Reviews
Ellen Ripley, the Undisputed Queen of the Final Girls
Explore Sigourney Weaver’s iconic portrayal of Ripley in Alien (1979), a sci-fi horror masterpiece by Ridley Scott, highlighting her strength, stoicism, and unforgettable performance.

Alien is a 1979 sci-fi / horror, starring the wonderful Sigourney Weaver, directed by Ridley Scott. I consider it to be one of, if not the, greatest works of sci-fi ever created for the big screen, many of the most memorable scenes in the sci-fi genre come from this film, such as the alien attached to the man’s face or the alien bursting from a man’s stomach. The film tells the tale of a crew manning a space freighter.
The crew is awakened from their sleep by the ship’s computer which tells them about a distress beacon coming from a nearby moon. Upon investigating the shipwreck on the moon a crew member discovers a bunch of Alien eggs and winds up a victim of the aforementioned alien face attachment. Every aspect of this masterpiece of sci-fi is executed flawlessly and atop the mountain of success Alien forged for itself lies a masterful portrayal of the character Ripley by Sigourney Weaver.
Ellen Ripley’s Voice of Reason
Throughout the film she is a voice of reason, even from the beginning. While some of the crew investigates the wreckage, operating under the assumption that they are responding to an SOS signal, Ripley discovers that it is indeed not an SOS, but a warning. She mentions this to Ian Holm’s character Ash and tells him how she wants to inform the investigating crew about the warning, to which he responds “what is the point?..”
If she had indeed caught up with the investigating crew to warn them, maybe Kane’s character (played by John Hurt) wouldn’t have wound up with an alien pancake stuck to his face.
The Alien’s Deadly Arrival
After Kane gets the alien attached to his face, the investigating crew on the ground rushes him back to the ship, which is undergoing repairs from a bumpy landing. Upon their arrival, Captain Dallas (Tom Skerritt) requests for Ripley to open the airlock, she inquires about Kane’s new facial addition and reminds Dallas that there are procedures in place for decontamination and is hesitant to allow him on board due to the possibility of the unidentified organism “infecting the ship”.
Here we are faced with more foreshadowing and more of Ripley’s correct and calculated opinions being stifled by mansplaining. She attempts to (rightly) disobey the direct order from Captain Dallas to “open this door right now,” and is undermined by Ash who opens the door, allowing the crew, and the unidentified alien, aboard the ship. Smooth move Ash.
Betrayal and Expendable Crew
A whole bunch of alien hide-and-go-seek then occurs and then we find a determined Ripley on a mission to get answers from the computer. She discovers that the true nature of the mission was changed to retrieve the alien life form and deliver it back to earth, with the crew listed as “expendable.” In one of her only displays of raw emotion, Ripley cries for about one second, then goes back to warn the others of their new status in the eyes of their employer.
After that moment, she is on a complete warpath to destroy her enemy and leave with the remaining crew in the escape ship.
Ellen Ripley’s Warpath and Survival
Towards the end of the film, we are left with only Ripley and the cat, Jones. Their way into the escape ship is initially blocked off by the alien and she goes back to unsuccessfully try and cancel the self-destruct sequence they had engaged earlier. Eventually they are able to board the escape ship and leave before the main ship explodes. Mission accomplished, right? Wrong. Just as Ripley begins to get undressed for the long sleep back to earth, she realizes the alien is still with her.
She space suits herself up and then gasses the alien out of a small space it wedged itself into aboard the escape ship. The alien then gets in front of the airlock door where ripley super-badassedly shoots it with a space harpoon gun. She opens the airlock, the whole ship depressurizes, and the alien is finally blasted off into space oblivion after getting roasted, medium-well, by the ship’s engine.
The Cat, the Airlock, and Ellen Ripley’s Legacy
Sigourney Weaver’s performance is a masterful one. She portrayed her character with such skill and accuracy, it’s hard to even attempt to imagine anyone other than her playing that role. She showed the emotional restraint that I would imagine to be present with a stoic space Captain, and when her role did indeed call for a more emotional response as we saw during her character’s realization that their lives were expendable, she was able to communicate those emotions perfectly as well, without overshadowing the previously established space captain stoicism. All of that professionalism and badassery she displayed, sharply contrasted by her love towards the cat at the end, it just felt very convincing and wholesome.
Speaking of, I’m not too sure how the cat survived the airlock being opened in the escape pod, but if I had to guess, it was respect for Ripley’s accomplishments over the last few hours that somehow made that cat stay attached to her. I would defy all physics and common sense for her too, Mr. Cat. Overall, I loved her entire performance and she will always be atop my list of favorite, most badass women in sci-fi and horror.
Reviews
[REVIEW] ‘The Last Thing Mary Saw’: A Tale of Love and Loss
The Last Thing Mary Saw takes us to 1840s New York, where Mary (Stefanie Scott) finds herself on the opposite end of the law. Her family has been massacred, and she is the prime suspect. Mary’s life has been turbulent lately when word of her relationship with housemaid Eleanor (Isabelle Fuhrman) comes to light.

