The Moya View
Available on Amazon: (click any image to buy)
-
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl – A Delightful Technological Romp”
MOVIE INFO: Aardman’s four-time Academy Award®-winning director Nick Park and Emmy Award-nominated Merlin Crossingham return with a brand new epic adventure, Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl. In this next installment, Gromit’s concern that Wallace is becoming too dependent on his inventions proves justified, when Wallace invents a “smart” gnome that seems to develop a…
-
The Six Triple Eight: A Triumph of Courage and Unity
MOVIE INFO: The Six Triple Eight is inspired by the first and only Women’s Army Corps unit of color to serve overseas in WWII. Despite facing racism and sexism — and grueling working conditions — they were committed to serving their country with honor and distinction. Given an extraordinary mission and united in their determination,…
-
Oddity: A Masterclass in Atmospheric Horror
MOVIE INFO: When Dani is brutally murdered at the remote country house that she and her husband Ted are renovating, everyone suspects a patient from the local mental health institution, where Ted is a doctor. However, soon after the tragic killing, the suspect is found dead. A year later, Dani’s blind twin sister Darcy, a…
-
The Fifth Season
Under the bardo of the sheltering skymist and fog cleave earth from heaven.The green liminal land abscission’s itself- shivering swallows from boughs,causing the wiltering river reedto bend away from the first frazil ice—and the grazing horse to return to hay by following the frosting road back to the barn. The fifth season has arrived,sneaking in…
-
Ghost Light: A Heartfelt Exploration of Grief and Healing”
MOVIE INFO: When melancholic construction worker Dan (Keith Kupferer) finds himself drifting from his wife and daughter, he discovers community and purpose in a local theater’s production of Romeo and Juliet. As the drama onstage starts to mirror his own life, he and his family are forced to confront a personal loss.Content expanded. fandango-at-home REVIEW:…
-
Our Secret City
I wander through this secret citymapped in the words we only know,and we can only define.I am the citizen of you and you of me. Everyone we know drives bye,their cars filled with everything we ownflying out the window.The next vanishes into the mistbeyond the curb of what we once were.Or, is it, will be?Where…
-
Ghosts in the Light
She remembers when the light was filled with silent ghosts. They would flicker in and out in the cigarette smoke of the theater, each frame an ashy wisp, a burnt offering.The story spooling out in the air was a familiar one.The sentiment caught in her heart and made her cry. Years later, she went back,after…
-
Lee: A Powerful, Authentic Look at a Trailblazing War Photographer
MOVIE INFO: Lee, the directorial feature from award-winning Cinematographer Ellen Kuras, portrays a pivotal decade in the life of American war correspondent and photographer, Lee Miller (Kate Winslet). Miller’s singular talent and unbridled tenacity resulted in some of the 20th century’s most indelible images of war, including an iconic photo of Miller herself, posing defiantly…
-
Babygirl – A Mixed Bag of BDSM Exploration, Missteps, and Overused Tropes
MOVIE INFO: A high-powered CEO puts her career and family on the line when she begins a torrid affair with her much younger intern. REVIEW: Babygirl,” a film that attempts to delve into the world of BDSM dynamics, presents an intriguing and often conflicting narrative about power, control, and submission. While the film provides a…
-
“A Complete Unknown: A Mythical Yet Mesmerizing Journey Through Dylan’s Early Years”
MOVIE INFO: New York, 1961. Against the backdrop of a vibrant music scene and tumultuous cultural upheaval, an enigmatic 19-year-old from Minnesota arrives with his guitar and revolutionary talent, destined to change the course of American music. He forges intimate relationships with music icons of Greenwich Village on his meteoric rise, culminating in a groundbreaking…
-
That Christmas: A Heartwarming Holiday Tale That Delivers Festive Cheer
MOVIE INFO: Based on the charming trilogy of children’s books by beloved multi award-winning writer/director Richard Curtis (Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill, Love Actually, Yesterday), That Christmas follows a series of entwined tales about family and friends, love and loneliness, and Santa Claus making a big mistake, not to mention an enormous number…
-
