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Søren is Editor-in-Chief at Movie Fail. He is a freelance journalist covering science, politics and film. He writes for RogerEbert.com, wrote for ScottFeinberg.com and served as the Assistant Arts Editor for Film and Television at The Massachusetts Daily Collegian.

News

London Film Festival 2024 Highlights

November 1, 2024 By Søren Hough Leave a Comment

Contrary to the laurels ensconcing every independent movie poster and advertisement, not every film festival presentation is going to be a winner. Once you cut through the glitz of celebrity and flashing lights over the red carpet, sometimes these movies simply aren’t very good. I was pleased, then, that of the fourteen or so films […]

News

London Film Festival 2024 Preview

October 20, 2024 By Søren Hough Leave a Comment

London isn’t what you think. Or at least, it’s not what I thought it was. I moved here from the States back in 2016 and was shocked to find that it doesn’t perpetually rain. Not really, anyway. It drizzles. It’s gray. It’s a mild climate year-round, but it also gets weirdly hot and bone-chattering chilly. […]

Interview

Fight the Power: Interview with Cyril Schäublin, Writer/Director of Unrest

September 14, 2022 By Søren Hough Leave a Comment

Everything seems to tick in Unrest, the latest effort from Zurich-born writer/director Cyril Schäublin. Unrest depicts the working lives of 19th century anarchist watchmakers in the Swiss mountains, laying bare the absurdities of the wage system. Schäublin follows workers as they navigate their working hours across four different time zones in one town—factory time, train […]

Interview

Pastries, Freedom, and Love: An Interview with The Artist Airidescence

August 17, 2022 By Søren Hough Leave a Comment

The Artist Airidescence is a multimedia anarchist creator whose work has picked up significant attention on social media. Their ongoing anarchist raccoon art series has been popular enough to warrant sold out print runs on Etsy. Recently, in collaboration with scholar Zoe Baker, they have produced an animated short film entitled Pastries, Freedom, Love: A Malatesta Story based on […]

Op-Ed

Søren On the Science of Vaccines with The Waffle Press Podcast

March 3, 2021 By Søren Hough Leave a Comment

https://www.un.org/sites/un2.un.org/files/field/image/contagion-movies-wallpaper.jpg

Is this a crossover episode? I had the rare opportunity to jump on The Waffle Press podcast and discuss some important issues with my good friends Diego Crespo and Gene Aversa. The first part of our discussion focuses on the hesitancy around vaccines seen both in the general population and among people of color. We […]

News

London Film Festival 2020 Highlights

October 28, 2020 By Søren Hough Leave a Comment

It wasn’t like the last time I’d visited the British Film Institute. The buildings were all the same, massive cubes of concrete sitting along the bank of the Thames. Their façades were aglow with pink and blue lights, as I remembered them last time, glinting off of the river as we crossed Waterloo Bridge. But […]

Movie Review

Planet of the Humans and Climate Change: Muddled, Misinformed or Malevolent?

October 5, 2020 By Søren Hough 2 Comments

Planet of the Humans is a 2020 documentary directed by Jeff Gibbs, executive produced by Michael Moore and distributed by Films for Action. The movie purports to reveal the failures of environmentalists for investing time and activism in green technologies which, according to Gibbs, have not fulfilled their promise for a more sustainable future. You […]

Television

Hoopleheads: Episode 37 “Deadwood: The Movie” with Emily VanDerWerff

September 11, 2019 By Esther Rosenfield, Søren Hough and Emily VanDerWerff 1 Comment

http://collider.com/deadwood-movie-review/

Deadwood: The Movie presents an overtly contrasting final message to the one it gave us over a decade ago, each finale borne of its political moment.

Television

Hoopleheads: Episode 36 “Tell Him Something Pretty” with Harry Edmundson-Cornell

August 25, 2019 By Esther Rosenfield, Søren Hough and Harry Edmunson-Cornell 1 Comment

https://www.hbo.com/deadwood/season-03/12-tell-him-something-pretty/

Deadwood concludes with “Tell Him Something Pretty,” a challenging finale which refuses to give its scrappy underdogs any victory, moral or otherwise.

Television

Hoopleheads: Episode 35 “The Catbird Seat” with Ben Siler

August 18, 2019 By Søren Hough, Esther Rosenfield and Ben Siler 2 Comments

https://www.hbo.com/deadwood/season-03/11-the-catbird-seat/

“The Catbird Seat” releases the pressure valve on Season 3’s tension as the town coalesces on one side of the thoroughfare, Hearst and his goons on the other.

