Category Archives: Genres

Television Reviews, TV Drama

House of Cards S04E07 Recap & Review

Caution: Spoilers for House of Cards season four, episode seven ahead.

Season four, episode seven of House of Cards begins with Heather Dunbar (Elizabeth Marvel) dropping out of the presidential race. Though, I suspect this isn’t the last we’ll see of Dunbar, who knows something is amiss with Frank’s rise to power.

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A terrorist organization named ICO (not dissimilar to ISIS in nature) is becoming an increasing military threat, leaving President Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey) with a choice of Continue reading House of Cards S04E07 Recap & Review →

Television Reviews, TV Drama

House of Cards S04E06 Recap & Review

Caution: Spoilers for House of Cards season four, episode six ahead.

The solution to the U.S. foreign relations issues with Russia and Russian President Viktor Petrov (Lars Mikkelsen) comes in the form of Claire Underwood (Robin Wright) banding together some old faces, namely Remy Danton (Mahershala Ali) and Raymond Tusk (Gerald McRaney).

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Meanwhile, Doug Stamper (Michael Kelly) makes moves in order to raise Frank Underwood’s (Kevin Spacey) position on the liver donor list. This means letting a man die, something the loyal Stamper would Continue reading House of Cards S04E06 Recap & Review →

Television Reviews, TV Drama

House of Cards S04E05 Recap & Review

Caution: Spoilers for House of Cards season four, episode five ahead.

The cold open of House of Cards episode five is yet another nightmarish vision from Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey), this time depicting a Confederate Civil War soldier shooting him in his hospital bed. The assassination attempt on his life may prove to be politically beneficial, but this scene shows that it will only help in heightening his already troubled mind.

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Frank’s Chief of Staff Doug Stamper (Michael Kelly), now returning to the forefront of the show, is working furiously to Continue reading House of Cards S04E05 Recap & Review →

Television Reviews, TV Drama

House of Cards S04E04 Recap & Review

Caution: spoilers from House of Cards season four, episode four ahead.

Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey) may have to run with his wife Claire (Robin Wright) as his running mate, or risk further sabotage from her and Leann Harvey (Neve Campbell). He and Doug Stamper (Michael Kelly) search for a different way to satisfy Claire’s political desires while also investigating the leak of a racially sensitive image to the press. Stamper heavily suspects Seth Grayson (Derek Cecil), whom we already know leaked the photo of Frank with a Confederate Civil War re-enacter.

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The solution for the campaign problem (and by proxy the Claire problem) is to Continue reading House of Cards S04E04 Recap & Review →

Television Reviews, TV Drama

House of Cards S04E03 Recap & Review

Caution: Spoilers from House of Cards season four, episode three ahead.

The third episode of the new season of House of Cards shows the continued efforts of Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey) to salvage his struggling presidential campaign. Returning to his hometown of Gaffney, South Carolina, he speaks in a church. The scene is great, cross-cutting between the speech itself and Underwood preparing for the speech. The lighting contrast and his mumbling recitation show the reality of his feelings for the people that he is claiming to be working for, that they are merely votes that he desperately needs.

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On the other end of the political totem pole, Lucas Goodwin (Sebastian Arcelus), aka John Carlyle, is working on parole, cleaning cars. In order to secure a car, he engages in sexual favors with a co-worker. He uses this to Continue reading House of Cards S04E03 Recap & Review →

Television Reviews, TV Drama

House of Cards S04E02 Recap & Review

Caution: Spoilers for House of Cards season four, episode two ahead.

Episode two of House of Cards season four opens on a conversation between Claire Underwood’s mother Elizabeth (Ellen Burstyn) and a group of her perhaps monetarily influential friends. She encourages endorsement of Heather Dunbar (Elizabeth Marvel) for president so that her daughter may begin her own political rise once Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey) is out of the oval office.

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The episode re-introduces Russian President Viktor Petrov (Lars Mikkelsen), where a man fleeing Russia seeks asylum in the U.S., fearing for his life when an attempt to unseat Petrov goes south. To President Underwood, this appears like Continue reading House of Cards S04E02 Recap & Review →

Drama, Television Reviews

House of Cards S04E01 Recap & Review

Caution: Spoilers for House of Cards season four, episode one (and perhaps any previous episode of the show) ahead.

Season four of House of Cards opens on a strange yet perversely poetic image: former Washington Herald senior journalist Lucas Goodwin (Sebastian Arcelus) glibly reciting erotica so his prison cellmate can get off on the bunk below him. Goodwin was previously framed by hacker Gavin Orsay (Jimmi Simpson) and Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey) loyalist Doug Stamper (Michael Kelly) in order to prevent further suspicion over the death of Zoe Barnes (Kate Mara) at Underwood’s hands.

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The reason for Goodwin’s lewd helping hand becomes clear later on, when it is revealed that he Continue reading House of Cards S04E01 Recap & Review →

All Movie Reviews, Comedy, Drama, Like It, Quickie Reviews (<400 Words)

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (2016) Movie Review

Kim Baker (Tina Fey) is a low-on-the-totem-pole journalist sent to Afghanistan to cover the war there. While there, she deals with gender and cultural politics, as well as personal relationships with military and press personnel.

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In Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, the acting performances are Continue reading Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (2016) Movie Review →

All Movie Reviews, Indie Films, Like It, Long Reviews (>400 Words), Romance

Tell Me Sweet Something (2015) Movie Review

Tell Me Sweet Something follows young author Moratiwa (Nomzamo Mbatha) through the trials of artistry and romance.

Mbatha holds down the fort at the head of the film well. Her character the most well-rounded of the lot, she is given a lot more to work with. But, all the same, she embodies the character well.

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Fulfilling the obligatory role of comedic relief male sidekick is Thomas Gumede as Gordon. Albeit a tired character, Continue reading Tell Me Sweet Something (2015) Movie Review →

All Movie Reviews, Comedy, Indie Films, Quickie Reviews (<400 Words), Short Films

The Talk (2015) Short Film Review

The Talk, from director Joe Otting, is a two-person short depicting a conversation between a father and his young daughter. This conversation begins with an innocent confession, one that every child needs to hear at some point in their life, but then it takes a nosedive into a frank, awkward realm.

The short features performances from John Hoogenakker and Isabella Crovetti-Cramp, who is most recognizable from her appearance in Continue reading The Talk (2015) Short Film Review →