Nightbitch: A Bold Attempt at Exploring Motherhood, but Stumbles with Metaphor and Execution
MOVIE INFO: A woman (Amy Adams) pauses her career to be a stay-at-home mom seeking a new chapter in her life and encounters just that, when her maternal routine takes a surreal turn. REVIEW: “Nightbitch,” directed by Marielle Heller and starring Amy Adams, is a film that ambitiously tackles the complex themes of motherhood, independence, and…
-
Nosferatu: Egger’s Haunting Masterpiece That Elevates the Classic Tale
MOVIE INFO: Robert Eggers’ NOSFERATU is a gothic tale of obsession between a haunted young woman and the terrifying vampire infatuated with her, causing untold horror in its wake. REVIEW: Robert Eggers’ latest film, Nosferatu, is a stunning reimagining of the 1922 silent classic. Eggers, known for his atmospheric horror films like The Witch and The Lighthouse, brings his…
-
Bird: A Captivating Tale of Youth and Magic
MOVIE INFO: The long-awaited return to fiction filmmaking from Academy Award-winner Andrea Arnold (American Honey, Fish Tank), BIRD is a tender, striking and extraordinarily surprising coming-of-age fable about marginalized life in the fringes of contemporary society. 12-year-old Bailey (astounding newcomer Nykiya Adams) lives with her devoted but chaotic single dad Bug (Barry Keoghan, Saltburn) and…
-
Juror #2: Clint Eastwood’s Riveting Farewell to Filmmaking”
MOVIE INFO: “Juror #2” follows family man Justin Kemp (Nicholas Hoult) who, while serving as a juror in a high profile murder trial, finds himself struggling with a serious moral dilemma… one he could use to sway the jury verdict and potentially convict–or free–the accused killer. REVIEW: “Juror #2” is a compelling courtroom drama that showcases…
-
Mufasa: The Lion King” – A Roaring Success with Stellar Voice Cast and Stunning Animation
MOVIE INFO: “Mufasa: The Lion King” enlists Rafiki to relay the legend of Mufasa to young lion cub Kiara, daughter of Simba and Nala, with Timon and Pumbaa lending their signature schtick. Told in flashbacks, the story introduces Mufasa as an orphaned cub, lost and alone until he meets a sympathetic lion named Taka–the heir…
-
Maria: A Visual Masterpiece Marred by Melodrama”
MOVIE INFO: The tumultuous, beautiful and tragic story of the life of the world’s greatest female opera singer, relived and reimagined during her final days in 1970s Paris.Content collapsed. fandango REVIEW: “Maria,” directed by Pablo Larraín, is a visually stunning yet dramatically uneven biopic about the legendary opera singer Maria Callas. Starring Angelina Jolie in…
-
National Anthem: A Heartfelt Journey of Queer Acceptance and Self-Discovery”
MOVIE INFO: Dylan (Charlie Plummer), a soft-spoken 21-year-old construction worker, is the de facto father figure to his little brother and works odd jobs to help the family get by. After he finds himself with the opportunity to work at a ranch, he is welcomed by a vibrant community of rodeo performers who openly explore…
-
Light
When I was a child light shone angels through my fingerscrowning my parents’ faces,blessing the simple tasks of theirs: table setting, pouring water—how it lit the world in my upturned smileand flowed through as I grewand how it followed me homeand stayed, even in the dark.Light was the water, earth,reflecting off every animal, every street,…
-
Joy: A Poignant Tribute to the Pioneers of IVF
MOVIE INFO: Joy tells the remarkable true story behind the ground-breaking birth of Louise Joy Brown in 1978, the world’s first ‘test-tube- baby’, and the tireless 10-year journey to make it possible. Told through the perspective of Jean Purdy, a young nurse and embryologist, who joined forces with scientist Robert Edwards and surgeon Patrick Steptoe…
-
Old Elm Haiku
Its leaves fold,curl inTheir grip yields to the cold windThe elm knows their loss
-
Carry-On: High-Flying Action with Riveting Tension Between Egerton and Jason Bateman
MOVIE INFO: A young TSA agent fights to outsmart a mysterious traveler who blackmails him into letting a dangerous package slip onto a Christmas Eve flight. REVIEW: “Carry-On,” streaming now on Netflix, is a thrilling homage to the iconic “Die Hard” series, infused with fresh character dynamics and modern twists. The film deftly balances high-octane…
-
Byobu- (A Japanese Screen)
He knows how to observe the heron in the twilight’s lonely inclusion-this blue dream that could vanish in flight if drawn too near—head, eyes, ears pulled forward following the flow of fish ahead— until it vanishes from his sightbehind a screen of slender reeds.
