Category Archives: Film

Carolyn Petit on Blade Runner 2049

Hard to excerpt without spoilers, but Carolyn Petit wrote a piece about Blade Runner 2049 and her own experiences that’s worth reading. I always enjoy a piece of writing that takes the wax and wane of media and life seriously, and Petit … Continue reading

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On Free Fire

I’ve just finished watching Free Fire, the newest film from director Ben Wheatley (and Amy Jump who he cowrote and coedited it with), and while it’s very late I have some thoughts I want to get down about the film. 1. … Continue reading

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“The horror of life itself”: Wes Craven on his films

Christopher Sharrett – “‘Fairy Tales for the Apocalypse’: Wes Craven on the Horror of Film,” 1985.

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On Evil Dead (2013)

The word of mouth that I heard about the remake / reboot of Evil Dead was that it fundamentally misunderstood the thing that made the Evil Dead trilogy so great in the first place: the comedy. There’s a zaniness to the Raimi original that … Continue reading

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On X-Men: Apocalypse (2016)

I. SOME HISTORY Fox’s X-Men franchise has had more hits than misses. 2000’s X-Men was an excellent introduction to the world and the film franchise’s core character Wolverine. Following three years later, X2 solidified many of the themes that director Bryan Singer evoked in the first … Continue reading

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On The Last Witch Hunter (2015)

1. When Star Wars: The Force Awakens was released, there was a longform internet discussion on the nature of the Mary Sue. Debates raged over whether Rey, one of the protagonists of that film, was in that camp of figures. Critics of … Continue reading

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On Nightcrawler (2014)

My friend John talked up Nightcrawler to me pretty much nonstop through 2015, so I felt like it was my obligation to eventually make my way to seeing the movie, and I wasn’t disappointed. While he has a pretty specific way of … Continue reading

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On The Last Door: Season 1

The Last Door is a strange little point and click horror game that is (I believe) going to stretch over two seasons. It has a lot to love in it, and it has a familiar aesthetic for anyone who has played … Continue reading

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On Fargo – Season 1

1. The use of the pastiche or the remix or the mashup in contemporary “prestige television” is everywhere. I can see it working on a couple different levels. On one level, it does the same work that stock plots have … Continue reading

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Jason Read on the Blockbuster Reboot

If you remember anything about The Road Warrior (Mad Max 2 in the rest of the world) it is the truck chase, so Fury Road offers you the truck chase as a film. It also sprinkles in a few other … Continue reading

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