Category Archives: Movies and Television

Top Gun: Maverick and Authentic School Leadership

Posted on January 8, 2023 by Anthony_Perrotta

For many film critics Peter “Maverick” Mitchell is the quintessential Tom Cruise role. Like many of Cruise’s characters, Maverick is a character navigating some type of personal trauma, who then discovers something about himself that requires critical reflection. This reflection … Continue reading →

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Before Visiting Pandora, Enter The Abyss

Posted on December 23, 2022 by Anthony_Perrotta

Before you take a deep dive into this love letter to The Abyss (1989) it’s imperative that I disclose a conflict of interest. I was born and raised in Niagara Falls, Canada, where James Cameron first found his teenage love … Continue reading →

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[Media Literacy] Lightyear: A Family Watch Guide

Posted on August 4, 2022 by Anthony_Perrotta

Setting the stage for family movie nights can help in nurturing young people to be active consumers of media text.  In the spirit of reading deeply, providing young viewers with an opportunity to reflect and share prior knowledge can nurture … Continue reading →

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[Trailer Review] Halloween Ends

Posted on August 2, 2022 by Anthony_Perrotta

With the return of Jamie Lee Curtis to the Halloween franchise in 2018, the new series of Jason Blum produced and David Gordon Green directed films have garnered huge box-office results along with divisive critical response. Premiering as part of … Continue reading →

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[Movie Review] Tom Cruise Soars in Top Gun:Maverick

Posted on July 3, 2022 by Anthony_Perrotta

Simply put, Tom Cruise is Top Gun: Maverick and perhaps the last true Hollywood movie star. In a pop culture landscape filled with reality television personalities, TikTot challenges and superhero multiverses, the selling-power of a marquee name on a movie … Continue reading →

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[Movie Review] Spielberg’s West Side Story is a Masterpiece

Posted on March 27, 2022 by Anthony_Perrotta

I’ve spent many years studying and appreciating film. From my time in college and university diving deep into production and theory, I can without hesitation share that my fandom for Steven Spielberg was polarizing. Perhaps, this is because I was … Continue reading →

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[Movie Review] Leatherface Returns

Posted on March 11, 2022 by Anthony_Perrotta

Other than comic-book inspired movies, horror continues to resonant in theatres during the pandemic. In the past nine months, horror has dominated the box office with The Quiet Place 2, Candy Man, The Conjuring : The Devil Made Me Do … Continue reading →

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[Movie Review] King Richard

Posted on January 29, 2022 by Anthony_Perrotta

It seems that late 2021 was Will Smith’s time to remind both readers and movie watchers that destiny doesn’t come by accident. Rather, who we are, want to become and where we want to be is far from accidental. It’s … Continue reading →

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[Media Literacy Lesson] Don’t Look Up

Posted on December 29, 2021 by Anthony_Perrotta

Well before COVID and when streamers became first release exhibitors of major Hollywood pictures, star-driven movies such a Don’t Look Up would be a significant box office draw. The likes of Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence coupled with a topical … Continue reading →

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Luca: The Importance of Seeing Fully

Posted on July 2, 2021 by Anthony_Perrotta

More so than any other studio, Pixar has been consistent in its output of family friendly films that don’t shy away from the complex narratives that shape the shared experience of movie goers. From the studio’s first feature Toy Story … Continue reading →

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