I must start this out with a confession: I am someone who is prone to hyperbole. It will worm its way into my everyday interactions. In fact, one might say that I am liberal with my hyperbolicity— non-literal exaggerations can be found in the way I discuss, describe, act, and recount; in the way I exist.
However, when it comes to hyperbole, there is no place I use it more than in my descriptions of films. “It’s the most fun ever”, I might say about a movie that’s pretty fun, but the most ever? Probably not. However, in 2018 there was one film that was the receiving end of more hyperbole than any other: Bohemian Rhapsody.
This hyperbole was exclusively negative. Some descriptions I threw around included “the worst”, “actual trash”, “fully awful”, and “scum on the bottom of my shoes”. In an informal year in review I even went so far as to express my wish to strike it from history, calling it “cultural cancer masquerading as a film”. I’ll admit that the last one is probably one step too far, cancer is no laughing matter.
Then again, neither is Bohemian Rhapsody.
Netflix movies have been gradually moving up the movie food chain. From the outrage that surrounded Beast of No Nation‘s Oscar snub, to recent awards darling, Roma, scooping up the majority of the awards and nominations at most shows, it’s easy to see that Netflix isn’t a foe to be ignored. Their latest release, High Flying Bird, directed by Steven Soderbergh of Erin Brockovich fame, and written by Tarell Alvin McCraney (Moonlight), it isn’t hard to expect quite a lot from this movie.
On January 22nd, 2019, the nominations for the 91st Academy Awards were announced, and… I am pretty shocked by them. Roma leading the pack with 10 nominations, including two acting nods, Timothee Chalamet left out, and Bradley Cooper snubbed in the Director category in favor of a foreign language film, one of two on the list! However, even after all the buzz and promotion, the one that shocked me the most was the fact that even with just 8 nominees for Best Picture this year, Black Panther was on the list.
His Master’s Voice: a British institution since 1921, HMV has been a staple of the UK high street for nearly 100 years. In recent times however, as with many British retail brands, the entertainment retailer has fallen on hard times.
Foreword by Adam Brannon: We’re rounding out 2018 with a monster-sized interview. For those who have been living under a rock for the majority of the last twelve months, 2018 signals the 25th anniversary of Steven Spielberg’s 1993 classic, Jurassic Park.