Alise Chaffins

3 weeks ago | open.substack.com | Alise Chaffins

Prior to watching I Was Born This Way, I was completely unfamiliar with Archbishop Carl Bean. However, after watching this documentary by directors Daniel Junge and Sam Pollard, I am desperate to learn more. The documentary follows Carl Bean, a musician, activist, and founder of the Unity Fellowship Church of Los Angeles. Following a tumultuous childhood, he discovered that he had a singing voice that was beloved by all who heard it.

3 weeks ago | alisechaffins.substack.com | Alise Chaffins

Adolescence is hell for all but maybe three people, and it’s probably not awesome for them either. It’s an intense time when your brain is undergoing massive changes, which makes it hard to figure out who you are. In his film Lemonade Blessing, Chris Merola examines these changes through the eyes of a young man trying to find his place in a world that is hard to navigate. John Santucci (Jake Ryan) primarily lives with his mother, Mary (Jeanine Serralles), a devout Catholic.

3 weeks ago | alisechaffins.substack.com | Alise Chaffins

For years, Jesse Armstrong cast his eye on the rich and powerful with his work on the show Succession. He brings that same energy in his new film Mountainhead, now on HBO Max, in which four billionaire (or almost billionaire) friends meet during a spate of global violence and economic turmoil that feels strangely prescient. The Brewsters include Hugo Van Yalk, aka Souper (Jason Schwartzman), Randall (Steve Carell), Jeff (Ramy Youssef), and Venis (Cory Michael Smith).

4 weeks ago | alisechaffins.substack.com | Alise Chaffins

Sometimes I’ll choose to watch a show because I like the actors. Sometimes I choose it because some aspect of the story echoes something that I have gone through. Sometimes I choose it because I trust the studio producing it. With Apple TV+’s new series Stick, from showrunner Jason Keller and starring Owen Wilson, it was a bit of all of these. Pryce Cahill (Owen Wilson) has been struggling. He has just signed divorce papers, ending his marriage to Amber-Linn (Judy Greer).

1 month ago | alisechaffins.substack.com | Alise Chaffins

Note: This review has spoilers for season 6 of The Handmaid’s Tale. If you haven’t seen the season yet, this is your warning to turn away before I ruin it for you. The final episode of The Handmaid’s Tale has aired, and I think long-time fans are having some feelings. I am one of those long-time fans, even through all of the ups and downs of the show, and I am indeed having some feelings.