Substream Magazine • 11th August 2022

'Fall' Review: Dizzying Heights and Tension Interrupted By Narrative Choices

Acrophobia, or an intense fear of heights, is a phobia that seems like a match made in heaven with cinema’s horror/thriller genres. In director Scott Mann’s Fall, two female thrill seekers, Becky (Grace Caroline Currey) and Hunter (Virginia Gardner) are looking to climb an abandoned TV tower (which we are told is the fourth-highest structure in the U.S.) Before this climb, there were some obligatory bad omens. Vultures are seen eating at a fox while menacing music plays in the background. The ru

Substream Magazine • 6th August 2022

'Trainwreck: Woodstock 99' Review: A Capitalistic Disaster

At the end of the last episode of Netflix’s three-part documentary, Trainwreck: Woodstock 99, the question of why things went so wrong is raised to various people. Promoter John Scher put the blame squarely on the shoulders of the “lunatic fringe” of kids who he labeled entitled and had a fear of growing up. It’s in complete contrast to what people that attended the festival described what Limp Bizkit embodied to them — champions of the underdog who wore clothes just like they did. Many look bac

Substream Magazine • 5th August 2022

'Bodies Bodies Bodies' Review: What's A Murder Mystery Among Friends?

Friends come together at a mansion before an approaching storm to get down to some debaucherous fun. What could go wrong? Well, by the standards Bodies Bodies Bodies lays out, a lot can. At first, everything is light and playful. Then, an innocent game gets played that may show the cracks within the long-fostered kinships, and somebody might end up dead. It’s a cosmopolitan twist of slasher horror, a whodunit mystery, and a Gen-Z comedy spliced by director Halina Reijn. It might not be as fright

Substream Magazine • 5th August 2022

'Prey' Review: The Predator Franchise Makes A Delightful Back-To-Basics Return

1987’s Predator brought together a gang of one-line dropping mercenaries sent on a quick rescue mission in a rainforest in Central America. However, the numbers game and sheer amount of artillery were no match for an invisibility-cloaked, high-tech alien. The film stretched our imaginations on what we considered hunters and prey wrapped up in a sci-fi/horror package. The Predator franchise has taken various turns, peaks, and valleys, to say the least. There was a stop in Los Angeles with 1990’s

Substream Magazine • 30th July 2022

Jupiter's Claim and 'Nope's Commentary On the Paralyzing Enamor of "Spotlight"

Jordan Peele’s Nope is every bit of a story that pays homage to larger-than-life tales fantasizing about how otherworldly entities would interact with our own. On the one hand, you could have keyboard synchronicity of Close Encounters and bicycle rides alongside the moon in E.T. In more extreme cases, War of the Worlds showed us how insignificant we would be in the grand scheme of things. While Nope mostly captures a story of a brother-sister duo striving for their big break, the film begins on

Substream Magazine • 27th July 2022

Director Randy Wilkins On ESPN's 'The Captain,' and Chronicling the Mystique of Derek Jeter

You can’t mention Yankee greats like Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, and Reggie Jackson without saying the name of Derek Jeter. The kid from Pequannock Township, New Jersey, would later fulfill his lifelong dream, anchoring multiple championship teams in the late 1990s-early 2000s dynasty years. Jeter had an undying tenacity to win — instilled in him at an early age by his mother, Dorothy, and father, Sanderson Charles Jeter. It takes someone of astute and unfazed demeanor to play in a c

Substream Magazine • 22nd July 2022

Reel Time Machine: Ten Years of "The Dark Knight Rises"

Reel Time Machine is a new Substream column in which we will reflect on films during their anniversaries. Do they still hold up the test of time? Are they better than we remember? Sit back and take a journey with us as we figure it out. When we reach the end of The Dark Knight, Gotham is on the precipice of a peaceful period. Only the audience sees Harvey Dent’s evil deeds, which have to be covered up by Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman) and Batman/ Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale). The final frame

Substream Magazine • 22nd July 2022

'Nope' Review: What's A Bad Miracle?

Humans are on top of the food chain, but we have a fascination with situations dwarfing that notion. It may be a great white shark terrorizing a New England beach town or indulging in the possibility of extraterrestrial life on other planets. The sea and air are examples of terrain where the playing field becomes even. In terms of cinema, it’s fertile ground for narratives that both terrify and excite us. Nope, director Jordan Peele’s third feature strives to check all the boxes films like 1975’

Substream Magazine • 21st July 2022

'She Will' Review

The visual atmosphere in the first few minutes of director/co-writer Charlotte Colbert’s She Will is delightfully arresting and heartbreaking. Conjoined with aerial camera shots of forestry landscapes of trees and grass, one woman in a spacious bedroom is staring in a mirror. Veronica Ghent (Alice Krige) is a former film star who just underwent a double mastectomy. As she stars are her frail reflection, the press acts as a blunt-force object, reminding Veronica of her youthful days. She prepares

Substream Magazine • 11th July 2022

Marvel's Phase Four Has Our Elder Heroes Navigating the Grieving Process

Superhero media is usually our means of escape from the ills of the world. Some characters have abilities to heal wounds. A concept like death doesn’t have to be permanent with different timelines and ancient technologies. The prospect of good eventually triumphs over evil, no matter how bleak the outcome may seem. It hits us harder when the medium where the impossible can starts to mirror the reality we live in. At the end of Avengers: Endgame, even though the plan to defeat Thanos worked, it

