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Capitalize the B. •

America Needs Way Less 'Whiplash' Based Aspirations

Before I begin, I have a bone to pick with the Netflix/ESPN miniseries "The Last Dance." It's not because the series wasn't phenomenal (although more sports biopics since have tried to emulate it with little success); it's because of one of the most pivotal moments of the docuseries and what people took away from it.

In the final moments of episode seven, the greatest NBA player of all time, Michael Jordan, breaks down as he explains why he approached the game of basketball the way he did. His...
Capitalize the B. •

Did We Forget the Way To Sesame Street?

Three classic PBS theme songs have always stuck with me: "Reading Rainbow," "Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego?" and "Sesame Street." (As a quick aside, I remember how funny it must have been hearing a kid trying to mimic the baritone part of the Carmen Sandiego theme song.)

Now that I look back at it, maybe I took all that for granted.

It might be hard to believe there was readily accessible programming where a vampire could teach how to count numbers, and you could learn how to be a dete...
Substream Magazine •

Wherefore Art Thou '28 Days Later'? - Substream Magazine

A rather phenomenal trailer for ‘28 Years Later’ was released on Tuesday. It marks the return of Danny Boyle and Alex Garland working together and Boyle returning to the director’s chair after a six-year gap. The trailer does exactly what it’s supposed to: inspire intrigue about the story without giving much away, with a haunting undercut of actor Taylor Holmes reciting Rudyard Kipling’s 1903 poem, “Boots.” If humility lives on, so does the rage virus. Before June 20th, 2025, I naturally wanted...
Substream Magazine •

'The Girl With The Needle Review: Post-World War Devastation

I don’t even know if calling Magnus von Horn’s ‘The Girl With The Needle’ grim is the proper adjective to describe this film—perhaps a few would suffice: gloomy, dismal, and even horrifying. The black-and-white film’s dour but strikingly beautiful cinematography of Michal Dymek highlights the direness of post-World War I Copenhagen when paired with Frederikke Hoffmeier’s subtle, arresting score. This “fairy tale for adults” takes parts of a true story and centers around one woman who finds herse...
Substream Magazine •

'Werewolves' Can't Quite Find The Right Moon To Howl At - Substream Magazine

Vampires seem to get most of the shine in horror films lately, so let’s briefly go over Werewolf 101 – at least in Hollywood terms. Getting bit or scratched by a Werewolf is bad. If either of those scenarios happens to you, a full moon will bestow a painful and animalistic transformation upon you. A silver bullet (or any silver) will do the trick to take them out. Director Steven C. Miller deviates from the script with a combination of inspirations in ‘Werewolves.’ In this story, the causes of t...
Substream Magazine •

Star Wars Doubles Down On Nostalgic Adventure In First Two 'Skeleton Key' Episodes

Kids have it hard in the Star Wars universe. Take Anakin Skywalker, for example. He was born into slavery and later has to leave his mom because he’s at the center of some fate-of-the-world prophecy. If you’re a Jedi youngling studying at the temple, you barely have time to be a kid and must learn to suppress emotions we’d associate with that age. With the vast amount of planets in these galaxies, there must be a place with a healthy sense of fun and innocence paired with adventure. The first tw...
Substream Magazine •

Chris Nash On 'In A Violent Nature' and Minimalism

Have you watched a slasher film and wondered how a lumbering, slow-walking villain just happens to always catch up to the victim? If they aren’t tripping over something or hiding behind a tree, they are running full speed in another direction. It just so happens someone like Jason Vorhees catches up to them anyway. Writer/director Chris Nash took that premise and built it out in the film experience with ‘In A Violent Nature.’ It’s a slasher in the classic sense with all its drawn inspirations, b...
Substream Magazine •

In 'Wicked' and Social Media Reactions, No One Mourns The Quiet

At what point does a shared community space become too far gone with fissures of differing opinions on what a social contract should be? Is a blanket social contract possible in a society that has grown to be both individualistic and easily persuaded by trends? The big screens of movie theaters are in direct competition with the small ones inside our pockets – and, by proxy, the platforms that give us a sense of community through posts and disappearing stories. Hell, the preview warnings of “don...
Substream Magazine •

