by Elizabeth EstenEvery horror fan remembers the first horror movie they ever watched — the movie that made them see the magic of the genre and kickstarted their journey to horror geekdom. For me, that movie was Scream. Wes Craven’s fantastic satire (and its subsequent sequels) on the tropes that fill modern day horror filled … Continue reading
by Elizabeth EstenWill Ferrell is a name now synonymous with hilarious comedy films. Whether it be Anchorman or The Other Guys, Ferrell has been mastering his comedic chops ever since his run on Saturday Night Live in the early 2000s. Continuing a distinct style that toes the line of taste, Ferrell and writing partner Adam … Continue reading
by Elizabeth Esten & Haley GoetzBurkittsville, Maryland — a quaint town at first glance, but hidden in its dense forest is a dark secret. A few centuries ago, Burkittsville was actually known as “Blair.” A woman was accused of witchcraft, banished into the Black Hills Forest and presumed dead. It’s from this spooky mythology that … Continue reading
by Elizabeth EstenThrowbacks to 1980s cinema have become more popular recently, and whenever these films come out, they bring me such joy. Unfortunately, many flop at the box office and end up going unseen by the masses — even if they happen to pop up on Netflix later. In a deluge of poorly done remakes … Continue reading
by Elizabeth Esten For many horror movie geeks, myself included, remakes of our favorite horror classics are either OK at best or insults to their source material. There’s a laundry list of completed remakes and remakes currently in development that have revisited some of horror’s greatest offerings. Most of these classics don’t need a reimagining … Continue reading
by Elizabeth EstenPretty much every cinephile you will ever meet in your lifetime has a list of directors who changed the way they look at movies. My list is pretty long, but here is the condensed version: Quentin Tarantino, Danny Boyle and, most important of all, David Fincher. Fincher began his career back in the … Continue reading
by Elizabeth EstenBack in December, I was eating dinner with a few friends when one of them brought up that she had recently watched a little film called Megan is Missing. I asked what she thought of it. She described it as “scary” and “shocking,” which sparked my interest. Over winter break, I decided to … Continue reading
by Elizabeth EstenYou don’t need spectacle or a ginormous budget to make a film powerful or game-changing. All of my favorite films do more with so much less than many of the epics I’ve seen. I have always personally preferred smaller character studies like 2007’s Waitress over something like Ben-Hur or even The Godfather. This … Continue reading
by Elizabeth Esten & Haley GoetzLawrence of Arabia (Lean, 1962) David Lean crafts one of the most compelling cinematic epics of all time in Lawrence of Arabia. From sprawling Arabian vistas to the homey confines of Dorset, every shot in the film is highly deliberate. In the role of Thomas Edward Lawrence, Peter O’Toole provides … Continue reading
by Elizabeth Esten The rise of dubstep as a genre has always polarized me. It wasn’t until I finally got around to seeing Harmony Korine’s Spring Breakers that I saw how it could work in context. Composed by dubstep artist Skrillex along with Cliff Martinez (Drive, Contagion), the film’s score works really well. Korine once … Continue reading
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