Top 10 Lists

As most have lamented and shared in their end of the year lists, 2020 was a strange year. I found myself, like many, a bit lost without the routine of going to movie theaters. In…

So many thoughts run through my head when I’m watching a truly terrible movie: Why am I here? Why do I like inflicting pain on myself? Do I secretly like it? Why didn’t I spend…

2020 is the most concrete proof I can display that I am potentially already in hell. I’m not going to spend this opening paragraph attempting to recap the macro scale view of 2020 as anything…

2020 was a year that seems will always be remembered as an absolute hellscape; between a tumultuous election year, a widespread pandemic, and economic pressures on a global scale, the world felt as if it…

For all the time spent lamenting the end of cinema post-March, there were still plenty of great movies to see in 2020. This year marked the largest number of new movies I’ve seen in a…

Among many other things, 2020 has turned the mental checklist of “phone, keys, wallet” to “phone, keys, wallet, and mask.” You can’t walk outside without coming across someone wearing a mask (hopefully), and when it…

The last movie I saw at a theater before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down every theater was Bloodshot. Sad, right? As we are bombarded with news of Warner Bros. and Christopher Nolan deciding to release…

I love children… most of the time. I have three nieces and three nephews that I would do anything for. The children I’m about to talk about, on the other hand, are the devil’s spawn. If…

A gorgeous setting can make a movie so much better. Lots of John Wayne movies aren’t amazing plot- or dialogue-wise, but I sure love seeing the country backdrops. Cast Away (2000) was pretty boring, but that…

Do you like cute things? I like cute things. I think cute things are just the cutest. Today, we are going to be focusing on some of the cutest movies ever. Before we start, let’s…

Some actors were just made for the screen. They were practically born into it. Hollywood was just an inevitable part of their childhood — molding and shaping who they were. For these actors and actresses,…

Some TV shows we (mostly I) just can’t let die. I personally cannot watch the final episode of M*A*S*H because it makes me so sad to say goodbye (also, it’s three hours long and I don’t…

In this time of Coronavirus deluge and upheaval, I think it’s time for a top 10 list, don’t you? That’s right, folks — today, we are looking at some of the best outbreak movies! (In…

It’s so easy to miss plot holes, both as a filmmaker and a film-watcher. They can hide in plain sight and if you aren’t looking for it, you may not see them. But I can…

Some movies that just seem to drag. They may have an interesting story or beautiful cinematography but they just are hard to watch if you’re not 100% engaged. They often get the label “boring,” even…

With a few days to reflect on all the movies I watched in the last calendar year, I feel very content with 2019’s slate. But I still watched a ton of crap. Too much, in…

Was 2019 a good or bad year for movies? Who’s to say. Regardless of what the immediate outcome is at the Oscars in a few months, we won’t know for sure until years down the…

Christmas comes once a year, meaning there are many holiday films we love watching on repeat throughout December. For some, it’s not Christmas until Buddy The Elf screams for Santa or Hans Gruber drops from…

Horror movies wouldn’t be the same without horrifying monsters to chase the protagonists. Godzilla would be nothing without the giant radioactive lizard. What is King Kong without, well, King Kong? Throughout history, humans have created…

Sometimes, the Academy of Arts and Sciences leaves you saying, “wait, you chose that as the Best Picture winner?”  People have said this phrase quite a bit over the years, and there’s no doubting that the Academy…

Movies love to pad their casts with as many A-listers (and just actors in general) as possible. Just look at Avengers: Endgame (2019), for heaven’s sake. I’m pretty sure 3/4 of the budget was spent on…

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Tarantino’s cool, colorful number nine is, in my estimation, one hell of a film. Yet, while it’s certainly this year’s most groovy affair thus far, it can also be…

Hollywood is Hollywood’s biggest fan. There are dozens of films about films and the film industry, as most recently showcased by Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. While not all of these films are huge successes and…

Some songs are just way too overused in movies. It seems every movie or movie trailer latches on to a small batch of songs, fearing to branch out to anything unique or exciting. Just by…

One of the greatest benefits of film is the ability to tell a lot of story in just a few shots. Unlike a book, a film doesn’t have to literally spell everything out; a movie…

Some movies get a lot more notoriety than others. It’s hard to determine what movies are going to take off and what ones won’t. One doesn’t often hear 12 Angry Men (1957) — by all means…

Movies with good quotes cannot be beat. You can have a terrible movie, but a good quote can revive it. After all, Snakes on a Plane (2006), an otherwise mediocre movie, gave us the best quote of…

‘Tis the season for emotional death scenes and warfaring set pieces it seems! Between Endgame’s arrival last month and Game of Thrones’ final season, war is everywhere on our screens at the moment. Pulling off…

Cameos are always fun — especially cameos from our favorite athletes, actors, and singers! Even if a celebrity is on screen for only a few seconds, it’s enjoyable to try and spot them. They may…

I’ll admit it: I’m a history nerd. I love anything to do with history — especially political history. Consequentially, I’m majoring in political science and minoring in history. So, when I hear of historical films,…