“Palm Springs” Film Review: Infinite Time’s the Charm

Palm Springs (2020) is a sci-fi rom-com from debut writer-director Max Barbakow. It stars Andy Samberg and Cristin Millioti as two strangers who meet at a wedding and become trapped in a time loop, repeating the same day over and over. It debuted to strong reviews at this year’s Sundance Film Festival before hitting Hulu this weekend. Is this a fresh concept worth exploring, or a tired rehashing of familiar source material?

“The Vast of Night” Film Review: Shooting for the Stars

The Vast of Night (2020) is an indie sci-fi from debut filmmaker Andrew Patterson and writers James Montague and Craig W. Sanger. It stars Sierra McCormick and Jake Horowitz as two small-town teens who investigate strange audio frequencies coming in over the radio airwaves. The film debuted at the 2019 Slamdance Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature, and was finally released on Amazon Prime this weekend. Is it worth the hype?

Belated Film Review Round-Up: “Hustlers”, “Brittany Runs A Marathon”, “Burning Cane”

Welcome back to another belated film review round-up, where I catch up on films no longer in theaters that I wanted to share my thoughts on! Today I’m catching up on three films that may or may not have awards buzz: Hustlers, Brittany Runs a Marathon, and Burning Cane! Will any of these films have legs heading into Oscar season?

“Ad Astra” Film Review: A Flawed Masterpiece

Ad Astra (2019) is a sci-fi space flick from James Gray, starring Brad Pitt as an astronaut tasked with travelling to the edge of the solar system to find his father. The Heart of Darkness-inspired tale is more brooding and introspective than action-adventure, though the film still has its share of action-adventure. It became a surprise favorite at Venice Film Festival last month and got critics buzzing even more about Brad Pitt’s Oscar prospects this winter. Is this truly one of his finest works to date?

“Black Mirror” Season 5 Review

The fifth season of Netflix’s sci-fi phenomenon Black Mirror is now online, and I have a lot to say about it! I’m a big fan of the show, from its strong roots to some of its more outlandish recent offerings like Bandersnatch. How does the newest batch of episodes stack up with the rest of the show?

Foreign Film Fridays: “Mommy” (Canada, 2014)

Welcome back to Foreign Film Fridays, where I highlight some of the best foreign-language films of the past few years! Today we’re looking at Mommy (2014), a French-Canadian drama from wunderkind director Xavier Dolan, who was just 25 when this film was released. Set in a fictional near-future where parents can legally commit troubled youth to institutions against their will, it follows a single mother struggling to control her violent teenage son. The film earned strong accolades, including the Jury Prize at 2014 Cannes Film Festival and a whopping nine awards at the Canadian Screen Awards (basically the Canadian Oscars). What makes this story so special?

“High Life” Film Review & Analysis

High Life (2019) is a sci-fi thriller from legendary French filmmaker Claire Denis. It stars Robert Pattinson and Juliette Binoche in the story of a group of criminals sent on a dangerous space mission while being sexually experimented upon. The film has been in the works for over a decade and has finally hit the big screen with big-name distributor A24. Is it worth the wait?

“Upgrade” Film Review

Upgrade is the latest film from writer/director Leigh Whannell, formerly known as a horror writer on the Saw and Insidious franchises. His sci-fi thriller stars Logan Marshall-Green as Grey, a man who is paralyzed in an accident and watches his wife get murdered. Grey undergoes experimental surgery to repair his body that also introduces him to STEM, an AI that can speak to him and control his body to perform superhuman feats of strength, as he hunts down the men responsible for his wife’s death.

I had low expectations for this one going in. A low-budget Blumhouse flick with a no-name cast and an ex-horror director didn’t exactly scream virtuoso writing. But what I did get was a mostly-pleasant surprise: a competent thriller with excellent action sequences and compelling philosophical themes, despite some shortcomings in the acting and writing departments.