In my review for Hillbilly Elegy a few months back, I was very harsh. Fairly so, but harsh in a way I have rarely been towards even some of the worst films I have come across. It was a personal piece more than a typical review, and I am not afraid to admit that. But…
When I clicked on Amazon’s latest original movie, I thought I was tuning into an odd romantic comedy that also somehow involved parallel dimensions. The cast certainly looked promising, as did the titillating first trailer. This grey-toned, deadpan dystopian drama is quite the unexpected surprise. Not necessarily in quality, but in the amount of thought…
What I have had to relearn about the 1960s as a decade in American politics has been infinite. I was taught the usual schtick in elementary school – Dr. King good, violence bad. In high school I remember reading Malcolm X’s essay “Learning to Read.” Thinking about it all these years later I should have…
Pitched in 1993 by writer/director John Lee Hancock only to be met with apprehension for being too dark, The Little Things is now upon us. The 1990’s setting has gone from contemporary to a period piece, and the dynamic of the lead trio is just different enough from that of Se7en to set itself apart.…
I’d like to start this list off with some honorable mentions: The Small Axe series: McQueen is one of my favorite filmmakers working today and this series further confirms that, but I chose to leave individual entries off my list to cover as much ground as possible. Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom: A late contender that…
This year has brought us a lot of unexpected and amazing films, but I don’t think Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is arriving with low expectations. As the final performance on film from Chadwick Boseman and a continuation of August Wilson adaptations following Fences, the latest Netflix original has been gathering buzz for quite some time.…
In 2014, a data analysis team at the New York times determined the hardest counties in the country to live, based on several factors. Six counties in Kentucky’s coal country ended up in the bottom 10. Clay County, the place I grew up in until I left for college, came in dead last. A subsequent…
I have found a love for the modern Western in the past few years. From direct reimaginings of classics like True Grit to genre blends like Bone Tomahawk, modern cowboy stories are making a grand return. The latest entry into the chronicles of the 21st century rancher is Concrete Cowboy, the feature debut of Ricky…
Writer/director/actor Jim Cummings had one of the best sleeper hits of 2018 with Thunder Road. Adapted from his short film of the same name, Cummings’ performance is a tour de force in the story of a police officer overcoming his internal turbulence when his professional and personal life begin to crumble. The Wolf of Snow…
David is your average lonely guy. He lives with his elderly mother, who calls him by his father’s name. He takes care of her (and watches old Cary Grant flicks with her) and the small neighborhood home they inhabit. He’s also subscribed to a retro version of Tinder, where your dating profile is recorded onto…
