Entertainment Writing

Birth opens with a self-proclaimed “man of science” speaking over a black screen, discussing his love for his wife as something that exists beyond logical explanation. What follows is an extended tracking shot of the same man running along a snowy trail in Central Park to Alexandre Desplat’s spellbinding score. The jogger hunches over upon arriving at a tunnel, collapses to his knees and dies of a heart attack, but the film then cuts to a scene of a baby being born, taking in its first experienc

In 1995, Devil in a Blue Dress didn’t receive the recognition it deserved. Despite positive reviews, the film failed financially and struggled to make a dent in the cultural zeitgeist. However, its themes on race, in particular the struggles of Black Americans post-WWII, still resonate to this day. Looking back, it belongs to an esteemed group of films in the ’90s that tackled race in the predominantly-white genre of noir. These films all had their own unique styles, expanding the boundaries of

Are we alone in the universe? In his 1997 film, Contact, Robert Zemeckis ponders this very question. Based on a story by renowned astronomer Carl Sagan and Cosmos co-writer Ann Druyan, the film centers around Dr. Eleanor “Ellie” Arroway, a researcher at SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence), as she attempts to prove the existence of alien life. She discovers a transmission coming from the distant star system Vega, leading many to try deciphering what the message means for the future of

As The Thing turns 40, it’s difficult to imagine a time when the sci-fi horror masterpiece was not regarded as a paradigm of ‘80s genre filmmaking. However, like many classics, the film was not understood at the time and was both a commercial and critical flop. Roger Ebert, who thought the film offered little beyond its special effects, called it “just a geek show, a gross-out movie in which teenagers can dare one another to watch the screen.” Much of this was down to poor timing as Carpenter th

After last year’s New York Film Festival screening of Evil Does Not Exist, director Ryûsuke Hamaguchi shared that he still wasn’t sure what the film meant to him. While this may be due to its unique conception as a visual piece alongside singer-songwriter Eiko Ishibashi’s live performances, it also could be because of the work’s contradictions surrounding perplexing violence amid quiet contemplation. In certain sequences, Ishibashi’s score and cinematographer Yoshio Kitagawa’s camera are cut abr

Filmmaker Michael Mann is fascinated by the destructive masculinity within his determined protagonists. Whether they’re a professional safecracker, a police detective or black-hat hacker, he mythologizes them. Enzo Ferrari (Adam Driver), the focus of Mann’s latest film, Ferrari, is perhaps the supreme example as a self-made man, one who became an accomplished race car driver in his twenties and later established his own racing team and automobile manufacturing company. People called him “Il Comm

Alex Nguyen says Sinphony is an uneven affair where the vignettes act more as a series of genre exercises than a cohesive whole.

Horror filmmakers have spent the past couple of years in isolation, like many of us. The pandemic pushed many to change the way they interact with each other, forming a largely online mode of communication from the safety of their own homes. This led to the rise of apps like Clubhouse, a social media platform that allows users to talk in groups through virtual rooms,

In The Witch and The Lighthouse, Robert Eggers meticulously built worlds based on old folklore and mythology to examine themes of isolation, masculinity, and societal expectation. These wildly imaginative interpretations on genre attracted attention from critics and audiences alike, leading to great anticipation for the director’s next project. However, as Eggers’ first foray into action blockbuster filmmaking, The Northman has led to a few reservations over yet another small indie director runn

Nat Ćmiel had a secluded upbringing, experiencing isolation from their peers due to asthma-related difficulties and growing up with OCD. Like many, they took to the internet as an escape and interacted with the world through forums and social networking sites like Tumblr. This was also the start of their artistic avatar, yeule, whose name comes from a Final Fantasy character. At this time, they were already forming their own environments for more suitable living. These imagined realms were where

The summer of 2022 belonged to Kate Bush. Her unlikely but welcome return to the music world has been a meteoric rise with “Running Up That Hill” recently reaching 158 million YouTube views and taking the top spot on Billboard’s music charts. It’s been 44 years since her previous number one hit, “Wuthering Heights,” the longest wait in history. However, these milestones mean little in comparison to the new generation of music listeners discovering Bush’s music for the first time thanks in part t

“Welcome back,” chants the indietronica band Superorganism on “Black Hole Baby,” the opener from their new album World Wide Pop. It’s been five and a half years since the group broke through the indie pop scene with the single “Something For Your M.I.N.D.,” a tune that fused lead singer Orono’s impassive vocals with nostalgic and whimsical production. Less than a month after the song was released on Soundcloud, it quickly gained popularity, getting attention from the likes of Frank Ocean and Vam

Hannah Bussiere Kim – also known as Luna Li – has gone through a whirlwind past couple of years. The Toronto musician went viral on social media in 2020 with a series of one-minute instrumental jam videos that effortlessly combined guitar, piano, violin, harp, bass, and drums to create soothing psychedelic and dream pop melodies. The following year, she went on tour with Japanese Breakfast and performed at 88rising’s Head in the Clouds Festival. As a culmination of her artistic growth up to this

What makes a good Halloween concert set? Is it the costumes, the crowd, the treats (sonic or otherwise), or just the vibes of the music itself? Tuesday night’s Voidz show revealed that it’s a commingling of all of the above, in which the joy of watching an energized performance comes from both the crowd and the band. The All Hallow’s Eve spirit was also accentuated by the atmosphere of the Murmrr Theatre, a small venue located in a synagogue, complete with stained glass windows. While such a set

It wasn’t just older folks, the ones who followed their ’90s output, at last week’s Slowdive show. It was also early twentysomethings who connected with shoegaze during the pandemic; you need only to go on TikTok and see a post of “40 Days” playing to a clip of Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet frolicking around Montauk in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind garnering hundreds of thousands of views to know the band’s impact on younger people. But considering the band broke up in 1995 after poor rece

Lollapalooza took place this past weekend at Grant Park in Chicago for its annual four days of celebration. The festival featured a large assortment of artists, drawing in crowds from all sorts of music interests. This was also the event’s biggest turnout with its capacity rising from 100,000 to 115,000 – an increase that was announced along with a 10-year contract extension at the conclusion of last year’s show.

To accommodate the number of attendees, the headlining stages, Bud Light and T-Mob

As one of the first major U.S. music festivals to kick off the summer months, New York City’s Governors Ball has a lot to live up to. Recently moved from Randalls Island to the parking lot of Citi Field, the venue is easily accessible by train and can hold the hundreds of thousands of festivalgoers attending. The event continued its recent theme of attracting newer music fans by accompanying the big headliners with popular young artists such as Benee and Clairo. The festival also included many a