Send us a Question! MOVIE REVIEW: Casey Davies is different, fragile, soft-spoken, qualities that make for a vulnerable man, and all it took was a single mugging to put him on edge. Fearing the worst, he decides to join a Karate class to toughen up, but there's more to this than meets the eye. It's not just about getting stronger, but feeling confident, feeling powerful, feeling comfortable around... other men? Yes, you read that right! Casey Davies is afraid of his own gender, and to prepare hi...
Jul 31, 2019•23 min•Season 1Ep. 20
Send us a Question! MOVIE REVIEW: It's often difficult to put into words the kind of experiences we've had, and sometimes we have to skirt around the idea that we can be vulnerable, open, emotionally available. Sometimes we feel like we need to put up a wall, and that's the best way we can protect ourselves, like a callous of the heart. One of the most difficult things to do is understand someone. I'm talking really understand someone , yet understanding is a fundamental aspect of relationships....
Jul 25, 2019•17 min•Season 1Ep. 19
Send us a Question! MOVIE REVIEW: What does it mean to be a child whose lonely, angry, and callous in a world that's left you nothing but the cold, bitter snow of winter? More appropriately considered a childhood drama with vampires in it, Let the Right One In has won over 40 awards during its festival run. Haunting, patient, a master craft of depressive thrillers, you'll want nothing more than to bundle up with a hot chocolate when watching this film. But even then, you may still feel a chill r...
Jul 18, 2019•14 min•Season 1Ep. 18
Send us a Question! ARCHIVED EPISODE // ON TOPIC: There are tons of movies out there that may seem off-putting. They're alienating from start to finish, often called 'artsy-fartsy' or 'pretentious', and at their worst can repel most people. Other films can seem too good to be true and you can't help but press play, wading through what seems the most bizarre plot line with unrealistic characters. And then, there are other films that seem a little... too weird. They make you go, "That's it?" and y...
Jul 16, 2019•9 min
Send us a Question! MOVIE REVIEW: If Avengers: Endgame wasn't surreal enough, Spider-Man: Far From Home will really get you thinking about the MCU as a whole. With this being the first foray into a post-Endgame world, there's something familiar yet undeniably different about its offerings, and the big question will be how Kevin Feige and the rest of the crew back at Disney/Marvel decide on the franchise future. So how does this film handle itself as both an epilogue to Phase 3, but also whispers...
Jul 10, 2019•14 min•Season 1Ep. 17
Send us a Question! MOVIE REVIEW: Could you imagine waking up in a world where you're the only person who knows your favorite artists? Most hipsters don't need to think hard about that, but what if it was the Beatles? And worse yet, they never existed in the first place? A real nightmare indeed, a nightmare Jack Malik realizes is all too real. To cope, he struggles to remember every single Beatles song he can, but can't help himself from touring as though they were his own songs. But that sounds...
Jul 03, 2019•16 min•Season 1Ep. 16
Send us a Question! MOVIE REVIEW: We're reviewing The Happening for this episode. You know The Happening gets a bad rap? It's got a cool premise, it's got comedy. You like The Happening, right? By the way, I think I know what's going on, and I want to let you know before it's too late. I was at the thrift store a while ago. There was a really good-looking DVD on the shelf. Really good-looking . I went up to it and grabbed it from the shelf. I didn't even have cash, and I almost bought it. I'm ta...
Jun 27, 2019•15 min•Season 1Ep. 15
Send us a Question! MOVIE REVIEW: Producers wanted nothing more than Rocketman to push for a PG-13 rating, yet Elton John would say every time: I have not led a PG-13 life . And when it comes right down to it, I don't think most people have. I believe that's what makes this film such a fascinating, magical experience. Brilliant visuals and mystical moments in Rocketman are more than simply a dream-inspired retelling of Elton John's life, but a translation of what it's like to be human, to rememb...
Jun 20, 2019•15 min•Season 1Ep. 14
Send us a Question! MOVIE REVIEW: Earning a 4-minute standing ovation at Cannes Film Festival, Mandy embraces the world of art-house cinema while comfortably fitting itself amidst popular midnight movies. It's the best of both worlds, and that's not the only thing about Mandy that flips like a coin. Perhaps it's most alienating quality is it's most attractive, and I seek to engage its passionate love and furious anger in this latest episode of Cinematic Doctrine! Mandy was a movie voted on by me...
Jun 13, 2019•21 min•Season 1Ep. 13
Send us a Question! MOVIE REVIEW: Michael Dougherty has said Godzilla: King of the Monsters is to Godzilla (2014) as Aliens is to Alien , and while I can understand the logic, I don't know if the comparison works entirely. At the very least, both films feature inventive motion capture, if you can call 3 actors playing the individual Ghidorah heads inventive. Trivia aside, how does Godzilla: King of the Monsters handle in comparison to not only Godzilla (2014) , but even the much appreciated 1954...
Jun 06, 2019•18 min•Season 1Ep. 12
Send us a Question! MOVIE REVIEW: What if Superman was evil? That's been the marketing focus of Brightburn since day one. It's been the question everyone's wondered about, and at the very least, it makes for a very interesting high concept advertisement. But a film is more than a concept, and what we watch in the theater lays testament to what we hype up during the seasons leading up to release. So, now that it's out, what's the strange amalgamation of Superhero and Horror genre like on the big ...
