Episode eight of House of Cards season five begins with a cold open depicting a strange ritual of the Washington elite. In attendance is Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey), mingling around the red-robed politicians in attempts to swing the election, even though he believes he would be better suited in Ohio outright.
Back in the White House, sitting President Claire Underwood (Robin Wright) is tasked with Continue reading House of Cards Season Five Episode Eight Recap & Review
Interim President Claire Underwood (Robin Wright), being backseat-driven by former President Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey), decides to execute a strike against a known ICO terrorist that America has sights on.
With the election back on in Tennessee and Ohio, this and other factors play heavy in how the Underwoods are perceived. The other firepower they have is Continue reading House of Cards Season Five Episode Seven Recap & Review
What happens in a world where proof of an afterlife is definitive? Thus is the ethical dilemma of The Discovery, the new film from Charlie McDowell (The One I Love) and distributed via Netflix.
Thomas Harbor (Robert Redford), the man credited for what is dubbed “the discovery” grants unprecedented access with an interview; an interview that ends in a crew member’s on-air suicide.
Elsewhere, Will (Jason Segel) and Isla (Rooney Mara) meet on an otherwise empty ferry. They naval-gaze for a time, discussing how people “grow into their names” or not, how suicide groups in the face of the discovery are disingenuous, and then finally the truth of Continue reading The Discovery (2017) Movie Review
Ray Wentworth (Bob Odenkrik) is a greeting card writer. The best, if you ask him. We first see him looking down the barrel of the camera in closeup, waxing poetic about the poetics of card writing. Writing novels are for hacks who cannot edit themselves. Cards are the real challenge.
Following this, Ray is Continue reading Girlfriend’s Day (2017) Movie Review
STDs are inherently scary. But there are STDs, and then there are…stranger STDs. Sam (Najarra Townsend) attends the party of an old friend, reluctantly drinking as she waits for her girlfriend Nikki (Katie Stegeman) to arrive. When she doesn’t, she is instead coaxed into the car of a creepy, standoffish man. From the next morning forward, nothing is quite the same for Sam.
Contracted takes an interesting perspective on sexuality in light of Continue reading Contracted (2013) Movie Review
ARQ, the new original movie from OTT service Netflix, is woefully standard. Not only is it woefully standard, but it is a blatant premise ripoff of the criminally under-seen Edge of Tomorrow. Renton (Robbie Amell), or, as he is affectionately referred to by his compatriot Hannah (Rachael Taylor), Ren, finds himself stuck in a time loop paradox in which the same infiltration of his hidden compound occurs over and over again.
The world of ARQ is the typical post-apocalyptic science fiction: savages and raiders rule, food is a scarce resource, random technological innovations litter the screen. This said, the world of ARQ is not Continue reading ARQ (2016) Movie Review
Sound is a vital part of any horror film. Perhaps the most vital. What happens, then, when you insert a protagonist into a horror-thriller narrative who is deaf. This is exactly the case with Hush, which pits novelist Maddie Young (Kate Siegal), who lives conveniently in the middle of the woods with few people within screaming distance (if she could scream, that is, as she is also mute), against a masked intruder (John Gallagher Jr.).
This premise, in its early stages of execution, makes for a very Continue reading Hush (2016) Movie Review
The season four House of Cards finale picks up where the previous episode left off, with President Frank Underwood’s (Kevin Spacey) powerplay in process. A brash ultimatum leaves the fate of the ICO hostages in the balance.
Following the phone call, Frank sends Republican Presidential candidate Will Conway (Joel Kinnaman) on his way, having cornered him in a lie that threatens to Continue reading House of Cards Season Four Finale Recap & Review
Caution: Spoilers for House of Cards season four, episode 12 (and previous episodes) ahead!
House of Cards season four, episode 12 opens on White House covert surveillance guy Aidan MacAllan (Damian Young) blasting loud music as he watches traffic in relation to the dual President-Vice President debate.
The debate, which highlights the major points of contention with the presidential race, is interrupted and Continue reading House of Cards S04E12 Recap & Review
Caution: Spoilers for House of Cards season four, episode 11 (and previous episodes) ahead!
The new Underwood-Underwood ticket is campaign strategizing when Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey) has a medical issue. He is told by a specialist that air traffic should be limited. Given the campaign, this is impossible if Frank is to win. He remains grounded as Claire Underwood (Robin Wright) continues campaigning, not to mention continuing her affair with speech writer Thomas Yates (Paul Sparks).
Doug Stamper’s (Michael Kelly) newfound obsession, the wife of Continue reading House of Cards S04E11 Recap & Review
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