I’m pretty much a broken record at this point from saying I’m not a huge fan of pre-1950s period pieces. The Devil’s Bath was a recent film that changed my mind about how I view period pieces, especially ones with a distinct message. For June, I wanted to take a wider look at LGBTQ+ representation and not just watch films that take place in a modern(ish) world. The Shudder Original The Last Thing Mary Saw could be the film to bring me out of my comfort zone and transport me to a world I would never know.
Exploring LGBTQ+ Representation in Historical Context
The Last Thing Mary Saw takes us to 1840s New York, where Mary (Stefanie Scott) finds herself on the opposite end of the law. Her family has been massacred, and she is the prime suspect. Mary’s life has been turbulent lately when word of her relationship with housemaid Eleanor (Isabelle Fuhrman) comes to light.
Love will always find a way, but the outcome may be far from what you expect.
Edoardo Vitaletti’s Directorial Debut
Writer/director Edoardo Vitaletti’s directorial feature debut is truly a sight to behold, pun intended. His approach to this film is one of care and respect. The film’s subject matter is incredibly distressing, and while not ‘based on…’, it feels all too authentic.
Mary and Eleanor are put through emotional and physical torture by those who vehemently disagree with their lifestyle. One thing I could never understand about religion is the hate that surrounds it. Luke 6:31, “treat others as you want to be treated.” Matthew 7:12, “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you.”
But the hate felt by nearly every marginalized community comes from the people who spend two hours on their knees for a zombie every Sunday.
A religious-like film such as Martyrs revels in its torture and uses it as a focal point to create a concise line between good and evil. Rather than making it a focal point, Vitaletti uses the pain and anguish of Mary and Eleanor to tell the heartbreaking story of two women who just want to be in love.
Standout Performances by Scott and Fuhrman
Stefanie Scott gives a chilling performance as Mary, but while not the titular character, Orphan’s Isabelle Fuhrman steals the show. Vitaletti struck gold on the casting for his debut as narry a performance falls flat.
It’s impressive to see a filmmaker with a singular short film under his belt pull such powerful performances out of actors while simultaneously never losing sight of their visual storytelling. Along with Black Friday cinematographer David Kruta, Vitaletti crafts a deliberate, atmospheric tale of love and loss.
A Gripe with Chapter Breakdowns in The Last Thing Mary Saw
My main issue with the film is something I’ve discussed before and is a pretty ridiculous gripe. Films that are less than one hour and 45 minutes should not be broken down into chapters. It strains a film’s pacing and puts the creatives in a box where they MUST hit certain beats to get to the end of said chapter.
There are some moments in the film where it does feel stretched out to accommodate its chapters, as well as times it feels a bit forced to end a chapter.
The Last Thing Mary Saw is a beautiful look at a time thankfully long gone. Well, there are still, unfortunately, a few too many people who think like the antagonists of this film. I’m not sure of the staying power a film like this has in the overall zeitgeist of the genre.
It doesn’t do enough to stand out as a powerful film, even though it’s visually gorgeous and has enough agency to feel effective in what it’s trying to say. This film is definitely not Friday night movie marathon material (it would put one hell of a damper on the night!), but the genre is in an overall better place because it exists.
Reviews
[Tribeca Film Festival 2025] ‘Man Finds Tape’: A Sinister Mockumentary With Something For Everyone

For centuries, humans have been captivated by photographic evidence of the supernatural. From 19th century spirit photos to modern day TikToks of mimics, we just can’t get enough. Paul Gandersman and Peter Hall’s debut feature Man Finds Tape explores the idea of recording supernatural phenomena, as well as how other people react to it.
The Viral Mystery of Man Finds Tape
Lucas Page (played by William Magnuson) achieved internet notoriety after finding old, disturbing tapes in his childhood home, where he still lives. After the discovery of the first tape, which features him as a child and an unidentified person who puts something in his mouth while he was sleeping, Lucas began documenting his investigation into it, as well as the discovery of other tapes—featuring the other members of his family. As one does in our modern age of “share everything!”, Lucas posted videos of his investigation online, in a series he titled—you guessed it—“Man Finds Tape”. His series went viral, leading to thousands of people getting invested in the unfolding story, spectators egging him on, doubters accusing him of making everything up…and, of course, people tracking down his sister, Lynn (Kelsey Pribilski), and posting TikToks in which they invade her space and intrude upon her professional life.
Lynn is, understandably, not a fan of “Man Finds Tape”, so she’s less than thrilled when Lucas requests an urgent Zoom call to show her a video. This one isn’t from their childhood, though; it’s recent surveillance footage of a fatal hit-and-run on a main street in their hometown of Larkin, Texas. The homicide happened in broad daylight, and there were witnesses…sort of. In the video, everyone on the street stops moving simultaneously with their heads bowed down.
It’s enough to get Lynn to return to Larkin, albeit reluctantly and with a healthy amount of skepticism. When she reunites with her brother to help him investigate, things take a sharp twist and get even weirder. The siblings find themselves in the midst of a supernatural occurrence that’s been infecting the people in Larkin for years. At the heart of it all is Reverend Endicott Carr (John Gohlson)—a charismatic preacher and televangelist revered as a pillar of the community.
Style and Execution: A Fresh Take on Found Footage
Presented as a documentary, complete with 911 calls, interviews, recovered footage, and internet forums, Man Finds Tape is a bold and genuinely unsettling addition to the found footage horror genre. Pribilski and Magnuson star as Lynn and Lucas, respectively, both independently and as a team in their shared scenes. Their portrayal of familial conflict overcome by unwavering love and loyalty makes them believable as siblings. Nell Kessler also shines through in her performance as Wendy Parker, Lucas’s one-time girlfriend who is now a surrogate carrying Carr’s baby. Brian Villalobos is also featured as a mysterious stranger who is running his own investigation into Carr. Gohlson’s performance as Endicott Carr is fantastically sinister, but not overly so—he balances paranormal spookiness with the run-of-the-mill creep factor inherent in televangelists.
Along with a strong cast, Man Finds Tape has an interesting and compelling story that will hold viewers captive and at the edge of their seat. There’s something in this film for everyone: true found footage (as in, characters find disturbing recordings), a well-executed mockumentary style, cryptids, small town eeriness, body horror (major trypophobia warning!), and religious horror. The film gets a bit too expository towards the end, but the rest of the movie more than makes up for it.
Man Finds Tape had its premiere at Tribeca Film Festival