A Great Tragic Tale Of Advanced Capitalism, Cybernetic Enhancements And The Crushing Greed Of Duopoly | “Cyberpunk: Edgerunners” Season 1 (2022) Netflix Series Review

In anime, the notions of being special and exceeding your limits in order to get stronger are popular especially in the pages of "Shonen Jump," where many mainstream anime find their start as manga. "Dragon Ball Z" and "Black Clover" are two poignant examples where exceeding one's own limits is a particularly important theme and plot... Continue Reading →

November 4, 2022 0

It’ll Hold Your Attention Hostage | “Windfall” (2022) Netflix Movie Review

Small, intimate character dramas with a cast of 2-3 actors, a great script, and a small handful of locations -- if not one location -- can work out brilliantly, and they have for Netflix in the past, most notably with 2019's "Marriage Story", and for the most part, last year's "Malcolm & Marie." However, they... Continue Reading →

March 22, 2022 0

Exactly What You’d Think It’d Be | “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” (2022) Netflix Movie Review

Recently, Netflix revived the Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise with a new movie. This one was meant to be a sequel of some kind to the original, but it's unclear where exactly it falls along the timeline of the multiple movies that have been released under the name. So, how did this reboot of sorts go?... Continue Reading →

March 19, 2022 0

“Race to Witch Mountain” Meets “Terminator” | “The Adam Project” (2022) Netflix Movie Review

Time travel is complicated, messy and rife for abuse -- so why have it in the first place? Such is the thesis of Shawn Levy's "The Adam Project". The film opens in 2050, in which time-traveling fighter pilot Adam Reed (Ryan Reynolds) steals a time ship, hoping to go back to 2018 when his father,... Continue Reading →

March 15, 2022 0

Finding Mr. Wrong | “The Tinder Swindler” (2022) Netflix Movie Review

Online dating apps like Tinder have changed the way people date, as it allows singles to connect with others in the area from their phones, but it has also created a platform where fraud can thrive. "The Tinder Swindler", based on the VG article of the same name, tells the story of the victims of Simon Hayut,... Continue Reading →

February 25, 2022 0

“Cobra Kai” Is Fan Service Done Right | Column from the Critic

If you've been reading my The Book of Boba Fett reviews, you'll know that I've been vocal about my irritation with the show's (and the rest of modern Star Wars') overreliance on fan service and legacy characters. This show and The Bad Batch were shows that came in with interesting stories, but then got bogged... Continue Reading →

February 20, 2022 0

A Love Letter To Larson | “Tick, Tick…BOOM!” (2021) Netflix Movie Review

The past five years have been a heyday for Lin-Manuel Miranda. Since the meteoric rise of "Hamilton" in 2016 and his work on "Moana," the last two years have been particularly monumental for his career. Not only with his magnum opus' release on Disney+, but this year has reintroduced audiences to "In the Heights" and... Continue Reading →

November 28, 2021 0

Colorful, Vibrant And Memorable | “Gunpowder Milkshake” (2021) Netflix Movie Review

I'm a sucker for well-directed action films that have their own style, and Netflix's "Gunpowder Milkshake", directed by Navot Papushado, certainly has plenty of it. It's basically John Wick with some elements of the style of James Gunn, with a bit of the tone of "Pulp Fiction" mixed in. The film follows Sam (Karen Gillan)... Continue Reading →

August 17, 2021 0

The Morning Sun Has Vanquished The Horrible Night | “Castlevania” Season 4 (2021) Netflix Series Review

Ending a great series is no small task, as even a minor glitch in landing a well-regarded series can ruin the whole thing in the eyes of many fans. Thankfully, Netflix's "Castelvania" seems to have stuck its landing with its fourth and final season. Season 4 is unique in the regard that the overall series villain, Vlad... Continue Reading →

May 21, 2021 0

Samurai, Sorcerers And Robots | “Yasuke” Season 1 2021 Netflix Series Review

Samurai, and sorcerers and robots. Oh my! "Yasuke," Netflix's new animated series by MAPPA, which focuses on a fictionalized version of the famous Black samurai of the same name, includes all of these in a relatively short run of 6 30-minute episodes, in which the whys and mechanics of the world aren't addressed and don't... Continue Reading →

