Sandwich (2023)
A Simple Story with Complicated Emotions Sandwich (2023) initially went by quietly with no major marketing push aimed at it, but it quickly went on to carve a niche for itself due to its sincere, human storytelling. It was a movie about relationships on the surface — one man caught between the woman he loved […]
Undergrads
A Glimpse Into ‘Undergrads’: More Than Just a College Tale Undergrads by Andrew Zuckerman (2022) is a reflection on friendship, identity, and the overall challenges involved in the transitioning to the ‘real world’ post college. The film follows a group of friends, during the last weekend before their graduation, highlighting the personal challenges each of […]
Sex Drive
A Comedy of Awkwardness and Identity Sex Drive (2008), directed by Sean Anders, is a teen road-trip comedy that follows Ian Lafferty (Josh Zuckerman), a high school senior who embarks on a cross-country journey to lose his virginity to an online acquaintance. Accompanied by his friends Lance (Clark Duke) and Felicia (Amanda Crew), the trio […]
Maharot
The Allure of the Trailer: A Precursor to A Complicated Romance The official trailer of Maharot attracted the audiences for its unadorned account of the complexities of love. Joni’s worldly experience paired with Tantan’s innocence suggested the beginning of a multi-layered emotional story. The trailer’s powerful images and heartbreaking phrases incited fans to discuss and […]
No Strings Attached
Love Without Labels: The Story of No Strings Attached and Its Real-Life Reflections In 2011, when No Strings Attached was released, it was classified as yet another Hollywood romantic comedy. Light and breezy on the surface, it was, however, poorly received as the first romantic comedy of the season. Underneath the light-scripted, witty lines and […]
Friends with Benefits
When the Promise Was More Than Just Casual In 2011, the Hollywood industry was no exception to the strange trend of “no-strings-attached romance.” The industry was no stranger to this trend, having released no-strings together romance-seeking and having had no-strings romance released together with Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher, with no-strings romance preceding Friends with […]
IO
The Quiet Struggle of ‘IO’: A Cinematic Echo of Earth’s Last Breath Upon its release on Netflix in January of 2019, IO entered an oversaturated world of post-apocalyptic narratives. Director Jonathan Helpert, however, chose to focus on the ‘quiet’ internal struggles of his characters. The film takes place on a dying Earth, as young scientist […]
Cruise
The Anticipation Prior to the Ride When Cruise was first announced, it was more than a romantic comedy set in neon-lit 1980s New York. The interest was first generated by the casting of then-rising star Emily Ratajkowski, known for her role in Gone Girl and her social media popularity, alongside Spencer Boldman. The film complemented […]
Darker Shades Of Elise
A Story That Began With Desire and Secrets 2017 was the year that Darker Shades of Elise was released into the ingrained adult thriller genre of the industry. Promising something deeper than simple seduction, it tells the story of Elise, a woman who appears to have everything. A comfortable marriage, and a safe life. But […]
Obsessed
Obsessed was the first romantic drama directed by Kim Dae-woo. The movie was set in Vietnam during the Vietnam War, but chose to focus not on the war but on the conflict within the characters’ passions, desire, and social constraints. Illustrated in the film is the life of Korean war hero Colonel Kim Jin-pyeong (acted […]