Filmmaker Andrew de Burgh seems to have questions of the human existence on his mind. In his debut feature, The Bestowal (2018), a suicidal man sits with Death, debating life, the universe, and everything. In his follow-up, The Seductress from… Read More ›
Reviews
“Karmadonna” delivers dark delights, but that may not be enough. [TIFF]
Trigger Warning: The content of the film and supportive images within this review may be disturbing to sensitive individuals. Sometimes boasting about the director/writer’s previous work is a detriment to a film, and that is the biggest issue with Alexsandar… Read More ›
David Mackenzie’s gripping thriller “Relay” arrives on home video without any features.
With the ongoing, continuously exhausting debate that goes on in physical media/cinephile circles about streaming vs. owning a movie and that whole conversation, it is *always* a win when a movie, regardless of anything about the movie, gets a release… Read More ›
Guillermo del Toro’s black and white vision of “Nightmare Alley” finally gets a physical release thanks to The Criterion Collection.
In 2021, the world got to see Guillermo del Toro’s (Frankenstein) newest feature, Nightmare Alley, which he co-wrote with Kim Morgan (Seances) and adapted from William Lindsay Gresham’s novel of the same name. While there was some divide on this… Read More ›
The voices too loud in your head? Need some positive affirmation with surreal art and zany songs? “Lesbian Space Princess” to the rescue!
There’s nothing wrong with a safe space. There’s nothing wrong at all with wrapping yourself in the things that make you feel at peace and serene; unless, of course, the energy spent maintaining said serenity comes at the cost of… Read More ›
“Anniversary” masterfully utilizes misdirection and on-screen chemistry to deliver a full theatrical experience.
Anniversary is one of those rare movies that completely defies the expectations set by its own marketing. At first glance, it looks like your typical chick flick noir psychological thriller, the kind of film that might blend romance and mystery with… Read More ›
“Steal Away” with actors Mallori Johnson and Angourie Rice. [TIFF]
Clement Virgo (Brother) is back with another powerful drama while, again, pulling double duty as director and as part of the co-writing team with newcomer Tamara Berger. Steal Away balances a multitude of themes, ensuring that the film cannot get… Read More ›
The inherent whimsy of “Egghead Republic” overshadows the narrative within. [TIFF]
Egghead Republic, the newest movie from the pair of writer/directors Pella Kågerman (Aniara) and Hugo Lilja (Aniara), teases an interesting premise that is excelled by some terrific performance, but ultimately suffocates from its own ideas and on-the-nose reveal. While failing… Read More ›
Arrow Video maintains the grindhouse aesthetic of “Ms .45” in its 4K release.
Arrow Video once again delivers a lovingly restored, feature-packed version of a cult classic with a new collector’s edition 4K of Ms .45 (1981). This is one of those deep-cut grindhouse features that may not be to everyone’s tastes, but… Read More ›
“Blue Moon” is worth a ticket to ride for its lead performance and stage play approach
Director Richard Linklater’s films hold a deep personal connection to me. From the Before trilogy’s sense of love and yearning, to the mellow qualities of Dazed & Confused (1993) and Everybody Wants Some!! (2016), they show a serious directorial range…. Read More ›
Pull the cord and be ready to get messy as “Chainsaw Man — The Movie: Reze Arc” tears into theaters (and your hearts).
“Our love is like a red, red rose … and I am a little thorny.” – The Mask in The Mask (1994). The manga series Chainsaw Man created by Tatsuki Fujimoto began publishing as part of Weekly Shōnen Jump in… Read More ›
“Nobody 2” brings the pain you’re familiar with into a brand-new setting and generational exploration.
“Wherever you go, there you are.” – The Barber (Colin Salmon) in Nobody 2 Prior to 2021, actor Bob Odenkirk possessed a strong reputation as a comedian due to projects like sketch comedy Mr. Show with Bob and David (1995… Read More ›
Want to survive Tina Romero’s “Queens of the Dead”? Touch. Grass.
Photosensitivity Warning: The climax features flashing lights in a strobing pattern that may prove triggering for sensitive viewers. Folklore surrounding zombies is varied between culture and time, but always tied to fear of the undead. At some point, it wasn’t… Read More ›
“Materialists” struggles to reconcile its themes leading to an unsatisfyingly stereotypical plot.
As someone who once lived in The Big Apple, I know a thing or two about dating within its whimsical-yet-chaotic parameters. From trying to have smooches on the subway to debating your dinner on the busy sidewalks of St. Mark’s,… Read More ›
David Cronenberg’s neo-western “A History of Violence” joins The Criterion Collection with a 4K UHD edition nearly 20 years since its initial release.
Adaptations are nothing new. Whether it’s transcribing oral tales to print or print to the stage or stage to the screen, there’s a long tradition of this and it’ll likely continue for as long as audiences hunger for stories in… 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 ›
“Wasteman” squanders nothing in its 90-minute run time. [TIFF]
First-time feature screenwriters Hunter Andrews (short Sunny Life Farms) and Eoin Doran (short Perched) along with first-time-ever director Cal McMau pull off maybe the definition of an impossible feat — they craft a perfect film. It’s something that doesn’t get… Read More ›
Alex Winter’s misunderstood zany black comedy “Freaked” gets a 4K upgrade, courtesy of Drafthouse Films.
It’s good to be in the age of once-reviled films getting their just due of 4K restoration. Once a film with little to no release, Alex Winter and Tom Stern’s 1993 over-the-top shock comedy Freaked is being re-released thanks to… Read More ›
Guillermo del Toro’s gothic drama “Frankenstein” is stronger in its pieces than as a singular patchwork.
A repeated fascination of filmmaker Guillermo del Toro’s is “of monsters and men,” more specifically, the ways in which monsters and humanity dovetail into and deviate from each other until audiences can’t tell which is the true monster and which… Read More ›
Zach Gregger’s horror thriller “Weapons” offers brief featurettes and a beautiful on-disc presentation in its home release.
Filmmaker Zach Cregger blew audiences away with horror thriller Barbarian in 2022, garnering big word of mouth after its 2022 San Diego Comic Con premiere ahead of its September release. In addition to fans clamoring for a physical release that… Read More ›