It’s hard to know what to expect from The Zone of Interest when watching it for the first time. It’s a “Holocaust movie” – a loaded phrase that, in itself, implies undue dramatization, exploitation, and sterilization of a genocide. Schindler's List, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, and Life is Beautiful have all seen their fair share of criticism, and rightly so; there’s something insidious about using the real-life death of millions as a basis for entertainment. So when audiences…

While I, like most, would never stoop to rolling my eyes at news of a new blockbuster score by the likes of John Williams, Danny Elfman, Hans Zimmer, Michael Giacchino, or any of the other time-tested titans of the harmonic cinematic, I can’t help but be increasingly more excited about the widespread boom of underdog composers suddenly becoming household names. Some of my favorite film scores of the past few years weren’t works from any of the certified GOATs of…

Morgan: Layla is a wonderfully enjoyable exploration of love and living in queer spaces, that avoids the pitfalls that often come from telling queer stories: it isn’t about suffering. It’s a sweet and funny romantic comedy that perfectly encapsulates the issues of young relationships. Both the lead and their love interest are interested in each other, but struggle to feel comfortable enough with the different facets of their lives to make the relationship make sense. Their worlds are inherently incompatible,…