Author: Josh Matejka

  • The Sundance Film Festival 2021

    The Sundance Film Festival 2021

    Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, film festivals have grappled with the same questions facing many businesses and non-profits. Chiefly, how do they keep the money pouring in?  We’ve seen many film studios largely switch to streaming platforms, allowing consumers unlimited access to their curated library of content for a monthly fee. Film festivals…

  • Scream Unto the Lord

    Scream Unto the Lord

    When’s the last time your body demanded movement? If you’ve watched Ari Aster’s Hereditary at any point in the recent past, perhaps you’ll have an answer. There’s a moment in the modern horror classic that demands movement from the viewer, be it internal or external. Alex Wolff’s Peter Graham is racing down a dark country…

  • My Darling Vivian

    My Darling Vivian

    The legacy of Johnny Cash is eternally tied to the concept of, “walking the line.” The 1956 ballad is one of his most enduring hits. The 2005 Hollywood biopic took its name from the same song. His public struggles with substance abuse (and later declaration of Christian faith) all played into the weaving meta-narrative of…

  • For Our Consideration: Best Writing, Directing, and Score

    For Our Consideration: Best Writing, Directing, and Score

    The 92nd Academy Awards will take place on Sunday, February 9. Earlier this month, the nominations were announced. We’re running through some of the categories to acknowledge a few of our favorite unrecognized film works of 2019.   Best Director — Greta Gerwig (Little Women)     Admittedly this one is a bit obvious. It…

  • For Our Consideration: Best Picture

    For Our Consideration: Best Picture

    The 92nd Academy Awards will take place on Sunday, February 9. Earlier this month, the nominations were announced. We’re running through some of the categories to acknowledge a few of our favorite unrecognized film works of 2019.   Best Picture — Uncut Gems     This site (and this reviewer) has a passionate love for…

  • For Our Consideration: Best Acting

    For Our Consideration: Best Acting

    The 92nd Academy Awards will take place on Sunday, February 9. Earlier this month, the nominations were announced. We’re running through some of the categories to acknowledge a few of our favorite unrecognized film works of 2019.   Best Supporting Actor — Jonathan Majors (The Last Black Man in San Francisco)     Joe Talbot’s…

  • The Last Black Man in San Francisco

    The Last Black Man in San Francisco

    At the end of the day, we’re all just looking for a place to call home. Movies have long wrestled with this sentiment and not just in a physical sense. Hitchcock’s characters don’t trust the people closest to them, and are often punished when they do. Kubrick finds humanity and depravity in the cosmos just…

  • Midsommar

    Midsommar

    Think back to a time in your life when you were going through a breakup — or, if not a breakup, then the unpleasant end of some meaningful relationship. Maybe you parted ways with a friend over some irreconcilable difference. Perhaps you and a loved one have not spoken due to some deep wounds in…

  • Apollo 11

    Apollo 11

    It’s been almost 47 years since mankind last walked on the moon. The 1972 moon landing came a little more than three years after Apollo 11, meaning all 12 men to have ever walked on the hallowed lunar surface did so in the course of three years, four months, and 23 days. The above numbers…

  • A Star Is Born

    A Star Is Born

    Have you ever had a moment so overwhelmingly emotional — chaotically sensory even — that you don’t know what to do when it’s over? If not, try to imagine one. Because the coming topic is essentially a concert film, imagine your favorite artist/band is playing at a large stadium (for some, maybe just remember your…