Robert

Games

Cadence of Hyrule: Crypt of the NecroDancer featuring The Legend of Zelda Review (Game, 2019)

Game developers Brace Yourself Games are responsible for the 2015 rhythm game Crypt of the NecroDancer. This roguelike rhythm game combines traditional dungeon-crawling adventure gameplay with music to create an experience that was described in many reviews as a musical Legend of Zelda game. You fig

Theater

73rd Annual Tony Awards

The 73rd Annual Tony Awards happened last night. This is my favorite awards show because it is a celebration of the art form I grew up in and have worked in for most of my life. The Tonys offer a glimpse into one of the creative work for one of the best cities for theater. Is NYC the end all, be all

Film

Pokemon Detective Pikachu Review (Film, 2019)

Pokemon Detective Pikachu poses an interesting challenge when it comes to a review. The film is incredibly well produced, but the actual bones of the film are not good. Even for a children’s film, the plot is pure nonsense. I enjoyed the film for what it was while also realizing the…creative limitat

Film

Unicorn Store Review (Film, 2019)

Kit is not happy. She fails out of art school, moves back in with her overly protective parents, and winds up taking on a temp job just to reclaim any sense of respect in the world. Her dreams have always been considered unrealistic but no one bothered to tell her until she faced her first big failu

Film

Us Review (Film, 2019)

I’m going to be forthright in this review. Us is great. Horror fans will find a lot of value in the film. While I will do my best to avoid spoilers for this film, I know from my own experience that I think the film is better enjoyed knowing as little as possible going in. Nothing beyond the initial

Film

91st Academy Awards Reaction and Winners

The 91st Academy Awards happened last night. I cannot speak to the broadcast as I opted to dive into Umbrella Academy instead. Yes, a slick superhero series with some…issues in how it portrays anyone except for straight white men felt far more relaxing than a night of awards that could bring serious

Film

Zombie Musicals and You: A Guide to What You Never Knew You Needed More Of

Anything can be turned into a musical. That’s not a signifier of quality. It’s an invitation to try.

Music

Brandi Carlile and the 2019 Grammy Awards

Brandi Carlile might be one of the most naturally gifted singer/songwriters to come around in a long time. That is not to say that she is a new artist; 2018’s By the Way, I Forgive You is her sixth studio album. Her breakthrough came in 2007 with the release of The Story and she has steadily been cr

Event

Oscar Nominations and Final Awards

The 2018 Academy Award nominations came out last Tuesday and they have me feeling a certain way. I’m going to break down the major categories and share my final nominees and winners in the correlative categories. Let’s get to it.

Reviews

The Masked Singer Review (TV Show, 2019)

I’m no stranger to singing reality shows. I’ve watched everything from your smash hits (American Idol, The Voice) to shows people might remember as if part of a fever dream (The Road to Stardom with Missy Elliott, The One: Making a Musical Star). It’s just hard to know what’s going to make it or not

Film

Black Mirror: Bandersnatch Review (2018)

Black Mirror, more than any other current TV show, attempts to subvert our understanding of media and society in the digital age. Bandersnatch takes everything the series is known for and recontextualizes it in a new form.

Film

Best Films of 2018

2018 was a wonderful year for films across multiple genres, languages, and styles. I did the best I could with this list to present a list I felt comfortable celebrating this year. Even though I appreciated many films released this year, I’m growing increasingly impatient with films that are negativ

Film

First Look: Jordan Peele's Us

On Christmas Day, Universal Pictures released the first trailer for Jordan Peele’s new horror film Us. Jordan Peele is the Academy Award-winning writer/director of last year’s breakout horror film Get Out. He somehow found the time to write and direct another horror film while also developing the la

Games

Dead by Daylight Chapter X: Darkness Among Us DLC (Game, Review)

My host kept eating my review, so I posted it on Twitter instead. I couldn't sleep so I dove into my Dead by Daylight: Darkness Among Us Review. Then my website ate it. I'm tired of sitting on it. I'm just going to embed

Film

Dumplin' Review (Film, 2018)

Willowdean Dixon is the daughter of the biggest celebrity in her hometown. Her mother, Rosie, is both a former Miss Teen Bluebonnet and the current director of the longest running pageant in the history of Texas. Willowdean was basically raised by her Aunt Lucy because her mother was too busy fulfil

Film

The 76th Annual Golden Globe Nominations

This morning, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association announced the nominees for the 76th annual Golden Globe Awards. The ceremony, honoring film and television, will be broadcast live on 6 January at 8 pm EST. These nominees tend to be quite different from the Oscars or the Emmys as the HFPA is com

Games

Epic Games is Launching Its Own Digital Game Store in 2019

It’s a wonderful time to be a PC gamer. Steam gives you access to thousands upon thousands of games in a one stop shop for digital downloads. That’s on top of the still thriving browser game industry (even seeing a resurgence with all the .IO sites, like slither.io or agar.io), proprietary sellers l

Uncategorized

Must Watch: John Waters’ Top 10 Films of 2018

Every year, Artforum publishes John Waters’ list of the Top 10 films of the year. John Waters is the indie auteur behind such iconic B-movies as Hairspray, Pink Flamingos, and Female Trouble. Whether you love or hate his films, there is no denying that Waters is passionate about film and has a uniqu

Books/Print

More on Plagiarism and Integrity in Publishing: Plagiarism Accusations Against Pushcart Nominated Poet

When I think about the latest plagiarism scandal in publishing, I wish for two things. One: I wish plagiarism was not such a common occurrence in the industry. Two: I wish more stories of plagiarism were actually exposed in a way that gets people talking about Intellectual Property Rights.

News

Theater Work

Sorry for the absence again. Sometimes, in theater, when it rains, it pours.

Games

New Dead by Daylight Player Test Build is Live + Teasers for Next Chapter

Have you wondered how I can get a review up of an entire new chapter of DBD within a day of it officially releasing? The Player Test Build, or PTB for short, allows any player on PC to opt into essentially a public beta for the new chapter. You get to test out the new killer, the new survivor, all t

Games

Pokemon: Let's Go Eevee Review (Game Review, 2018)

This review is based on Pokemon: Let’s Go Eevee. I have not had hands-on time with Pokemon: Let’s Go Pikachu. Pokemon: Let’s Go is the newest mainline game in the Pokemon series. It is a reimagining of the 1st Generation games set in the Kanto region. The series started with Pokemon Red/Blue when i

Film

Thoughts on the Dumbo Remake Trailer

Consider Dumbo my problematic favorite. It’s, sadly, not hard to think of times that the Walt Disney Company produced incredibly racist content in its feature and short films. There’s Sunflower, the black centaur and handmaid to the white and blonde centaur in Fantasia, drawn with exaggerated Jim Cr

Games

Pokemon Let's Go: Eevee and Pikachu First Impressions

Three years ago, I called Pokemon Sun/Moon [https://sketchydetails.us/sketchy-details/games/pokemon-sunmoon-review-game-2016?rq=moon] the most accessible entry in the Pokemon series to date. The gym battle system was redone to be more about challenges leading to shorter battles than the total crapsh

Film

Little Evil Review (Film, 2017)

Content warning: Little Evil features a scene about suicide in reference to another horror film. Little Evil is a horror-comedy film about the evil child horror genre. Yes, the film is an evil child film, specifically an antichrist film. At its core, it’s a tribute to the absurdity of the genre. Do