Culture Writing
My writing on movies, television, books, and comedy has been published in a variety of outlets, including Paste (where I am a contributing television writer), Time, the Los Angeles Review of Books, Cineaste (where I am an assistant editor), Film School Rejects (where I was a contributor for five years), and numerous other outlets, including Senses of Cinema, Crooked Marquee, Millennium Film Journal, and LateNighter. I've also written scripts for the popular video essay channel, Entertain the Elk.
Over two years, I wrote dozens of research-drive feature columns for Film School Rejects, "Real Stories" were deep dives into the true histories behind movies and television shows, focusing primarily on new releases and retrospective pieces during notable anniversaries. The other, "Brief Histories" aimed to explain trending topics in popular culture. (full archive here)
I am currently a contributor to the Television section at Paste, where I write a weekly column on the best in late night television. I was previously a contributor to the Comedy section, where I covered news and wrote features and reviews. (full archive here) For Crooked Marquee, I write regular columns on classic movies and film history (full archive here).
As an assistant editor at Cineaste, I help assist with editorial workflow, website maintenance, social media management, copy editing and contribute to the magazine. I also vote in the Dorian Awards as a member of GALECA and am an alumnus of Berlinale Talents.
A selection of my recent work can be found below. A more complete archive of recent film writing is here, and more on television and comedy is here.
Essays
"Martin & Lewis: An Act of Transgression," Los Angeles Review of Books, December 2, 2024.
"Manhattan, Mattel, & the Democratic Myths of America," Monochromator, Issue 1, June 204. (Magazine issue on Barbenheimer. More here).
"Watching Watchers Watch: On the Early Films of Jane Schoenbrun," Paste, May 13, 2024.
"'Fool me once…' Christopher Jason Bell’s Miss Me Yet," Millennium Film Journal, No. 79 (Spring 2024)
"How After Yang Recalls Kogonada’s Video Essays," Film School Rejects, March 4, 2022
Reviews
"A New Special Finds Hasan Minhaj Relaxed, Confident, and Ready to Move Past the Backlash," Time, October 22, 2024.
"The 2024 New York Film Festival," Cineaste Vol. L, No. 1, Winter 2024.
"Review: Lee (2024)," Cineaste Vol. L, No. 1, Winter 2024.
"The 2024 Tribeca Festival," Cineaste, Vol. XLIX, No. 4, Fall 2024.
"Conner O'Malley's Rap World Is the Manic Movie of the Summer," Paste, August 14, 2024
"Steph Curry Shows Off Comedy Skills in Mr. Throwback," Paste, August 8, 2024
"Elaine May's Shaping of American Comedy Chronicled in Essential New Biography," Paste, July 16, 2024
Historical Features
"Johnny Carson’s Thanksgiving to Remember," LateNighter, November 27, 2024.
"Joan Rivers Guest Hosted a Halloween Tonight Show Like No Other," LateNighter, October 31, 2024.
"The Brainy Type: Bob Newhart at the Movies," Crooked Marquee, August 9, 2024
"The Best Man at 60: When Hollywood Said 'Homosexual'," Crooked Marquee, April 5, 2024
"The Dark Ocean Endures: Finding Nemo at 20," Crooked Marquee, May 24, 2023
Video Essay Scripts
"The Day Family Guy Was Born," Entertain the Elk, May 24, 2024.
"The Day Seinfeld Was Born," Entertain the Elk, September 13, 2023.
"Disney Finally Fixed Their 30-Year Mistake," Entertain the Elk, December 9, 2022. (On a deleted scene from The Muppet Christmas Carol).
"Why Did Spaghetti Westerns Look Like That?," Entertain the Elk, January 12, 2022. (On the close-up in the films of Sergio Leone.)
Lists
"The Daniels Short Films to Watch If You Loved Everything Everywhere All at Once," Paste, December 14, 2022.
"8 Great Oscar-Nominated Shorts (and How to Watch Them)," Film School Rejects, March 11, 2023.
"The Best Non-English Language Films of 2022," Film School Rejects, January 15, 2023