Studio Ghibli’s Earwig and the Witch marks their 22nd feature film and their first 3D animated feature. Adapted from the 2011 novel by Diana Wynne Jones (the second film of theirs adapted from her books, the first being Howl’s Moving… Read More ›
Month: January 2021
Q-Bits with “The Midnight Sky” director/actor George Clooney.
During awards season, there are multiple opportunities for filmmakers and journalists to engage in cinema dialogue. Usually, studios will offer talent connected to films that are being pitched for awards’ consideration. During the pandemic, these events (film junkets) have transitioned… Read More ›
Experience director Ryûhei Kitamura’s newly restored exercise in controlled escalation, “Versus,” in a brand new way.
By director Ryûhei Kitamura’s own admission, labels are reductive and restrictive. Though they may help audiences to know where to look on the shelf for something or programmers to know where to schedule, labels imply as much the absence of… Read More ›
Outside of a few unfortunate parallels to current events, “Rams” is a quaint comedy/drama with a delightful cast.
Director Jeremy Sims brings together the talents of Sam Neill, Michael Caton, and Miranda Richardson in Rams, his English-language remake of the 2015 Icelandic film, Hrútar. Rams centers around feuding brothers Colin and Les Grimurson (Neill and Caton, respectively), who… Read More ›
Meet Me at the Movies: 2020 Memories, Part Two.
If you enjoyed Part One, you’re going to love Part Two. That’s right, there’s even more hilarity as I join Meet Me at the Movies hosts Noel T. Manning and Thomas Manning, as well as Poprika founder Darryl Mansel to… Read More ›
Saban Films’s “Wrong Turn” is a thrilling and absolutely gnarly horror film.
Believe it or not, not including this reboot, there are six entries in the Wrong Turn series of films. Predictably, aside from its initial 2003 original, every film in the series was a casualty of the late-2000s boom of direct-to-DVD… Read More ›
Psychological thriller “The Night” masters the familiar haunted hotel setting with technical excellence.
Kourosh Ahari’s psychological thriller, The Night, is a stellar example of a film that may not have the next best original ideas within its genre, but is so well done that it is nonetheless entertaining and worthwhile. Despite a handful… Read More ›
“Archenemy” DVD Giveaway
Did you miss Joe Manganiello’s turn as Max Fist, the supposed hero of the planet Chromium lost across dimensions on Earth? On February 16th Archenemy comes available on Blu-ray and DVD. In partnership with RLJE Films, you can now win… Read More ›
Explore the time-bending sci-fi drama “Synchronic” from the comfort of your home.
The theatrical release of creative team Aaron Moorhead and Justin Benson’s Synchronic did not go exactly as either had hoped. Though it did receive a rollout via traditional and drive-in theaters, Moorhead, Benson, and producer David Lawson implored audiences to… Read More ›
Beautiful, painful, hilarious, & uncomfortable, Sam Levinson’s “Malcolm & Marie” is a declarative statement of artistic talent.
It’s 1 a.m. and Malcolm (John David Washington) and Marie (Zendaya) return home from the premiere of Malcom’s film, a film which left the audience in tears and the critics raving. This should be a time of celebration for the… Read More ›
Derek DelGaudio’s powerful Broadway show “In & Of Itself” challenges our notions of identity.
From my perspective, the purpose of a critic is to observe art, in this case film, and analyze it for what it does well and what it doesn’t. To some degree, this is objective as one considers the artist’s ability… Read More ›
“Let Him Go” Digital Code Giveaway
Outings to theaters may be inconsistent, but do you know what aren’t? Performances from Kevin Costner and Diane Lane. This dynamic pair starred together in the Thomas Bezucha-written/directed 2020 release Let Him Go and we’ve partnered with Universal Pictures Home… Read More ›
Open Dialogue with “Skyfire” director Simon West.
Film director Simon West is no stranger to action/adventure films. From Con Air, to Laura Croft: Tomb Raider, to The Expendables franchise, to the Mechanic – West has always had an appreciation for infusing energy into the cinema. With the… Read More ›
Open Dialogue with “Antebellum” directors Gerard Bush and Christopher Renz.
Filmmakers Gerard Bush and Christopher Renz have worked together for over a decade, and their feature film debut Antebellum as writers/directors received praise for genre-bending, creative narrative, social commentary and technical achievements. Today on Open Dialogue with Noel T. Manning II,… Read More ›
Be careful out there. If you “Flinch,” you’ll catch a bullet.
If you’re familiar with Cameron Van Hoy, it may be because of his work as Eddie Alvarez in STARZ’s Crash or as Deputy Duke in the hilarious slasher-comedy Tragedy Girls (2017). With luck, thanks to his feature-length directorial debut Flinch,… Read More ›
The “PG” in Steven Kostanski’s horror comedy “PG: Psycho Goreman” stands for “plenty-o-gore.
According to the production notes accompanying my screener, writer/director Steven Kostanski (The Void) grew up wondering what it would be like to hang out with the iconic villains of his youth: Skeletor, Megatron, Cobra Commander, etc. As an adult, his… Read More ›
Open Dialogue with “Rising Phoenix” directors Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui.
Directors Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui capture the history, the passions, and the impact associated with the international Paralympics in the Netflix documentary, Rising Phoenix. This is a film that breathes life through the stories of the athletes themselves using… Read More ›
Open Dialogue with “MLK/FBI” director Sam Pollard.
Award-winning filmmaker Sam Pollard (4 Little Girls, Mo’ Better Blues, Jungle Fever) brings to the screen a documentary exploring the life of Martin Luther King Jr. through a different lens. Using never before seen footage, archival information and lost audio… Read More ›
You’ve got next now that “Max Cloud” is coming home.
Trends are entirely cyclical. What was once deemed out of date becomes retro, reabsorbed into the lexicon of society, often repurposed into something new. It’s not just clothes (ex. tie dye and bell bottoms), music (ex. vinyl and cassettes), or… Read More ›
“Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror” Blu-ray Giveaway
In 2019, horror streaming service Shudder premiered the incredible documentary Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror, directed by Xavier Burgin, co-produced by Tananarive Due (instructor of Sunken Place Class), and inspired by Dr. Robin R. Means Coleman’s book. On… Read More ›