'Gladiator II' Has Trouble Living Beyond Its Maximus Past

There are a myriad of ways you can approach a sequel, but most fall in the line of an extension of the previous story with multiple justifications as to why it exists. It becomes trickier as the length of time between films grows longer. It’s been 24 years since 2000’s ‘Gladiator,’ a story of a warrior bent on revenge against a tyrannical ruler in hopes of a better Rome for everyone. But there’s the issue of Russell Crowe’s Maximus dying in the end – a would be a natural conclusion to this story...
Substream Magazine •

'Wicked' Review: Acting Magic Does Enough To Defy Gravity

Did you hear the story about a great and powerful wizard who lives in Emerald City that might grant you a wish? Well, of course, because 1939’s ‘The Wizard of Oz’ is one of the most enduring musical fantasy stories of all time. Gregory Maguire’s 1993 novel, the long-running Broadway show by Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman, and now John M. Chu’s big screen adaptation ‘Wicked,’ brings us back to the time before the Yellow Brick Road. What if it just happened that the wicked witch of the West w...
Substream Magazine •

'A Real Pain' Is An Exquisitely Constructed Session In Empathy

What’s most impressive about Jesse Eisenberg’s ‘A Real Pain’ is that it weaves through so many genres of story without ever losing its emotional center. It’s a road trip film, a source of historical events, and even a family drama between two cousins who live vastly different lives. I’d even argue that these elements only help to strengthen how emotionally engrossing this film is. The title in itself is a double entendre, both honing into a particular character and hinting at different sources o...
Substream Magazine •

'Don't Move' Review: Netflix's Thriller Is Intriguing, But Forgettable - Substream Magazine

Don’t talk to strangers – especially when you’re in the vulnerable position of staring off the side of a huge cliff. Netflix’s thriller ‘Don’t Move’ taps into the classic sequences of someone manically running away from a serial killer and tweaks the formula slightly. What would a person do if, throughout a defined time, they lost control of their bodily functions? Talking, movement, fighting back – all gone. Well, you would assume all hope is lost, but co-directors Adam Schindler and Brian Nett...
Substream Magazine •

'Time Cut' Arrived Late The Time Travel Slasher Party

Given Netflix’s own ‘Fear Street’ series, 2023’s ‘Totally Killer,’ and the success of the ‘Happy Death Day’ films, business has been booming for slasher mixed with time travel sub-genre. You can see why this has been a relatively successful pairing – everybody loves a good slasher, and they also love nostalgia. But with any formula, there comes a point when you go back to the well too many times, and it ends up dry. ‘Time Cut’ suffers because it’s being released at a point where almost every ang...
Substream Magazine •

'MadS' One Take Formula Gives Zombie Horror A Fresh Layer

“MadS” opening shot focuses on a painting of someone screaming—almost as if it’s giving away the game about the frantic, adrenaline-filled ride you are about to take. But, it begins with a little bit of debaucherous drug use. A young 18-year-old Romain (Milton Riche) visits his drug dealer in hopes of getting some spoils for him, his girlfriend, and his friends to enjoy a night on the town. He takes his dad’s Mustang out for a little joyride and accidentally drops his joint on one of the pristin...
Substream Magazine •

'Venom: The Last Dance' Hopes That A Finale Reversal Is In Order

“Venom: The Last Dance” has all the silliness you’d come to expect within this trilogy of films. If anything, that quality stands out as a saving grace. But the film has a particular problem doubling as a finale to a man and his alien companion and looking into the future where said duo will probably be needed. It’s not that I have any qualms with comic book movies essentially giving us a peak behind the curtain of the next installment. As “Deadpool & Wolverine” showed us earlier this year, Robe...
Substream Magazine •

'Smile 2' Review: This Is Going To Ruin The Comeback Tour

The music industry is (for some) a pathway to talents maximized and dreams fulfilled. There’s the other side to all the parties, sold-out shows, and glamour. The stories of Britney Spears and Chappell Roans exist where I don’t have to reiterate that all that shimmers isn’t exactly gold. Although (thankfully), there has been more of an emphasis on the delicate dance of mental health and fame. But if the endless demands of tours, meet and greets, and commitments aren’t enough, imagine if you had a...
Substream Magazine •

