Original Source Matthewrozsa.com

There is a funny thing about the "Final Destination" franchise. If you're talking about the five films that were released between 2000 and 2011 (I am not familiar with the book series or planned reboots), it is safe to say that you genuinely liked the first film, appreciated the opening act of the second movie and admired the twist ending of the last one, but were unimpressed by everything...

Pennsylvania, the state that I have been proud to call home for more than two decades, is poised to decide the 2020 presidential election... and there is no legitimate way Trump can win this state. Even if he garners the most votes, a Trump victory in Pennsylvania will betray the precious heritage we inherited from William Penn, Benjamin Franklin, David Wilmot, Thaddeus Stevens, Gifford Pinchot...

As I write this review, I'm about to visit my family to celebrate Yom Kippur. It is the Jewish holiday associated with atonement and reflecting on the human condition... and "Sling Blade," though it does not directly deal with Jewish culture, confronts the moral ideas behind this holiday as effectively as any drama ever captured on celluloid. "Sling Blade" is a movie about judging people by...

It's hard to say what exactly makes a certain movie "rewatchable." Obviously you need an interesting story, a talented cast, well developed characters and top notch writing. It usually helps to build a world around your plot, or at least give the impression that a larger one exists. For a movie to be rewatchable, it is not enough that it be merely good, or even great. It must feel like a home...

I am not here only to review "Manhunter," but I definitely recommend it. The obscure 1986 crime thriller is mostly remembered for being the first movie to feature iconic fictional serial killer Hannibal Lecter, although the part is played by Brian Cox instead of Anthony Hopkins. It is a quality film, adapted from the Thomas Harris novel "Red Dragon" by director Michael Mann (Heat, Collateral,...

I'm not a fan of Westerns, but I loved "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs." To understand my reluctance to embrace Westerns, check out this piece I wrote for Salon three years ago in which I compared the cinematic genre to superhero movies. Like superhero flicks, Westerns tend to follow the same formula beat-for-beat and have limited capacity to create three dimensional characters. There are some...

"The Bye Bye Man" is one of those movies that takes on a completely different meaning when you know its backstory. Like actors John Cazale in "The Deer Hunter" and Chadwick Boseman in "Black Panther," a major creative force in shaping "The Bye Bye Man" struggled with a terrible illness at the time of filmmaking. There are some key differences. Cazale and Boseman were actors who knew while making...

What is a human being? The scientific answer to that question, at least insofar as it relates to the human species, is simple. We are a primate, highly intelligent and skilled at utilizing tools, which has managed to overtake the planet with a vigorous effectiveness rivaled only by viruses ravaging individual living organisms. On an individual level, though, human beings are complex. We are...

I just watched "7500" and was left with a one word response after it was over: Wow. I can't think of a better pandemic era distraction. This movie captures our claustrophobic, paranoid zeitgeist — despite being made before we entered this chapter of history. The bulk of the film takes place in the cockpit of a plane, where a plucky young pilot named Tobias Ellis (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) must safe...