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

Movies That Defined My Childhood: Hook
When I was a child, I believed in Peter Pan. I devoured every version of his story, from Disney’s animated interpretation to Mary...
Review: You're Next
You’re Next is a clever, creative, and often quite funny deconstruction of the home invasion horror genre that asks a single, deceptively...
Review: Only God Forgives
Nicolas Winding Refn is one of the most diverse cinematic artists working today. You’d be hard pressed to find two movies as different as...
Review: Zero Dark Thirty
Depiction does not automatically equal endorsement. It’s an easy rule to remember, yet I’ve noticed lately that several critics and...
Review: Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
“Kiss Kiss Bang Bang” isn't merely a title; it's a mission statement. It immediately evokes a vivid image, promising a celebration and/or...
Review: The Artist
“I’ll never talk!” silent film star George Valentin cries (via title card). And right there, in the opening seconds, The Artist tidily...
Review: Five Fingers for Marseilles
On a bit of a whim, I headed out to Cinema Village to see Five Fingers for Marseilles. IndieWire advertised it as a South African...
Review: Fireworks
I feel bad for comparing Fireworks to Your Name, producer Genki Kawamura’s previous animated feature, but it’s almost impossible to...
Review: You Were Never Really Here
Saw You Were Never Really Here at Angelika Film Center earlier today, and I’ve spent the past few hours struggling to articulate what I...
Review: The World's End
I feel as though I’m not fully prepared to write a proper review of The World’s End. The previous entries in Edgar Wright’s “Three...
Review: Kick-Ass 2
Kick-Ass 2 belongs to that rare breed of sequel that builds upon every idea its predecessor introduced, rather than merely recycling old...
An Addendum to My Review of Nosferatu: Phantom der Nacht
In my review of Nosferatu: Phantom der Nacht, I neglected to mention the film’s delightfully bizarre ending, but it’s such a brilliant...
Review: Quadrophenia
Following a loose, minimalistic plot structured around some of The Who’s greatest hits (as well as other rock ‘n’ roll classics),...
Review: Tommy
Decided to send off 2018 by finally watching The Who’s Tommy, which I’ve experienced in various chunks over the years, but never seen in...
Mother's Day Movie Recommendation: Wolf Children
Happy Mother’s Day! Why not celebrate with a film? There are plenty of memorable movies about moms, but in my opinion, none of them...
Review: Temple
I don’t say this very often, but tonight, I watched an irredeemably awful film. I was in the mood for something dumb and fun after a...
Review: A Ghost Story
Rooney Mara eats a pie for ten Goddamn minutes. Okay, okay, I’m probably exaggerating. It’s probably not literally ten minutes of screen...
Review: Anma and Rose Colored Dance
Thanks to Kanopy’s extensive selection of educational programming, I’ve recently become very interested in Butoh, a Japanese style of...
Review: Effacement
Logged on to Kanopy to watch Effacement, a semi-experimental documentary that explores the process of creating a Japanese Noh mask. While...



















