Author Archives
UNC Charlotte '18 graduate | Film Intern at CLTure | North Carolina Film Critics Association member | Lover of bad teen horror movies and 90s pop music
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Even if you let the pre-release hype get to you, the thrilling essence of “Scream” breaks through in full force.
NOTICE: I will obviously not be discussing spoilers or fun reveals for this film, however, I will be divulging the very basic plot setup, as well as spoilers for previous Scream films. You’ve had decades, don’t get mad at me… Read More ›
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Despite the stylishly atmospheric setting and solid performances, “Antlers” can’t rise above weak screenplay elements.
Scott Cooper’s Antlers was one of my most anticipated films of 2020, back when it was still going to be released under the Fox Searchlight Pictures banner. Its trailer spoke to me in a haunting, beautiful voice that let me… Read More ›
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Paul Verhoeven’s “Benedetta” weaves luridity in with heavy, impenetrable narratives to create something with a surprising amount of emotional heft.
This is absolutely a safe space to admit that Paul Verhoeven is one of the most well-rounded, self-aware filmmakers to ever live. We’re all thinking it, so someone might as well say it. His filmography can sometimes read like a… Read More ›
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Come for Italian drama, stay for Swamy Rotolo’s scene-stealing performance in “A Chiara.” [Film Fest 919]
Quickly think of a gangster movie…what’s the first thing that comes to your head? The Godfather? Goodfellas? Scarface? Maybe even Boyz n the Hood? It’s a widely diverse genre, but the missions are generally all pretty similar, focusing on the… Read More ›
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“Don’t Breathe 2” is a horrible follow-up to an outstanding horror film, but a surprisingly great home release.
One of the most underrated horror/thrillers of the past decade was easily Fede Álvarez’s Don’t Breathe. The tense, heart-pounding suspense and brutal, but surprisingly pared back (at least compared to the absolute bloodbath that was Álvarez’s first feature 2013’s Evil… Read More ›
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Using the natural world as a fantasy playground, “Petite Maman” is able to explore loss and grief with tenderness. [Film Fest 919]
Two years ago, even during the height of Parasite-mania, there was one film that stole the entirety of Film Fest 919 for me: that being Céline Sciamma’s Portrait of a Lady on Fire by a country mile. Presenting truly one… Read More ›
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Sean Baker’s “Red Rocket” is not without his signature style or flourish, but it’s missing that emotional connection found in past works. [Film Fest 919]
Sean Baker does good white trash. I really don’t know how to put it in any less crude terms than that. Even when his films don’t necessarily focus on low-income white people, the air of that world lingers in the… Read More ›
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Joachim Trier’s “The Worst Person in the World (Verdens verste menneske)” is a beautifully nuanced love letter to those who have yet to get their shit together. [Film Fest 919]
My name is Hunter, I am 25 years old, and I don’t need a governess…I also am having a severe quarter life crisis right now and am struggling. I’ve been having trouble as of late deciding what I want my… Read More ›
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In a sea of manufactured biopics, Reinaldo Marcus Green’s “King Richard” takes the crown with its pure sincerity. [Film Fest 919]
To be completely honest with you, I thought Will Smith was doing a period piece where he would play King Richard I in what I thought was one of the more daring pieces of casting I had heard about in… Read More ›
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Mike Mills’s “C’mon C’mon” meticulously delves into the subtleties and complications of human life. [Film Fest 919]
I’m not really sure at what point Joaquin Phoenix became a “weird” actor. My best guess lies in his strange publicity stunt of retiring from acting and becoming a rapper for the Casey Affleck “documentary” I’m Still Here, or maybe… Read More ›
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The biopic to end all biopics, Pablo Larraín’s “Spencer” offers an understanding of its subject rather than a recreation. [Film Fest 919]
My mother is absolutely obsessed with the Royal Family. The intrigue, mystery, extravagance, drama, strange practices, rules, traditions, quirks, and even the general consensus that it’s an entirely obsolete and unnecessary thing to have in the 21st century are all… Read More ›
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“The French Dispatch” is Wes Anderson undiluted and bound to delight fans of the acclaimed creative. [Film Fest 919]
There’s been a whole hullabaloo on social media regarding The French Dispatch, with disgruntled Twitter account owners accusing Wes Anderson of relying on the laurels of being Wes Anderson, and like…yeah dude…what do you expect? There’s this expectation in the… Read More ›
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“Escape Room: Tournament of Champions” offers popcorn entertainment right at home.
Escape Room was a cute little Saw-esque surprise of January of 2019, and while there were certainly some struggles with the screenplay, as well as its PG-13 rating feeling as if it was holding itself back from its pure potential,… Read More ›
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The heaviness within “Mass” is neither constrictive nor oppressive, but it will leave you staring at the ceiling. [Film Fest 919]
There was a moment in Mass that felt so profoundly terrifying to me, not in the film itself, but from the implication of said film and its message. I began to think of 2019, when an armed student killed two… Read More ›
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The unique atmosphere of video game adaptation “Detention (返校)” evokes that helpless feeling of a good survival horror game.
When you think of a movie based on a video game, do pleasant thoughts come to mind? Despite some genuinely great films based on video games (Silent Hill’s 32% on Rotten Tomatoes is a homophobic microaggression; Silent Hill: Revelation’s 6%… Read More ›
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Despite being smart and compelling on its own merits, there’s little original within “No One Gets Out Alive.”
As a writer, you have to have some insane measure of confidence to title a horror novel No One Gets Out Alive and still purport to have something up your sleeve as a storyteller. Adam Nevill’s 2014 novel seemingly did… Read More ›
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“The 12 Day Tale of the Monster that Died in 8 (8日で死んだ怪獣の12日の物語)” is a carefully produced, lovingly crafted COVID-related tale. [Fantasia International Film Festival]
I don’t mess with COVID-related content. I’ve lived it for the past 18 months and, when I watch a movie, I absolutely do not want to be reminded of it in any way. Locked Down? I refuse to watch it…. Read More ›
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Zom-com “Brain Freeze” has its heart in the right place, yet still arrives DOA. [Fantasia International Film Festival]
Fine, let’s just get it out of the way: I am not a very big fan of zombie films on the base level. There are many other things that can make a zombie film good, that I can identify with… Read More ›
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Horror drama “Agnes” may not be for you, but you damn well better respect it. [Fantasia International Film Festival]
There’s a demented fascination with nuns in modern society that I feel is worth examining. It’s an alien world of pious faith that most cannot even begin to understand, but we have taken many steps in trying to. From Black… Read More ›
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Beautiful, strange, and bonkers, welcome to “Wonderful Paradise (脳天パラダイス).” [Fantasia International Film Festival]
Japan is gonna Japan whether or not you want Japan to Japan, and when it Japans, it Japans hard. That in and of itself could be the singular tagline for Masashi Yamamoto’s Wonderful Paradise (脳天パラダイス), celebrating its North American premiere… Read More ›