Television

Hoopleheads: Episode 34 “A Constant Throb”

August 4, 2019 By Esther Rosenfield and Søren Hough 2 Comments

https://www.hbo.com/deadwood/season-03/10-a-constant-throb

Hoopleheads Podcast: W. Earl Brown pens one of Deadwood’s most focused episodes, “A Constant Throb,” the thrust of which concentrates on Al regaining his faculties in his existential contest with George Hearst.

Television

Hoopleheads: Episode 33 “Amateur Night”

July 27, 2019 By Søren Hough and Esther Rosenfield 1 Comment

“Amateur Night” closes off several storylines as it consolidates its focus on broiling conflict between the camp and George Hearst.

Television

Hoopleheads: Episode 32 “Leviathan Smiles”

July 22, 2019 By Esther Rosenfield and Søren Hough 2 Comments

https://www.hbo.com/deadwood/season-03/8-leviathan-smiles

Hearst greedily chases new gold mining opportunities, Steve’s horse-minding career comes to an end and the Earps arrive in Deadwood as “Leviathan Smiles.”

Television

Hoopleheads: Episode 31 “Unauthorized Cinnamon”

July 16, 2019 By Søren Hough and Esther Rosenfield 3 Comments

https://www.hbo.com/deadwood/season-03/7-unauthorized-cinnamon

“Unauthorized Cinnamon” is a fantastic episode that provides some of the most exciting revelations and funniest moments in Deadwood thus far.

Television

Hoopleheads: Episode 30 “A Rich Find”

July 7, 2019 By Esther Rosenfield and Søren Hough 1 Comment

https://www.hbo.com/deadwood/season-03/6-a-rich-find

Deadwood winds itself up tight in “A Rich Find,” placing newcomer Odell square in the lion’s den as he seeks out Hearst against his mother’s wishes. Esther and Søren discuss.

Television

Hoopleheads: Episode 29 “A Two-Headed Beast”

June 30, 2019 By Søren Hough and Esther Rosenfield 3 Comments

https://www.hbo.com/deadwood/season-03/5-a-two-headed-beast

“A Two-Headed Beast” is a showdown between Deadwood’s two chief rivals – but it also features the conclusion to one of the saddest, and most prescient, storylines in the series so far. Esther and Søren discuss.

Television

Hoopleheads: Episode 28 “Full Faith and Credit”

June 22, 2019 By Esther Rosenfield and Søren Hough 1 Comment

“Full Faith and Credit” delicately balances Deadwood’s racial dynamics while offering some deeper introspection about who its leading characters really are. Esther and Søren discuss.

Television

Hoopleheads: Episode 27 “True Colors”

June 15, 2019 By Søren Hough and Esther Rosenfield Leave a Comment

https://www.hbo.com/deadwood/season-03/3-true-colors

On a technical level, “True Colors” is often bizarre and always interesting; narratively, this is some of the most exciting material we’ve seen in Deadwood.

Television

Hoopleheads: Episode 26 “I Am Not the Fine Man You Take Me For”

June 8, 2019 By Esther Rosenfield and Søren Hough 1 Comment

https://www.hbo.com/deadwood/season-03/2-i-am-not-the-man-you-take-me-for/

“I Am Not the Fine Man You Take Me For” is an episode that makes a frightening declaration about who Hearst is and what Seth and Al are up against.

Television

Hoopleheads: Episode 25 “Tell Your God to Ready for Blood”

June 1, 2019 By Søren Hough and Esther Rosenfield 1 Comment

In “Tell Your God to Ready for Blood,” director Mark Tinker revels in Deadwood’s brewing conflict between George Hearst, Seth Bullock and Al Swearengen. Esther and Søren discuss.

Television

Stark Contrast: Episode 33 “The Iron Throne”

May 22, 2019 By Søren Hough and Esther Rosenfield Leave a Comment

https://culturess.com/files/2019/05/qgkj_gNm.jpg

However (un)satisfactorily “The Iron Throne” concludes Game of Thrones, it also brings our podcast series, “Stark Contrast,” to a bittersweet end. This week, Esther and Søren close out Stark Contrast.

Television

Stark Contrast: Episode 32 “The Bells” with Josh Lewis

May 14, 2019 By Esther Rosenfield, Søren Hough and Josh Lewis 1 Comment

https://www.hbo.com/game-of-thrones/season-8/5-the-bells

In Game of Thrones’ “The Bells,” Miguel Sapochnik once again uses every visual trick he can find to try reanimate a show long past its prime. Esther, Søren and guest host Josh Lewis discuss.

