Will Sorg- If you haven’t been paying attention, America is in a very tense place politically. I don’t feel the need to elaborate on this beyond mentioning that we’re only a few years removed from a genuine attempted coup on the capital. British filmmaker Alex Garland’s newest movie has garnered a lot of attention and controversy due to its portrayal of a modern civil war … Continue reading Movie Review: Civil War
Will Sorg- By the end of the 1920s, film history was on an unstoppable march towards the innovation of talking pictures. The death of the silent film was heralded by 1927’s The Jazz Singer, the first talkie, and through the 30s, filmmakers made the somewhat awkward transition into sound. The sound did change the landscape of cinema forever; stories came to life in dramatically different … Continue reading Movies from the Library: The Man With the Movie Camera
Will Sorg- 10. Society of The Snow: One of the most astounding movies I’ve ever seen. The story it’s based on is deeply fascinating and honestly would be unbelievable if it didn’t actually happen. Overall, a ton of great performances by the cast and a really impressive showing from the Spanish film industry. The direction by J.A. Bayona is perfect for the film and features … Continue reading Top ten movies of 2023
Will Sorg- In the opening chapter of the worst book I have ever read, Scientologist founder and human airbag L. Ron Hubbard describes his pseudo-scientific text as an adventure that will change the reader. This is true. I was changed by this book. However, this adventure and subsequent change was not like Around The World in 80 Days or 10,000 Leagues Under The Sea. It … Continue reading Book Review: Dianetics: the New Science of Mental Health
Will Sorg- On Sunday, Cord Jefferson, a first-time film director, won Best Adapted Screenplay for his film American Fiction. Jefferson’s win was accompanied by a fantastic speech where he passionately argued for movie executives to take chances on newer filmmakers and smaller-scale movies. He outlined his struggle to get his award-winning film made and said of his speech: “It’s more a plea to acknowledge and … Continue reading The 2024 Academy Awards
Will Sorg- You have not experienced true enlightenment until you have watched Madame Web. My sides hurt so bad from laughing after watching this movie. I don’t know how to describe this cinematic experience. I think I saw God and her name is Dakota Johnson. Madame Web is a Sony-produced superhero movie set in the Spider-Man universe that has yet to feature Spider-Man in any … Continue reading Madame Web: the heat death of the Sony Spider-Man universe
Will Sorg- The only thing I’ve ever read from the famous Hunter S. Thompson was his obituary of Richard Nixon. In it, Thompson recommends burning Nixon’s body in a trash bin and jettisoning his coffin into the LA sewage system. This leaves a strong impression of the kind of writer and person Thompson was. An incredibly cool one. Hunter S. Thompson invented Gonzo Journalism, a … Continue reading Movies from Swank: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
Will Sorg- Moneyball, if you can believe it, is about baseball and economics. Your dad probably loves this movie – and for good reason. It has the king of the actors your dad likes: Brad Pitt. On top of that, it’s written primarily by Aaron Sorkin, writer of The West Wing, A Few Good Men, and more dad-related media. Here’s the interesting thing: I do … Continue reading Movies from Swank: Moneyball
Will Sorg- It is Jan. 30th, 2024, as I am writing this. About 4 hours ago, I left the movie theater. I realized while I was sitting in my car, shaking, that I had to write a review on The Zone of Interest. I was not planning on writing something until school started up properly again, but this movie demanded that I get something out … Continue reading The Zone of Interest
Will Sorg- Paul Schrader has been making movies for a very long time. At 77, the writer, director and film critic has been making movies since he was an angry young screenwriter putting his personal struggles with toxic masculinity into the character of Travis Bickle from Taxi Driver. In the many decades since, Schrader has continually used the simple setup of an existentialist and isolated … Continue reading Movies from Swank: Master Gardener
