports. For most of my life, it’s hard for me to recall an amendment more oft cited than the first. Sure, with the ever-present right wing agenda this has lately been shifting to good ole number two, but I think…
The World of Kanako is a cinematic experience unlike any I’ve ever had before. For long periods I wanted to run out. Director Tetsuya Nakashima has committed to film a twisted, ugly, and mean-spirited world. It is populated by the worst people imaginable, yet shown…
We as a society have a real problem dealing with ourselves. Especially when it comes to women. Despite making up over half of our population, years of minimization and the bolstering of a patriarchal model have, with no true reasoning, positioned women as lesser. In the very way women are…