Television

Stark Contrast: Episode 31 “The Last of the Starks” with AJ Ajetunmobi

May 9, 2019 By Søren Hough, Esther Rosenfield and Ayokunmi "AJ" Ajetunmobi 1 Comment

“The Last of the Starks” struggles to justify its own existence as Game of Thrones meanders in the wake of its climactic battle with Death itself.

Television

Stark Contrast: Episode 30 “The Long Night” with Diego Crespo

May 2, 2019 By Søren Hough and Diego Crespo 4 Comments

https://www.hbo.com/game-of-thrones/season-8/3-the-long-night

Release the confetti, folks: Miguel Sapochnik is back for “The Long Night.” This week we’re treated to 80-ish minutes of Game of Thrones‘ best remaining director choreographing the largest and most complex battle sequence in the show’s history. The results are immediately evident as a striking opening shot of Sam Tarly’s (John Bradley) shaking hands […]

Television

Stark Contrast: Episode 29 “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms”

April 25, 2019 By Søren Hough 4 Comments

https://www.hbo.com/game-of-thrones/season-8/2-a-knight-of-the-seven-kingdoms

After a rough season premiere, Game of Thrones veteran Bryan Cogman turns the show in a positive direction with “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.” Cogman is responsible for writing some of the show’s best episodes (including Season 1’s “Cripples, Bastards and Broken Things” and Season 4’s “Oathkeeper”). His dialogue and character work shows a […]

Television

Stark Contrast: Episode 28 “Winterfell”

April 18, 2019 By Søren Hough 2 Comments

https://www.hbo.com/game-of-thrones/season-8/1-winterfell

Welcome back to Stark Contrast! We’re happy to return to our perennial podcast show where we discuss Game of Thrones. This week, we’re kicking off with the Season 8 premiere, “Winterfell.” It’s a slow burn re-introduction to the denizens of Westeros and Essos that never managed to get J and me excited about the series […]

Television

Hoopleheads: Episode 24 “Boy the Earth Talks To”

April 17, 2019 By Søren Hough 2 Comments

https://www.hbo.com/deadwood/season-02/12-boy-the-earth-talks-to

After last week’s dirge, Deadwood closes out Season 2 with the fantastic “Boy the Earth Talks To.” Director Ed Bianchi is back and it’s immediately apparent. His clever use of depth of field and of framing immediately permeate event he more mundane scenes. Tonally the show also strikes a contrast with its predecessor, trading day […]

Television

Hoopleheads: Episode 23 “The Whores Can Come”

April 14, 2019 By Søren Hough 1 Comment

https://www.hbo.com/deadwood/season-02/11-the-whores-can-come

Watching “The Whores Can Come” in such proximity to the finale, “By the Earth Talks To,” draws a striking contrast. This episode is a funeral: a sunny daytime tale where black clothes contrast with a bright backdrop. The joy of its successor is nowhere to be found; Seth (Timothy Olyphant) and Martha (Anna Gunn) languish […]

Television

Hoopleheads: Episode 22 “Advances, None Miraculous”

April 6, 2019 By Søren Hough 3 Comments

https://www.hbo.com/deadwood/season-02/10-advances-none-miraculous/

J and I both enjoyed “Advances, None Miraculous” from writer Sarah Hess and Deadwood film director Dan Minahan, J going to far as to call it their favorite episode. The episode features a distinct technical touch, embracing techniques like rack focus and dolly shots to set emphasize characters and set scenes, respectively. These little moments […]

Television

Hoopleheads: Episode 21 “Amalgamation and Capital”

March 30, 2019 By Søren Hough 1 Comment

https://www.hbo.com/deadwood/season-02/9-amalgamation-and-capital

Director Ed Bianchi does excellent work with “Amalgamation and Capital.” The episode focuses on Seth’s (Timothy Olyphant) nephew and adopted son, William (Josh Eriksson), whose amiable interactions with different players in the camp put a lighter spin on the Deadwood cast. To build the tension of several plot threads, Bianchi uses clever editing reminiscent of […]

Television

Hoopleheads: Episode 20 “Childish Things”

March 24, 2019 By Søren Hough 2 Comments

https://www.hbo.com/deadwood/season-02/8-childish-things

“Childish Things” is outstanding television. Director Tim Van Patten and writer Regina Corrado offer beautiful vignette-like portraits of human relationships within Deadwood. Meanwhile, the denizens of the camp — enemies and allies alike — coalesce around a charming wager as to whether or not Tom Nuttall (Leon Rippy) can ride his newfangled bicycle across the […]

