One of Us

DISCLOSURE DAY MOVIE REVIEW It's easy to be cynical of any art designed to move you in this age of deceit and the dying of empathy. Which is why you gotta bring out the big guns like Steven Spielberg to make a movie pleading for a sane return to empathy and truth. The best way […]

THE BOROUGHS SERIES REVIEW Grandpa Simpson once wrote an angry letter that read “When I read your magazine, I don't see one wrinkled face or a single toothless grin. For shame! To the sickos at Modern Bride magazine” and “Dear Mr. President there are too many states nowadays. Please eliminate three. I am NOT a […]

LADIES FIRST MOVIE REVIEW Did you know there is a movie streaming on Netflix starring Sacha Baron Cohen, Rosamund Pike, Fiona Shaw, Charles Dance, Emily Mortimer, Richard E. Grant, and Kathryn Hunter, and written by the screenwriter of Booksmart? Ladies First wants to have a conversation about gender roles in a patriarchal world. Cohen plays […]

NECROMANCER EP 141 – GHOULFRIEND EXPERIENCE WITH FRANK CALVILLO: HUSH…HUSH, SWEET CHARLOTTE The necromancers are joined by Frank Calvillo of Whatever Happened to Bette and Joan to share a common joy: resurrecting dead Hollywood stars. On the slab is who else but Bette Davis in Hush… Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964). Listen to our trio of […]

SPIDER-NOIR SERIES REVIEW Spider-Noir is Amazon Prime Video's new series set in a cinematic idea of 1930's New York, prohibition era. It's the time of lounge singers and private eyes foolhardy enough to think those eyes were seeing a woman they could settle down with. Our PI in this alternate reality is Ben Reilly (Nicolas […]

HOLLYWOOD ROYALTY: MINISODE #11 – LITTLE BIG MAN Next up on classic 60s/70s Faye, we venture back even further than last time to the 19th century for 1970's Little Big Man, the sprawling tale of a 121-year-old man named Jack Crabtree (Dustin Hoffman) who is recalling his life as an adopted member of the Cheyenne […]

FIND YOUR FRIENDS MOVIE REVIEW Find Your Friends tells a story as old as time; college kids go to the country to party, only to be attacked by the homicidal locals. The recently single Amber (Helena Howard) and her besties decide to go on a road trip to Joshua Tree to attend a drug fueled […]

MAN ON FIRE SERIES REVIEW After a disastrous last mission, a man of violence has put down his gun and retired until a friend from his past asks him to do one last job. John Creasy doesn't just see an assignment, he sees a chess board. Confused? Then you are already three moves behind and […]

DIGITAL NOISE EPISODE 377: WITH A BONUS DISS ON LA BREA John and Chris have a mighty tall stack this week that, true to form for Digital Noise, vary greatly in quality. Heck, we even do the rare coverage of a tv season this episode! Join us for looks at Rey versus zombies and Ray […]

THE PUNISHER: ONE LAST KILL REVIEW Marvel's latest Special Presentation, The Punisher: One Last Kill, puts Frank Castle back in the crosshairs for a brutal, blood-soaked mission that finds the vigilante confronting old ghosts, unfinished business, and a city that seems determined to keep creating new targets. Set between Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 and […]

DEVIL MAY CRY SEASON 2 REVIEW The apocalypse has been cancelled and the white rabbit has missed his tea party, all thanks to the heroic endeavors of Dante (Johnny Yong Bosch) and Lady (Scout Taylor-Compton). There is no rest for the wicked however; Dante and Lady must team up again to stop the evil Mundus […]

BEEF SEASON 2 REVIEW A self made billionaire once sang the lyrics “Now we got problems and I don't think we can solve 'em. You made a really deep cut and now we got bad blood, hey!”. That's Taylor Swift dropping wisdom in her lyrics that seem to accurately sum up the Netflix anthology series […]

HOLLYWOOD ROYALTY: EP.11 – IT HAD TO BE YOU/ALIAS/MISC. GUEST APPEARANCES This week on Hollywood Royalty, we tune in to prime time Faye and her two prominent stints on series television in the 90s and 00s. First up, host of Heart/Felt, and co-host of Trash in the Can, Eric Samaniego, and I explore Faye's short-lived […]

