Tag Archives: Paul Sparks

Action/Thriller, All Movie Reviews, Comedy, Like It, Long Reviews (>400 Words)

Thoroughbreds (2018) Movie Review

March 13, 2018 Alex Brannan Leave a comment

You wouldn’t know by looking at it, but Thoroughbreds is writer-director Cory Finley’s debut film.

In it, expelled prep school student Lily (Anya Taylor-Joy) rekindles an old friendship with Amanda (Olivia Cooke), who admits to Lily that she feels no emotion. Upon observing Lily’s step father Mark (Paul Sparks), who Lily openly despises for the emotional abuse he exerts on her mother, Amanda brings up the notion of murdering him.

The film uses its morbidly comic lens to hone in on concepts of control and ownership in an upper-class, suburban setting. Waves of classism flow on the fringes of the narrative, from the Continue reading Thoroughbreds (2018) Movie Review →

Television Reviews, TV Drama

House of Cards Season Five Finale Recap & Review

June 5, 2017 Alex Brannan Leave a comment

So…Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey) planned it all. From the beginning. Orchestrating his own downfall so that he can control it. A controlled burn.

If it seems ludicrous and farfetched, that’s because it is. It doesn’t hold up to scrutiny and makes the show look like Continue reading House of Cards Season Five Finale Recap & Review →

Television Reviews, TV Drama

House of Cards Season Five Episode Twelve Recap & Review

June 5, 2017 Alex Brannan Leave a comment

Secretary of State Catherine Durant (Jayne Atkinson), against President Frank Underwood’s (Kevin Spacey) wishes, has decided to testify to the house judiciary committee. That is, if she wakes up after being pushed down the stairs by Frank.

In the public eye, Frank is business as usual, working to broker peace in the Middle East in spite of his impeachment scandal. Behind the scenes, though, he is Continue reading House of Cards Season Five Episode Twelve Recap & Review →

Television Reviews, TV Drama

House of Cards Season Five Episode Nine Recap & Review

June 4, 2017 Alex Brannan Leave a comment

Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey) has won the election. Finally. It’s only eight episodes in the making. Using small errors in the Conway campaign, they shattered the Republican ticket in the press to take Ohio.

From the concession side of the election, the conceding party does not want to give in. Will Conway (Joel Kinnaman) feels as if he has been robbed, both by the Underwoods and Continue reading House of Cards Season Five Episode Nine Recap & Review →

Television Reviews, TV Drama

House of Cards Season Five Episode Six Recap & Review

June 3, 2017 Alex Brannan Leave a comment

Claire Underwood (Robin Wright) is sworn in as acting president in the wake of a split vote for the presidency in Congress. This bizarre scenario is a clear foreshadowing to what Claire has been vying for for quite some time.

The shake up in the White House also spurs action from Russia, and we are re-greeted by the presence of Continue reading House of Cards Season Five Episode Six Recap & Review →

Television Reviews, TV Drama

House of Cards Season Five Episode Five Recap & Review

June 3, 2017 Alex Brannan Leave a comment

Nine weeks after the botched election, there is still no president-elect. By the 12th amendment, Congress will select the president and vice president. Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey) is prepared for it. In fact, he devised the snafu that allowed America to get to this point. Now he just has to do what he does best: manipulate the spineless miscreants of American politics.

With everything in flux, every character is dealing with Continue reading House of Cards Season Five Episode Five Recap & Review →

Television Reviews, TV Drama

House of Cards Season Five Episode Two Recap & Review

June 3, 2017 Alex Brannan Leave a comment

Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey) is deep in election strategizing as he fights ICO, giving a speech to state governors as a way of getting five of them on his side. Five that just so happen to be from key swing states.

The end game is voter suppression. We wouldn’t expect anything less from the Underwood administration. Central to this coup is Continue reading House of Cards Season Five Episode Two Recap & Review →