Michaela Calabrese
Bio
Hello! My name is Michaela Calabrese. I've had a passion for writing since I was little; from research-heavy articles with citations galore to lighter introspections about abstract concepts (and some nerdier posts about my favorite fandoms)
Stories (22/0)
Mortal Kombat
Let’s get this out of the way right away: Mortal Kombat is not a movie meant for families. I’m saying that right off the jump because some parent somewhere will, inevitably, be talked into taking their child to see it because said-child plays the games or has watched someone play the games. The film is bloody, violent, and there is casual swearing galore. It earns its R rating, so if you’re the sort of parent who doesn’t want their child exposed to that sort of thing…first of all, pay closer attention to their media consumption, and second of all, sit this one out. Go see Godzilla vs. Kong instead.
By Michaela Calabrese3 years ago in Geeks
The Devil All The Way Review
What’s so unique about The Devil All The Way is how unapologetically filthy it is. I don’t mean it’s written in poor taste, it looks ugly, or it relishes in gratuitous violence or sex, I mean the morals of its characters, all its characters, are completely skewed…and that’s what makes it so genius.
By Michaela Calabrese3 years ago in Criminal
The Last Full Measure Review
I was born on April 11, 1997; exactly thirty-one years after Airman William H. Pitsenbarger died in the Vietnam war. Until this film came out, I knew nothing about him. I knew almost nothing about the war at all. I went into The Last Full Measure expecting a film which was…okay. All it had to do was tell a story and keep my interest; maybe make me cry a little from time to time. It did all that.
By Michaela Calabrese3 years ago in Families
Black Beauty (Disney+) Review
Three years before I was born, in 1994, an adaptation of Anna Sewell’s novel Black Beauty was released; starring Sean Bean, David Thewlis, and featuring a narration by Alan Cumming. The story appears simple at face value: a horse is born on a small farm, gets sold to a wealthy family once he’s been trained, and develops a close bond with a stable hand named Joe. Black Beauty’s life takes him from one owner to another, some kind and some cruel, and all the while he dreams of reuniting with Joe some day. Through hardships, abuses, and one particularly devastating death (this was not a film to sanitize harsh realities), lessons are learned and Beauty fights to maintain his optimism; even when it seems he’ll never see Joe again.
By Michaela Calabrese3 years ago in Geeks
Dolittle (2020) Review
Dolittle is a perfectly serviceable film, if you’re the type of person who asks for little more from a film than to just be entertaining. It isn’t deep, it isn’t particularly complex, it’s not part of a larger story, it’s just…Dolittle. It doesn’t try to be anything more, and I respect that.
By Michaela Calabrese3 years ago in Geeks
The City's Worst Diner
A face full of bruises. A handful of carnations on a grave. Slammed doors and broken glass. Those were Aaron’s past. Those were the sensations that colored his childhood memories. Those were the experiences of a frightened little boy who would one day age out of foster care.
By Michaela Calabrese3 years ago in Humans
Memoir of a Former Bad Student
For anyone reading this who may be getting ready for college: do extensive research before you make any final decisions. Research the school, the town it’s in, any financial information you’ll need, and above all research the program you’re hoping to enter. You don’t want to get stuck studying something you don’t enjoy simply because the name sounded promising. What do I mean by that?
By Michaela Calabrese3 years ago in Education
What's Under the Cowl?
I was born in 1997; an interesting time for comic book movies, to say the least. Batman and Robin was making waves and ruffling feathers, while Steel was doing its best to keep Shaq's film career alive. Superhero flicks were being released, and making enough money to keep the genre's head above water, but they weren't meant to be taken seriously. They were fun!
By Michaela Calabrese3 years ago in Geeks