High Life
Contemporary Review

High Life

By Clement Obropta Sometimes, as though only to show that they can, auteurs go to space. Stanley Kubrick had 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), Christopher Nolan had Interstellar (2014), and now Claire Denis has High Life (2019). Regrettably, though it isn’t the sausage fest those perennials of science-fiction cinema are, Denis’ fantastical story of a … Continue reading

Avengers: Endgame
Contemporary Review

Avengers: Endgame

By Jonathan Cornell Avengers: Endgame (2019) is the the twenty-second film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the second to be released this year, after Captain Marvel (2019). An unforgettable spectacle for the ages, Endgame manages to excel as both a satisfying payoff to the universe-altering events of last year’s Avengers: Infinity War (2018) as … Continue reading

Shazam!
Contemporary Review

Shazam!

By Clement Obropta Shazam! (2019) starts in the ’70s with Merlin-esque wizards, mystical Magic 8 Balls, rich kids in limousines and gargoyle incarnations of the seven deadly sins. It only grows more incomprehensible from there. Once it gets to present-day Pennsylvania, Shazam! follows Billy Batson (Asher Angel), a troublesome foster kid abducted by a wizard … Continue reading