‘The Son’ is a conversation starter about the nature of family and the crisis surrounding teenage mental health
by Kathryn McDonald
When I reviewed “The Father” in 2021, I had nothing but admiration for the screenwriters, directors, actors and the myriad of other professionals that put their heart into the art they created. Now, after watching its prequel, “The Son,” I must admit that I am once again blown away by the poignant storyline and presentation.
In this artistic film, audiences step back in the timeline to explore a new facet of the human experience: family. What is a ...
‘The Pale Blue Eye’ is a slow but meticulously crafted mystery
By Ben Konuch
"At times I believe the dead haunt us because we love them too little. We forget them, you see. We don't intend to, but we do. I believe they feel most cruelly deserted, and so they clamor for us."
“The Pale Blue Eye” is a dark, gothic murder mystery from Scott Cooper, the director behind “Antlers,” and stars Christian Bale as Augustus, a quiet and haunted detective who is called to investigate a grizzly crime at West Point in the 1800s. Through this dark and ...
‘The Last of Us’ episode two shows both beauty and terror
By Ben Konuch
“Now you know where they are, now they come. You're not immune from being ripped apart, do you understand?”
The following review will contain spoilers for the first two episodes of “The Last of Us”
Episode two of “The Last of Us” opens with a surprising flashback scene, but one that sets the stage of the entire episode with dread and foreboding. A woman in Jakarta is apprehended at a restaurant and is quickly revealed to be a local expert in mycology who is ...
‘A Man Called Otto’ has me wishing someone would ban remaking wonderful classics
By Kathryn McDonald
In 2012, Forum published Fredrik Backman’s novel “A Man Called Ove.” Originally written in Swedish, the book was translated into English in 2013 and eventually gained widespread popularity. When the 2015 Swedish movie adaptation of the book was released it was nominated for two Academy Awards: Best Foreign Language Film of the Year and Best Achievement in Makeup and Hairstyling.
Now, in 2023, American audiences have their own film adaptation in English ...
‘White Noise’ depicts how we are drowning in the noise we make
By Caroline Stanton
I had a lot of really high hopes for “White Noise” after reading the book that it was based on. I can happily report that the film kept me on my toes, gave me new insights into human existence, and truly captured what I believe “White Noise” by Don DeLillo is all about. The movie came out on Netflix on December 30, 2022, and starred Adam Driver as Jack Gladney and Greta Gerwig as Babette Gladney.
The movie is set in small-town America in the 1980s, and ...
‘The Banshees of Inisherin’ is a fascinating, albeit plain, slow-burn
By Samuel M Acosta
When I originally saw the trailer for this film, it looked right up my alley. A low-budget, small cast, indie movie that just breathes raw humanity. Upon watching the film, those criteria were met, and while I enjoy many of the concepts presented by the film, I don’t feel like the slow burn pays off in a satisfying way. I am left wanting something just a little bit more.
“The Banshees of Inisherin” follows Padraic, played by Colin Ferrel, a man living on the ...
‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ is a sequel worth the wait
By Samuel M Acosta
This review may contain spoilers for “Avatar: The Way of Water”
After thirteen years of waiting, the sequel to James Cameron’s blockbuster “Avatar” has finally been released. After rewatching the original film in IMAX and being blown away by its beauty and world, I rushed to the theaters on opening day to see what the newest installment has to offer. What I discovered is a film that is almost more engaging than the original, and somehow presents an even more ...
‘The Last of Us’ episode one is a triumph of television adaptations
By Ben Konuch
“Billions of puppets with poisoned minds fixed on one unifying goal: to spread the infection to every human alive by any means necessary. And there are no treatments for this, no preventatives, no cures, it’s not even possible to make them.”
When I was fourteen, I was able to experience PlayStation’s “The Last of Us” for the first time, and it changed how I looked at storytelling. When the game was first released in 2013, what first appeared as a fairly generic ...
‘Matilda the Musical” is far from revolting
By Janie Walenda
Musical adaptations of Roald Dahl’s books have been hit or miss, with an emphasis on the miss. “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” has had more commercial success, but that and “James and the Giant Peach” live fondly only in the hearts of theater kids who performed them in high school.
“Matilda,” on the other hand, has been better received, with multiple Tony and Olivier awards, and is still performing in London’s West End after 12 years. Therefore, the ...
‘Emancipation’ walks to the finish line when it could have run
By Ben Konuch
“They cut me. They burn me. They burn my neck. They burn my feet. They break the bones in my body more times than I can count. But they never, never break me.”
“Emancipation,” the new historical drama from Antoine Fuqua starring Will Smith, follows the story of Peter, an enslaved man who embarks upon a daring escape and a perilous journey to get his freedom and his family back. The film is loosely based on the real-life events of Peter and Gordon, two men who ...