May 30, 2019•18 min•Season 1Ep. 11
Send us a Question! MOVIE REVIEW: John Wick is back in theaters with shock and awe, and let me tell you, It. Is. WILD! You've never seen anything quite as crazy as this film, and I think Chad Stahelski and Keanu Reeves had a bit too much fun this time around, but who can blame them? So come on in and press that play button as we get into the thick of what makes John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum both a daring addition to the franchise, and may signal a bit of a change in the property as a whole. ...
May 24, 2019•20 min•Season 1Ep. 10
Send us a Question! MOVIE REVIEW: One of the strangest, most unexpected contributions of the year has to be Pokemon Detective Pikachu . It may not seem all that weird until you really sit down and think to yourself, "Wait a minute... a Pokémon movie built entirely around a missing person, and a talking Pikachu is on the case? Who thought of this!?" Well, I can confirm it's as weird as you might suspect, although I'm eager for things to get weirder, and I think this film is the franchise tip of a...
May 15, 2019•11 min•Season 1Ep. 9
Send us a Question! MOVIE REVIEW: After that Avengers: Endgame review, you'd think I didn't know how to have fun, but we're going to set things straight and talk about a cult favorite from Joss Whedon. Alongside, we'll take a look at what surrounded the release of Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog historically and what makes its existence unique amidst the cinematic world. Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog is Rated TV-PG . It features Neil Patrick Harris, Nathan Fillion, and Felicia Day. Directed by J...
May 08, 2019•9 min•Season 1Ep. 8
Send us a Question! MOVIE REVIEW: They finally did it! The moment we've all been waiting for has finally arrived, and Avengers: Endgame has graced the cinematic screen this weekend. Garnering over 1 billion dollars in less than a week, Kevin Feige and the rest at Disney are pouring the champagne and celebrating financial success. Money is one thing, but how is the film itself? Just a tad over 3 hours, is Endgame worth holding it in, or is it fine to skip a few scenes and come back at the end? Av...
May 01, 2019•18 min•Season 1Ep. 7
Send us a Question! MOVIE REVIEW: Despite being rather tame in comparison to other Stephen King novels, Pet Sematary is known for its merciless psychological horror. Bordering on brutal, how does the seemingly hopeless world of Pet Sematary translate to the big screen? In this second film adaption of the popular literary work, do we end up with something remarkable or detestable? Pet Sematary (2019) is Rated R for horror violence, bloody images, and some language. It features Jason Clarke and Am...
Apr 25, 2019•8 min•Season 1Ep. 6
Send us a Question! MOVIE REVIEW: A third Hellboy film has been in development hell for years (pun intended). Since then, it's gone from being a finale to Guillermo Del Toro's previous films into a hard-R reboot. Yet, now that the film has released was it worth the wait, or should we do everything we can to return it back to the 9 circles of hell? Hellboy (2019) is Rated R for strong bloody violence and gore throughout, and language. It features David Harbour, Milla Jovovich, Ian McShane, and Sa...
Apr 17, 2019•14 min•Season 1Ep. 5
Send us a Question! MOVIE REVIEW: Aquaman was an over-the-top absurd film that dared to be stupid and it paid off. DC was hurting for something fun, and it delivered. Can Shazam! do the same? Can it be fun? Can it exceed expectations? Can it actually make more sense than Aquaman did? Spoilers, it is! Thoroughly enjoyable, incredibly goofy, filled to the brim with heart, Shazam! perhaps has a little too much fun with itself, and you know what? More power to it! If this is where DC wants to go, le...
Apr 11, 2019•9 min•Season 1Ep. 4
Send us a Question! MOVIE REVIEW: Absolute power corrupts absolutely. So they say, at least. But I don't think it takes absolute power to corrupt, even the smallest amount of it can drive someone drunkenly mad, and Colossal is all about drunken power. Or maybe, the lack of it? Actually, it's probably both. Walk with me as I take apart Nacho Vigalondo's genre-bending dramedy and try to make sense of a film that is equal parts bizarre as it is funny! Colossal is Rated R for language. It features A...
Apr 03, 2019•11 min•Season 1Ep. 3
Send us a Question! MOVIE REVIEW: Jordan Peele's new film Us is breaking records, but what is it about the film that makes it so special? And what does it speak to? But most importantly, is it even a good movie? I must confess, I had to see this movie twice to gauge a good estimate for my thoughts. There were plenty of things I wanted to talk about, but I constantly second-guessed everything I put on the page. It wasn't that I didn't get it , because I did. I think it was a matter of better unde...
Mar 27, 2019•12 min•Season 1Ep. 2
Send us a Question! MOVIE REVIEW: In the first episode of Cinematic Doctrine, I review It Follows . However, due to the content of this film, I felt it important to elaborate on my thoughts about adult content in a narrative. Adult content can include sexual content, nudity, pervasive language, graphic violence, and anything that might seem overly uncomfortable. I also discuss how film as a medium is unique to other types of storytelling such as photography, books, etc. Afterward, I (finally) ta...
Mar 20, 2019•21 min•Season 1Ep. 1