May 15, 2021 0

The Story Of The Last Blockbuster … Streaming On Netflix | “The Last Blockbuster” 2020 Movie Review

"The Last Blockbuster," a 2020 film on the last remaining Blockbuster store in Bend, Ore., just started streaming on Netflix a few days ago (at the time of me writing this review, it is #5 on Netflix's trending list), prompting a few incorrect posts online speculating on how Netflix produced a film based on a... Continue Reading →

March 18, 2021 1

Interesting And Weird, But Not Among Netflix’s Best | “Behind Her Eyes” 2021 Netflix Series Review

One of the things I love the most about Netflix is that they're not afraid to produce and feature interesting shows other platforms might see as a risk, as while not every one of these projects succeeds, they certainly are interesting. Steve Lightfoot and Erik Richter Strand's "Behind Her Eyes" is one such project, having an interesting concept,... Continue Reading →

February 24, 2021 0

Almost Great | “Malcolm & Marie” 2021 Netflix Movie Review

While not everything it puts out is a hit, I cannot deny that Netflix consistently puts out interesting original programming that, for better or worse, is worth talking about. Sam Levinson's "Malcolm & Marie" is one such project. Presented in black and white and focussing on the titular Malcolm Elliot (John David Washington) and Marie Jones... Continue Reading →

February 11, 2021 0

Did We Forget How To Watch TV … Or Did TV Evolve? | Column from the Editor

For better or for worse, Disney has extended the life of both "The Mandalorian" and "WandaVision" by sticking to a traditional weekly episode release schedule, which directly contrasts with Netflix's model of dropping every episode of a show at once, and allowing the viewer to binge at their own discretion. Understandably, this has made many people... Continue Reading →

February 5, 2021 0

Cobra Kai Never Dies | “Cobra Kai” Season 3 2021 Netflix Series Review

In a previous review, I said that "Cobra Kai" Seasons 1+2 were the gold standard in terms of reboots of beloved franchises, as it managed to not only be its own thing, but work within the parameters of the world set up by the original three "Karate Kid" films, embracing both the good and the... Continue Reading →

January 12, 2021 0

One Final Picture | “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” 2020 Netflix Movie Review

Chadwick Boseman only starred in 15 films during his lifetime, but he's had an irreplaceable impact on cinema and culture, portraying T'Challa aka the Black Panther in four feature films, while bringing to life the likes of Jackie Robinson, Thurgood Marshall, and Norman Earl "Stormin' Norm" Holloway in his more serious works, of which his... Continue Reading →

December 21, 2020 0

Simple, Heartwarming | “Canvas” 2020 Netflix Short Film Review

Netflix is fairly good at promoting their original works, but every now and again, you'll find a hidden gem tucked beneath its crowd-pleasing offerings. "Canvas", a beautiful 9-minute short film by writer-director Frank E. Abney III. "Canvas" is Abney's first director credit, as he's a Pixar animator whose animation credits include the likes of "Coco,"... Continue Reading →

December 14, 2020 0

This One Completely Missed The Cuckoo’s Nest | “Ratched” Season 1 2020 Netflix Series Review

It's hard for television and movie producers to leave great works alone, even 45 years after they initially released. The temptation to make unnecessary prequels, sequels and spinoffs on anything with a recognizable name is particular hard hard to ignore in 2020, where such media still dominates the market. Enter "Ratched", whose first standard 8-episode... Continue Reading →

October 24, 2020 0

A Relevant, Average Biopic | “The Trial of the Chicago 7” 2020 Netflix Movie Review

I'm a sucker for a good biopic, especially one that's of topical interest, and Aaron Sorkin's "The Trial of the Chicago 7" certainly did not let me down. Dramatizing the botched trial of the Chicago 7 and Black Panthers leader Bobby Seale (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), the film is particularly relevant in 2020, in which peaceful protests have dotted... Continue Reading →

October 20, 2020 0

Familiar Trash | “Hubie Halloween” 2020 Netflix Movie Review

When Adam Sandler signed his original 4-picture deal with Netflix in 2014, he was perfectly capable of filling theaters with his lazy mass-marketed, product placement-stuffed comedies, but the deal gave him a great amount of creative freedom and it removed the financial risk of one of his films flopping. For Netflix, they gained some of their... Continue Reading →

October 16, 2020 1

Tag: Netflix