See, it's asymmetrical but it's also still balanced.

Casey grew up in Columbus, Indiana, desperately cares for her mother, and, because of that, fears leaving behind everything she knows and cares for. Jin lives in Seoul, struggles to find concern for his ailing father, and eagerly anticipates the day he can return home. Youthfully unguarded, yet matured from experience, Casey is mesmerizing to be around, while Jin's stoicism and bluntness suggest an "old man" set in his ways, but all…

I'm doing exactly what you're doing, Iris. Not knowing what the fuck I'm doing!

Watched to further fill out my Homecoming-of-Age list, but I'm not certain One Percent More Humid fully qualifies. Liz W. Garcia succeeds at depicting suburbia as caught between paradise and purgatory, thrumming with summery cicada buzzing, delicate breezes, and invitingly mundane local haunts, but cannot formulate enough of a narrative arc for her lead duo (honestly, Julia Garner is barely given anything to do as the…

In 1906, Alice Guy - generally considered the first female director - released a satirical short cheekily titled "The Consequences of Feminism." A winking commentary on conventional gender norms of the era, the short inverts stereotypical female and male behaviors with women aggressively pursuing demure men. A quick Google search returns nothing about Emma Seligman saying anything about Guy's film being an inspiration for Bottoms, but they are clearly treading in similar waters.

Likewise taking cues from the work of…

As much as the third Indiana Jones film is about obsessive tendencies (concisely indicated by the hard cut between young and old Indy, both fighting for the Cross of Coronado), it is also about transference of knowledge. That is to say, where the Nazis burn books, Henry Jones shares them with his son. Indy is a testament to the teachings of his father, following in his academic footsteps and displaying a number of the same personality traits; he's been shaped…

A personal aside before the review: The Alamo Drafthouse in Kansas City continues its run as the most impressive theater in the area by providing a free, early screening of Fury Road, entirely making my week!

(EDIT 08/14/2020 - After reading accounts from KC Alamo employees - some of whom worked there during the time of this Fury Road screening - in The Pitch, I feel awful about promoting and supporting this particular location for so long now knowing that…