- First Movie I Ever Saw:
- Pocahontas
- First Binge
- Season 1 of House (on DVD!)
- All-Time Faves
- Modern Times, Annie Hall, The Dark Knight, The Social Network
- Current Obsession
- Atlanta
- If I Were A GIF...
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The Latest
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‘Joker 2: Folie à Deux’ Venice Film Festival Review: This Jukebox Musical Plays The Great American Songbook For People Who Used to Shop at Hot Topic
By Marshall Shaffer •There’s a whole lot of potential in Lady Gaga’s Harley Quinn as the fresh-faced entry into this grimy Gotham, but she’s too frequently relegated to the sidelines. -
‘Wolfs’ Venice Film Festival Review: It’s the George Clooney/Brad Pitt Show … And Little Else
By Marshall Shaffer •Wolfs provides good fun for a while, especially given the dearth of vintage George Clooney leading man roles of late. -
‘Baby Invasion’ Venice Film Festival Review: Harmony Korine Doesn’t Level Up With His Latest Video Game-Inspired Film
By Marshall Shaffer •Baby Invasion backfires remarkably by inspiring boredom with all its bombast. -
‘Disclaimer’ Venice Film Festival Review: Alfonso Cuarón’s Apple TV+ Miniseries Gets Lost in Technical Proficiency
By Marshall Shaffer •Cuarón renders this tale of rage, regret, and retribution in broad strokes. -
‘Maria’ Venice Film Festival Review: Pablo Larraín Ends His Iconic Women Trilogy on a Low Note
By Marshall Shaffer •Angelina Jolie stars as Maria Callas, the legendary Greek opera singer. -
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Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Mothers’ Instinct’ on VOD, A Waste of Two Oscar Winners in a Confused Melodrama-Thriller
By Marshall Shaffer •The mothers of Mothers’ Instinct are not mothering. -
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Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Divinity’ on Shudder, A Future Cult Classic Sci-Fi Flick Endorsed by Steven Soderbergh
By Marshall Shaffer •Divinity feels less like a traditional narrative-based storytelling experience and more like a Rorschach blot. -
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Stream It Or Skip It: ‘The Beast’ on Criterion Channel, A Cryptic Triptych About Fear and Love
By Marshall Shaffer •The Beast is part drama, part romance, part thriller, part sci-fi, and wholly unique. -
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Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Mission: Cross’ on Netflix, A Marriage and Mission You Should Choose Not to Accept
By Marshall Shaffer •This action comedy isn’t a two-for-one combo deal; it’s a watered-down version of both. -
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Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Janet Planet’ on VOD, A Quintessential and Quietly Revelatory Mother-Daughter Movie
By Marshall Shaffer •Janet Planet doesn’t just tell a story. It’s a magic portal back into your own childhood. -
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Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Wicked Little Letters’ on Netflix, A Twee Twentieth Century True Crime Tale in a British Town
By Marshall Shaffer •If only these 1920s gals could settle their dispute like 2020s women and work it out on the remix. -
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Stream It Or Skip It: ‘The Stranger’ on Hulu, A Quibi Series Turned Questionable Feature Film
By Marshall Shaffer •It’s easy to feel the unnatural rhythm of a shortform series being force-fit into a feature. -
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Stream It Or Skip It: ‘AGGRO DR1FT’ on EDGLRD, An Avant-Garde and Aggravating Glimpse at Cinema’s Future
By Marshall Shaffer •AGGRO DR1FT is more of a road map to cinema’s future than an ultimate destination. -
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Stream It Or Skip It: ‘This Closeness’ on MUBI, A Gen Z-Tinged Take on the Erotic Drama
By Marshall Shaffer •Without declaring its importance, This Closeness feels like the very film that will be studied as an embodiment of its era. -
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Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Once Upon a Star’ on Netflix, A Sappy and Sincere Look at Thailand’s Cinematic History
By Marshall Shaffer •True cinephiles might find some value in looking at a different kind of cinematic artisanship. -
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Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Yellow Door: ‘90s Lo-fi Film Club’ on Netflix, The Origin Story of Bong Joon-ho
By Marshall Shaffer •If you find Korean Cinema interesting, this documentary provides helpful context to understand and enjoy those films better. -
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Stream It Or Skip It: ‘No Accident’ on Max, A Trial to Hold Charlottesville Rally Participants Accountable
By Marshall Shaffer •People who stand for the forces of equality and justice should see No Accident. -
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Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Flashback’ on Netflix, A Short Film In Need of Feature Expansion
By Marshall Shaffer •Wait for the feature version of Flashback. -
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Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Crypto Boy’ on Netflix, An Old-Fashioned Drama About New-Fangled Technology
By Marshall Shaffer •The film has a little bit more on its mind than just a standard-issue scammer story. -
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Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Ijogbon’ on Netflix, A Nigerian Fable Centered Around Another Set of Uncut Gems
By Marshall Shaffer •This Nollywood film can’t quite find the right balance between its fable-like qualities and its grounded realism.