Published Works
Books + film reviews + long-form analysis + cultural criticism
The Feminist Film Guide: 100 Great Films to See (That Also Pass the Bechdel Test)
March 22, 2022
Smith Street Books
Have you noticed something about every “100 Greatest Movies Ever Made,” or “100 Films to See Before You Die” list? The people in those movies … they’re almost all men. With so much incredible cinema to choose from, there’s only so many movies you can watch about bunch of white guys struggling with their daddy issues, right?
It’s time to push past the male gatekeepers of what makes a movie “great” or “culturally significant” and get a broader view of what’s out there. This curated selection of great films spans eras and genres, from the overlooked female trail-blazers of the silent era and the iconic triple-threat performers of classic Hollywood, to the gun-toting rebels of the ’80s and ’90s and the funny women absolutely dominating comedy in the new millennium. The Feminist Film Guide offers a fresh take on what defines great cinema and lends a voice to the female creators and characters who’ve defined the artform.
Possessor - review
Sept 26, 2020
Cinema Scope
“Abject horror and desire stem from a similar impulse that both repulses and attracts at the same time (and similarly, though I watched the bloodiest parts of Possessor through my fingers, I couldn’t entirely bring myself to look away).”
Blood Quantum - review
Jul 3, 2020
Cinema Scope
“It is undeniable that Barnaby has, in his words, ‘indigenized zombies’ and confronted viewers with uncomfortable truths about Canada’s history—subject matter that viewers may not otherwise be willing or accustomed to thinking about in a meaningful way.”
More Habits Than Dreams: The Hottest August
Aug 23, 2019
cléo
“Is there a possibility for a world that doesn’t make us sick?”
Agnès Varda is so much more than her grandmother image
Mar 22, 2018
NOW Magazine
“Varda’ s influence within the New Wave has enjoyed a rehabilitation, starting as far back as 1965 when French historian Georges Sadoul boldly rechristened La Pointe Courte as truly the first film of the Nouvelle Vague. But within the popular imagination, the designation Grandmother of the French New Wave has been a persistent one.”
Why Magnum, P.I. is better than your favourite prestige TV series
Nov 15, 2017
National Post
“The problem with unpredictability as a trope is that it becomes predictable, and predictable unpredictability has a short shelf life.”
The important questions: Can you find true love at a film festival?
Sept 6, 2017
National Post
“It didn’t occur to me until later that I had experienced a 'meet-cute,' a trope of romantic comedies in which the attractive leads meet for the first time.”
Nothing Sacred - title design analysis
Jul 18, 2017
Art of the Title
“The legacy of 1937 screwball satire Nothing Sacred is an unexpectedly tragic one: it became star Carole Lombard’s only appearance in a colour film, released five years before she famously perished in a plane crash at 33. But it is also the only film credit of Sam Berman, celebrity caricaturist and the film’s title designer.”
Dress coding 9 to 5
Apr 21, 2017
cléo
“The power struggles between the main female characters and their employers play out in the sartorial details of the film’s costume design.”
Why Riverdale Is Not the Show We Need Right Now (and that’s just fine)
Mar 30, 2017
Paste Magazine
“What we talk about when we talk about Riverdale has less to do with exalting it as a commentary on our times than it does with giggling over our teen crushes or determining which of our friends is the Jughead.”