Murjani Rawls

‘The Bear’ Episode 6 highlights key point of continual generational trauma residing within the Berzatto family

TV & Film

Family holiday parties are an explosive mixture of celebration, stress, and long-simmering resentment. They should be well-intended reunions where we catch up, tell old stories, and hopefully enjoy each other’s company because tomorrow isn’t necessarily promised. But most people who have attended these outings know that the weight that resides upon the shoulders of good […]

June 29, 2023

‘Somewhere Quiet’s character study resides looking into the psychological trauma of the final girl archetype

TV & Film

One of the most iconic and horrifying images from a horror film happens at the end of 1974’s The Texas Chainsaw Massacre as Sally Hardesty (Marilyn Burns) escapes in the back of a truck from a chainsaw-yielding Leatherface. Her face and clothes are covered in blood, she’s watched all her friends die, and Sally’s cries […]

June 27, 2023

Black Mirror’s ‘Joan Is Awful’ has Netflix and streaming ethics on its mind to critique

TV & Film

Always read the terms and conditions. I don’t doubt that your eyes saw that sentence and immediately rolled in the back of your head. “Do you know how long those things are?” I’m aware, as everybody with a smart device or service has mindlessly signed these things. They are dreg to get through – especially […]

June 26, 2023

With ‘Demon 79’, Black Mirror sets a course on where the series could go next

TV & Film

Well, Black Mirror can’t always be about technology, right? When I’ve talked about this series with fellow fans, they’ve expressed that it may be hard for the series to have its intended effect because (motions at society right now). The sixth season still packs a punch – especially concerning the first episode, “Joan Is Awful.” […]

June 26, 2023

‘Mazey Day’ has Black Mirror veer towards horror with dated returns concerning the cult of celebrity

TV & Film

We’ve begun to reckon with the treatment of celebrities in conjunction with the paparazzi. The first person that comes to my mind is Britney Spears. Ironically, Netflix has released documentaries about Pamela Anderson and the late Anna Nicole Smith dealing with some of these issues. The onslaught of social media platforms have thinned the veil […]

June 26, 2023

Are Slipknot and Craig Jones doing ok?

Pop Culture

The announcement seemingly came out of nowhere, but Slipknot released a very brief statement they were parting ways with their longtime sampler/keyboardist Craig Jones. It said, “To our fans, Slipknot have announced that we have parted ways with Craig Jones. We wish Jones all the best for the future.” But then, as quickly as it […]

June 7, 2023

‘Arnold’ is full of can-do attitude, but pulls away just when the star gets candid on troubles

TV & Film

Toward the end of the three-hour documentary series looking back on Arnold Schwarzenegger’s long life of achieved pillars, the superstar briefly ruminates on the affair with a housekeeper and fathering a son out of wedlock that ended his 25-year marriage to Maria Shriver. Schwarzenegger states that he’s almost reluctant to talk about it because it […]

June 7, 2023

‘The American Gladiators’ documentary has more twists and turns than the Atlasphere obstacle course

TV & Film

“Contenders ready! Gladiators ready!” If you grew up during the early 1990s, you’d probably recognize those words from referee Bob McElwee and the famous theme song by Bill Conti as a part of the American Gladiators. In many ways, the reality show’s inception in September 1989 was the right place at the right time. The […]

June 7, 2023

‘The Flash’ has many multiversal routes to explore, but doesn’t define a point past its homages to the past

TV & Film

If we’re putting it lightly, building up to The Flash’s release has been an eventful venture. Various writers and directors were involved with the project from 2015 until director Andy Muschietti signed on in 2020. Various release date delays have happened, multiple allegations against the film’s star Ezra Miller, and a complete regime change that […]

June 6, 2023

‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts’ tries it’s hand at mixing the good and bad habits of previous robot installments

TV & Film

With each iteration, the Michael Bay verse of Transformers films bled more into the extensive visual spectacle that aired the side of CGI style over substance. With 2018’s Bumblebee, there was an attempt to reign some of that in and lessen the number of heroes and villains to focus on a human-to-alien story akin to […]

June 6, 2023

‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’ challenges the web slinger’s resident sad person status

TV & Film

Spoilers for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse are ahead. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. As I walked out of my screening of the exquisitely divine Across the Spider-Verse, the film’s central theme rang in my head all the way home. Why has the Spider character been slapped with the label of being Marvel’s residence place […]

June 3, 2023