Author Archives
Freelance film journalist. Columnist at Bloody Disgusting. Bylines at Elements of Madness, Daily Dead, Scream Horror Magazine, and more. Follow me on twitter amd bluesky @RedheadfromMars.
Portfolio: https://authory.com/MichelleSwope
-
“Watching Mr. Pearson” tenderly illustrates the struggles of living with dementia, while reminding us of the importance of finding joy in life.
Death is the inevitable end we’re all going to experience at some point. If you’re lucky, you will live to an old age and have the opportunity to live a longer and more fulfilling life. But with old age comes… Read More ›
-
Comedy as therapy: Deeply personal look at a failing marriage “Is This Thing On?” is now available to watch at home.
Bradley Cooper (The Hangover; Nightmare Alley) has been acting since the late ‘90s, but it wasn’t until 2018 that he decided to try his hand at filmmaking. His first feature film, a remake of A Star is Born, stars Cooper… Read More ›
-
Mind-bending folk horror “Keeper” gets a 4K/Blu-ray combo release from NEON absent any special features.
Prior to 2024, Oz Perkins was a somewhat niche indie filmmaker who had already built a nice little fanbase thanks to his early films The Blackcoat’s Daughter (2015), which follows a young girl who may or may not be possessed… Read More ›
-
“Shelby Oaks” uses chilling found footage to solve a mystery of a missing YouTuber and is now available on Blu-ray from NEON.
Chris Stuckmann is a YouTuber, author, film critic, and filmmaker, who started his career posting short-form movie reviews on YouTube called “Quick Movie Reviews” in 2009. He eventually began making longer movie reviews as well as reviews of television shows,… Read More ›
-
Jodie Foster est magnifique in French dark comedy thriller “A Private Life (Vie Privée).”
Born in Paris, French filmmaker Rebecca Zlotowski initially planned to be a teacher and graduated from École Normale Supérieure before earning an Agrégation higher degree in literature. Then she joined the screenplay department of La Fémis and met several students… Read More ›
-
Dead is just a word: The Grabber is back in Chilling “Black Phone 2,” now available on 4K UHD and Blu-ray Collector’s Edition.
At the end of Wes Craven’s legendary 1996 horror film Scream, after Stu Macher and Billy Loomis are revealed to be the killers, Stu tells Sidney Prescott, “Everybody dies, but us, we get to carry on and plan the sequel!… Read More ›
-
Eerie indie ghost story “The Girl Who Cried Her Eyes Out” is available on Blu-ray from All Channel Films.
You don’t have to spend a lot of money to make an entertaining movie. This is especially true with the horror genre. There is no shortage of micro-budget indie horror gems out there, but you have to look for them…. Read More ›
-
Horror comedy “Coyotes,” which features fun performances but lackluster creature effects, is now available on Blu-ray.
In 1963, Alfred Hitchcock terrified audiences with The Birds, a horror film about birds attacking humans. A little over a decade later, Steven Spielberg made people afraid to go in the water with the movie Jaws (1975), which stars Roy… Read More ›
-
John Hughes’s nostalgic, honest portrayal of teenage life in the 1980s,“The Breakfast Club,” is now available on 4K UHD and Blu-ray Combo Special Edition from The Criterion Collection.
Being a teenager is never easy or not confusing, unless you’re one of the cool kids who is popular and pampered. Most of us were not one of the cool kids in high school; we were the bookworms, the science… Read More ›
-
David Lynch’s dreamlike, painfully beautiful, and brutal “Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me” is available on 4K UHD & Blu-ray Combo edition from The Criterion Collection.
My mother and I never shared any common interests until the spring of 1990 when we were introduced to the world of Twin Peaks. Full of quirky characters who seemed trapped in time in the beautiful Pacific Northwest town of… Read More ›
-
Max Minghella’s “Shell,” a darkly comedic critique of women and aging, is flashy and fun on the outside but not as savvy as it could be on the inside.
Being a woman in this world is hard. From a young age, we’re taught to be polite, stand up straight with our shoulders back, and most of all, be pretty. Put on makeup, style your hair. Women are continuously held… Read More ›
-
Danny and Michael Philippou’s “Bring Her Back,” a brutal essay on grief-induced madness, is now available on Special edition 4K and Blu-ray from A24.
Content Warning: The following home release review will include descriptions of child abuse and death, which may be difficult for sensitive individuals. Death is inevitable. At some point in our lives, we will all be touched by grief due to… Read More ›
-
Memorializing a rock icon: documentary “Kurt Cobain: All Apologies” is being re-released on DVD 20 years after his death.
On April 5, 1994, the lead singer of the alternative rock band Nirvana, Kurt Cobain, died by suicide at the age of 27. His body was discovered three days later in a greenhouse above the garage in his home in… Read More ›
-
Oz Perkins’s wildly funny blood fest “The Monkey” comes available on 4K UHD and Blu-ray from NEON.
If you’re Gen X, or older, you might remember a creepy toy from your childhood, a monkey with unsettling eyes that, when wound up, would bang cymbals together frantically, bob its head up and down while grinning, and sometimes make… Read More ›
-
A dreamlike odyssey of sex, drugs, and self-discovery, Luca Guadagnino’s “Queer” is available on home video from A24.
The Beat Movement was a literary alliance started by a group of authors in the 1950s which included William S. Burroughs (Naked Lunch), Allen Ginsberg (Howl), and Jack Kerouac (On the Road). The Beat subculture focused on dismissal of standard… Read More ›
-
Lucky McKee’s gender-bending “Frankenstein” body horror “May” is now available on a collector’s edition Blu-ray.
“I am an unfortunate and deserted creature; I look around and I have no relation or friend upon earth. These amiable people to whom I go have never seen me and know little of me. I am full of fears,… Read More ›
-
Academy Award-winning tragicomedy, anti-Cinderella story “Anora” comes available on director-approved 4K UHD and Blu-ray combo edition from The Criterion Collection.
In the popular children’s story Cinderella, the protagonist lives a miserable existence, mistreated by her evil stepmother and wicked stepsisters, but ultimately ends up living an enchanted life with Prince Charming, with a little help from her fairy godmother. Written… Read More ›
-
Intimate documentary “Everybody Dance” beautifully showcases life-changing program for disabled dancers.
People who live with disabilities are often made to feel invisible. In fact, society in general considers people with disabilities to be disposable, many times not wanting to even be reminded of their existence, when all people who live with… Read More ›
-
“Amadeus” still rocks at 40: Warner Bros. debuts exhilarating 4K restoration of the theatrical cut.
The ‘80s were a decade of decadence. Whimsical fashion, music, and media reigned pop culture. This was especially true with the films of the era. The year 1984 saw Warner Bros. release both Purple Rain, a semi-biographical concert film starring… Read More ›
-
Pedro Almodóvar’s first English language film, “The Room Next Door,” is an ode to a life lived and what comes next.
As painful as it can be for everyone involved, death is inevitable. You might be able to delay its arrival, but ultimately, death comes for all of us, and we will all leave someone behind to grieve our passing. Grieving… Read More ›