-
Conclave: A Thrilling Dive into the Vatican’s Heart of Darkness
MOVIE INFO: REVIEW: Conclave” navigates the intricate corridors of Vatican politics with a deft hand, crafting a clerical thriller that keeps viewers on the edge of their seats. The film unfolds during a papal election, capturing the suspense, power struggles, and moral quandaries that define this clandestine world. As a thriller set against the backdrop…
-
Kraven the Hunter: A Ferocious Yet Flawed Entry in the Spider-Verse
MOVIE INFO: Kraven the Hunter is the action-packed, R-rated, standalone story of how one of Marvel’s most iconic villains came to be. Aaron Taylor-Johnson plays Kraven, a man whose complex relationship with his ruthless gangster father, Nikolai Kravinoff (Russell Crowe), starts him down a path of vengeance with brutal consequences, motivating him to become not…
-
Touch: A Cinematic Meditation on Memory and Loss
MOVIE INFO: A romantic and thrilling story that spans several decades and continents; TOUCH follows one widower’s emotional journey to find his first love who disappeared 50 years ago, before his time runs out. REVIEW: Baltasar Kormákur’s “Touch” is a film that oscillates between the profound and the mundane, much like the flutter of a…
-
“The People’s Joker: A Bold and Unconventional Satire”
MOVIE INFO: In the absurdist autobiographically-inspired dark comedy, a painfully unfunny aspiring clown (Vera Drew as Joker the Harlequin) grapples with her gender identity while unsuccessfully attempting to join the ranks of Gotham City’s sole comedy program in a world where comedy has been outlawed. Uniting with a ragtag team of rejects and misfits, Joker…
-
The Return: A Modern Odyssey with Stellar Performances and Bold Direction
MOVIE INFO: After 20 years away, Odysseus (Ralph Fiennes) washes up on the shores of Ithaca, haggard and unrecognizable. The King has returned from the Trojan War, but much has changed in his kingdom. His beloved wife Penelope (Juliette Binoche) is a prisoner in her own home, hounded by suitors vying to be king. Their…
-
“The Order: A Gripping Dive into Domestic Terrorism with Stellar Performances and Bold Direction”
MOVIE INFO: For over a year, a series of bold daylight bank robberies and armored car heists leaves law enforcement baffled and the public panicked throughout the Pacific Northwest. As the attacks become increasingly violent, FBI agent Terry Husk (Jude Law) becomes convinced that the robberies are the work of a domestic terrorist gang that…
-
“Kneecap: A Riotous Rap Rebellion Rooted in Irish Identity”
MOVIE INFO: When fate brings Belfast schoolteacher JJ into the orbit of self-confessed ‘low life scum’ Naoise and Liam Og, the needle drops on a hip hop act like no other. Rapping in their native Irish language, KNEECAP fast become the unlikely figureheads of a Civil Rights movement to save their mother tongue. But the…
-
The Piano Lesson: A Faithful Yet Flawed Adaptation
MOVIE INFO: Set in 1936 Pittsburgh during the aftermath of the Great Depression, The Piano Lesson follows the lives of the Charles family in the Doaker Charles household and an heirloom, the family piano, which documents the family history through carvings made by their enslaved ancestor. REVIEW: Malcolm Washington’s directorial debut, The Piano Lesson, brings August…
-
True Sisters Know How to Stitch a Real Wedding Dress
My mother got married in a hand stitched dressthat each of her four sisters contributed a piece of their souls into the embroidered lace:a skein of swans in perfect v formation flew up her left sleeve, doves fluttered down her right, peacock trains fanned cardioid eyesof the most luminous white across her torso and bluebirds…
-
On My Father’s House
On my father’s housethree slaves and six horsesdied when the old stable blazeda century and a half ago, and three union and two confederate soldiersslayed each otherin a forgotten skirmisha few years later.Their skeletons were foundtwo years after the war under an uprooted white pine.The county let the field return to forest,except for the old…
-
Dear Santa: A Slightly Devilishly Fun Twist on the Christmas Movie that Slowly Goes to Hell and Back
MOVIE INFO: When a young boy mails his Christmas wish list to Santa with one crucial spelling error, a devilish Jack Black arrives to wreak havoc on the holidays. From the hilarious minds behind DUMB & DUMBER, Christmas is about to go up in flames. REVIEW: “Dear Santa,” now streaming on Paramount+, offers a unique …
-
Robot Dreams: Do Robots Dream of Electric Friendships?
MOVIE INFO: DOG lives in Manhattan and he’s tired of being alone. One day he decides to build himself a robot, a companion. Their friendship blossoms, until they become inseparable, to the rhythm of 80’s NYC. One summer night, DOG, with great sadness, is forced to abandon ROBOT at the beach. Will they ever meet…
-
Nutcrackers: Ben Stiller Tries on the Family Vibe
MOVIE INFO: A strait-laced man finds his life suddenly upended when he becomes the caregiver for his rambunctious, orphaned nephews. REVIEW: Nutcrackers is a film that leans more towards drama than comedy, a choice that brings both strengths and weaknesses to the table. Directed by David Gordon Green, the movie tells the story of Michael (Ben…
-
Blitz: A Heartfelt Tale of Survival and Resilience Amidst Wartime Chaos”
MOVIE INFO: Sir Steve McQueen’s “Blitz” follows the epic journey of George (Elliott Heffernan), a 9-year-old boy in World War II London whose mother Rita (Saoirse Ronan) sends him to safety in the English countryside. George, defiant and determined to return home to his mom and his grandfather Gerald (Paul Weller) in East London, embarks…
-
Moana 2: Completing Her Princess Heroic Journey.
