James Bond Before James Bond: Guy Ritchie’s The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare

By Jonathan Monovich. Not as in-your-face as Ritchie’s earliest work… yet there is still plenty to please fans….” Guy Ritchie has become well-known for his distinct style, easily recognized by quick cuts, lively transitions, intersecting plotlines, witty dialogue, and dark humor. This unique style, which audiences have come to love, […]

Man vs. Wild: Hundreds of Beavers

By Jonathan Monovich. An example as to why silent comedy is timeless despite the disbelief of many.” Whereas Lake Michigan Monster (2018) was a whacky take on films like Roger Corman’s Creature from the Haunted Sea (1961) and Curtis Harrington’s Night Tide (1961), Mike Cheslik/Ryland Brickson Cole Tews’ follow-up, Hundreds […]

Civil War: A Depressing Wake-Up Call

By Elias Savada. Dystopia never looked so depressing.” It’s not a far cry — from today’s escalating political dissention that is breaking apart friends and family — to the near-future possibility that is Alex Garland’s bleak world view in Civil War. It’s a savage and savaged county (not unlike the […]

Things Fall Apart: Ena Sendijarević’s Sweet Dreams (2023)

By James Slaymaker. Demonstrating an astonishing level of artistic maturity, sensitivity, and command of cinematic form.” In her feature debut, the entertaining-yet-slight road movie Take Me Somewhere Nice (2019), director Ena Sendijarević delved into her familial roots, depicting a young woman’s journey from the Netherlands to visit her estranged father […]