Television

Hoopleheads: Episode 19 “E.B. Was Left Out”

March 16, 2019 By Søren Hough 2 Comments

https://www.hbo.com/deadwood/season-02/7-e-b-was-left-out

“E.B. Was Left Out” is a generally fantastic episode of Deadwood, even if both J and I found the subplot about the new prostitutes in the Chinese part of camp to be distasteful in presentation. Director Michael Almereyda adds small touches here and there to keep things interesting, particularly in his framings of otherwise ordinary […]

Television

Hoopleheads: Episode 18 “Something Very Expensive”

March 9, 2019 By Søren Hough 3 Comments

https://www.hbo.com/deadwood/season-02/6-something-very-expensive

“Something Very Expensive” is an explosive episode that finally delivers on the foreboding promise of Mr. W (Garret Dillahunt). Here we finally see his truest colors, only hinted at before. He sees the world as transactional; there are proclivities he would like satisfied, and George Hearst provides the capital to cover for his indulgences. Sometimes […]

Television

Hoopleheads: Episode 17 “Complications” (Formerly “Difficulties”)

March 3, 2019 By Søren Hough 1 Comment

https://www.hbo.com/deadwood/season-02/5-complications-formerly-difficulties/

Following a more by-the-numbers episode last week, Deadwood is back with a vengeance in “Complications” under the excellent direction of Gregg Fienberg. Al (Ian McShane) has risen from the near-dead and summoned Bullock (Timothy Olyphant) back into the fray. But as their yin and yang begin to take shape again and set the camp to […]

Television

Hoopleheads: Episode 16 “Requiem for a Gleet”

February 23, 2019 By Søren Hough 2 Comments

https://www.hbo.com/deadwood/season-02/4-requiem-for-a-gleet/

“Requiem for a Gleet” lives up to its name this episode, highlighting a deeply agonized Al (Ian McShane) as he struggles to hold on to consciousness in the face of extreme pain. Indeed, this episode serves as a finale to the Kidney Stone Arc, as it were, finally offering Al a gleet-ful release from his […]

Television

Hoopleheads: Episode 15 “New Money”

February 16, 2019 By Søren Hough 2 Comments

https://www.hbo.com/deadwood/season-02/3-new-money

After a two-part transition from Season 1 to Season 2, we’re finally off to the races with “New Money.” This episode sees the unlikely return of Garret Dillahunt to Deadwood. He previously portrayed the coward Jack McCall, but here he debuts an equally consequential character: Mr. Wolcott, also known as Mr. W. He enters the […]

Television

Hoopleheads: Episode 14 “A Lie Agreed Upon, Part 2”

February 9, 2019 By Søren Hough 2 Comments

https://www.hbo.com/deadwood/season-02/2-a-lie-agreed-upon-part-2/

If “A Lie Agreed Upon, Part 1” is the mountain of conflict, “Part 2” is the valley. The episode plays like a series of deflations. As Bullock (Timothy Olyphant) slowly makes his way across camp to retrieve his weapon and badge from the Gem, he’s waylaid by friends and supporters who do what they can […]

Television

Hoopleheads: Episode 13 “A Lie Agreed Upon, Part 1”

February 2, 2019 By Søren Hough 2 Comments

https://www.hbo.com/deadwood/season-02/1-a-lie-agreed-upon-part-1

After a literal year away from the mic, J and I are very happy to be back! For the next few weeks, we will be covering Season 2 of Deadwood, beginning with “A Lie Agreed Upon, Part 1.” Since last we entered the frontier town, a lot of news — both positive and negative — has emerged around the show. This […]

Interview

Interview with Nora Twomey, Director of The Breadwinner

February 13, 2018 By Søren Hough Leave a Comment

Cartoon Saloon has knocked it out of the park ever since they hit the scene in 2009 with The Secret of Kells. Their feature-length movies have consistently garnered praise from critics. Nora Twomey, who co-directed Kells, is back as a solo director on the studio’s third film: The Breadwinner. The Breadwinner is an adaptation of […]

Interview

Interview with Astrid Goldsmith, Writer/Director of Squirrel Island

December 4, 2017 By Søren Hough Leave a Comment

In a garage somewhere in Folkestone in Kent, a grey squirrel named Dot begins to move, blinking and stumbling forward as she comes to life. Dot looks around an impenetrable, foreboding forest, rife with do-it-yourself artistry. A human hand reaches over to adjust her fabric-covered arms just so. The hand belongs to Astrid Goldsmith, an […]

