I have been freelancing for Vulture since 2019, and from 2022 to the start of 2024 I worked there full-time in a series of back-to-back temp roles, first editing TV recaps and then filling in as the Recommendations Editor and then Updates Editor when the two staff editors were on maternity leaves. During this time I commissioned, edited, and published numerous recaps and critical lists, including massive projects like the 100 Hardest Video Game Levels list. I also co-wrote the weekly weekend “What to Watch” newsletter. Below is a selection of stories that I wrote for the site, either while on staff or as a freelancer.
Godzilla As an ‘Undiscerning God’
The latest Godzilla movie, Godzilla Minus One, unleashed the King of the Monsters on a Postwar Japan that was already in ruins. I spoke with director Takashi Yamazaki and star Ryunosuke Kamiki about the film, including how it handles the potentially thorny issue of nationalism. After Godzilla Minus One was nominated for an Oscar for Best Visual Effects (an award it went on to win), I spoke to Yamazaki again and he told me How Godzilla Minus One Pulled Off Its Oscar-Winning VFX for Less Than $15 Million.
Harry Hamlin Answers Every Question We Have About Clash of the Titans
For Clash of the Titans‘ 40th anniversary, I spoke with Harry Hamlin about the making of the cult classic movie, which featured clashes with the producers over decapitations, apartheid, and robot owls.
Army of the Dead’s Dave Bautista Wants to Be a Less ‘Alpha’ Action Hero
The star of Netflix’s zombie flick explains why he’s always trying to subvert expectations with his physicality as an action hero and answers questions about Knives Out and Guardians of the Galaxy.
Hank Azaria Answers Every Question We Have About Godzilla
For the 25th anniversary of the much-maligned 1998 Godzilla, I spoke with star Hank Azaria about how the film stomped on his aspirations for a career level-up, filming in miserable rain, and working with two co-stars from The Simpsons on a live-action monster movie.
The Team Behind the Mortal Kombat Theme Song Had No Idea They’d Created a Knockout
In anticipation of the Mortal Kombat reboot, I tracked down Belgian musicians Olivier Adams and Maurice “Praga Khan” Engelen to get the story of how they created the iconic “Mortal Kombat” theme for the ’90s movie — a theme we’re still hearing today.
The 100 Fights That Shaped Action Cinema
I contributed several blurbs to Vulture‘s massive list about the history of big screen fights and I also consulted on which movies would make the final cut. (I didn’t end up blurbing it, but putting a fight from the Jackass series on the list was my idea.)
Dementus’s Color-Changing Cape Is the Key to Understanding Furiosa
Chris Hemsworth’s villain in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is one of the most interesting new villains to grace the silver screen in some time. In this essay, I explain why one article of clothing tracks his descent into further villainy, and how that fall matches with Furiosa’s rise to the rarest of things in the wasteland: a true hero.
TV Recaps of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters and The Legend of Vox Machina
I recapped two series for Vulture, providing weekly episodic explainers combined with a hefty does of criticism and analysis.
An Exhaustive List of All the Easter Eggs and Comic Book References in Avengers: Endgame
An extremely thorough round-up of every Easter egg or other sort of reference in Avengers: Endgame. Easter egg round-ups aren’t gonna win any Pulitzers, but they’re an important part of modern entertainment coverage, so it’s important to do ’em well.
Show Me the Alien Foreheads
This was unhinged, sorry, but I stand by it as criticism of the creative limitations of modern-day Star Wars.