I have come to the conclusion that animated body horror is infinitely better than live-action body horror. This not only arises from how much of an aversion I have to live-action body horror, but because the animated medium provides enough distance between me and the gore for me to actually…
Collin Preves
The quest to find oneself is a common one explored in a media of all stripes, but director Dee Rees applies a patient and heartbreakingly specific touch in crafting her 2011 film, “Pariah.” The film was screened this weekend by GMICC, the Gender Minorities in Cinema and Media Studies Collective,…
The first thing I’ll say about Coogler’s “Black Panther” is that watching it causes the sequel to make a great deal more sense to me. My relationship to Marvel films is complicated because I’ve seen a few, and oftentimes removed from the context of the increasingly tangled corporate web…
Kosinski’s “Tron: Legacy” is like stained glass: pretty to look at, structurally flat and exceedingly fragile when handled too strongly. It’s a special effects-fueled ride that kindly asks that you don’t pay too much attention to its flimsy story. I had the pleasure of being invited to watch “Tron” with…
For most Americans fearing the implications of the Space Race, Nuclear Arms Race and everything communist in general, a biting political satire about all of this was the last thing they likely wanted… but even decades after its release, Kubrick’s “Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and…
I had two unique cinematic experiences this past week: The Film Society’s screening of Sharman’s “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” and Selick’s “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” accompanied by The Minnesota Orchestra. Both are horror, musical, cult films in extensive conversation with what has come before. “Rocky Horror’s” opening number…
Studio Ghibli has been on the frontlines of defending animation’s status as an art form rather than a children’s genre for decades. A close friend of mine put it best when they said that Ghibli movies often operate on two levels: on the surface, they’re whimsical adventures, but they’re also…
If nothing else immediately pounces on you upon starting Anderson’s Fantastic Mr. Fox, then the gorgeous colors certainly will. This vibrantly crafted world of fall hues perfectly reflects our cast of characters, who give off some semblance of heat just like its marvelous reds, oranges and yellows. Mr. Fox and…
The opening of Summer of Soul (…or When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised), screened by SUMO this past weekend, is a frenetic eruption of the documentary’s thesis statement. A sea of Black faces lights up as Stevie Wonder takes the stage, donning his signature sunglasses and encouraging the audience…
If great moments in film give you chills, then Scheinert and Kwan’s Everything Everywhere All At Once, as a collective experience, will cool you with the strength of elated hypothermia. At last, the SUMO movies have found a contender maddeningly creative enough to reignite the magic of the craft using…