2018: Netflix’s First Great Year
I can't believe I'm writing this, but the most critically acclaimed film of the year was just, like, dropped last weekend. On Netflix. Alfonso Cuarón's long-gestating followup to Gravity has absolutely...
From Stage to Screen: Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Notable Predecessors
Lin-Manuel Miranda might be the closest thing the arts industry has to a Renaissance man. While still without an Oscar, the Hamilton writer/composer/singer/actor has the Emmy, Grammy, and Tony (and MacArthur...
Into Heaven’s Mouth: Remembering Alfonso Cuarón’s Y Tu Mamá También
If we include the about-to-be-released Roma, Alfonso Cuarón has only directed eight feature films across a near 30-year career. The reason for this relative slimness of output is likely to have many factors...
The ORWAV Playlist – 2018’s Music Moments
As the end of the year draws near and the nights draw in, what better time to catch up on the films you missed in 2018 or revisit the best of the vintage. A great music cue, where the soundtrack, score, or...
The Thing – Horror Cinema’s Greatest Remake
Creating horror remakes is often a thankless job. Taking familiar intellectual properties with built-in audience recognition and repackaging them with a little more sex or violence than the originals were...
Widows’ Best Shot and How it Takes Over the Film
Any conversation about the director Steve McQueen will involve his long shots. It’s impossible to think of Hunger without remembering Michael Fassbender and Liam Cunningham just chatting for 17 minutes, in...
The Final Girl: How Crimson Peak Became a Victorian Slasher Movie
Buffy: Everyone gets horribly killed except the blonde girl in the nightie, who finally kills the monster with a machete. But it's not really dead. Jennifer: Oh, my God, is that true? Buffy: Probably. What...
22 July, Bohemian Rhapsody and the Responsibility of Real-Life Films
There is a long-running debate within film theory and criticism about the idea of authenticity. Art as a form of expression has social and political consequences, whether these are intentional or not;...
The Violent Female Empowerment of Kill Bill: Volume 1
Before Kill Bill: Volume 1’s release, audiences were already acquainted with Quentin Tarantino’s interests in extreme violence and casual drug use. But once it hit cinemas, Kill Bill proved to be a...
The Most Exciting Films at Venice 2018
When the 2018 Venice Film Festival slate was first announced, people were quick to proclaim it one of the greatest on-paper festival line-ups. We here at ORWAV can’t help but agree, and with our team off the...
What I Learned Watching Jaws For The First Time
There comes a time in every film fan’s life when they have to admit that they haven’t seen one of the universally acclaimed must-see movies, to confess and make amends for a sin of omission. While there...
Why The Dark Knight is the Gayest DC Film Ever
Upon its release in 2008, it was immediately clear that The Dark Knight was an important film. Arriving in the dying days of the Bush Administration, months before the collapse of Lehman Brothers, it’s...
The Purge in the Age of Trump
Prior to 2017, the inauguration of Donald Trump as the President of the United States seemed like an impossibility. Even after he was voted into power, there was confusion and calls for recount. Just like...
The Purge Franchise Retrospect
"Commencing at the siren, any and all crime, including murder, will be legal for 12 continuous hours. Police, fire, and emergency medical services will be unavailable until tomorrow morning...
The Return of the Romantic Comedy
Dust off the wedding bells, dig out the confetti, it’s time to celebrate: the romantic comedy is back! It’s been a long drought but thanks to Netflix, Trump, and possibly Harry and Meghan, the age of...