Author: Katherine B. Shelor

Weekly Clickables: Beauty and the Beast & Female-Centric Cinema

Weekly Clickables: Beauty and the Beast & Female-Centric Cinema

Posted by | Mar 27, 2017 |

In our Weekly Clickables this week, we have meltdowns, a look at the upcoming Hulu series The Handmaid’s Tale, and a focus on women in lead roles. NPR posted some highlights from an interview with Christina Ricci about her role as Zelda Fitzgerald in Z: The Beginning of Everything. The Independent discusses the relevance of Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, which has been adapted into an original series now on Hulu. There have been plenty of “meh” reviews of Beauty and the Beast, so here’s a more positive review from The Muse that takes into account the effect of nostalgia on our experience...

Read More
Uncertain Plumbs For Answers To Universal Questions

Uncertain Plumbs For Answers To Universal Questions

Posted by | Mar 24, 2017 | , |

Overview: A documentary about Uncertain, Texas, a tiny town on the border between Texas and Louisiana where an invasive weed is threatening the way of life. The film follows three men trying to make it in—or out—of Uncertain. Lucid; 2015; Not Rated; 82 minutes. Boggy: As Uncertain begins, it’s easy to question whether you’ve (once again) made a mistake and turned on a horror movie when you meant to watch a documentary. Scenes of a swamp at night, cicadas at full volume in the background, a deer carcass being drained of its blood, a fisherman searching in the dark—these...

Read More
Sing: My Daughter’s First Movie

Sing: My Daughter’s First Movie

Posted by | Mar 22, 2017 |

When I imagined taking my daughter to her first movie, I pictured excitement, maybe some fanfare, and a carefully selected film. She would be full of anticipation, and my heart would be warm at the thought of making her happy. I don’t know why I imagined this, as I don’t remember my own first movie, rarely indulge in fanfare, and I am terrible at planning child-centered events, generally. As you’ve undoubtedly guessed, it did not live up to my imagined scenario. In fact, I was desperate for an indoor activity on a very cold weekend, and I recalled that...

Read More
Weekly Clickables: Kal Penn, Dave Chappelle & More

Weekly Clickables: Kal Penn, Dave Chappelle & More

Posted by | Mar 20, 2017 | |

Greetings, everyone. We’re heavy on horror this week of Weekly Clickables, but we also would like to draw your attention to a discussion of Dave Chapelle’s return and a string of tweets highlighting the limited (and offensive) roles available to actors of color. First, check out this string of tweets from Kal Penn about the roles he auditioned for as a young actor, which are collectively enlightening, depressing, and funny. Thrillist put together a list of movies to watch after you see (and love) Get Out. Read this Vulture interview with Karyn Kusama about the importance of genre film. Check out...

Read More
Weekly Clickables: Music from Game of Thrones & Logan Foreshadowing

Weekly Clickables: Music from Game of Thrones & Logan Foreshadowing

Posted by | Mar 13, 2017 | |

In this week’s Weekly Clickables, we have women in westerns, appreciation for 35mm film, and a hint at the ending of Logan. First, artist Felice House painted women posing as famous cowboys, and the result is a pretty cool collection of portraits. Next, Screen Rant looks at how Logan’s ending was teased in The Wolverine. Last week was the 20th anniversary of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. On ET Online, Joe Bergren explored its legacy. Alamo Drafthouse founder Tim League argues in favor of 35mm film (and gives an interesting history of film media in the process). Finally, an interview...

Read More
The Institute Is An Absurd Mess

The Institute Is An Absurd Mess

Posted by | Mar 6, 2017 | |

Overview: Isabel, a well-to-do young Victorian woman chooses to go to Rosewood Institute, a mental health convalescence facility, at the urging of her brother in order to recover following the death of their parents. There, she meets Doctor Cairn, whose “methods” draw her into a bizarre world of experimental personality modification and role-playing participated in by doctors and patients alike. Momentum Pictures; 2017;Rated R; 90 minutes. BLUF: This movie is absurd—so much so, in fact, that it’s difficult to review. It’s absurd, and not remotely frightening. If that’s what you want to know, you can stop reading here. You...

Read More
Weekly Clickables: Daria, Gore Verbinski & The Feminine Grotesque

Weekly Clickables: Daria, Gore Verbinski & The Feminine Grotesque

Posted by | Mar 6, 2017 | |

In this week’s Weekly Clickables, we have no theme, but instead a mix of essays and interviews you can really spend some time on, covering a breadth of subjects. First, Brent Lang at Variety discusses why we’re ready for an R-rated X-Men movie. Back in May, Angelica Jade Bastien at RogerEbert.com wrote about the legacy of Joan Crawford, which is pertinent to the upcoming FX show Feud about the famous feud between Bette Davis and Ms. Crawford. Film School Rejects explain how a minor character from Taxi Driver inspired the iconic adrenaline-shot scene in Pulp Fiction. At MTV.com, Inkoo...

