Abby Olcese

2 days ago | thepitchkc.com | Abby Olcese

Movie-wise, I find there are few things better than going into something relatively cold, with low expectations, followed by the pleasant surprise of having those expectations exceeded. That was how, in 2014, the first John Wick movie hooked me, and hooked so many other people that it turned into a successful multi-film franchise, despite having one of the goofiest trailers in modern memory.

2 weeks ago | thepitchkc.com | Abby Olcese

One of the strengths of the Mission: Impossible series over the years is how it's treated that godawful word "lore." Most current franchises are overly focused on building such a densely-connected world of references and interconnected storylines that if you miss even one entry, you won't understand what's happening (for a recent example, see Marvel's Thunderbolts*, which requires watching at least three movies and a Disney+ series to know who any of the characters are or comprehend the plot).

2 weeks ago | thepitchkc.com | Abby Olcese

Perhaps you've seen an article going around on social media about hot new books to read over the summer, published in the Chicago Sun-Times. For some reason, that article told you to read a number of books that don't exist, by authors who do, and who were both baffled by and justifiably angry about the whole situation. That article, currently going viral for all the wrong reasons, was written by a freelancer who used AI to generate the list of recommended books .

2 weeks ago | thepitchkc.com | Abby Olcese

With the current fascist-leaning state of life in the U.S., it feels like only a matter of time before someone attempts (again) to adapt Aldous Huxley's Brave New World. Versions of Huxley's 1932 dystopian novel were made in 1980, 1998 and, most recently 2020 as a notably ill-received streaming series. But for as many times as it's been attempted, a definitive version-one that sticks in our collective consciousness-has yet to emerge. Thomas Rex would like to be the guy who helps make that happen.

1 month ago | thepitchkc.com | Abby Olcese

It's always a bummer when content and concept don't match up. This is doubly the case with Isaiah Saxon's The Legend of Ochi, a movie deeply inspired by practical effects-driven fantasies like E.T., The NeverEnding Story, and Labyrinth. Saxon and his crew attempt to reintroduce that same tactility - the movie's main furry little guy is a stunning (and adorable) puppet - and it's pretty effective. Unfortunately, Saxon doesn't give his human characters the same attention to detail.