J.C. Traverse
Bio
Nah, I'm good.
Stories (46/0)
- Top Story - April 2022
Last Night in DarknessTop Story - April 2022
You ascend the Raleigh Grande steps; tickets up on the phone, a close confidant on your arm. Said confidant had seen your worst shades of bitter tears, exploits and anger emerged from insecurities long sunken by the repression of awareness. The kind of pain that may have been concocted years in the making, but still unjustified for the mere microseconds at hand, particularly the ones out here in the present, at this movie theater with your confidant.
By J.C. Traverse2 years ago in Geeks
Atlanta -- What Comedy Has Aspired To
Knowing Donald Glover to be a versatile artist from his acting work (primarily in Community) as well as a naturally funny comedian and eclectic musician, it was suffice to say I had high hopes when I put on the episode “The Big Bang” on Hulu about two months ago. Looking for a new show to get excited about and knowing Glover’s capabilities, I kept an observant eye out, hoping to find signs, or at least glimmers, of greatness in the realm of Atlanta.
By J.C. Traverse2 years ago in Beat
The Surreal Absurdity that is Annette.
Musical films are few-and-far-between these days. Even more so are the ones worth watching. And many of the popular ones that emerge cause divisive strife between critics and audiences. Whether or not you prefer Les Miserables to La La Land, I am relatively certain nothing in the world of cinematic song-and-dance will ever be as divisive as Leos Carax’s undeniably bold Annette. I’ve never before seen a film of this genre blend musical-style showtunes, opera, and rock music that echoes decades beforehand. That said, I’ve also never seen a musical (or possibly any movie) that leans so confidently into its absurdity that I know fully that while much of my audience was immersed, many of them walked out with perplexity, even anger, mumbling “That was so stupid.” Acknowledging this, I am admittedly uncertain what my true feelings are. But it must also be recognized that if the person reading this truly loves the cinematic form and wants to see what ranges it can aspire to--whether they work or don’t--they should definitely see Annette, at least once.
By J.C. Traverse2 years ago in Beat
Classic Cinema, Modern Issues: A Woman Under the Influence
“Be yourself,” so says the husband to the wife. Said husband is Nick (Peter Falk), and he is losing his patience with his nerve-ridden wife Mabel (played by Gena Rowlands in a career-defining role). And whether Nick is aware of it or not, what started as social awkwardness laced with some inappropriate comments for Mabel can, and will, escalate into a full-blown psychotic bout when the right spousal pressure is applied. At this point in the film, we may realize this. Nick, however, in the role of a stubborn blue-collar patriarchal trope, never truly learns.
By J.C. Traverse2 years ago in Beat
On The Academy Awards (2021)
When I first began taking an active interest in cinema, I was 17 years old. My big exposures to the medium were the likes of Marvel films, Tarantino hits, and a handful of horror classics. I viewed the term “arthouse” as an ugly word (which it admittedly sometimes still is), and believed movies were there to entertain more so than to intrigue or provoke thought. While there is nothing inherently wrong with that desire, when you consume a massive quantity of something that never causes real reflection, it is all-the-easier to become jaded and bitter, pondering why you began exploring the art form in the first place.
By J.C. Traverse2 years ago in Geeks
Sunset Boulevard- Revisiting a Gothic Hollywood Tale
Now that the world is slightly more intact, I figured it was time to coerce my girlfriend into seeing an old classic with me. We’d been together nine months and were yet to go to a movie theater together, which as one may imagine, is incredibly rare for me. The film was Sunset Boulevard, playing in a matinee last Sunday at the Raleigh Rialto, one of the best places in my area to take in old classics and art-house films.
By J.C. Traverse2 years ago in Beat
WandaVision & the MCU
I cut out of the Marvel Cinematic Universe properties after the Spider-Man: Far From Home film. After Far From Home, which everyone save for myself seemed to enjoy, I figured that now that Endgame had been released and most of the character arcs had come full circle, they were simply grasping at straws for storylines, and, in the case of Far From Home, they were not just pandering to fans of the web-slinger, but to fans under twenty who who enjoy the campiness of teen romance with the occasional usage of superpowers. Tom Holland and Zendaya are both extremely talented, but it's hard to tell with films like that.
By J.C. Traverse2 years ago in Geeks
Gazing into an Adolescent Void: Super Dark Times
If I were to just see the poster of teenage boys on bicycles and hear the title of Super Dark Times, I would likely write it off just as quickly, thinking it to be nothing more than a trite Stranger Things wannabe, catering to our nostalgia of your childhoods and of a different decade (in this case the 1990s).
By J.C. Traverse2 years ago in Beat
Frenetic Nostalgic Angst in OPN's "Garden of Delete."
In my experience, many of my peers, all in the tail-end of the millennial generation, have a special appreciation for the shining synth and electronic basis of various film scores. The likes of films such as Drive and It Follows are often more renowned for their soundtracks and original scores more so than their direction and content.
By J.C. Traverse2 years ago in Beat