The Pop Break • 11th July 2022

'Obi-Wan Kenobi,' 'Star Wars' and the Essential Nature of Failure

Failure feels like a dirty word to type, yet we can’t have success without it. We will all inevitably feel it before we reach the top of every mountain. Failure can be a crushing blow and the best teacher you’ll ever have. The Star Wars universe has been dealing with this very concept with classic characters as of late. Think about what we know about the Jedi order — a Jedi is not supposed to be overpowered by emotions like love or anxiety. Instead, the stoic nature of the practice is supposed t

Substream Magazine • 8th July 2022

'Thor: Love and Thunder' Review

Tony Stark made the ultimate sacrifice in Avengers: Endgame. Steve Rodgers went back in time, found his happy ending with Peggy Carter, and gave up his Captain America mantle. One of the remaining original heroes from the first Marvel phases of projects is Thor (Chris Hemsworth). Audiences have seen the character go through a pantheon of emotions — from being not so worthy, gaining Mjölnir (then Stormbreaker), losing his mom, dad, and mischievous brother Loki, losing his way, and rising again. L

Substream Magazine • 27th June 2022

Ms. Marvel Episode 3 Review: 'Destined'

Keep up with our Ms. Marvel reviews here The concept of family and its importance has been prevalent in the through-line of young MCU superheroes. In Hawkeye, Kate Bishop and her mother had a contentious relationship based around her wanting to be a superhero and Eleanor’s dealings with Kingpin. During the MCU Spider-Man trilogy, Aunt May served as an emotional anchor for Peter, culminating in her death at No Way Home. In the third episode of Ms. Marvel, Kamala has a crisis of faith from two pe

Substream Magazine • 22nd June 2022

'Obi-Wan Kenobi' Finale Review

Check out our previous reviews of the Obi-Wan Kenobi series here. “Revenge does wonders for the will to live…don’t you think?” It’s an intriguing prospect watching these Star Wars stories, knowing what happens on the other side. We already know the fates of Luke, Leia, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Darth Vader/Anakin Skywalker long before this limited series came into our lives. However, the tried-and-true tale of a worn hero returning to prominence is enough to captivate audiences of all generations of

Substream Magazine • 15th June 2022

'Peace In The Valley' Review | Tribeca 2022

Given the recent wave of tragedies, watching a film depicting a mass shooting might be a little heavy on the nerves. 2021’s The Fallout‘s narrative follows high school kids dealing with the aftermath of a school shooting. Peace In The Valley confines the ramifications to a single-family — specifically, how a mother picks up the pieces after an immense loss. Ashley (Brit Shaw), her husband John (Michael Abbott Jr.), and their son Jesse (William Samiri) take an innocent trip to the grocery store.

Substream Magazine • 14th June 2022

'Roving Woman' Review | Tribeca 2022

Every breakup requires some amount of struggle and self-reflection. ‘Roving Woman’ seeks to ponder these themes through the eyes of Sara (Lena Gora), whom we meet at her now ex-fiance’s doorstep. Why he breaks up with her is not exactly clear to us. Sara beckons for a reason through the non-committal coldness of a Ring doorbell, but to no avail. Sara, who has no money or belongings and is dressed in an elegant dress, has to venture out into the world in search of something. Inspired by the sudde

Substream Magazine • 13th June 2022

'Acid Man' Review | Tribeca 2022

Imagination can be a helluva tool. We take it to places far beyond the conventional and sometimes use it as a bridge to make us closer to someone. Remember when you were younger, and your mom or dad fought imaginary bad guys with you or went to space? Sure, they weren’t there, but it’s an act of love and affection to try. As we age and the distance between our parents and us grows, we lose some of those bonds to practicality. Or, sometimes, they may have never been there at all. In Acidman, Magg

Substream Magazine • 10th June 2022

'Offseason' Review: Heavy Is the Island That Wears the Curse

A well-known horror trope no-no is not to accept a sudden invitation to go somewhere remote. In immediate family affairs, this may be hard to resist. Offseason begins with Marie (Jocelin Donahue) receiving news via a letter that her deceased mother’s grave site has been vandalized. With her boyfriend, George (Joe Swanberg), they drive to an eerie and abundantly foggy Florida island. Of course, things aren’t what they seem. At first, a lone bridge man (Richard Brake) won’t let them on the island,

Substream Magazine • 8th June 2022

'Obi-Wan Kenobi's Chapter Four Rescue Mission Hits A Slight Snag

Check out our previous reviews of the Obi-Wan Kenobi series here. When we left Chapter Three, Obi-Wan was worse for wear because of the torture he experienced in his fight with Darth Vader. Reva also presumably captures Leia — if this feels a little familiar, it should because it’s the premise for Chapter Two. Also mirroring the episode length, Chapter Four is another rescue mission for Obi-Wan to take Leia from the clutches of evil yet again. This time, however, he has a fire in his soul again

Substream Magazine • 7th June 2022

'Ms. Marvel' Series Premiere Review

Sometimes, you want to have fun as a superhero, you know? The MCU has been wading in the heavy undercurrent of grief and trauma as we revisit the remaining characters post-blip. But on the other side, a new generation of characters is emerging, forever inspired by their battles. In the Hawkeye series, Kate Bishop found her hero in Clint, seeing the Battle of New York. It’s a similar track for Pakistani-American Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani) and her admiration for Captain Marvel — the opening minute