Essay
Countdown to Pearl Harbor: The Twelve Days To The Attack
Countdown to Pearl Harbor: The Twelve Days To The Attack by Steve Twomey I really wasn’t expecting much of this read; I grabbed it while I was at Pearl Harbor because how could I not get a book while I was there?
By Matthew J. Fromm2 months ago in Critique
Understanding the P. Diddy Controversy and the 50 Cent Factor
For over three decades, the name Sean "Diddy" Combs was synonymous with the pinnacle of American success. From the glitz of the "White Parties" in the Hamptons to the chart-topping dominance of Bad Boy Records, Diddy wasn't just a mogul; he was a gatekeeper of culture. However, by 2025, the music industry’s most polished facade finally cracked. What followed was a legal and social collapse so comprehensive that it transformed a global icon into a cautionary tale of power, ego, and accountability.
By Teodor Monescu2 months ago in Critique
"Challengers" Movie Review
Challengers is a triumphantly sexy cinematic rollercoaster ride, too incredulously fun not to watch. Tashi Duncan is played by Zendaya, the exceptionally emotive young movie star. Matched against her are two gorgeously nerdy-looking young players, Mike Faist as Art Donaldson and Josh O’Conner as Patrick Zweig. All three have the blessing of great chemistry whenever they spar across screen. Alongside their star qualities are bouncing timelines, demonstrating a lifetime of flagrantly competitive choices that create a trail of wasted potential and misguided lust. Director Luca Guadagnino really knows how to make a graceful yet scandalous picture. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross's EDM score intensifies the thrill of tennis and prideful characters up to an eleven. After watching Challengers multiple times, I am forced to argue that all sporting events should henceforth take place at a fist-pumping rave. When first hearing about this movie, I thought the entire plot had been offered up within the two-minute trailer. Two friends like a tennis star. Tennis star has a career-ending injury. Tennis star picks blonde boy, and brunette boy is angry. Audience members think they have digested the full ingredients of the film before getting their soles sticky from the theatre floor. Yet, this new-age masterpiece is anything but a simple meal.
By Spider Black2 months ago in Critique
The Tainted Cup
The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett I made this entire series to write this review. The 2024 Hugo Winner is a Holmes and Watson style whodunnit taking place in a fantasy world that blends Area X from the Southern Reach Trilogy and The Lost World–more on the setting later.
By Matthew J. Fromm2 months ago in Critique
The Lost City of Z
The Lost City of Z by David Grann Growing up I thought I wanted to be an archaeologist. Now that I’m a ripe 32, I realize what I really wanted to be was an adventurer–someone who dug deep into the dark and emerged with treasures unseen for millennia.
By Matthew J. Fromm2 months ago in Critique
Mistakes in Stranger Things - Season 5
Stranger Things 5: A Train Wreck of Lazy Writing and Brand Blunders When Stranger Things first dropped in 2016, it was a masterpiece of atmosphere and tight storytelling. It felt like a love letter to the 80s. Fast forward to Season 5, and that love letter has been shredded. What we got instead was a bloated, nonsensical mess that felt like the creators were just checking boxes to get it over with. It wasn't just a disappointment; it was a total collapse of the logic and stakes that made us care about Hawkins in the first place.
By Teodor Monescu2 months ago in Critique
Words of Radiance
Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson And so we come to the yearly ovation for Mr. Sanderson. The man is a genius, his lecture series is one of the most important resources ever developed for writers, and I’m yet to pick up a Sando that’s scored below a 70. I have critiques that we’ll come to, but suffice to say I am a big supporter of Sanderson.
By Matthew J. Fromm2 months ago in Critique
A New beginning
A new beginning is like a brand-new box of crayons. You open this new box and there are those colors so bright and ready to go, as so many of us do in January it seems. Ready to start new projects and looking forward to what these colors will project in our various projects that are or may be planned. We look to be optimistic in our color choices from the reds to the yellows to the greens and blues and all the opportunities that these colors give us to think and choose for not everything is black and white.
By Mark Graham2 months ago in Critique
The Blade Itself
The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie Every once in a while, I pick up a book that reminds me fundamentally why I enjoy reading—a book that turns my brain off and sweeps me away to some far flung world that I can sit at any quiet moment and. . . disappear into.
By Matthew J. Fromm2 months ago in Critique
Violinist Accuses Will Smith Of Sexual Harassment In New Lawsuit
For Will Smith to find himself ensnared in yet another controversy lowers his stock even more on the market. Now, with the latest news of violinist Brian King Joseph alleging that Smith triggered his PTSD and psychological damage.
By Skyler Saunders2 months ago in Critique
The Butcher of the Forest
The Butcher of the Forest by Premee Mohamed I loved Becky Chambers’s A Psalm for the Wild-Built. It was a nice warm hug of a book that explored finding meaning in life, our relationship with nature, and how to come to terms with not knowing where a path may lead. I gave it an 89/100.
By Matthew J. Fromm2 months ago in Critique
