I had intended for this to be a review of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. I saw the movie on opening night, and had planned to use the weekend to put my thoughts in order so I could post a review early the following week. But the more I tried to find a way to talk about […]
Author: Lauren
‘Avengers: Infinity War’ is the MCU’s Dark Night of the Soul
It’s been a decade since the Marvel Cinematic Universe began, and for nearly that long, fans have been discussing Marvel’s “formula,” or the structure they use to tell their stories. Many have claimed that forcing Marvel’s writers to adhere to a rigid narrative framework has hindered creativity within the MCU, causing the films to feel […]
Rampage’s mindless, carnage-fueled fun may be devoid of logic, but it’s still got something to say
Perhaps due to the fact that we were all at least a little bit convinced that the world was going to end in Y2K, the last few years of the 20th century were responsible for churning out one ridiculous disaster movie after another, and audiences flocked to theaters to see them. We watched Will Smith […]
John Krasinski’s near-silent ‘A Quiet Place’ is a relentlessly tense — and relentlessly hopeful — exploration of parental love
Don’t even think about getting popcorn during A Quiet Place. I don’t care if you’re hungry. I don’t care if movie theater popcorn is your favorite thing. I really don’t care if you “think you can eat quietly.” Let me tell you right now: you can’t. Not quietly enough to go unnoticed, and most definitely […]
Ready Player One is a dazzling spectacle of empty nostalgia and regret
I cry at movies. Every movie. For every reason. I cry in sad scenes, and I cry in happy ones. I cry when a character is selfless, or heroic, or honorable, and I cry when someone is betrayed, and I cry when babies are born and I cry when people die. I cry when Fievel’s […]
Lauren Ranks Fictional Jacks
Have you ever noticed that pretty much every movie and TV show has a character named Jack? Or, okay, maybe not every one, but at least, like, 60%. That’s a lot of Jacks. “Who is the best Jack?” I recently asked myself for no reason whatsoever. Is it Jack Traven from Speed? Jack Pearson from This Is Us? Jack Dawson […]
Wonder Woman, The Baby-Sitters Club, and the Idea of “Enough”
The first time I saw myself in fiction, the character didn’t actually resemble me much at all. I was in elementary school, reading Ann M. Martin’s The Baby-Sitters Club series for the first time, and immediately fell in love with the character of Claudia Kishi (who I still maintain is hands-down the best BSC member, […]
A Spoiler-Free Parent’s Guide to Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
As soon as the early reviews for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story started hitting the internet, I knew I had a problem. We’d bought our tickets weeks ago — for me, my husband, and our two daughters, ages 10 and 8. Sure, it was rated PG-13, but they’d seen the original trilogy and The Force Awakens and loved […]
Fandom: The Next Generation
Feature image source I can trace my love of sci-fi, fantasy, and superheroes back to a the formative movies and shows I watched as a kid. Willow. Legend. The Hobbit (animated version, obviously). Back to the Future. Ghostbusters. The Abyss. The Princess Bride. Star Wars. The Last Unicorn. Superman and Superman II. Batman: The Animated Series. X-Men: The Animated Series. The […]
The Wasted Potential of Rory Gilmore
I’ve always had a sort of love/hate relationship with Rory Gilmore. Although I am only a few years older than Rory, I didn’t start watching the first season of Gilmore Girls until its penultimate season was already airing, so despite the fact that we were close in age and similar in many ways–I too was shy and bookish in […]