SWAPPED MOVIE REVIEW Michael B. Jordan once said “That's one of the fun parts of becoming an actor. You can become whoever you want to be.” After many acclaimed live action roles, including his oscar winning performances as twins named Smoke and Stack, Michael B. Jordan is giving his talents and voice to an animated […]

POWER BALLAD MOVIE REVIEW Paul Rudd's charisma knows no bounds. It's very evident in the newest film, Power Ballad, by John Carney (Once, Sing Street) where he plays a former rocker, now a moderately successful wedding singer in Ireland. One fateful wedding, Rick Power (Rudd) meets former boy-band superstar Danny Wilson (Nick Jonas) during an […]

MARGO'S GOT MONEY TROUBLES SERIES REVIEW From prolific showrunner David E. Kelly comes a new Apple TV series Margo's Got Money Troubles based on the novel of the same name by Rufi Thorpe. Margo (Elle Fanning) is an aspiring writer and college student who becomes pregnant after a brief affair with her married literature professor, […]

THE BOYS SEASON 5 REVIEW The Boys are back in town for one last bloody fight! Developed by Eric Kripke from Garth Ennis' graphic novel series, the final season takes place a year after season 4's disbandment of the crew. We find Hughie (Jack Quaid), Mother's Milk (Laz Alonso), and Frenchie (Tomer Capone) are held […]

NECROMANCER EP 140 – THEY WERE ROOMMATES: ALUCARDA (1977) The Necromancers head to their last stop in the sapphic cinematic universe (for now). This convent may look ordinary, the ladies only roommates, but Bret's horror pick, Alucarda, proves the devil is in the details. Will Shira share Guillermo del Toro's admiration for the 1977 cult […]

ROOSTER SERIES REVIEW Joe Haldeman once said “Bad books on writing tell you to “WRITE WHAT YOU KNOW”, a solemn and totally false adage that is the reason there exist so many mediocre novels about English professors contemplating adultery”. Greg Russo (Steve Carell) is a famous lowbrow author and creator of the edgy detective “Rooster” […]

HOLLYWOOD ROYALTY: MINISODE 10- OKLAHOMA CRUDE Next up on classic 60s/70s Faye, we go way back to turn of the century Oklahoma for Stanley Kramer's 1973 oil-themed dramedy Oklahoma Crude. In the film, Faye plays the shotgun-bearing Lena, a woman sitting on an oil rig trying to fight off the ruthless oil companies (headed by […]

INVINCIBLE SEASON 4 SERIES REVIEW Everybody's favorite Global Defence Agent justifies sketchy immoral methods by saying “We can be the good guys, or we can be the guys that save the world. We can't be both”. Cecil's code of conviction demands that the ends justify the means. Mark is done with that extreme way of […]

STOLEN KINGDOM MOVIE REVIEW The odds are you probably have someone in your life who is REALLY into the Disney theme parks experience and is not a child. These folks are called Disney Adults. Perhaps they take it even further and are SO into Disney that they venerate everything they produce and think they can […]

TRASH IN THE CAN: ANGUISH This week, the boys descend into the eye-popping nightmare of 1987's Anguish. Joined by One of Us podcaster Kate “Gate” Chambers, they unpack a horror movie so deeply obsessed with mothers, milk, and murder that Freud would've demanded a writing credit. Plus, there's a twist so wild we can't spoil […]

A BETTER YESTERDAY – EP. 3: EXIT THE DRAGON THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP In the third episode of A Better Yesterday, Ross O'Brien and Hong Kong Cinemissimo Bey Logan cover the last three years of Bruce Lee's life. In this short time, a young leading man transformed himself into an auteur; his death transformed him […]

THE COMEBACK SEASON 3 Covid restrictions, writers strikes, the ever looming threat on the horizon of AI taking away jobs…How's an Emmy winning actor supposed to find work? The third season of the cult series on HBO The Comeback explores this, and features Lisa Kudrow as Valerie Cherish. After walking out on a lead role […]

