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

Substream Magazine • 7th June 2022

Sorry! We Missed It:' Morbius' Impedes Sony's Spider Momentum

Sorry! We Missed It is a new Substream column where we’ll be looking at some movies and television shows from the beginning of the year. Life happens, you know? So, sit back and play some catch-up with us. Making a shared universe between two movie studios is extremely hard. All the story pieces have to be in the right place, and creatives must be on the same page. Disney and Sony’s joint agreement to include Spider-Man in the MCU has proven to be a fruitful and profitable union. But that doesn

Substream Magazine • 3rd June 2022

'Hustle' Review: Sandler and Hernangómez Pair Up For An Familiar and Entertaining Sports Drama

Sports fans love a good underdog story, especially with the medium of film — from the misfit teams of The Big Green and Little Giants to rugged club-fighter turned champion in the Rocky series. Hustle has similar Philadelphia DNA as it’s based around long-time NBA scout Stanley Sugerman (Adam Sandler) as he works for the Sixers traveling to every part of the globe looking for the next star. But Stanley is working to the bone to find the next potential NBA star; he dreams of becoming an assistant

Substream Magazine • 1st June 2022

'Obi-Wan Kenobi's' Third Episode Has Our Hero Face His Worst Nightmare

Check out our previous reviews of the Obi-Wan Kenobi series here. The fear and trepidation in Obi-Wan’s eyes once he finds out Anakin is alive is a theme that presides over ‘Chapter III.’ While I was surprised that we got to the Darth Vader piece of the piece this quickly, it was a pleasant surprise for a show which has been setting the stage for a battle (or a couple). Vader (with a returning James Earl Jones to voice/Hayden Christensen on screen) is every bit of the boogeyman Obi-Wan makes hi

Substream Magazine • 31st May 2022

'Obi-Wan Kenobi': Second Chapter Review

Check out our review of the first episode here. An aspect of Star Wars shows I wanted to be expanded on is going to different planets we’ve seen in a live-action capacity. ‘Part II’ lets the audience briefly see Daiyu, where Obi-Wan is on a search mission to save Princess Leia from Nokru’s (Flea) gang. Daiyu is not the safest place to be — especially if you’re a wanted Jedi being sought after by a group of inquisitors. The episode doesn’t overstay what it’s supposed to achieve — while adding so

Substream Magazine • 27th May 2022

'Obi-Wan Kenobi's Premiere Shows A Defeated and War Torn Obi-Wan Searching For A New Hope

At the end of Revenge of the Sith, Anakin Skywalker undergoes his total transformation, falling to the ways of the dark side. One of the last moments he has with old friend, mentor, and now advisory Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) is with the redness of evil in his eyes as he screams, “I hate you!” That soundbite is almost like a metaphorical earthquake ripped through the Jedi Order. The “chosen one” (at the time) has betrayed the prophecy, and Order 66 is a genocide ordered by Darth Sidious — it

Substream Magazine • 23rd May 2022

Director Carey Williams and Writer K.D. Dávila Discuss 'Emergency' and Adding Social Commentary to the Buddy Comedy Genre

When you have a recent coming-of-age buddy comedy film, they usually have the following elements. A group of friends typically predicate all their social hopes and dreams on doing the impossible (and most times, illegal) for one night. In that period, they argue, discover traits about themselves they didn’t know beforehand and then venture triumphantly into the sunrise of the next day. Director Carey Williams and writer K.D. Dávila follows some of those themes in Emergency; their 2018 award-winn

Substream Magazine • 19th May 2022

'Men' Review: Alex Garland's New Feature Shows the Everyday Monsters of Misogyny Are the Ones To Fear the Most

Harper (Jessie Buckley) takes a road trip up the English countryside to a beautiful 500-year-old estate for some much-needed relaxation and solitude. The landscape is lush, full of beautiful foliage, where one can disappear from their problems entirely. From the glimpse of the first frames of Alex Garland’s Men, you see a tragedy has happened and find out that Harper is a widow. The circumstances of this get elaborated on more as the film goes on, but while Garland plays with the abstract, Men h

Substream Magazine • 17th May 2022

'Pleasure' Review: Bright Lights, Big Ambitions, and Heavy Costs

When we first meet Linnéa (Sofia Kappel), a 20-year-old Swedish girl with dreams of stardom, she’s at an airport in Los Angeles coming into the United States for the first time. Linnéa describes her native Sweden as “boring” later in the film. When the TSA agent questions her, he asks, “are you here for business or pleasure?” Linnéa’s choice of ‘pleasure’ sets up the crux of director/writer Ninja Thyberg’s film. On the surface level, people may view the porn industry as just a structure where pe

Substream Magazine • 13th May 2022

'The Innocents' Review: Growing Up Is Hard Enough, But Powers Can Make Things More Complicated

At a point and time during our childhoods, we wondered how it would be to have a superpower. We played with our friends, specifying which we had and the parameters everyone could operate within. Man, it was fun to pretend to fly or move things with your mind — it was all so innocent. But superpowers are subject to being molded by various aspects of human emotion. In cinema, we’ve been provided many instances of how this can manifest in films like Chronicle or the MCU/DCEU. Director Eskil Vogt pl

Substream Magazine • 13th May 2022

'Firestarter Review': The Remake's Flame Doesn't Get Enough Time To Grow Into the Entertaining Fire It Could Be

It’s no secret that Stephen King’s novels and horror on the big and small screens have had varying degrees of success — even with various adaptations of the same stories. Look at Carrie, It, The Shining, and The Stand — sometimes, the visual example builds upon the lore of the tales, and others, don’t get quite get things right. King’s 1980 novel, Firestarter, a story about a little girl discovering her power of pyrokinesis while her family is on the run from a shady government entity, received

The Root • 11th May 2022

Respectfully Madam Speaker, The U.S. Needs A Strong Democratic Party

In all my years of being a basketball fan, I never heard Michael Jordan say that he needs a strong Utah Jazz team to win the NBA Finals. He relished beating the best of the best, but it didn’t matter who was in front of him. All that mattered to Jordan was winning that championship. I continue to be perplexed by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) inferences for a “strong, Republican party”– even more so after her comments at the opening session of the Aspen Ideas Climate Conference in Miami. W

Substream Magazine • 10th May 2022

'Doctor Strange In the Multiverse of Madness' Review: Raimi's Style Pulls the MCU Out of It's Sandbox Just Enough

A post-Endgame MCU has left many heroes broken, beaten, and scared. While most Phase Four stories have zeroed in on the ramifications of anguish, Loki, What If?, and Spider-Man: No Way Home have opened our eyes to multiverses, variants, and alternate timelines. Boasting a name like ‘Doctor Strange In the Multiverse of Madness,’ it sets up an expectation to be an exploratory measure that would overload our senses. Who is itching to play in the MCU’s curated sandbox with all these worlds and prope