Reviews & Dunn

Since the release of “A Clockwork Orange,” directors have attempted to capture the essence of reckless youth and toxic masculinity without making the characters engaging or appealing. Writer-director Gideon Aroni takes on this challenge in “Pure Scum,” a gritty Australian psychological thriller that follows two privileged young men through an increasingly disastrous night in Mel...

When I reflect on the summer of 1998, I was preparing for my junior year, while R&B seemed to be at a crossroads. Brandy and Monica were dominating the youth market with their blockbuster sophomore albums, while established male singers like Luther Vandross and Gerald Levert were comfortably settling into Urban AC.

When you hear the name Tony Rich, “Nobody Knows” is likely the first song that comes to mind. That record was a massive success, and its influence still lingers. However, true music enthusiasts recognize that Rich was never a one-hit wonder. He possessed an incredible talent for songwriting.

After making a splash with “I Saw the TV Glow”, writer-director Jane Schoenbrun continues to carve out a distinctive path with MUBI’s “Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma”. Once again, Schoenbrun takes familiar genre material and uses it to explore more personal themes. However, this time, the results didn’t always resonate with me.

Oscar-winning Matthew McConaughey continues to embrace the mature phase of his career with “The Rivals of Amziah King,” a unique and soulful rural drama directed and co-written by Andrew Patterson.