DAREDEVIL: BORN AGAIN SEASON 2 Jena, Lewayne, and T.C. meet up in the hidden backroom of the One Of Us pub to discuss Daredevil: Born Again Season 2, which wastes no time reminding audiences that New York City is no longer merely corrupt. It's occupied. What began as a simmering rivalry between Matt Murdock and […]

REMARKABLY BRIGHT CREATURES MOVIE REVIEW Frank, Neil, and T.C. swim to the shallow end of the One Of Us wading pool to discuss a sad woman who works at a facility with an intensely intelligent and sensitive sea creature who wants to escape into the world. The two form an intense bond. Is it… love? […]

DIGITAL NOISE EPISODE 376: STONE COLD CRITICS Chris and Wright would have been great action heroes. Except for their physiques, lack of fighting experience, and coolness, they definitely would have stood toe-to-toe with the likes of 90s, erm, sorta stars like The Boz. Don't you think? I mean, at least they could do the one […]

HOLLYWOOD ROYALTY EP.10 – SILHOUETTE/ARIZONA DREAM/DUNSTON CHECKS IN This week on Hollywood Royalty, it's Faye as you've never seen her before, starring in a trio of titles that proved uncharted territory for the actress. Up first, we see Faye take on both Jimmy Stewart and Grace Kelly's roles in the 1990 Hitchcock-influenced Silhouette, a reworking […]

HOLLYWOOD ROYALTY MINISODE 9 – PUZZLE OF A DOWNFALL CHILD Next up on the classic 60s/70s Faye front, 1970s Puzzle of a Downfall Child, the stirring directorial debut from photographer turned writer/director Jerry Schatzberg. Faye stars as Lou Andreas Sand, a once sought-after model whose complicated past and sudden rise to success has resulted in […]

IS GOD IS MOVIE REVIEW In the cinematic debut from multiple award-winning playwright Aleshea Harris comes the unexpected curve ball of Is God Is, based on her 2018 off-Broadway play. Kara Young and Mallori Johnson play two twin sisters (Racine and Anaia). Both have terrible burn scars but Racine's are easier to cover up. Anaia's […]

NECROMANCER EP 139 – DESIRE LINES: Imagine Me & You (2005) The necromancers embrace Sapphic cinema on this week's episode. The belief in love at first sight is a core tenet of many romantic comedies and Shira's pick, Imagine Me & You, delivers an original spin on the age-old premise. But can Bret separate Lena […]

LORD OF THE FLIES SERIES REVIEW Unless you've been living on a desert island, you've probably heard of William Golding's classic 1954 novel Lord of the Flies; you've probably even had to read it in school. The novel has been adapted multiple times for film, as well as for stage, radio, and at least one […]

HOLLYWOOD ROYALTY: MOTHER FAYE – BURNING SECRET/THE TWILIGHT OF THE GOLDS/THE YARDS This week on Hollywood Royalty, Faye is mother. Literally. In this episode, we look at three notable times the actress took on mother/matriarchal roles in the years since Mommie Dearest‘s release. First up is the 1988 arthouse film Burning Secret, where Faye plays […]

STAR WARS: MAUL – SHADOW LORD SERIES REVIEW Luke Skywalker once said “No one's ever really gone,” and no other character in the Star Wars franchise has taken that to heart more than Darth Maul; a character that has canonically died twice(!) already. And yet, fans can't seem to get enough of the former Sith […]

DIGITAL NOISE EPISODE 375: THIS ONE GOES OUT TO ZACH Chris vs Wright in the ultimate mano y mano critic showdown! Ok, well, not so much as both of your critics largely agree on everything in physical media we take a look at this week. From a reimagining of a long-running slasher series, to a […]

BALLS UP MOVIE REVIEW To compete with a product that's the best known of its type in all countries you'd have to come up with a brand new innovation and a very popular sponsor. This is the premise of the new Amazon Prime Video film about a brand new prophylactic, Balls Up. Brad (Mark Wahlberg) […]

APEX MOVIE REVIEW Charlize Theron heads deep into the wild in this straight to Netflix survival thriller, where isolation turns into something far more dangerous. Sasha (Theron), a grieving climber seeking solitude in the Australian wilderness, finds herself thrust into a brutal game of predator and prey when a mysterious hunter (Taron Egerton) targets her […]