MOVIE INFO: Walt Disney Animation Studios’ epic animated musical “Moana 2” takes audiences on an expansive new voyage with Moana, Maui and a brand-new crew of unlikely seafarers. After receiving an unexpected call from her wayfinding ancestors, Moana must journey to the far seas of Oceania and into dangerous, long-lost waters for an adventure unlike…
-
Wicked: A Spellbinding Cinematic Triumph That Defies Gravity”
MOVIE INFO: Wicked, the untold story of the witches of Oz, stars Emmy, Grammy and Tony winning powerhouse Cynthia Erivo (Harriet, Broadway’s The Color Purple) as Elphaba, a young woman, misunderstood because of her unusual green skin, who has yet to discover her true power, and Grammy-winning, multi-platinum recording artist and global superstar Ariana Grande…
-
Gladiator 2: A Spectacular Return to Rome with New Faces and Familiar Shadows
MOVIE INFO: Years after witnessing the death of Maximus at the hands of his uncle, Lucius must enter the Colosseum after the powerful emperors of Rome conquer his home. With rage in his heart and the future of the empire at stake, he looks to the past to find the strength and honor needed to…
-
Daddio: Sean Penn and Dakota Johnson Take Us On an Intimate Ride
MOVIE INFO: New York City. JFK airport. A young woman jumps into the backseat of a yellow taxi, the cabbie throws the vehicle into drive as the two head out into the night toward Manhattan, striking up the most unexpected conversation resulting in a single, epic, remarkable journey. REVIEW: In Christy Hall’s directorial debut, “Daddio,”…
-
Thelma: Getting to 93 Without Louise and a Red ECV
MOVIE INFO: Inspired by a real-life experience of director Josh Margolin’s own grandmother, THELMA puts a clever spin on movies like MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE, shining the spotlight on an elderly grandmother as an unlikely action hero. With infectious humor, Margolin employs the familiar tropes of the action genre in hilarious, age-appropriate ways to tackle aging with…
-
Red One: The Rock Saves Santa and the Entire Naughty List from Bad Good Intentions
MOVIE INFO: After Santa Claus — Code Name: RED ONE — is kidnapped, the North Pole’s Head of Security (Dwayne Johnson) must team up with the world’s most infamous bounty hunter (Chris Evans) in a globe-trotting, action-packed mission to save Christmas. REVIEW: In the latest holiday blockbuster, “Red One,” director Jake Kasdan delivers a unique blend of…
-
“Emilia Pérez: A Bold Fusion of Genres and Stellar Performances”
MOVIE INFO: From renegade auteur Jacques Audiard comes Emilia Pérez, an audacious fever dream that defies genres and expectations. Through liberating song and dance and bold visuals, this odyssey follows the journey of four remarkable women in Mexico, each pursuing their own happiness. The fearsome cartel leader Emilia (Karla Sofía Gascón) enlists Rita (Zoe Saldaña),…
-
Heretic: Hugh Grant Plays His Mystique to See if There Really are Children of a Leser God
MOVIE INFO: Two young missionaries are forced to prove their faith when they knock on the wrong door and are greeted by a diabolical Mr. Reed (Hugh Grant), becoming ensnared in his deadly game of cat-and-mouse. REVIEW: Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, the dynamic duo behind “Heretic,” have once again delivered a thought-provoking cinematic experience…
-
Janet Planet: A Poetic Exploration of Mother-Daughter Bonds
MOVIE INFO: In rural Western Massachusetts, 11-year-old Lacy spends the summer of 1991 at home, enthralled by her own imagination and the attention of her mother, Janet. Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Annie Baker captures a child’s experience of time passing, and the ineffability of a daughter falling out of love with her mother, in this singularly…
-
The Substance”: A Bold Satire on Beauty Culture with a Standout Performance by Demi Moore
MOVIE INFO: Have you ever dreamt of a better version of yourself? You, only better in every way. You should try this new product, it’s called The Substance. IT CHANGED MY LIFE. With The Substance, you can generate another you: younger, more beautiful, more perfect. You just have to share time — one week for…
-
Humanist Vampire Seeks Consenting Suicidal Adult” Breathes New Life into Vampire Lore
MOVIE INFO: Sasha is a young vampire with a serious problem: she’s too sensitive to kill! When her exasperated parents cut off her blood supply, Sasha’s life is in jeopardy. Luckily, she meets Paul, a lonely teenager with suicidal tendencies who is willing to give his life to save hers. But their friendly agreement soon…
-
Venom: The Last Dance – A Symbiotic Swan Song That Stumbles”
MOVIE INFO: In Venom: The Last Dance, Tom Hardy returns as Venom, one of Marvel’s greatest and most complex characters, for the final film in the trilogy. Eddie and Venom are on the run. Hunted by both of their worlds and with the net closing in, the duo are forced into a devastating decision that…
-
MaXXXine: A Dazzling Dive of a Mess into 80s Hollywood with Mia Goth’s Interesting Performance.
