The Novice Captures the Essence of An Obsessed Artist’s Anxiety in the Context of College Athletics
Despite this genre not being a new one, The Novice offers a fresh perspective with its study of performance anxiety

At Heathrow Airport, a man is razored to death in a toilet cubicle. A young woman, Peggy Foster, is concerned about the disappearance of Michael, her photographer boyfriend, who has been in Vietnam for months. In order to pay the rent, she reluctantly sub-lets her garret flat to a man called John Kirk Lawford. The new tenant wears sunglasses indoors and acts suspiciously. Peggy is lured to an abandoned airfield by a call from Michael but is shot at by a sniper. Back at her apartment block she is shocked to find that a man has apparently committed suicide by jumping from her balcony. While the police question Peggy, a stranger turns up and announces himself as John Kirk Lawford! Shirley, secretary to Peggy's lascivious publisher, is killed by a black-gloved intruder and the mystery deepens...
Despite this genre not being a new one, The Novice offers a fresh perspective with its study of performance anxiety
“Ad Astra” is a film that possesses similar beats to sci-fi classics, falling into the realm of cinematic hypnotism, and pulling us in with its mysteriously intoxicating identity.
Netflix’s new comedy drama, Don’t Say Good Luck, is a heartwarming tearjerker as well as a love letter to the transformative power of being a theater kid. Directed by Julia Hart, Don’t Say Good Luck follows Sophie (Sunny Sandler), a theater kid who finally gets the lead role in her school’s production of Waitress - just as she finds out her mom Elizabeth (Melanie Lynskey) is dying of cancer. While the singing is by no means spectacular and Sandler’s acting is stiff, the film is grounded in the moving performance of Lynskey as a mother who wants nothing more than for her daughter to achieve her dreams, even if she can’t be there to see them.
This remake of the Disney Channel Original Movie of the same name brings a strong representative cast.
The major flaw of the series is that it’s hosted on Netflix and barely makes malicious comments about it despite being focused on the lives of people directly affected by the Capitalist mentality of the OTT corporation.
This film manages to be simultaneously topical and timeless. Without being preachy, it highlights society’s flawed relationship with tech; insights into the complex ideas of family struggle are expertly dispersed among a perfectly paced and balanced story.