OUTCOME MOVIE REVIEW Reef Hawk (Keanu Reeves) is one of the nicest and most successful actors in Hollywood who has managed to keep his private life private — a rare feat in the world of the movie making machine. Secretly five years sober and trying to rebuild his life, literally and emotionally, he has stepped […]

A BETTER YESTERDAY – EP. 2: THE ONCE AND FUTURE DRAGON In this second episode of A Better Yesterday, Ross O'Brien continues his deep-dive with Hong Kong Cinemissimo Bey Logan, focusing on how Bruce Lee swam through the streams of both Hong Kong and American pop culture to become the most iconic figure in martial […]

MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE: LIFE'S STILL UNFAIR As the They Might Be Giants performed theme goes for the 2000-2006 sitcom Malcolm in the Middle, “You're not the boss of me now and you're not so big.” Twenty years later, the dysfunctional family and their boy genius returns on Hulu and Disney Plus with a 4 […]

DIGITAL NOISE EPISODE 374: CHRIS GETS WEEPY John and Chris get one of those middlin' stacks of titles. No hate. Just a lot of meh, but there is some love, especially for a film Chris actually gets teary eyed just discussing with his out of character (for him) deep affection for, and a French film […]

HOLLYWOOD ROYALTY: MINISODE 8 – CHINATOWN Our next stop through 60s/70s Faye sees us taking a visit to Chinatown, the 1974 Oscar-winning movie that recreates 1937's Los Angeles for a tale of murder and corruption. An Oscar-nominated Faye enjoys one of the best roles of the decade as a femme fatale harboring dark secrets, which local […]

ROOMMATES MOVIE REVIEW High School graduation: that's the time to steel yourself with courage, say goodbye to those lifelong friendships you made next to the bleachers, the lockers, in algebra, and of course in the confines of your heart. But wait! What if you don't have any BFF's to bid adieu to? Roommates on Netflix […]

THE PITT SEASON 2 REVIEW The Pitt returns for Season 2, continuing its unflinching, real-time look at life inside one of America's busiest emergency rooms. Set ten months after the explosive first season, which was marked by a mass shooting, the new season unfolds over a single 15-hour real-time shift on the Fourth of July, […]

STRANGER THINGS: TALES FROM '85 SERIES REVIEW Just when you thought it was safe to cancel your Netflix subscription, Stranger Things: Tales from '85 is back to deliver another shot of 80s nostalgia, or at least nostalgia for a streaming series that ended less than five months ago. Set between the events of seasons two […]

THE MADISON SERIES REVIEW John Steinbeck once said “I'm in love with Montana. For other states, I have admiration, respect, recognight, even some affection. But with Montana, it is love.”  Paramount Plus presents  the new show by Taylor Sheridan; a story of a man who had two great loves in his life: his wife, and […]

NECROMANCER EP 138 – SUBCULTURED: SHE'S THE MAN (2006) Shira introduces Bret to the cult of Amanda Bynes comedies to round out the necromancers' tour of cult classic films. Her pick, She's the Man, came out more than 20 years ago but remains timeless for romcom fans and Gouda cheese lovers. Listen to find out […]

FRIEREN: BEYOND JOURNEY'S END SEASON 2 REVIEW Jonathan Larson once pondered how one would measure a year. Cups of coffee, sunsets, laughter, strife? Regardless, a year is five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes. Frieren, and elf, by this measure is approximately five hundred twenty five million six hundred thousand minutes. Give or take […]

HOLLYWOOD ROYALTY: EP.8 – ON A MOONLIT NIGHT/GIA/THE RULES OF ATTRACTION On this episode of Hollywood Royalty we look at Faye as the quintessential director's actress; the kind of screen performer whose choices and collaborations tended to challenge traditional movie conventions. We begin with 1989's On a Moonlit Night, where Faye plays an executive blackmailed by […]

THRASH MOVIE REVIEW It's been 4 decades since Jaws chomped beach goers to an iconic John Williams score. Netflix is reminding us that it's still not safe to get back into the water with the survival horror original feature Thrash. Dr. Dale Edwards (Djimon Hounsou) is an expert on the oldest predator on the planet, […]