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It's All Relative: Movies About the Inherent Dysfunction in Families
The fetishization of the family unit is only now beginning to get picked apart as people are becoming more honest and aware of the skewed, unfair dynamics that can play out within an insular group. Veronica takes a look at Captain Fantastic, The Wolfpack, The Midnight Swim and We Are What We Are.
Hearts of Darkness: Movies that Pit Humans Against Nature
Stories that pit man against nature are classic and universal. They remind us how far we’ve come and yet how easily it can all be taken away. The films Arctic, Sorcerer and Embrace of the Serpent each touch upon different existential horrors one can encounter when exposed to the elements.
Back Row's Second Year in Movie Reviews, Podcasts & Lists
We’re two years old and we’re learning how to run, talk and be more social. We’re also throwing tantrums, so click the damn link already!!
Dan's Favourite Movie Discoveries of 2018
Dan Gorman lists his favorite new-to-him films of 2018, including a whole lot of Robert Wiseman documentaries and live-action cartoon C.H.O.M.P.S.
Veronica's Favorites of 2018: A Year of Quiet (And Not So Quiet) Desperation
To simply rattle off the movies I enjoyed, and the reasons why, would be too safe and too shallow. What follows is not a list of my favorite movies this year but rather an examination of one obvious, omnipresent theme: desperation.
Jenna's Top Ten Movies of 2018
In 2018 I watched 326 films, with around 41 of those being 2018 releases. Unfortunately, while I enjoyed many 2018 movies, very few stood out as outstanding to me.
Captain Carlo's Top 10 Movie Discoveries in 2018
You watch 700+ movies, what do you get? Another year older and closer to death.
Whoa, that got dark. Anyway… Yay movies!
Bad Horror Gone Good: 976-EVIL, Blades, and Death Spa
The season of spoops is upon us, boils & ghouls. So you know what that means… let’s go crazy horror-style! Take your “Tomatometer,” put it in a box, mail it to your butt, and open your minds to the healing power of schlock.
Singing Psychedelia: Drug Soaked Musicals of the '70s & '80s
People who dislike musicals like to make claims about how unrealistic they are while they stand in line for yet another superhero movie, but nobody who likes musicals is dying for realism. Read about Xanadu, Phantom of The Paradise and All That Jazz.
Michael Greer, Out and Proud in Hollywood
You may not have heard of him, but Michael Greer managed to make a modest but impressive dent in the oppressively straight world of cinema in the late '60s and early '70s. Greer went from comedy clubs to the silver screen without ever pretending he was anything other than what he was – unabashedly out of the closet.
This Is Indeed a Disturbing Universe: Movies for Our Troubled Times
Staring into the realm of existential horror can actually be quite liberating, and there’s no surer cure for deep-rooted anxiety than fully embracing nihilism and toasting the end of the world. Join me as we take a closer look at First Reformed, Arlington Road and In The Intense Now / No Intenso Agora.
Bad Girls, Bad Girls, Whatcha Gonna Do?
Girls: some are good, some are bad, and some are just trying to figure their own shit out. An exploration of Throughbreds, Ixcanul and A Fantastic Woman.
Back Row's First Year in Movie Reviews, Articles & Lists
Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday to you,
You look like a monkey and you smell like one too
Old & New: Veronica's Top 10 for 2017
Some excellent movies come out in 2017, and some truly excellent movies that came out last year finally got the distribution they deserve.
Jenna's Top Ten Movies of 2017
If I had to sum up 2017 I'd use the word "dread." And cinema, a mirror of humanity as it were, sure seemed to reflect that sentiment...
Old Man Yells At 2017: The Best New To Me Movies
Or "An excuse to go on about Hong Kong cinema."
'Tis The Season: Very Merry Un-Christmas Christmas Movies
AKA How to Lose Friends and Alienate People by telling them to shove their Christmas cheer and watch movies about losing yourself in a maze of hangovers and murder in the Australian outback.
Neon is Our New Technicolor
There is a slew of newer movies that have been embracing “knock your eyes out” color, and it doesn't discriminate. Drugs, palm trees, Instagram, mob ties, coming-of-age, death – it's all neon, baby.
Nuclear Documentaries or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Embrace Our Fate
Worried about a nuclear holocaust? Well here's a list of documentaries that highlight four other things that should terrify you more!
So Basic: Understanding Our Base Desires
Movies that focus on what happens when an otherwise normal mind connects with the purest source of existence.