FILM REVIEW

A film review series that examines how cinema expands our understanding of city identity and how reemerging cityscapes in the post-industrial age have influenced cinema.

The Good, the Bad and the City

Cleveland’s History in the Film Industry Gives Promise for its Future

Cleveland’s place in the film industry dates back to the 19th century. Just two years after the Lumière brothers screened their short films in...
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How Cleveland Became the Butt of the Joke

In the 2015 movie “Trainwreck,” sports doctor Aaron Conners, played by Bill Hader, has a good-natured chat with NBA player LeBron James, played by, well…himself.

In the Movie Musical Renaissance, Does “The Music Man” Deserve a Second Chance?

Everyone loves a movie musical. In the last few years, it seems, to me, there’s been somewhat of a surge of movie musical adaptations. Critics praised “West Side Story” (2021) just as much as they reviled “Dear Evan Hansen” (2021). Even the Academy Award Winner for Best Picture this year, “CODA,” has at least two singing scenes integral to the movie.

“Stranger Things”: Horror in Midwestern Suburbia

It’s a familiar tale. There’s an otherwise uneventful, untroubled suburb enjoying a slice of quiet American life — until a malevolent supernatural force arrives, upsetting the community’s otherwise sturdy and well-constructed sense of comfort and security. The story’s horror (and cinematic pull factor) usually lies in the gory spectacle that follows, but also in its sense of reversal and unlikeliness — if those events could befall a seemingly “normal,” sleepy town, perhaps they could befall yours, too.

Mountain Dew and the American Dream: A Review of “Minari” (2020)

Stirring and gentle, “Minari” is an ode to director Lee Isaac Chung’s childhood. The 2020 film tells the story of a Korean-American family who...