Names mean something. They hold power. Names withheld can create mystery and names known can open doors. They are the things that can be passed down from generation to generation — be it a surname, a given name, a middle… Read More ›
In Theaters
Make it weird, make it big, make it bloody – make it “Deathstalker.” [Fantastic Fest]
Photosensitivity Warning: There is a brief flashback sequence near the start of the film and a longer sequence during the climax wherein lights flash quite frequently. There’s no strobing and it’s somewhat predictable, but may still be triggering for photosensitive… Read More ›
Surviving horror comedy “Coyotes” is simple: stay with your pack. [Fantastic Fest]
“Il meglio è l’inimico del bene. (Perfect is the enemy of good.)” – Attributed to Voltaire in 1770. If we spend our time pursuing perfect, we’ll miss out on a great deal. What ideal we set up for ourselves —… Read More ›
“The Man in My Basement” walks a delicate moral and ethical line. [TIFF]
Co-writer/director Nadia Latif takes on double duty in their first feature while adapting Walter Mosley’s novel The Man in My Basement. While Mosley’s material has yielded something interesting in an adaptation before (Devil in a Blue Dress) and this adaptation… Read More ›
Filmmaker Ken’ichi Ugana’s onryō tale “The Curse (咒死你)” blends cultural customs with modern conveniences in order to craft maximum carnage. [Fantastic Fest]
It’s not an uncommon practice for a filmmaker to release two films in a year. John Huston released The Treasure of the Sierra Madre the same year as Key Largo (1948), Akira Kurosawa released Scandal in the same year as… Read More ›
Realities collide in Lucile Hadžihalilović’s fantastical drama “The Ice Tower.” [Fantastic Fest]
Danish author Hans Christian Andersen is known for many a tale from The Emperor’s New Clothes, The Princess and the Pea, The Ugly Duckling, Thumbelina, and, of course, The Little Mermaid. One title that’s well-known in the U.S. is his… Read More ›
“Megadoc” brings the long messy tale of the making of “Megalopolis” to the big screen.
Megalopolis is a film about Great Debates by Great Men. It has inescapable original sins for which the public will not even grant it the graceful reputation of “fine.” It debuted in a time when the efficacy of debates is… Read More ›
James Sweeney carries double duty of filmmaker/actor in “Twinless”, one of the most provocatively original dramedies in recent years.
There’s something to be said of independent film that continues to carry the torch of creativity and intrigue, taking its viewers on a journey of being entertained without a huge budget or expensive special effects. With his sophomore feature Twinless,… Read More ›
Documentary “Chain Reactions” shares the voices of five pop culture pillars discussing the on-going impact a 1970s film has had on their lives and careers. [BUFF]
If you’re a fan of the cultural zeitgeist documentaries, then the name Alexandre O. Philippe should mean something to you. Philippe has directed such projects as The People vs. George Lucas (2010), Doc of the Dead (2014), Lynch/Oz (2022), William… Read More ›
“Sentimental Value (Affeksjonsverdi)” drops audiences into the middle of a complex daughters/father relationship complete with Hollywood drama. [TIFF]
Audiences connected with the last outing by Joachim Trier and Eskil Vogt as writers and Renate Reinsve (The Worst Person in the World) in a lead role in a meaningful way. Back again in the same roles, the trio brings… Read More ›
Straddling two worlds, “Tin Soldier” is unable to be more than a prop for an as-expected action thriller.
Trigger Warning: Tin Soldier deals with a number of issues related to trauma-induced by war and the film incorporates several visual and sound elements intended to convey such psychological trauma that may trigger sensitive viewers. In the United States, members… Read More ›
Manga Breathing First Form — “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba” reaches the first part of its three-part cinematic finale in the blood-soaked “Infinity Castle.”
Manga author Koyoharu Gotouge’s fantasy adventure shonen Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba (鬼滅の刃) first published in February 2016, introducing audiences to Tanjiro Kamado, a young boy living in Taishō era Japan with his mother and siblings, making their living as… Read More ›
The web series turned tv show now turned feature film “Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie” brings the familiar chaos of Johnson and McCarrol to the big screen. [TIFF]
Have you ever heard of the incredibly Canadian television show Nirvanna the Band the Show? No? It premiered on Vice in 2016 after being a web series in 2007. The show was about two friends who create a band called… Read More ›
Psychological sports thriller “The Cut” takes the legs out from under otherwise well-executed mental and physical breakdowns.
Much like the horror or fantasy genres, sports films are often filled with metaphors. In most cases, the competition is about more than the event itself, it’s about something larger for the character(s) or the idea it represents. In modern… Read More ›
Mystery thriller “It Was Just an Accident” engages audiences to explore their own morality. [TIFF]
Sometimes a title is crucial to the integrity of the movie, giving audiences an idea or an exploratory idea of what they’re about to get themselves into, and sometimes the title is something that feels like it could mean more… Read More ›
“Exit 8” utilizes the video game adaptation genre to dive deep into humanity and individual choices. [TIFF]
To go into a movie without knowing anything about it is a rare experience, but sometimes something drops into your inbox and you decide to jump head first into it knowing nothing other than that it is a festival screening…. Read More ›
The mop of justice returns with filmmaker Macon Blair’s “The Toxic Avenger” adaptation.
The tagline for Macon Blair’s 2023 adaptation of Lloyd Kaufman’s The Toxic Avenger is “The Hero We Need Now,” and this rings even more true upon its wider theatrical release in 2025. Environmental protections are down in favor of corporate… Read More ›
Horror thriller “Burning” utilizes multiple perspectives to showcase how little we know about the people around us. [Fantasia]
In storytelling, the most obvious thing is that the narrative is based on perception, but it’s also the thing that we most take for granted as an audience. We presume that what we see, what we hear, is what happens;… Read More ›
You may not know you’re “Transcending Dimensions,” but you’ll certainly feel it. [Fantasia]
Photosensitivity Warning: There are three instances of powerful strobing/flashing lights that may trigger a painful response in audiences: two shortly after the title card appears and one in the climatic sequence of the film. Japanese filmmaker Toshiaki Toyoda has built… Read More ›
Carlson Young’s new thriller “Trust” showcases the torrid lengths men will go to deny responsibility.
If even a fraction of the things done to women happened to men, the world would be a decidedly different place. Rather than offered equal respect, they are demeaned and denigrated regularly; expected to take it on the chin without… Read More ›