Mamet keeps us guessing in ‘Spartan’ (2004)
Mamet Monday (Movie review): The film features gorgeous settings and strong acting, and keeps you guessing.
Author: John Hansen
Mamet keeps us guessing in ‘Spartan’ (2004)
‘Buffy’ flashback: ‘Wicked Willow I: The Darkening’ (2004) (Book review)
Yvonne Navarro expands on the Dark Willow period of Season 6 in her “Wicked Willow” trilogy by asking “What if Willow had been evil for a longer time period?” Evil Willow is a short-lived but […]
Despite being from her point of view, ‘Summer ’03’ keeps teen’s world at a timid distance (Movie review)
“Summer ’03” (2018) had the misfortune of coming out the same year as “Eighth Grade,” which showed new blood can be wrung from the stone of coming-of-age dramedies. Stacked against other entries in the genre […]
‘The Black Dahlia’ (2006) gets explored as a comedy
Throwback Thursday (Movie review): Before “I Am the Night,” a 2006 film explored the Black Dahlia case with a different tone.
Kiersten White introduces us to our new favorite ‘Slayer’ as the ‘Buffy’ novels return after 11 years (Book review)
In 2008 when the “Buffy” book line was canceled, author Yvonne Navarro lamented to SlayerLit: “Dangling out there is a golden opportunity based on the final show in the series … an unlimited number of […]
‘Buffy’ flashback: Season 9, Issues 21-25 (2013) and special issues (2011-13) (Comic book reviews)
Writer Andrew Chambliss and artist Georges Jeanty stick the landing to conclude the character-driven yet suitably epic “Buffy” Season 9 with the five-issue “The Core.” It’s a crying shame that this marks Chambliss’ finale in […]
‘Heist’ (2001) boasts intricate plotting, lovable criminals
Mamet Monday (Movie review): This crime thriller has Mamet’s usual intricate plotting plus great characters.
Korean film ‘Burning’ is a strong entry in the ‘What the heck is going on?’ subgenre (Movie review)
In the tradition of great Asian cinema, “Burning” (2018) is intensely strange and immensely engrossing. Fittingly, lead actor Ah-in Yoo, as Lee Jong-su, seems to barely be giving a performance, but we’re right there with […]
Japanese film ‘Shoplifters’ is a heartfelt exploration of a makeshift family (Movie review)
When I throw around the phrase “makeshift family” in reviews, I’m usually talking about tight groups of friends. But the Japanese film “Shoplifters” (2018) shows us a more literal makeshift family. It’s about six societal castoffs […]
‘Buffy’ flashback: ‘Apocalypse Memories’ (2004) (Book review)
“Roswell High” authors Laura J. Burns and Melinda Metz – who also wrote for the “Roswell” TV series – try their hand at “Buffy” with “Apocalypse Memories” (March 2004), an imperfect but intriguingly out-of-the-box entry. […]