The ramblings of a wannabe cineaste. Join me as I dissect the art of storytelling in films, comics, TV shows, and video games.
O'GRADY FILM

Review: The Masque of the Red Death
Apparently, American International Pictures’ The Masque of the Red Death has been available on the Criterion Channel for quite some time,...
Review: The Ladykillers
In some movies, the setting can be as much of a protagonist as any human character. The Ladykillers, produced by Ealing Studios in 1955,...
Review: The Quick and the Dead
The films of director Sam Raimi epitomize cinematic mythology. From The Evil Dead (horror) to Spider-Man (superhero), he distills genres...
Informal Pitch: A Parody of a Hallmark Style Holiday Romcom
Title: The Christmas Conman Synopsis: Holly Day never really cared about Christmas; her career simply didn’t leave much time for joy and...
Hades: The Labor of Sisyphus
[The following essay contains MAJOR SPOILERS; YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!] Even if you’re a complete newcomer to the wild world of Greek...
Mank: Nightmares in the Dream Factory
[The following essay contains SPOILERS; YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!] Early in the first act of David Fincher’s Mank, protagonist Herman J....
Soul: Finding the Spark
[The following essay contains MAJOR SPOILERS; YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!] Like nearly all of Pixar’s work, Soul gets pretty goddamn...
Tenet: Fatalism, Free Will, and the Inflexibility of Time
[The following essay contains MAJOR SPOILERS; YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!] I’ll see you at the beginning, friend. As the dust settles following...
The Mandalorian: A Larger World
[The following essay contains MAJOR SPOILERS; YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!] Several critics have argued that Season 2 of The Mandalorian...
Review: Goodbye, Dragon Inn
One of the first images in Tsai Ming-Liang’s Goodbye, Dragon Inn is an establishing shot of the Fu-Ho, an old-school cinema in Taiwan....
Review - Mansai Nomura’s Kyogen: Kagami-kaja (A Mirror Servant) + Shimizu (Spring Water)
I tend to focus on Japan Society’s film program, but it’s far more than just a cinema; it’s a full-on cultural enrichment center,...
Review: Raining in the Mountain
I wouldn’t call Raining in the Mountain King Hu’s most spiritual work, but it is the film in which his Buddhist philosophy is most...
Review: Zappa
Watched Zappa via Angelika Film Center’s online streaming platform. I’d characterize most of Alex Winter’s previous directorial efforts...
Review: Paranoia Agent
How can I possibly describe Paranoia Agent? Like much of creator Satoshi Kon’s critically-acclaimed work (Perfect Blue, Paprika,...
MST3K: Learning Through Laughter
You can accuse the writers behind Mystery Science Theater 3000 of aiming at low-hanging fruit. You can argue that their sense of humor...
Review: Edo Avant Garde
Watched Edo Avant Garde, a fascinating documentary about the innovative byobu (folding screen) art produced during Japan's period of...
Review: In & of Itself
What is In & of Itself? Well, in the literal sense, it’s the latest film from director and occasional Muppeteer Frank Oz. Before that, it...
Review - Tiny Tim: King for a Day
Took advantage of my day off from work to check out this year’s online edition of DOC NYC. As expected, the festival is offering a wide...
Review: Dracula A.D. 1972 and Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde
This year, I decided to celebrate Halloween with a Hammer Horror double feature. I would have preferred to watch The Curse of...





















