In Defense of a Good Ride or Why I Loved Ari Aster’s “Beau Is Afraid”
Film

In Defense of a Good Ride or Why I Loved Ari Aster’s “Beau Is Afraid”

“A career-killing film, Ari Aster’s Beau Is Afraid is what happens when studios cede full creative freedom to directors with reckless disregard for audiences outside themselves, Joaquin’s stellar performance goes to waste in this dumpster fire that A24 needs to answer for–0/10,” tweeted Erick Weber. Fellow tweeter Drew Landry disagreed with a twist, “Just saw … Continue reading

Why So Serious?: A Filthy Dreams Dueling Review Of “Joker”
Camp / Film / Role Models / Send in the clowns

Why So Serious?: A Filthy Dreams Dueling Review Of “Joker”

“I used to think my life was a tragedy. Now I realize it’s a comedy,” says soon-to-be Joker/Gotham’s resident gaunt downer Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) in Todd Phillips’s much-discussed, much-think pieced, much-hyped, much-backlashed film Joker. This line became a standout early on in the promotion of the film, and truth be told, for a good … Continue reading

Sympathy For Mr. Fleck: A Filthy Dreams Dueling Review Of “Joker”
Film / Send in the clowns

Sympathy For Mr. Fleck: A Filthy Dreams Dueling Review Of “Joker”

By and large, I’ve grown to despise comic book and superhero films. When I see praise lavished upon these narrative-less, stakes-less, CGI shlock-fests I stew with hatred for the artistically bankrupt culture that produces and pays for them to be continuously made. So when I went into a theater to watch Todd Phillips—a director best … Continue reading

Holding It Strong or Letting It Go: A Look at ‘Her’ and ‘The Past’
Film

Holding It Strong or Letting It Go: A Look at ‘Her’ and ‘The Past’

Alfred Hitchcock’s 1958 masterpiece Vertigo had strong references to the story Pygmalion, a legendary figure from Greek mythology known for falling in love with his own artistic creation. As the ivory sculpture, which he named Galatea, becomes Pygmalion’s object of affection, Aphrodite turns her into a real woman and eventually the artist and his “masterpiece”get … Continue reading