Breaking down ‘The Rings of Power’

As part of the Decoding TV podcast, I’ll be doing coverage of Prime Video’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power with Don Marshall. Don Marshall regularly shares his knowledge of Middle Earth with his 580K+ Tiktok followers and I’m so thrilled that he’ll be providing his expertise with for this momentous show.

You can watch our breakdown of the first couple of episodes on YouTube above, or tune into the podcast version of the same.

Did Maverick Die at the Beginning of ‘Top Gun: Maverick’?

Did everything we see in Top Gun: Maverick actually happen? Or was most of it actually a death dream that Tom Cruise’s character had right as his mind was disintegrating in the Darkstar?

I first learned about this theory from Bill Simmons’ Rewatchables podcast and an Alison Willmore piece over at Vulture. While my first reaction was to reject it as silly…I think it’s actually possible to read the film this way! In the above video, I break down the case for this theory.

‘Severance’ Season 1 Review

I was pleased to have the chance to chat with Myles McNutt about Severance season 1 for my YouTube channel. We discussed why this season of the show delivered the goods, what we thought about each of the character storylines, and our hopes/dreams/fears for season 2.

Konogonada’s ‘After Yang’ Is About What It Means To Be Asian-American

Kogonada’s After Yang is a gorgeous, lyrical film that asks the same questions that great sci-fi films do: What does it mean to be human? What defines us? Is it our memories, our emotions, our compassion? What is love, really, when you think about it?

For me, the film made me reflect on what it means to be Asian-American. In the video essay above, I explain why. Thanks hope you have a chance to check it out!

This Projector Changed My Life

I’ve resisted living the Projector Life for many years but I recently gained access to an office space that had a huge white wall, so I thought: Why not give this a shot? I purchased the BenQ HT2050A for about $700 and i’ve been blown away by how good the image is (especially at this price point).

In this video review, I break down why I love this projector but also some of its limitations. Check it out!

Noomi Rapace tells me about her new film, ‘Lamb’

It’s a busy month! October is the first month in a long time that feels packed with major, blockbuster movie releases.

In the midst of that, A24 is releasing Lamb, a new film from first-time director Valdimar Jóhannsson. In the film, a childless couple in rural Iceland make a shocking discovery in their sheep barn one day. How they navigate it will have huge implications for their relationship and their relationship with the nature around them.

Noomi Rapace (Prometheus, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) plays Maria and she’s incredible in this film. She brings so much intensity and vulnerability to her role and makes the entire thing worth watching on her own.

For Culturally Relevant and on YouTube (above), Noomi chatted with me about her role in the movie, how she got inspired to act in the first place, and what the hardest scene in the movie was to film.