At first glance, You Were Never Really Here and Leave No Trace are two completely different films. A violent psychological thriller versus a quiet drama, two opposing genres that both end up being character studies on the featured protagonists. In You Were Never Really Here, Joaquin Phoenix plays a suicidal hitman who recuses young girls…
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My first introduction to Alita: Battle Angel wasn’t the manga or the OVA (original video adaptation) released during its run, but the trailer for the live-action adaptation coming from Hollywood. The internet did what it does best after it dropped, creating memes and online discourse because of the unusually big eyes of the protagonist, and…
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“Is Gone Girl worth watching?” My friend asks me, to which I respond with the most enthusiastic “Yes!” imaginable. “And I’m not just saying yes because Ben Affleck gets naked.” She goes on to tell me that she recently finished the book and of course I want to know her opinion on it because the…
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Not man. Not machine. More. Upgrade is many things—a brutal action film set against stylish neon cinematography and a catchy synth-inspired soundtrack, a dark comedy that finds humor in the most unexpected situations, but at the core, a story of grieving man still struggling to come to terms with loss. Leigh Whannell’s second film diverts…
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The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo deserved better. David Fincher’s adaptation of the popular Swedish novel is his most underrated movie yet; although it was critically praised and did moderately well at the box office—oh yeah, and got Rooney Mara a Best Actress nomination—it still wasn’t enough to continue the trilogy. Disappointed is an understatement.…
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Psychokinesis is South Korea’s first superhero film, and what better person to helm the project than Yeon Sang-ho, director of Train of Busan, one of the best films of 2016 that not only reinvented the zombie genre but also reminded us that any genre that’s been run into the ground can always feel fresh again…
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On my twenty-third birthday, I spent the day at a tattoo parlor in Hell’s Kitchen. In simple black ink, I got a portrait of Emily Browning as Babydoll from Sucker Punch. This is my biggest tattoo to date, and it’s the one that holds the most significance to me. “That movie was badass.” My tattoo…
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Originally published on 4/9/16. This past Wednesday I went to see Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice for a second time—despite what the general consensus said, I came out enjoying the movie—and while I watched the slow-mo opening credits of the death of Thomas and Martha Wayne, I found myself crying. Not because of their tragic…
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Josie and the Pussycats reached the sixteenth anniversary of its theatrical release this past Sunday and I’m 100% serious when I say that this film is not only wildly underrated but also masterful in its commentary about consumer culture and girl power. There’s so much to be said about Josie and the Pussycats in terms of feminism that…
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Anyone who has followed the Cloverfield franchise from the beginning already knows to expect the unexpected. But even then, fans are still left in bewilderment at how unpredictable these films can get. The Cloverfield Paradox just dropped on Netflix—on Super Bowl Sunday of all days—with the only promotion being a 30-second teaser with the caption,…
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What does Cyborg mean to you? I ask this question because in the weeks leading up to the release of Justice League, I noticed an alarming amount of people who either dismissed or rejected the DCEU’s interpretation of the character. If you grew up during the era of Toonami, you almost certainly remember watching Teen…
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Lois Lane doesn’t get enough credit. I don’t know how else to say it—the DCEU is a $3 billion (and counting) franchise with tons of iconic characters that have already been introduced and are the subject of analysis and discussion among fans and yet the one person I don’t see getting her due is Amy…
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Monster is the type of film that takes you on an emotional roller coaster. I remember watching it years ago thinking that I would be left scandalized by this real-life story of a serial killer but instead I found myself never feeling that way; in fact, I was surprised that I felt sympathy towards Aileen Wuornos.…
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Captain America: Civil War has been out for a few weeks now and the consensus has been set: with 90% on Rotten Tomatoes and just days from reaching $1 billion worldwide, the film is both a critical and commercial success. Many critics are claiming it’s the best Marvel movie ever, but how can one take…
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