MOVIE INFO: In 1980s Hollywood, adult film star and aspiring actress Maxine Minx finally gets her big break. But as a mysterious killer stalks the starlets of Hollywood, a trail of blood threatens to reveal her sinister past. REVIEW: MaXXXine is a vibrant and thrilling but messy conclusion to Ti West’s “X” trilogy, It captures the…
-
‘Woman of the Hour’: A Chilling Debut with Room for Growth
MOVIE INFO: An aspiring actress crosses paths with a prolific serial killer in ’70s LA when they’re cast on an episode of “The Dating Game.” Based on a true story. REVIEW: Anna Kendrick’s directorial debut, “Woman of the Hour,” offers a gripping yet uneven exploration of a chilling true-crime story. Set against the backdrop of…
-
Brothers: A Tale of Sibling Rivalry and Redemption, with Mixed Results
MOVIE INFO: Brothers tells the story of a reformed criminal (Josh Brolin) whose attempt at going straight is derailed when he reunites with his sanity-testing twin brother (Peter Dinklage) on a cross-country road trip for the score of a lifetime. Dodging bullets, the law, and an overbearing mother along the way, they must heal their…
-
Wolfs – A Mixed Bag of Clooney-Pitt Charm and Chaos
MOVIE INFO: Global superstars George Clooney and Brad Pitt team up for the action comedy Wolfs. Clooney plays a professional fixer hired to cover up a high profile crime. But when a second fixer (Pitt) shows up and the two “lone wolves” are forced to work together, they find their night spiraling out of control…
-
‘It’s What’s Inside: A Body-Swap Bash that Dances on the Edge of Delight and Disappointment”
MOVIE INFO: A group of friends gather for a pre-wedding party that descends into an existential nightmare when an estranged friend arrives with a mysterious game that awakens long-hidden secrets, desires and grudges. REVIEW: In Greg Jardin’s debut feature, It’s What’s Inside, we are thrust into a world where the mundane and the fantastical collide with…
-
Not Touched but Moved
Death has left its imprint on me so much I don’t know who is touching me inside anymore.Certainly it’s another presence,a voice apart from God.Or is God the sum total of all my known deaths?My soul is an oarless canoe afloat a lake of tearsseeking both initiation and response to steer it. Every death is…
-
The Apprentice: Trump and Cohn: A Toxic Alliance
MOVIE INFO: A young Donald Trump (Sebastian Stan), eager to make his name as a hungry second son of a wealthy family in 1970s New York, comes under the spell of Roy Cohn (Jeremy Strong), the cutthroat attorney who would help create the Donald Trump we know today. Cohn sees in Trump the perfect protégé…
-
“‘Saturday Night’: A Nostalgic Dive into the Chaos and Comedy of SNL’s Origins”
MOVIE INFO: At 11:30pm on October 11, 1975, a ferocious troupe of young comedians and writers changed television — and culture — forever. Directed by Jason Reitman and written by Gil Kenan & Reitman, Saturday Night is based on the true story of what happened behind the scenes in the 90 minutes leading up to…
-
Will & Harper: A Heartfelt Journey of Friendship and Self-Discovery”
MOVIE INFO: Three years ago, Will Ferrell was filming a movie when he received a most surprising email: his dear friend of nearly 30 years was coming out to him as a trans woman. That friend was Harper Steele, a writer he met on his first day at Saturday Night Live back in 1995. From…
-
Little Father
Because I can not bury my father in the skyI burn him and spread his ashes on the ground.He loved birds yet did not feed them crumbs—just caught them in the color of their being.He would watch the mower plow the field,watch the hand fill the feeders with seedfeeling the tranquility of the man-made ponddrift…
-
We Grown Now: A Poetic Ode to Childhood’s Fragile Beauty
MOVIE INFO: In 1992 Chicago, as Michael Jordan solidifies himself as a champion, a story of two young legends in their own right begins. As wide-eyed and imaginative best friends Malik and Eric traverse the city, looking to escape the mundaneness of school and the hardships of growing up in public housing, their unbreakable bond…
-
Lines Written After My 69th Birthday
I don’t get the feminine luxury of being twenty-five again every birthday past fifty.For a year I must live with the snide joke that my actual age is a congress of crows position illustrated in the karma sutra (page 69).Biologically I feel ten years older. Facially I look fifteen years younger. Every year there will…
-
Living in Holy Terror
I thank lifeby livingby praying in stitches in the midst of evergreensaggravates- water This crippled world my every payer of me— of you
-
The Outrun: Saoirse Ronan Shines in a Poetic Journey of Redemption and Nature’s Embrace”
