I'm Not Even Supposed to Be Here Today: Looking back at the elliptical career of Kevin Smith
by Ian Hrabe, Staff Writer
In the wake of Clerks III bringing Smith’s canon full circle, let’s take a look back at Smith’s career.
CLERKS III manages to survive Smith's worst instincts
by Ian Hrabe, Staff Writer
Kevin Smith feels like a living affront to the old adage “you can never go home again.”
FOR ALL MANKIND is your new favorite space show, you just don’t know it yet
by Ian Hrabe, Staff Writer
There are a dozen characters with these super satisfying decades-long story arcs, and it’s truly impressive how the writers’ room makes you love all of them.
THE BEAR gives an honest look at restaurant life and ambition
by Ian Hrabe, Staff Writer
Despite all the stress and interpersonal drama that gets hashed out over the show’s first season, there’s just something undeniably cozy about this show that makes me want to spend time with all these characters.
Making SUMMERING was a series of incredibly poor decisions
by Ian Hrabe, Staff Writer
Summering is one of those movies that is such a mess that it casts the filmmaker’s entire oeuvre into question.
VENGEANCE shows promise despite being an underwhelming debut film
by Ian Hrabe, Staff Writer
Ultimately the solid cast and quirky storytelling tips this into the good side of so-so, and Novak shows enough promise with his screenwriting.
SUMMER OF STARS #11: Philip Seymour Hoffman
by Ian Hrabe, Staff Writer
Philip Seymour Hoffman’s rise from supporting character actor to award winning lead is one of the great success stories in modern cinema.
SUMMER OF STARS #16: Frances McDormand
by Ian Hrabe, Staff Writer
I don’t know if there’s another actor working who can nail it every time the way Frances McDormand nails it.
THE HORSE SOLDIERS is only a step away from being an all-time classic
by Ian Hrabe, Staff Writer
What separates The Horse Soldiers from every other John Wayne flick though is the casting of William Holden as the army doctor sent along for the ride.
STUNT ROCK is a ‘70s cult film with sick stunts and heavy metalSTUNT ROCK
by Ian Hrabe, Staff Writer
Part docudrama, part concert film, part stuntman compilation reel, Stunt Rock is a singular experience.
Film Noir: The Dark Side of Cinema VI offers some hidden gems
by Ian Hrabe, Staff Writer
The crown jewel of this installment of The Dark Side of Cinema is John Brahm’s 1947 Singapore.
VINYL NATION offers little insight to the coolness of spinning wax
by Iran Hrabe, Staff Writer
There are so many interesting angles one could take when making a documentary about vinyl, and Vinyl Nation examines none of them.
THE TALE OF KING CRAB takes slow cinema to excruciating ends
by Ian Hrabe, Staff Writer
It’s the type of movie characters in a broad comedy go to see when they go to see “art cinema” as a gag.
THE ROUND-UP offers a balance of emotion and cold brutalism
by Ian Hrabe, Staff Writer
The Round-Up is a captivating piece of 1960s European art cinema.
A new Blu-Ray for TOUCH OF EVIL brings Welles into focus
by Ian Hrabe, Staff Writer
Regardless of which version you watch, there’s no getting around just how weird this movie is.
TONY HAWK: UNTIL THE WHEELS FALL OFF is a portrait of an approachable icon
by Ian Hrabe, Staff Writer
Though Tony Hawk: Until the Wheels Fall Off uses the basic biographical documentary formula to tell Hawk’s life story, it tells a parallel story about the cyclical popularity of skateboarding in America.
THE DEVIL STRIKES AT NIGHT is a quiet noir masterpiece
by Ian Hrabe, Staff Writer
Despite having been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, Robert Siodmak’s 1957 The Devil Strikes at Night has been tough to track down
SERVANTS lovingly shows the cost of standing up to totalitarianism
by Ian Hrabe, Staff Writer
Looking at the unmercifully Czech name in my byline, it’s fair to say that this sort of Slavic sad boy cinema is baked into my DNA.
MAN ON THE MOON turned a unique talent into a standard biopic
by Ian Hrabe, Staff Writer
The one person who fully gets Andy Kaufman is the guy filling his shoes on the big screen.
I WANT YOU BACK is enough idiosyncratic charm to separate it from the rest of the pack
by Ian Hrabe, Staff Writer
At this point in the life cycle of the romantic comedy, you either turn the formula on its head and subvert expectations, or you put together a strong enough cast that can elevate the tried and true (and often tedious) tropes of the genre. I Want You Back is of the latter variety.