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

My Top 3 Cinematic Character Archetypes of 2019
The taciturn remnant of a near-extinct tribe of warriors that prefers to work alone, but nevertheless inadvertently assembles a makeshift...
Review: The Mandalorian
The Mandalorian represents everything that I love about Star Wars. From the shadowy hallways of Jabba the Hutt’s palace to the bustling...
Additional Thoughts on It: Chapter Two
[SPOILERS BELOW! You have been warned.] I know it’s faithful to the source material, but Muschietti really shouldn’t have brought back...
Zen and the Art of Playing Hollow Knight
Not to get excessively sentimental or philosophical, but I had a rather profound epiphany today—triggered by, of all things, a video...
A List of Fetishes Present in the Film Adaptation of Cats
[Yes, I did endure this cinematic atrocity so that you wouldn’t have to. You’re welcome.] Furry. Obviously. Vore. Perpetrated during...
The Rise of Skywalker: Interplanetary Conflicts and Family Feuds
[The following review contains MAJOR SPOILERS; you have been warned!] Well, to quote the late Orson Krennic: “We were on the verge of...
Additional Thoughts on Tora-san, Our Lovable Tramp (It's Tough Being a Man)
My initial review of Tora-san was already a bit too bloated and unfocused for my standards, but I simply had to rectify my failure to...
The Poetry of Violence: House of Bamboo
I’ve decided to revisit my House of Bamboo review because I somehow forgot to mention that it features one of the most realistically...
Review: Flesh+Blood
Following Rutger Hauer’s death earlier this year, I bought several of his more obscure films, and tonight, I finally got around to...
Why Elysium Works
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Looper is a great science fiction film because it uses time travel as a prop rather than...
Review: Wait Until Dark
Nowadays, Wait Until Dark is seldom ranked among the best thrillers ever made, even though it absolutely earns a spot on such a list....
Review: Tokyo! and House of Bamboo
“Tokyo Stories”, Japan Society’s special showcase of Japanese movies made by foreigners, has entered its final weekend. Despite my...
Review: Knives Out
[The following review contains minor SPOILERS; you have been warned!] Knives Out is about as far from a conventional murder mystery as...
Review: Frozen
There are plenty of delicious morsels to savor in Frozen, Disney’s latest animated offering: the heartwarming central theme, which argues...
Review: Frozen 2
Frozen 2 is nothing short of miraculous. In many ways, its predecessor became a victim of its own success; after it smashed every...
Review: Doctor Sleep
Sometimes, trauma leaves behind a shadow—a specter that hounds you throughout the rest of your life. Deny it, avoid it, run from it all...
Review: The Host
Over a decade before Parasite earned him near universal critical acclaim and made him top contender for Best Foreign Language Film at the...
Review: Cherry Blossoms and Like Someone in Love
The theme of Japan Society’s latest cinematic retrospective is a bit unorthodox: movies set in Tokyo… but shot by non-native directors....
Review: The Irishman
[The following review contains SPOILERS; you have been warned!] If the poetry of violence is a language in and of itself, then Martin...





