MOVIE INFO: Rona, fresh out of rehab, returns to the wild Orkney Islands after more than a decade away. As she reconnects with the dramatic landscape where she grew up, memories of her childhood merge with the more recent challenging events that have set her on the path to recovery. REVIEW: In the windswept embrace…
-
My Old Ass: Getting to Being a Wise Wise Ass
MOVIE INFO: In this fresh coming-of-age story, an 18th birthday mushroom trip brings free-spirited Elliott (Maisy Stella) face-to-face with her wisecracking 39-year-old self (Aubrey Plaza). But when Elliott’s “old ass” starts handing out warnings about what her younger self should and shouldn’t do, Elliott realizes she has to rethink everything about family, love, and what’s…
-
Joker: Folie à Deux – A Chaotic Musical Ride with Phoenix and Gaga’s Twisted Duet”
MOVIE INFO: Joker: Folie à Deux” finds Arthur Fleck institutionalized at Arkham awaiting trial for his crimes as Joker. While struggling with his dual identity, Arthur not only stumbles upon true love, but also finds the music that’s always been inside him. REVIEW: Alright, let’s dive into the madcap world of “Joker: Folie à Deux,”…
-
Megalopolis: Coppola’s Ambitious Homage to Cinematic Giants Falters Amidst Grand Visions”
MOVIE INFO: MEGALOPOLIS is a Roman Epic set in an imagined Modern America. The City of New Rome must change, causing conflict between Cesar Catilina (Adam Driver), a genius artist who seeks to leap into a utopian, idealistic future, and his opposition, Mayor Franklyn Cicero (Giancarlo Esposito), who remains committed to a regressive status quo,…
-
Babes: A Buddy Comedy on Giving Birth and Raising Babies
MOVIE INFO: BABES follows inseparable childhood friends Eden (Ilana Glazer) and Dawn (Michelle Buteau), having grown up together in NYC, now firmly in different phases of adulthood. When carefree an single Eden decides to have a baby on her own after a one-night stand, their friendship faces its greatest challenge. BABES delves into the complexities…
-
The Wild Robot: A Lyrical Odyssey of Metal and Nature.
MOVIE INFO: The epic adventure follows the journey of a robot–ROZZUM unit 7134, “Roz” for short — that is shipwrecked on an uninhabited island and must learn to adapt to the harsh surroundings, gradually building relationships with the animals on the island and becoming the adoptive parent of an orphaned gosling. REVIEW: In “The Wild…
-
Rez Ball: A Heartfelt Journey Through Navajo Basketball Dreams”
MOVIE INFO: In the heart of Chuska, New Mexico, the Chuska Warriors, a high school basketball team rich in Native American heritage, face their greatest challenge. After the loss of their star player, the team must unite like never before to keep their dreams of a state championship alive. This is more than just a…
-
My First Film: A Bold Exploration of Artistic Vulnerability
MOVIE INFO: Nearly 15 years later, Vita (Odessa Young), recounts making her first feature — a semi-autobiographical film about a young woman who gets pregnant and decides to leave home. Being an enthusiastic but inexperienced filmmaker the shoot is chaotic, and her ego-tripping methods destroy the production. As her “first film” falls apart, director Zia…
-
Just So Simple
It’s simple- how to live, that is:live and die each day. Strive to live each morningas if it was the first:pull the colors around you to something that lives beyond the eyes. Treat the world not as Adam:something to be touched, named, collected, defined—but as Eve:the sun as an ingenue something young, innocent not to…
-
His Three Daughters: Heartfelt Exploration of Family and Grief
MOVIE INFO: From writer-director Azazel Jacobs (French Exit, The Lovers) comes this bittersweet and often funny story of an elderly patriarch and the three grown daughters who come to be with him in his final days. Katie (Carrie Coon) is a controlling Brooklyn mother dealing with a wayward teenage daughter; free-spirited Christina (Elizabeth Olsen) is…
-
Baptism on a Sunday Race Day in Daytona
It wasn’t a river just a pool,more of a hotub,set off from the sanctuary—and when I was eased into the waterI didn’t see God in the streams above.And I didn’t see her lost in the thunder of the racetrack just beyond the church. She was beyondmy line of sight,soaking up congratulations from the congregation.The pastor…
-
Remnants of Hurricane Debby Passing Through My Tennessee Home
I am married to this earth, this field, this silence,even as the ocean offers itself.I walk it with my dog on his leash pulling restlessly ahead,biting at the frenzy scent trail he knows exists in the air.The woods beyond are gray.So is the sky. I hear— the echo of a trickling brook. My dog, inhales—…
-
“I Saw the TV Glow”: A Journey Through the Static
