Frayed Branches

Artistic Merit in a Consumerist World The year is 2021, and we are living in the age of consumerism. From a sizable number of streaming platforms like Netflix, Amazon, Apple TV, Hulu, Disney+, and more delivering new television seasons each week, to the hundreds of airing programs on dozens of television platforms like ABC, CBS, NBC and many more (not even mentioning regular cable networks like AMC or premium channels like Starz or Showtime). From the half-dozen or so films that come out in the United States each week (bound to increase as Covid-19 restrictions loosen this summer), to the hundreds more being produced by other countries each year Americans haven’t even seen yet. From the weekly release of a new video game from one of dozens of powerhouse gaming studios, to dozens of relaxing phone games you’d just like to sit back and play in your off time. From near-daily releases of new music from artists well-known and underground, to the daily publication of dozens of written works ...

City on a Hill Season 2: Contentious Tides in 90’s Boston Note: This review will contain spoilers for City on a Hill Season 1. If you’d like to see my thoughts and recommendation of the series, click here . You have been warned. Back in Boston with more ambitious legal and crime drama from the small screen is City on a Hill , airing its second season which finished up just a little over a week or so ago. Coming back from the bitter, wrongful resolution of the previous season’s armored truck robberies (with Jackie Rohr’s interference resulting in the death of a friend working on the case), the show takes place one year later. DeCourcy Ward is still acting as the Assistant DA in Boston, and Jackie continues to place himself in vulnerable positions through his reckless actions outside of FBI work. Despite sourly parting ways at the end of the first season, the two are drawn together yet again to solve the case of a little girl who was shot during a gun battle in a predominantly black nei...

Godzilla vs Kong : What Is a King to a God? Giant monster movies are a lost cornerstone of entertainment the world over. Once popular thanks to American films like The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms and Japanese properties like Godzilla , films and other media about giant monsters duking it out have taken a backseat in recent years to superhero films among other products that have garnered more attention. Recently, however, there has been a resurgence in popular media of giant monster properties—often referred to as kaiju , the Japanese term for giant monsters in fictional works. Some of these programs have involved humans fighting against these beasts, such as Legendry’s Pacific Rim franchise or popular anime series such as Studio Trigger’s SSSS Gridman . The major contributor to bringing kaiju back into the public spotlight, however, is its most iconic mainstay: Godzilla. 2014 saw the release of an American re-imagining of the cultural powerhouse, leading to a revitalization for the fra...

City on a Hill Season 1: Crime in Boston Despite the potential for shows or films about Boston, its history, or even what the setting could do in a fictional sense, I’m surprised that much of the city’s representation in popular media is only recently coming to fruition. This goes from well-crafted, true-story films like Black Mass and Patriot’s Day to the city’s general representation in fiction ( Godzilla: King of the Monsters comes to mind, but mostly because it’s recent and I enjoyed watching giant monsters pummel each other in a familiar location). The city’s recognition as an interesting place for fictional stories to take place in, however, appears to be cemented in Showtime’s 2019 crime drama City on a Hill . Created by Chuck MacLean based on an idea crafted by him and Ben Affleck, City on a Hill ’s first season takes place in the early 90’s, focusing on corrupt FBI agent Jackie Rohr—played by Kevin Bacon—and Assistant District Attorney DeCourcy Ward—played by Aldis Hodge. ...

John Wick : Insanely Fun Action Sometimes, you just need to kick back, relax, and watch an action film with great choreography, cinematic camerawork, and a top-notch story that scratches every itch you have when it comes to viewing a film that packs a punch. While there have been very few new, entertaining action films that have piqued my interest in the last few years, there are still great places to find high caliber, thrilling films to satiate that urge. Enter 2014’s John Wick . Directed by Chad Stahelski and created by Derek Kolstad, John Wick stars Keanu Reeves as the title character. After his wife, Helen, dies of a terminal illness, John receives one final gift in the mail: a beagle puppy, whom he promptly names Daisy after his wife’s favorite flower. John is content to grieve in peace with his newfound dog, growing attached to his pet in the process, seeing it as one last vestige of his wife that can help in his grieving process. However, just a few short days after receiving D...