Sean Patrick

The story behind the so-called Torture Report is a strange and fascinating one. The comedy history podcast The Dollop brilliant captured the absurdity contained in the report in a 2016 podcast called The Torture Psychologists. In that podcast comedians Dave Anthony talked about the strange duo that the CIA turned to in their bizarre and futile attempt to justify torturing supposed terrorists.

Portrait of a Lady on Fire is one hell of a great title. It evokes images of sex and primal desire. It suggests passion and excitement. It reads poetic and beautiful and it’s easy to imagine how lovely it must sound when spoken in French, the language of origin for the film and filmmakers. Portrait of a Lady on Fire is the French language Academy Award submission for 2019 and it is worthy of the distinction.

Queen and Slim has a unique origin story. The film is the directorial debut for music video director Melina Matsoukis and features a script by the hotter than hot actress and producer, Lena Waithe. Waithe’s script is where things get really interesting as it is based on an original idea by none other than James Frey, the man whose drug memoir, A Million Little Pieces, was once revealed to be riddled with falsehoods.

21 Bridge stars Chadwick Boseman as Detective Andre Davis. Detective Davis bleeds blue, the color of law enforcement. His father was a street cop who was murdered on the job. The memory of his father’s funeral looms over Andre’s mind with the words of the Priest making a lasting impression. As the Priest put it, Andre’s father ‘Looked the Devil in the Eye.’ That notion of confronting and stopping evil has driven Andre throughout his life and career.

In Bright Axiom is one of the more odd documentaries I’ve ever encountered. Not necessarily in presentation as it is relatively conventional in documentary presentation. No, it’s odd because at times you can’t really tell what is real and what is part of the fantasy world of the subject of the documentary, the bizarre living game cum cult experience, The House of Latitude. What is The House of Latitude? Let’s explore…

Maleficent: Mistress of Evil is a bizarre misfire. Disney spent nearly $200 million dollars on this sequel, and while all of that is definitely on the screen in opulent production design, costume, and high level CGI, the story is absent and the narrative is bizarrely inert. Much like another over-priced Disney sequel, Alice Through the Looking Glass, story and character are secondary to lavish but empty visual spectacle.