MOVIE INFO: Teenager Owen is just trying to make it through life in the suburbs when his classmate introduces him to a mysterious late-night TV show — a vision of a supernatural world beneath their own. In the pale glow of the television, Owen’s view of reality begins to crack. REVIEW: In Jane Schoenbrun’s latest…
-
Transformers One: A Fresh Start for a Beloved Franchise
MOVIE INFO: TRANSFORMERS ONE is the untold origin story of Optimus Prime and Megatron, better known as sworn enemies, but once were friends bonded like brothers who changed the fate of Cybertron forever. REVIEW: Transformers One (2024) is a surprising breath of fresh air in a franchise that has often been criticized for its lack of…
-
The Boy and the Heron: Miyazaki’s Poetic Farewell
MOVIE INFO: From the legendary Studio Ghibli and Academy Award®-winning director Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away) comes a new critically-acclaimed fantasy adventure. After losing his mother during the war, young Mahito moves to his family’s estate in the countryside. There, a series of mysterious events lead him to a secluded and ancient tower, home to a…
-
Handling the Undead: A Hauntingly Beautiful Exploration of Life, Death, and Everything In Between”
MOVIE INFO: On a hot summer day in Oslo, the dead mysteriously awaken, and three families are thrown into chaos when their deceased loved ones come back to them. Who are they, and what do they want? A family is faced with the mother’s reawakening before they have even mourned her death after a car…
-
In a Violent Nature: A Slasher Movie Looking for a Soul
MOVIE INFO: When a locket is removed from a collapsed fire tower in the woods that entombs the rotting corpse of Johnny, a vengeful spirit spurred on by a horrific 60-year old crime, his body is resurrected and becomes hellbent on retrieving it. The undead golem hones in on the group of vacationing teens responsible…
-
Boy Kills World: A Frenzied Ballet of Blood and Vengeance
MOVIE INFO: Bill Skarsgård stars as “Boy” who vows revenge after his family is murdered by Hilda Van Der Koy (Famke Janssen), the deranged matriarch of a corrupt post-apocalyptic dynasty that left the boy orphaned, deaf and voiceless. Driven by his inner voice, one which he co-opted from his favorite childhood video game, Boy trains…
-
Speak No Evil: A Masterclass in Psychological Horror
MOVIE INFO: When an American family is invited to spend the weekend at the idyllic country estate of a charming British family they befriended on vacation, what begins as a dream holiday soon warps into a snarled psychological nightmare. REVIEW: “Speak No Evil” is a chilling exploration of human vulnerability and the dark corners of…
-
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice: A Riotous Return to the Macabre
MOVIE INFO: Beetlejuice is back! After an unexpected family tragedy, three generations of the Deetz family return home to Winter River. Still haunted by Beetlejuice, Lydia’s life is turned upside down when her rebellious teenage daughter, Astrid, discovers the mysterious model of the town in the attic and the portal to the Afterlife is accidentally…
-
Rebel Ridge: Homaging Billy Jack the Right Way
MOVIE INFO: REVIEW: In “Rebel Ridge,” director Jeremy Saulnier delivers a gripping and exhilarating thriller that keeps viewers on the edge of their seats from start to finish. The film stars Aaron Pierre as Terry Richmond, a man on a mission to rescue his cousin from the clutches of a corrupt small-town police force. What…
-
I Used to Be Funny: Getting to the PTSD behind the Punchline
MOVIE INFO: I Used To Be Funny is a dark dramedy that follows Sam Cowell (Rachel Sennott), an aspiring stand-up comedian and au pair struggling with PTSD, as she decides whether or not to join the search for Brooke (Olga Petsa), a missing teenage girl she used to nanny. The story exists between the present,…
-
Before and After the Forklift
Before it was lowered over the broken city grid and became my second houseit was a meadow where the grasses grew tall.I watched the top shell of earthbeing moved and hauled away,saw everything leveled to sand, except a thick, distant forest with a thin stream that bled to the city park—and did not shed a…
-
Wash
The white light of my bathroom reaches down through the steam,breaks yellow through the shower door.I scrub my skin, try to scratch loose all the sour, stinging memories inside,hope the grime would disappear in the porous mat under my feet.The steam flows like a host of ghosts into the vent fan- leaves behindonly the face…
-
I’m getting giddy as the summer fades
I’m getting giddy as the summer fadesinto yellow fall, and the sky father grants me the comfort of storing his favor on my tongue- enough to close my eyes and know that it will last for the coming snow,the clean pure white that will eventually evaporate as one in the hibernating warmth always underneath.