Television

Ghostwood Radio: Episode 5 “The One-Armed Man”

November 14, 2017 By Søren Hough Leave a Comment

In contrast to the previous episode’s elegiac tone, “The One-Armed Man” is a heated affair. Several plotlines kick into gear, and the lives of the town’s residents begin to intersect. Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) spends most of the episode following up on the leads from his dream. He meets up with the eponymous one-armed man, who […]

News

London Film Festival 2017 Highlights

November 5, 2017 By Søren Hough Leave a Comment

The London Film Festival sprawls across the city, from the café-laden streets of Shoreditch to the glamour of Southbank, by the Thames. Cult cinemas like the Prince Charles and megaplexes like the Odeon off Leicester Square premiere films from around the world. This year, festival darlings like Sally Potter (The Party) and Azazel Jacobs (The Lovers) found themselves front […]

Television

Ghostwood Radio: Episode 4 “Rest in Pain”

November 3, 2017 By Søren Hough Leave a Comment

“Rest in Pain” is a melancholy installment of Twin Peaks. This week we see many of Laura Palmer’s friends and family cry out in anguish as she is finally put to rest. Meanwhile, Agent Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) uses the funeral as a litmus test as he continues to scope out suspects for her murder. Prior to the […]

Television

Ghostwood Radio: Episode 3 “Zen, or the Skill to Catch a Killer”

October 18, 2017 By Søren Hough 2 Comments

Twin Peaks continues to juggle the jovial tone of last week’s episode with the crime serial seriousness in “Zen, or the Skill to Catch a Killer.” In this episode, Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) employs a special technique for identifying the next lead in his case. His bizarre antics lead him to Leo (Eric DaRe), an abusive and violent […]

Television

Ghostwood Radio: Episode 2 “Traces to Nowhere”

October 8, 2017 By Søren Hough Leave a Comment

In this week’s episode of Twin Peaks, we see a shift from the pilot. A lighter tone has begun to seep into the show with “Traces to Nowhere,” with obvious moments of levity, a bouncier soundtrack and a brighter, more colorful visual palette. For my part, I welcomed the change from the dour season opener […]

Television

Ghostwood Radio: Episode 1 “Pilot”

September 24, 2017 By Søren Hough 4 Comments

Grab some of that damn good coffee, folks — we’re headed into Twin Peaks! Join us for our new series, “Ghostwood Radio,” in which we’ll be discussing the wildly influential show from David Lynch and Mark Frost. J is a longtime fan of Twin Peaks, a show which in many ways changed the landscape of […]

Television

Hoopleheads: Episode 12 “Sold Under Sin”

September 10, 2017 By Søren Hough 5 Comments

http://www.hbo.com/deadwood/episodes/1/12-sold-under-sin/slideshow.html?autoplay=true&index=4

“Sold Under Sin” reveals the shattered backstories of several key character in Deadwood. From Joanie’s (Kim Dickens) abuse at the hands of her father and subsequently Cy Tolliver (Powers Boothe) to Alma Garret’s (Molly Parker) chattel-like status in Otis’s (William Russ) eyes, we begin to see how Deadwood tells the story of characters breaking free of […]

Television

Stark Contrast: Episode 27 “The Dragon and the Wolf”

September 3, 2017 By Søren Hough 14 Comments

Game of Thrones caps off a landmark season with “The Dragon and the Wolf.” Jeremy Podeswa’s feature-length conclusion certainly exceeds the episode that came before, although it never quite matches the import of its reveals and final moments with the level of filmmaking we know the show can achieve. “The Dragon and the Wolf” finally […]

Television

Stark Contrast: Episode 26 “Beyond the Wall”

August 24, 2017 By Søren Hough 15 Comments

Game of Thrones finally lives up to its namesake novels with “Beyond the Wall” as the forces of ice and fire clash. Josh and I waste no time diving into the episode’s particulars. We generally skate past the timeline issues (1, 2, 3) discussed and debated elsewhere, instead focusing on inconsistencies with characters and narrative. I continue […]

Television

Stark Contrast: Episode 25 “Eastwatch”

August 19, 2017 By Søren Hough 13 Comments

Every episode this season of Game of Thrones has in some way involved a battle sequence, the biggest among them arriving last week. In “Eastwatch,” the show slows down and instead focuses on the fallout of last week’s conflict. In some ways this is to Game of Thrones‘ benefit: we see Davos (Liam Cunningham) demonstrate his smuggling […]

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