Announcing the Rotating Reels Podcast

Join FilmTran writer Keegan Tran alongside Hank Showalter and Taylor May for the Rotating Reels film review podcast. Each week we will review a new movie, with "On" weeks being a major release and "Off" weeks being a film recommended to us by one of the three hosts.

In our first episode, we review Netflix's "Pieces of a Woman"

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First Cow is a Litmus Test for Pretentious Film Snobs

By Keegan Tran Am I dumb? Do I just not get it? You're telling me a movie shot nearly 40% at night with no lighting who's subtitles read "grunting" for a vast amount of its runtime is being lauded by many film critics as one of the best films of 2020? In the same way we're allowed to give in to our innate urges and blindly enjoy superhero films, considered to be "low-brow" filmmaking; so to are we to renounce unenjoyable, pretentious drivel. Often times I describe the films produced under the A24 banner as "peculiar caucasian characters played by big name actors acting peculiarly", a sentiment encapsulated by First Cow almost to a T (sans a Chinese lead). There's certainly fun to be had with our two leads, but it hardly justifies seeing the film through to completion. Look, I don't hate "First Cow". And I don't want the takeaway from this article to be "I didn't enjoy First Cow, so there's no way you did eithe

Filmtran's Top Film and Television of 2020

By Keegan Tran In a year devoid of traditional theatrical releases due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the film and television landscape was changed immeasurably. Wonder Woman 1984, Trolls World Tour, and Christopher Nolan's Tenet have fundamentally changed the way studios and theater chains approach releases. Studios scrambled to adjust their release calendars and salvage their investments by transitioning to streaming. However, 2020 stands as a phenomenal year for film and television, from big budget superhero titles to quaint indie productions. Join editor in chief Keegan Tran, senior writer Greetan Kan, and managing editor Neeran Gran for Filmtran's top film and television of 2020. As we are a small operation, it's important to note that this is an incomplete sampling of the year's releases, and as film's such as Minari and Nomadland become more easily viewable, we may amend this list. Honorable Mentions #Alive By all counts a traditional zombie movie; a fun premise a

Dr Jacoby or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Evangelion

By Keegan Tran I’d like to push this blog further into niche obscurity. It isn’t uncommon to hear people talk about Evangelion and Twin Peaks in similar veins. Both represent hugely transformative pieces in their respective mediums, and both have a proclivity towards the cheesy, often slapstick foundations they were built on. I’ve tried on many occasions to watch Evangelion, but would drop the show every time. Much like the Sopranos or Citizen Kane I recognized its importance but could never get myself to enjoy it on its own merits. However, in 2020, shortly after it’s addition to Netflix (I know I know; Netflix’s treatment of the Japanese translation is considerably contentious) I decided to give it another shot. I had recently watched HBO’s Watchmen, some random re-runs of Twin Peaks, and some Gundam for good measure (it’s important later I promise). Somewhere during episode 16 of Evangelion the comparisons

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