I don’t think anyone would argue that times are now (March 2020 – now, August 2021) and the foreseeable future are rife with change. To have gone from a lifestyle where one could go as they pleased to having to… Read More ›
Home Video
Shssssh! “A Quiet Place Part II” continues the Abbott family story on home video.
2018’s horror thriller A Quiet Place is one of the bigger surprises of 2018 not because it was actor John Krasinski’s second time in the director’s chair, but because it used the conventions of horror to tell a compelling and… Read More ›
Crime thriller “HYDRA” may spend more time on dialogue than the fights, but each throwdown is worth the price of admission.
When it comes to a certain kind of film, audiences almost always know what they’re in for based on who’s distributing it. Arthouse drama or fantasy? The mind goes to A24. Family-friendly in live-action or animation? First thought: Walt Disney… Read More ›
Despite mixed success with the action and emotional resonance of the drama, you can still see the promise within “Silat Warriors: Deed of Death.”
Though the highest grossing films in Malaysia mostly come from the international market, one shouldn’t discount the country for its own cinematic successes. There’s docudrama The Big Durian (2003), the first Malaysian film to screen at the Sundance Film Festival,… Read More ›
“The Unholy” is a painful, sacrilegious experience.
Saint Maud is one of my favorite films I’ve seen this year, and I think it’s a damn shame how A24 treated it by hocking it to EPIX, of all streamers, for its tiny release. It represents the best that… Read More ›
#18 of the Paramount Presents line is the Blu-ray debut for adult western “Last Train from Gun Hill.”
For just over a year, the Paramount Presents premiere home video label from Paramount Pictures continues to restore and release films from within their deep well of material. It began with Fatal Attraction (1987), King Creole (1958), and To Catch… Read More ›
By-the-numbers action thriller “Assault on VA-33” surprises in its examination on veteran treatment.
Around Elements of Madness, story is everything. We’re not looking for giant budgets, major studios, or the biggest names; we’re looking for an interesting idea or an engaging twist on something old. Enter the Scott Thomas Reynolds-written (2nd Chance for… Read More ›
Looking for a spark of fun? Enter “The Vault.”
The “cinematic baggage,” as it is known, that we bring with us into each film-viewing experience always has an effect on our perception of movies, even if this sensation is unconscious. We may love a film with a greater zeal,… Read More ›
Martial arts crime comedy “Undercover Punch & Gun” is largely undercooked despite good ideas.
Over the last few years in America there’s been a surge of “gun fu” films: The Matrix (1999), Equilibrium (2002), all the way up to the recent John Wick series. It’s not that the combination of martial arts and weaponry… Read More ›
If you go into writer/director BenDavid Grabinski’s film clinging to expectations, your cinematic experience won’t end “Happily.”
Shot over 20 days with the intent to premiere at the 2020 Tribeca Film Festival, writer/director BenDavid Grabinski’s genre-hybrid Happily eventually hit select theaters on March 19th, 2021, along with a simultaneous VOD and digital release. The film is difficult… Read More ›
In honor of the 20th anniversary of Angelina Jolie’s “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider,” snag both adventures in a new 4K UHD 2-pack.
Its 1996 and British gaming company Core Design has released action-adventure game Tomb Raider for PC, PlayStation, and Sega Saturn consoles. Centered around archeologist/adventurer Lara Croft, the title challenged gamers to solve puzzles and confront strange enemies in pursuit of… Read More ›
Fistful of Features explores writer/director BenDavid Grabinski’s dark comedy “Happily.”
Welcome to Fistful of Features, a celebration of film preservation through physical media and the discussion of cinematic treasures to maintain their relevance in the cultural lexicon. Today we’ll be focusing on the directorial debut of BenDavid Grabinski, a morality… Read More ›
Relive your angsty teen years with “Shoplifters of the World,” a cinematic tribute to The Smiths from director Stephen Kijak.
When you’re a teenager, every little upset feels like the end of the world. Failing a test, losing the big game, watching your crush take someone else to prom, or even finding out that your favorite band broke up can… Read More ›
“Minari” is a no-frills tale of a family pursuing the American dream.
Of the many decisions made for the 93rd Academy Awards, the shift away from running clips of films seemed like the most bizarre according to vocal viewers online. Whether it was for technical awards or the top six, not running… Read More ›
Get to know D.C. Hardcore punk scene in doc “Punk the Capital: Building a Sound Movement.”
As a Jewish kid from Roanoke, Virginia, my music influences were around what was played on the radio; what played on music channels VH1, MTV, and BET; or what was played by my family across their eclectic tastes ranging from… Read More ›
Brutal entanglements and a thrilling narrative have what it takes to “Deliver Us From Evil.”
Returning to the director’s seat for the second time, Hong Won-chan trades murder most foul within the blue collar arena for the underbelly of Asia and Southeast Asia in Deliver Us From Evil (다만 악에서 구하소서). In a film that’s… Read More ›
Arrow Video’s 2K restoration of “Death Has Blue Eyes” exemplifies their mission of cinematic preservation.
Death Has Blue Eyes (To koritsi vomva) is an easy film to summarize but a difficult one to describe. It’s a science fiction thriller in a sexploitation package. Beyond this, though, is where the film gets tricky due to a… Read More ›
The Criterion Collection edition of writer/director Olivier Assayas’s Irma Vep is two-discs packed with enticing materials.
Writer/director Olivier Assayas’s Irma Vep is many things at once. It’s a comedic look at the making of a film, capturing the swirling chaos as various departments and personalities come together to create art. It’s a dramatic piece exploring how… Read More ›
Writer/director Patrick Picard’s “The Bloodhound” is the best unfaithful adaptation of Edgar Allen Poe you can experience at home.
“During the whole of a dull, dark, and soundless day in the autumn of the year, when the clouds hung oppressively low in the heaves, I had been passing alone, on horseback, through a singularly dreary tract of country; and… Read More ›
Just In: “Breaking News in Yuba County” fails to live up to the promise of its cast.
No one can accuse Tate Taylor of being the kind of director who’s confined to one genre or style. He’s tackled book adaptations with the Oscar-winning The Help (2011), biographical material with Get on Up (2014), suspense with The Girl… Read More ›