-
Dust
The young can not write about dust.They know only it accumulationson floors, shelves, dirty panes.Only the old know its subtle contours,the futility that comes with just moving it around.They know that the sun and stars are dust,schools of ash that follow all life’s currents andthat blossom the new fields under Grandfather Mountain.They bend with the…
-
Kinds of Kindness: More 50 Shades of Unkindness
MOVIE INFO: KINDS OF KINDNESS is a triptych fable, following a man without choice who tries to take control of his own life; a policeman who is alarmed that his wife who was missing-at-sea has returned and seems a different person; and a woman determined to find a specific someone with a special ability, who…
-
The Well-Trained Palomino
Again, today,the cowboy will closehis eyes and listen to the hoovesof wild horses all around himknowing that his well-trained palomino will take him homelike a loverwho knowswhat his lust wants— knows the way to him,through the black covers of that dark room—even as the returningcreates and then destroys the greening prairie, the chambray wind.
-
Death Milad
As I get older I don’t dread death coming closer. It is closer. It will come as a newborn:seeding so long in me, that I would chide it for taking its time. I will not scream when it head comes out my body.I won’t even be amused by such a Hollywood trick.And when its held…
-
Afraid: A.I. Horror That Fulfills its Coding.
MOVIE INFO: In AFRAID, Curtis (John Cho) and his family are selected to test a revolutionary new home device: a digital family assistant called AIA. Taking smart home to the next level, once the unit and all its sensors and cameras are installed in their home, AIA seems able to do it all. She learns…
-
Wildcat: Not Seeing the True Reflection of Flannery O’Connor through her Work
MOVIE INFO: Directed and co-written by four-time Academy Award nominee Ethan Hawke, WILDCAT invites the audience to weave in and out of celebrated Southern Gothic writer Flannery O’Connor’s mind as she ponders the great questions of her writing: Can scandalous art still serve God? Does suffering precede all greatness? Can illness be a blessing? In…
-
The Supremes at Earls All You Can Eat: A Good Buffet of Black Period Drama Cliches
MOVIE INFO: THE SUPREMES AT EARL’S ALL-YOU-CAN-EAT follows a trio of best friends (Uzo Aduba, Aunjanue Ellis, Sanaa Lathan) known as “The Supremes” who, for decades, has weathered life’s storms together through marriage and children, happiness and blues. Now, as heartbreak and illness stir up the past and threaten to destroy their friendship, Odette, Barbara…
-
The Bikeriders: From Rebel Without Causes to Hell Angels
MOVIE INFO: THE BIKERIDERS captures a rebellious time in America when the culture and people were changing. After a chance encounter at a local bar, strong-willed Kathy (Jodie Comer) is inextricably drawn to Benny (Austin Butler), the newest member of Midwestern motorcycle club, the Vandals led by the enigmatic Johnny (Tom Hardy). Much like the…
-
Jackpot: Awkwafina and John Cena Fun Ku You.
MOVIE INFO: In the near future, a ‘Grand Lottery’ has been newly established in California — the catch: kill the winner before sundown to legally claim their multi-billion dollar jackpot. When Katie Kim (Awkwafina) moves to Los Angeles, she mistakenly finds herself with the winning ticket. Desperate to survive the hordes of jackpot hunters, she…
-
Alien: Romulus: A Greatest Hits Version That Won’t Make You Scream
MOVIE INFO: While scavenging the deep ends of a derelict space station, a group of young space colonizers come face to face with the most terrifying life form in the universe. REVIEW: Alien: Romulus doesn’t really try to recreate the series. It’s content to recycle the greatest hits. It’s filler. The original 1979 masterpiece has…
-
It Ends With Us: It Never Should Have Started With Them.
MOVIE INFO: IT ENDS WITH US, the first Colleen Hoover novel adapted for the big screen, tells the story of Lily Bloom, a woman who overcomes a traumatic childhood to embark on a new life in Boston and chase a lifelong dream of opening her own business. A chance meeting with charming neurosurgeon Ryle Kincaid…
-
Exhuma: Exhuming All the Layers of Korean Horror
MOVIE INFO: When a renowned shaman (KIM Go-Eun) and her protégé (Lee Do-hyun) are hired by a wealthy, enigmatic family, they begin investigating the cause of a disturbing supernatural illness that affects only the first-born children of each generation. With the help of a knowledgeable mortician (YOO Hai-jin) and the country’s most revered geomancer (CHOI…
-
Gentrification
After forty years the brownstones still seemed the same exceptfor the newer cars and the peoplein fashionable clothes walkinggolden dogs in chic comfort vests,all living in houses he couldn’t afford.He couldn’t believe he grew up herewhen the streets were livelywith black live matterand Gerald every summer out there with his rollerpainting fatsfix’s store front red.…
Got any book recommendations?