“Ad Astra” Explores the Outer Reaches of Space and the Innermost Feelings of an Astronaut
The title Ad Astra is Latin for “to the stars.” Perhaps it’s a touch on-the-nose for a space travel adventure, but this is more of a character study anyway. The outer edges of the galaxy may be where Roy McBride (Brad Pitt) may venture in search of his long-lost astronaut father Clifford (Tommy Lee Jones), […]
“Haunt” Conjures Up Fresh Scares in Its Familiar Setting
The new horror movie Haunt starts with a simple, yet potent premise. Its setting is one of those makeshift haunted house attractions that pop up in vacant storefronts or suburban lots around Halloween to challenge customers to “survive” its maze of scares. The college kids who enter the one in this film have no idea […]
The Difficulties in Adapting Stephen King’s Horror for the Screen
Ever since Stephen King became a best-selling author in the 1970s, Hollywood has been eager to adapt his works for the big and small screen. With such a long history, not every adaptation is going to be great, but more have been terrific than one might realize. Few would argue about the classic status of […]
“Don’t Let Go” Twists Its Mystery into a Mobius Strip
One has to commend writer/director Jacob Estes for his committed and earnest attempt to turn the mystery genre on its ear. For starters, he grounds his new film Don’t Let Go in the middle-class black community of Los Angeles, a setting that rarely gets showcased in mainstream cinema. Next, his story touches on compelling topics […]
5 Ways “Mindhunter” Expounds on Narrative Control
One of the fascinating aspects of the second season of Netflix’s drama series Mindhunter concerned its themes of narrative control. The series created by Joe Penhall, based on the true-crime book Mindhunter: Inside the FBI’s Elite Serial Crime Unit, is now in year two. The sophomore year was even more intriguing than the first. While the […]
