Darrow Farr’s debut novel, The Bombshell, is unlike anything I’ve ever read. Set in Corsica, 1993, 17-year-old Séverine Guimard—the pampered daughter of a French politician—is counting down the days until graduation. Séverine knows she is destined for bigger things and dreams of becoming a famous actress. One evening, she is kidnapped by Soffiu di Libertà,…
The Princess Diaries Books and Film Differences
In June 2024, I finished reading the first 11 books in The Princess Diaries series and it got me thinking about the differences between the books and the films. This listicle was written back then and I have no idea why I didn’t end up publishing it, so here it is! And I know this…
Review: Chosen Family
Heather Graham’s sophomore feature film, Chosen Family, which she both wrote and directed, tells a universal story. Ann (Graham) is a yoga instructor who keeps failing into the same bad patterns in both her familial and romantic relationships. Being around her family is exhausting. Her father (Michael Gross) is a religious zealot who is constantly…
Book Review: Deep Cuts by Holly Brickley
Holly Brickley’s debut novel, Deep Cuts, follows Percy Marks, a music lover with no musical talent of her own, as she navigates the 2000s. At a Berkeley campus bar during the fall of 2000, Percy is indulging in one of her most annoying traits: pontificating about music, this time Hall and Oates. Instead of the…
9 Woman Directed Films I Want to Watch After Reading Cinema Her Way
In 2015, freelance film writer Marya E. Gates embarked on a year-long project titled “A Year with Women” in which she watched nothing but films directed by women. Gates learned that there wasn’t a lack of female directors at all, but rather a lack of discussion and awareness around them. They were—and are—out there making…
6 Upcoming Book-to-Screen Adaptations to Get Excited For
When I say upcoming, I don’t mean they’re coming this year. What I really mean is that they’re coming eventually. But it does give you enough time to read each of these books, which I’ve either read and recommend (the top three) or am about to read real soon (the bottom three)! Don’t worry, though,…
2025 Oscars: My Votes and Predictions
I cannot believe the Oscars are tonight. They’ve completely snuck up on me. I haven’t finished watching everything I wanted to yet, but I’ve marked below what I want to win in pink. An asterisk (*) denotes that I haven’t seen the film yet so they were obviously not taken into consideration for my personal…
Book Review: Retreat by Krysten Ritter
Retreat tells the story of Liz Dawson, a beautiful con artist who insinuates herself into a wealthy socialite’s life with deadly consequences. Isabelle Beresford is strikingly beautiful, obscenely wealthy, and the new owner of Casa Esmerelda, a fabulous villa on the Mexican coast. When she offers Liz a job handling an art installation in her…
Review: Renner
Computer genius Renner (Frankie Muniz) has developed an artificial intelligence named Salenus (voiced by Marcia Gay Harden). Functioning as a life coach, her number one directive is to increase Renner’s assertiveness so he can talk to his attractive new neighbour, Jamie (Violett Beane). After some initial awkwardness on Renner’s part, the pair agree to have…
Review: Blackwater Lane
Blackwater Lane opens with gorgeous shots of the landscape belongings to Elsing Hall, a medieval mansion in Norfolk. In the film, it’s called Crawford House and is home to teacher Cass (Minka Kelly, The Roommate) and her husband Matthew (Dermot Mulroney, My Best Friend’s Wedding), who is a successful businessman. He’s asleep in one room…