'Good One' Review: The Woods Are Full of Revelations - Substream Magazine

It’s often the quiet places where the most revelatory things can be learned. Discussion is critical in figuring things out. It’s listening where you can allow other people to show themselves in an authentic way they may not have around a crowd. India Donaldson’s immensely smart “Good One”s setting is a three-day hiking trip considering the power of letting things breathe. Within the plot are shots of the expansive beauty of the woods, and Celia Hollander’s score dances around ever so slightly. I...
Substream Magazine •

'Smile 2' Review: This Is Going To Ruin The Comeback Tour

The music industry is (for some) a pathway to talents maximized and dreams fulfilled. There’s the other side to all the parties, sold-out shows, and glamour. The stories of Britney Spears and Chappell Roans exist where I don’t have to reiterate that all that shimmers isn’t exactly gold. Although (thankfully), there has been more of an emphasis on the delicate dance of mental health and fame. But if the endless demands of tours, meet and greets, and commitments aren’t enough, imagine if you had a...
Substream Magazine •

Unstoppable Hits All The Same Sports Inspirational Notes

Despite a genre that is often crowded and borrows from itself frequently, there’s no resisting a sports story of someone beating the odds. You may have never played an ounce of football in your life, but I’ll be damned if Rudy doesn’t make you want to do the impossible. The real-life story of Anthony Robles is incredible, and William Goldenberg’s ‘Unstoppable’ wants to make sure you know it. Despite being born with one leg, he became the 2011 125-pound NCAA wrestling Champion, capping off a 36-0...
Substream Magazine •

'Megalopolis' Is Francis Ford Coppola's 40-Year Lively Thesis

This post was first published at Capitalize the B Newsletter
If I were to attempt to somewhat accurately describe the experience of seeing Francis Ford Coppola‘s “Megalopolis” to somehow going in cold, it would be something like this. Imagine if, one day, your grandfather gave you an older, leather-bound journal. This journal has 40 years of hopes, observations, worries, horrors, advice…you name it. Sometimes, all of these themes bleed within each other. Other times, it feels like one completely...
MovieWeb •

Friendship Review: Tim Robinson Will Make You Laugh (And Get Uncomfortable)

We often talk about how hard it is to forge new friendships as we get older. Our routines lock us into specific spaces where meeting new people and trying new things is hard. With that being said, have you ever met someone who's a little too eager to be friends, or maybe even uncomfortably overzealous? You hit it off, hang out, and as you get to know them, alarm bells go off. Andrew DeYoung’s new film Friendship takes this premise, turns it up to the highest degree, and utilizes cringe connoisse...
Substream Magazine •

'Went Up The Hill' Review: Samuel Van Grinsven's Ghostly Allegory

We know the English nursery rhyme, ‘Jack and Jill,’ in its straightforward form from 1765’s John Newbery‘s Mother Goose’s Melody. They go up the hill to get water and fall all the way down. Have you got all that? Cool. New versions have added verses to give the story a little more depth. With Samuel Van Grinsven’s feature, “Went Up The Hill,” the goal is to deepen these characters with a ghost story that leans heavily on its leads and a gothic, melancholy aesthetic that blankets everything. Ther...
MovieWeb •

Nightbitch Review: Amy Adams Gets Weird but Not Weird Enough in Horror Comedy

It would be a waste of this review's time to convince anybody that parenting (and motherhood specifically) is hard. Spoiler alert: it is. For all the beauty and joy of seeing a child grow up, being a mother can sometimes be thankless and isolating. A certain number of expectations (primarily rooted in patriarchy) are set, with little to no gratitude in return. Marielle Heller’s adaptation of Rachel Yoder’s best-selling novel, Nightbitch, summarizes those points. The film doesn’t serve as some ap...
MovieWeb •

Piece by Piece Review: A Creative Biopic About Pharrell That Fails to Look Beneath the LEGOs [TIFF 2024]

When you think about it, the combination of the world of LEGOs and a music biopic makes a lot of sense. They both share a relationship where imagination is at the core, and some stacking of colorful blocks and soundscapes is involved in making something into a distinguishable picture. Sometimes, you make a replica of the cover on the box; other times (like frequently in my case), you create something entirely different.
In that respect, you can see why Pharell Williams and director Morgan Nevill...
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