Read More
Weekly Clickables: Oscars Hangover

Weekly Clickables: Oscars Hangover

Posted by | Feb 27, 2017 | |

Happy Monday, everyone. I hope you all enjoyed the Oscars last night. This week, we have a look at racism, Oscar hosts and moments, and the work of the late Bill Paxton in our Weekly Clickables. Hopefully it will help you through your post-Oscars gloom. First, Anthony Lane of The New Yorker discusses Get Out and Logan. Next, an interview with Bill Paxton from 2012, discussing the roles he was most known for then, courtesy of The A.V. Club. And now into Oscars-related links. First, a guide to the Oscars music, courtesy of NPR. Next, a list of the best political moments...

Read More
Weekly Clickables: James Baldwin & Films About American Immigration

Weekly Clickables: James Baldwin & Films About American Immigration

Posted by | Feb 6, 2017 | |

In this week’s Weekly Clickables, we have a review, a few lists, and some fan art. Plenty to soothe your post-Super Bowl blues (or to entertain you in a regular way). First, a review of the new James Baldwin documentary I Am Not Your Negro, which by almost all accounts is life-changing, and which I was supposed to see and review on Friday until they canceled all showings at the theater near me. Not that I’m bitter or upset in any way. This review at least gives a taste of what seeing the film might actually be like, courtesy...

Read More
Weekly Clickables: Missy Elliot, Dark Thoughts, & Refugees In Film

Weekly Clickables: Missy Elliot, Dark Thoughts, & Refugees In Film

Posted by | Jan 30, 2017 | |

Each week, I gather content for Weekly Clickables based on suggestions from my fellow contributors, friends, and my own leisure browsing. I try to ensure that the items we share are current or, if not current, are somehow relevant to the discourse surrounding film right now. So, this week we have a look at Manhunter, Michael Mann’s adaptation of the novel Red Dragon by Thomas Harris, and we have the trailer for an upcoming Missy Elliot documentary. The rest of what I’m sharing has to do with the experience of refugees and immigrants as told through film or experienced...

Read More
Weekly Clickables: Marching, Bees, & Censorship

Weekly Clickables: Marching, Bees, & Censorship

Posted by | Jan 23, 2017 | |

In this week’s Weekly Clickables, we have a couple items relating to the Women’s March on Washington, but also a look at censorship, the thing with Bee Movie, and an interview with director Danny Strong. Siddhant Adlakha at Birth. Movies. Death. wrote about Indian censorship and his experience interviewing a government official about it. Take a look at images of Women’s March protests from around the world. The New York Times posted a 360 video that lets you get a taste of what it was like to attend the Women’s March in Washington, D.C. If you’re wondering what the deal...

Read More
Weekly Clickables: Cloverfield, Freaks and Geeks, & Stranger Things

Weekly Clickables: Cloverfield, Freaks and Geeks, & Stranger Things

Posted by | Jan 16, 2017 | |

In this week’s Weekly Clickables, we have throwbacks, trailers, and analysis, which is all good stuff, and a nice variety to get your week started. Because I’ve been re-watching Freaks and Geeks, I thought I’d include this essay from a like-minded media consumer, courtesy of Chicago Now. Although Fences has gotten mixed reviews, there are many great examples of film adaptations of stage plays. NewNowNext put together this list a while ago, but it is still relevant. Here’s a video about the connections between Cloverfield and 10 Cloverfield Lane, courtesy of Bloody Disgusting. And a trailer for the upcoming horror anthology...

Read More
Weekly Clickables: Taboo, Sci-Fi, & Women In Film

Weekly Clickables: Taboo, Sci-Fi, & Women In Film

Posted by | Jan 9, 2017 | |

Our Weekly Clickables were a little harder to gather this week than usual, as it was the first week of the year, but we still found a few items worth your time. First, Flavorwire compiled their most anticipated films of 2017. Gwilym Mumford at The Guardian wrote a review of Taboo, the new series starring Tom Hardy, which will give you an idea of what to expect from the show. Nerd Much? updated their list of upcoming sci-fi movies. 2017 promises to be a good year for science fiction. At The Verge, Kaitlyn Tiffany explains her resolution to spend her money...

Read More
Weekly Clickables: Remembering Carrie Fisher & 2016

Weekly Clickables: Remembering Carrie Fisher & 2016

Posted by | Jan 2, 2017 | |

We made it to 2017! I wisely made no resolutions last year, and so have arrived in the new year having accomplished everything I set out to do. I hope you have, too. But now to what you came for: our Weekly Clickables. This week, we have a remembrance of Carrie Fisher through Leia’s theme, a look at what Netflix got right in the past year, a look at who we lost in 2016 and how they contributed to the discussion of gender, and a bit of Trump totally misunderstanding an important piece of culture. This discussion with Errol...

Read More
Weekly Clickables: Fences & Hidden Figures

Weekly Clickables: Fences & Hidden Figures

Posted by | Dec 26, 2016 | |

Greetings, and happy almost new year. This week, we have a little of this and a little of that in our Weekly Clickables, some seasonal, and some not. Enjoy! First, an interview with Mandy Moore, choreographer of La La Land, courtesy of The Verge. Next, a look at Katherine Johnson, a West Virginian featured in the movie Hidden Figures, and the true story about the women who worked on the US space program, courtesy of We heart WV. Here is a list of the top New Year’s Eve scenes on film, according to Ranker. If you check out the Short...

Read More