Massive Attack’s sold-out show in Sydney in August was my first time seeing them — long overdue, as I’ve been a fan for over 30 years. As if I were being rewarded for waiting all that time, it was absolutely stunning, unlike anything I’ve seen before. Twenty-thousand of us at the unfortunately named Afterpay Arena … Continue reading Massive Attack’s unparalleled live fusion of music, cinema, and politics
I was a fan of Toy Story long before I became a dad. In 1996, at the age of 25, I rented the original on VHS one night and watched it by myself over a six-pack of blackberry porter. I loved it! In 1999 my sister and I went to see the sequel on the … Continue reading Toy Story’s “villain” Sid did nothing wrong
This is the second part of my two-part deep dive into Andor season 2. The first part, which I posted last year, covered the cinema and politics of the latest and final season over two sections or “arcs” (named after the show’s unique three-episode narrative blocs). Here, in the third arc, I take a look … Continue reading Andor season 2 and the problem of prequelitis
Star Wars will never be better: A look at the cinematic and political power of Tony Gilroy’s masterpiece So here I am with my third piece about Andor, and a fourth on the way. Having already written two long essays about season 1 (the first piece a broader review of the show and its excellent … Continue reading Andor season 2 is revolutionary TV
I have to preface this by admitting that among Jenny Nicholson fans, demographically speaking I’m an outlier. I’m in my 50s, significantly older than the younger millennials and older zoomers who make up most of the audience of her Youtube channel. I was older than Nicholson is now (33) when Youtube was launched in 2005. … Continue reading A painfully sincere tribute to the genius of Jenny Nicholson
I wrote this essay about the politics of Todd Phillips’s Joker almost five years ago, and posted it to my Facebook page. That was a turning point in my decision to start this site. It wasn’t the first time I’d posted lengthy and detailed thoughts about a film and its politics, but I worked especially … Continue reading Joker and the problem of identity
I write about film all the time, but not all of it gets published here. When I see a film or a series, whether old or new, and decide I have something to say about it, there are, broadly speaking, two things that might happen. The first possibility is that I’m so obsessed with this … Continue reading A compilation of my short-form film reviews of 2023
Those of you who follow this blog may have noticed it’s been a bit quiet around here for the last few months. There’s a specific reason for this: almost all of my extra attention and energy has been consumed by following and protesting the war and genocide in Gaza. I haven’t really been able to … Continue reading Elia Suleiman’s Palestine trilogy: The tragic absurdity of occupation
This is a reader-supported blog. If you like what you read, consider buying me a coffee! I don’t know how to break this to you, but one of the most interesting and cinematically adventurous films of the year is a franchise IP blockbuster that was made explicitly to sell dolls. I didn’t intend to write about … Continue reading Notes on the politics of Barbie
There were two things I noticed about the reactions to Tina Turner’s death last month. First, there was a general agreement that even though she was 83, it still felt tragically early, way too soon for her to go. She was one of those artists who seem so filled with life and energy and passion, … Continue reading Let’s talk about Tina Turner’s pivotal contributions to the Mad Max saga
