WEST SIDE STORY Review by James Mandell — A Gem of Inspiration
This West Side Story review by veteran recording artist James Mandell comes from a place of reverence for the source material, and awe of Steven Spielberg’s grand feat. It’s here, at last. Couple months back, one of the streamers ran the original 1961 version of West Side Story — which won a dozen Academy Awards that…
AD ASTRA Review — We Get It, It’s Lonely Out in Space
Ad Astra review — the tedium of space travel tests the bravest of astronauts, and audiences as well. The trouble with Ad Astra is that it reflects what’s likely a depressingly accurate depiction of what we can expect space travel to be like for the next couple hundred years: boring. Brad Pitt plays the adult son…
Hulu’s THE FIRST Review — A Video Review and Show You Won’t Want to Miss
Hulu’s The First Review — A Future Worth Watching For sci-fi fans, Star Wars ’n’ Trek remain the starry standard. Which leaves a whole lot of high tech dystopian misery and grime flicks portraying the gap between our Now and their Then. But one of the greatest sci-fi events in history is looming up at…
GHOST IN THE SHELL Review — James Mandell says "See it for the Artistry"
Ghost in the Shell Review by James Mandell Midway through Ghost in the Shell, there’s a scene when two women are conversing and one asks the other “What are you?” For good reason. We’re about a century into the future and have reached the synchronicity tipping point, blending Asimov’s man and robot concept into a more “perfect”…
