(Spoiler warnings apply.) Since The Force Awakens hit theaters, there’s been an outpouring of love for the main character of Rey. A woman at the center of sci-fi’s most famous film franchise? A female Jedi? Dreams do come true! And almost in tandem with the appreciation came the backlash. She’s annoying. She’s too perfect. She’s unrealistic. She’s... Continue Reading →
The Force Awakens is the Biggest and Best Fan Movie Ever Made
(Very minor spoilers.) My first memory of watching Star Wars was on my grandparents’ couch with my dad. I was 5, maybe 6 years old, and traumatized by Darth Vader’s voice. I kept begging my dad to turn the volume down whenever he spoke, even before he showed up, but I wasn’t scared enough to stop watching. Not the... Continue Reading →
Why I’m Saying Both Goodbye and Hello to Star Wars
It’s a great time to be a Star Wars fan. If you’re one of the masses attending the sold-out first showings of The Force Awakens (Thursday at 7:30pm for me), you know the feeling. If you’re going over the weekend, or anytime after, you still know the feeling. It’s also a bittersweet day, in its own way.... Continue Reading →
Goodness Isn’t Overrated (Why The Force Awakens Shouldn’t Make Luke Evil)
As the clock ticks ever closer to the premiere of The Force Awakens (less than one week!), the internet’s been aflame and afire with speculation regarding the noticeable lack of Luke Skywalker in the movie’s promotional materials. No posters, no toys, minimal appearances from actor Mark Hamill in interviews or behind the scenes footage. The most we’ve... Continue Reading →
Marvel’s Jessica Jones redefines what it means to be a superhero
I’ve had two weeks to digest the latest effort from Marvel and Netflix’s collaboration. It might not be the best testament to my writing prowess, but I couldn’t talk about Jessica Jones right away. There was too much in my head to process. I have an embarrassing, overly emotional confession that will undoubtedly draw mockery from friends... Continue Reading →
“There is no God in the Badlands.”
Will I jinx the state of the television universe if I said AMC is unstoppable? Almost everything it touches turns to gold. The network’s newest drama, Into the Badlands, might not reach the same Emmy-adored levels as Breaking Bad or Mad Men (yet — we’re just one episode in), but not since The Walking Dead have they taken such a creative leap of faith. Into... Continue Reading →
The past is the present in Spectre, and that’s not a good thing.
It’s too easy in Spectre. Without a meaningful struggle toward our outcome, without a true physical, emotional, and mental challenge, the whole thing devolves into a well-filmed checklist of plot points rather than a compelling tale.