"I enjoy playing the audience like a piano." — Alfred Hitchcock When I was 12, I bought my first of many Roger Ebert Home Movie Guides. Having watched him for a few years on Siskel & Ebert I was curious to get a better sense of his thoughts on films - after all, he is the only film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize. I was immediately hooked. I was fascinated with his well thought out takes on every film, even when I didn’t agree with him. Reading Roger Ebert made me develop a be

The music video for Michael Jackson's "Thriller," released in December of 1983, was nothing less than a watershed cultural moment for not just Jackson as an artist, but for pop music and music videos as well. "Thriller" was MTV's first world premiere video, and the fact that big names like director John Landis, make-up artist Rick Baker, and actor Vincent Price signed on to make the short film really helped legitimize the new(ish) medium as a legitimate art form. But what abo

Ghouls. Zombies. Monsters. There are a million to one Halloween tropes dating back to the legend of the headless horseman. Halloween is a week away and instead of re-watching oldies, take your TV to 2018 with these modern takes. Zombies iZombie: Liv Moore was a medical student turned zombie after a zombie outbreak boat-party massacre. She now satisfies her brain cravings working at a morgue for the Seattle Police Department and helps solve crimes with the flashbacks of the ea

As I mentioned previously, my wife’s research into zombies and zombie media means that I have seen a lot of zombie movies. At times, too many. But every once in a while, I discover a film that transcends the genre. A film that is more than just a zombie film or a horror film. A film that, despite the chaotic nature of the impending undead apocalypse, finds a way to give us sharply drawn and relatable characters that make us examine our own sense of humanity. 2016’s Train to B

Welcome to Sci-Fi Saturday, a column that is devoted to all things science fiction: film, television, comics, novels, video games, and local Metro Detroit events. If there is a topic you'd like to see covered in an upcoming column, email us at kinoclub313wsu@gmail.com! Earlier this year, we quietly passed the milestone of original Futurama being off the air for fifteen years. I know the show found a second life in reruns and then the reboot (which wrapped up on Comedy Central

Title: Delirium (2018) Genre: Horror, Thriller Director: Dennis Iliadis Stars: Topher Grace, Patricia Clarkson, Genesis Rodriguez Grade: C+ In a Nutshell: After being discharged from a psychiatric hospital, Eric from That 70s Show – er, I mean Tom (played by Topher Grace), is placed on house arrest for thirty days inside his late father’s spooky mansion (yes, there is in fact a creepy portrait of the man hanging up on a wall). Isolated from the outside world with the exceptio

Title: The Glass Scientists (TGS) Genre: Science Fiction/Fantasy Webcomic Creator: Sabrina Cotugno Bias: Full disclosure, I am absolutely obsessed with anything Jekyll and Hyde, and this webcomic is a unique retelling of the story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. So, naturally, when I found out of about this webcomic, I ran to the first page. But for good reason. Who doesn’t like a retelling of a deeply visceral and interesting story about the human psyche? Grade: A+ In a Nutshell

Last week I spoke about 2014’s The Babadook and the way it effectively establishes mood and uses isolation to enhance paranoia. Writing that piece made me think about another overlooked horror film that utilizes the same motifs. 1993’s Body Snatchers is the 3rd cinematic adaptation of Jack Finney’s classic sci-fi novel, following Don Siegel’s 1954 film and Phillip Kaufman’s 1978 version – both titled Invasion of the Body Snatchers. This time around indie auteur Abel Ferrara,

The Halloween season is upon us, and the weather has finally hit that perfect "snuggle up on the couch and binge some TV" temperature. Check out some of my top 9 favorite Halloween episodes, all available to stream now! 1) Bob's Burgers - "Full Bars" (Season 3, Episode 2) While Bob and Linda are hanging out at Teddy's awkward Halloween party, the kids are trick-or-treating solo for their very first time - on King's Head Island! Things go sideways for the parents when Teddy di

Title: Spider-Man System: PS4 Exclusive Studio: Insomniac Games Genre: Superhero Bias: I'm a comic nerd and a casual gamer, so this review is coming from that perspective. Grade: A+ In a Nutshell: After eight years of web-swinging, Spidey has finally managed to take down Wilson Fisk, the Kingpin of Crime. However, a new crime boss, Mister Negative, steps into the vacuum left by the fall of the Kingpin. Mister Negative is driven by a desire to gain revenge against Norman Osbor