Sara Clements

Ever thought about hitting a Twitter troll in the head with a frying pan and then cutting one of his typing fingers off? Well, The Columnist executes just that, letting the audience live that fantasy through Femke Boot (Katja Herbers), an author, columnist, and single mother who’s been getting hate messages and death threats over a column she wrote. In director Ivo van Aart’s third feature written by Daan Windhorst characters ask questions like, “Why can’t we just have different opinions and ...

“Sputnik” is a word that means, most prominently, two things: various Soviet spacecraft which began with the first artificial satellite to orbit the Earth, and the origin of the word from Russian meaning “companion” or “fellow traveler.” This is a title that’s perfectly fitting to director Egor Abramenko’s first feature, the sci-fi horror film Sputnik, about two cosmonauts sent into orbit at the height of the Cold War, who return to Earth with a third passenger.
Set during a time of uncertain...

No film this year has captured what it’s like to be a millennial today like I Used to Go Here. Writer-director Kris Rey has created a funny and relatable film through the character of Kate Conklin (Gillian Jacobs) whose celebration of her first published novel is cut short when lower than anticipated sales has her publisher cancel her book tour. As the film takes her on a journey through her past, she begins to question whether or not she took the right path. We find ourselves questioning thi...

“Cockeyed philosophies of life, ugly sex situations, cheap jokes, and dirty dialogue are not wanted. Decent people don’t like this sort of stuff, and it is our job to see to it that they get none of it.” The words of American film censor Joseph Breen reverberated through Hollywood, changing the cinematic landscape for decades. Established in 1934, the Motion Picture Production Code (or Hays Code) enforced by Breen was given the power to approve films prior to release. They created strict guid...

It's the 1970s. An elderly woman sits at her desk, clacking away on her typewriter. She's a reclusive writer, like many in history, and this hooks you in from the very start thanks to a fiery introduction by actor Penelope Wilton, whose disdain for children is a big mood. Flashback to World War 2 and Gemma Arterton's iteration of the character, Alice Lamb, is very much the same. Secluded in her seaside cottage, she's fiercely independent — a pre-Miss Honey cottagecore lesbian spinster who's a cat away from stereotype (which she also acknowledges). She's ostracized by many of the townsfolk...

For this week's main podcast review I am joined by Nicole Ackman, Sara Clements, Dan Bayer & Lauren LaMagna. Together, we are reviewing IFC Films' release of "Summerland" from writer/director Jessica Swale making her feature directorial debut from the world of theatre. Starring Gemma Arterton, Gugu Mbatha-Raw and newcomer Lucas Bond, this WWII period film really blew us away with its tone, thematic heft, performances and more! Find out why below.
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Living in a digital age comes with a loss of privacy. We cover our webcams and use encrypted messaging apps to at least provide some peace of mind, but sensitive photos and information can still be leaked from “the cloud” anyway. There’s also an apparent disconnect because, while we want to retain our privacy, we’re willing to stay in a stranger’s home. This, and their paranoia of home-sharing, is what inspired the premise behind first-time director Dave Franco and co-writer Joe Swanberg’s fi...

One of vampire fiction’s earliest works, Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu kicked off the genre almost 30 years before Bram Stoker’s Dracula hit bookshelves. The story is about a young woman who’s preyed upon by a female vampire named Carmilla. It’s the prototypical example of a lesbian vampire narrative, which, since its publication in 1872, has spawned direct adaptations and inspired many others’ stories. In this latest take on the novella, writer-director Emily Harris strips Carmilla of ...

War is a horror story all on its own, but when war narratives are enhanced with horror elements, it can make for a unique revisionist experience. Case in point: Overlord, the Julius Avery-directed and J.J. Abrams-produced World War II film about a group of young soldiers sent to destroy a German radio tower who find a horrific Nazi experiment that mutates the human body and can bring people back from the dead. Basically, it’s World War II with zombies. In the same vein is Eric Bress’ Ghosts o...

“Why are Netflix comedies so bad?” Is a question, I’m sure, many have posed. Unfortunately, that streak continues with Desperados, a comedy that’s far from humorous. With a dragged out gag about pedophilia and a character getting hit in the face by a dolphin’s erect penis, it tries to save itself with its messaging but ends up treading water just like its protagonist.

Inspired by writer Ellen Rapoport’s personal experience (hopefully sans dolphin dick), Desperados, directed by LP, opens with ...

We are currently witnessing something staggering and horrific: COVID-19 and its ravaging of nursing homes. In the U.S., it has accounted for 43% of deaths linked to the virus; in Canada, 81%; in Britain, the total could hit more than half. “There were horror stories about elderly people being found dead in their homes well after the fact – neglected and forgotten, their children in distant towns, their bodies starting to deteriorate. I could think of nothing more heartbreaking,” recounts Reli...

“The Old Guard” begins with the clatter of bullet casings and questions with an uncertain answer: “Is this it? Will this be the one?” Based on Greg Rucka and Leandro Fernández’s graphic novel of the same name, and directed by “Love & Basketball’s” Gina Prince-Bythewood, Netflix's “The Old Guard,” about an immortal band of warriors, is a film about the tragedy of living forever – immortality here isn’t fantasized. As much as it offers an action-packed story of hard punches, it also hits the audience with the suffering of its characters and suggests that maybe death isn’t something to fear...

Even though he just turned 30 last year, it feels like Nicholas Hoult has been on our screens for the same length of time. He’s been acting since the age of seven, with his breakout role arriving six years later as Marcus Brewer in Chris and Paul Weitz’s, About a Boy. He’s gained recognition since with his roles in the X-Men series and Mad Max: Fury Road. Hulu’s The Great marks his return to television since he appeared in the British teen comedy-drama series, Skins, over a decade ago (althou...

From Freaks and Geeks, Legally Blonde, Scooby-Doo, and ER, Linda Cardellini has been a staple of millennial youth and entertainment. But even with over sixty credits to her name, it feels like she’s just getting started. She’s back with the second season of everyone’s favorite “traumedy,” Dead to Me. Her tour de force performance is a showcase of spectacular talent and her character, Judy, allows for the display of emotion that makes the audience laugh and cry along with her. As Judy, she’s h...

We Have Always Lived in the Castle, The Haunting of Hill House, and an upcoming adaptation of The Lottery. Over the past few years, Shirley Jackson’s work has been highlighted on film and in an acclaimed Netflix series. The legendary and influential novelist known for her works in the horror and mystery genres now gets her due in an adaptation of her life – well, sort of. Shirley, based on the novel of the same name by Susan Scarf Merrell, is a tribute to the writer. Set somewhere between fac...