There are many weird things regarding the rules of storytelling and one of them is tied to the concept of reality. Unless one is dealing with space wizards and laser swords, orcs and elves, a certain adherence to what is… Read More ›
Reviews
Taratoa Stappard’s Māori gothic horror “Mārama” offers retribution and reclamation without making space for false righteousness. [The Overlook Film Festival]
“Kia whakatōmuri te haere whakamua (I walk backwards into the future with my eyes fixed on the past).” – A Māori proverb. There’s this strange belief coursing through some in the United States that European culture is being threatened by… Read More ›
“Hamlet” is a fun shadow play of its own ambition.
Times are so tough that even Hamlet no longer dreams of shadows. Instead, as Riz Ahmed (Sound of Metal; Bait) says of the Prince he dreamt his whole life of playing “Hamlet is someone who is grieving the illusion that… Read More ›
“The Good Shepherd” Blu-ray release is better left to pasture.
The Good Shepherd follows a young, dedicated, and occasionally merciless fictional CIA agent named Edward Wilson (Matt Damon). Tracking his early years at Yale in the secret Skull and Bones society to the failed Bay of Pigs invasion, the film… Read More ›
Head back to 1987 with Paul Michael Glaser’s “The Running Man” on Blu-ray.
Most folks know a dystopia when they see one. It’s not all Escape from New York (1991), Mad Max: Fury Road (2015), or The Hunger Games (2012); sometimes it looks exactly like your regular life does just with more distinct… Read More ›
Stephen Fung’s wuxia comedy “Tai Chi Zero” is the latest addition to Imprint Film’s Imprint Asia sublabel.
There’s something about an ensemble cast that can make a movie. We’re talking from the lead actor to the barely there scene-stealers, the right collection of actors can elevate even the dullest of tales while they can send a strong… Read More ›
Mona Fastvold’s musical drama “The Testament of Ann Lee” brings its hunger and thirst to home video.
Each award season brings frustration as a film that one loves (for any reason) doesn’t make it onto the short list — it gets snubbed. In a sea of talented performances, gifted crew, and dazzling creative leadership, there’s always going… Read More ›
“Seekers of Infinite Love” provides little payoff for enduring a road trip with an estranged family of adults. [SXSW]
What were to happen if someone took the concept of losing a loved one, made it a road trip family drama comedy about deprogramming them, and applied it to a suicide cult? Well, for starters, it would be a cringe-inducing… Read More ›
“The Man with the Big Hat” mirrors the style of its focal point, Steven Fromholz. [SXSW]
Documentarian Austin Sayre’s The Man with the Big Hat reintroduces audiences to the independent legend of country music, Steven Fromholz, name that, for many, has lived just outside the mainstream despite a songwriting legacy that quietly shaped the genre. Having… Read More ›
“The Yeti” brings perfect creature feature excitement and personality for an entertaining venture.
The Yeti feels like a lost midnight movie discovered in a vault and somehow rebuilt for modern audiences without losing any of the raw, unpredictable energy that made grindhouse creature features so memorable in the first place. It plays like… Read More ›
Caleb Phillips’s sci-fi thriller “Imposters” demonstrates the cost of living an inauthentic life. [SXSW]
“Victims; aren’t we all?” – Eric Draven (Brandon Lee) in The Crow (1990) The beauty and horror of life is that there’re many different ways to look at a situation. Because of this, whether it’s a massive life event or… Read More ›
“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 ›
“The Birthday” is a totally unhinged celebration of occult conspiracies, now on 4K UHD via Arrow Video.
If you were to take The Shining (1980) and replace the psychosis with a completely different trip of mental anguish, then you’d get Eugeino Mira’s The Birthday (2004). It focuses on Norman (Corey Feldman) who’s hopelessly in love with his… Read More ›
Tobe Hooper’s Stephen King adaptation “Salem’s Lot” joins Arrow Video with a brand-new 4K UHD restoration.
Having *never* seen Tobe Hooper’s adaptation of Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot (1979) prior to the Arrow 4K UHD release, I was surprised to notice that disk 1 (disk A) featured the miniseries versus the movie itself, so I changed disks… Read More ›
High school drama “Dead Deer High” misplaces its focus in examining the wake of school violence. [SXSW]
Trigger Warning: The subject matter within Dead Deer High centers on the aftermath of a school shooting. While a great deal of care is given to ensuring little feels melodramatic, the material may still be difficult for sensitive viewers. As… Read More ›
“Pizza Movie” satisfies as the next generational stoner comedy. [SXSW]
Every generation needs a stoner comedy that is so outlandishly insane and dumb yet brilliant that it stands the test of time by being ridiculous and entertaining. The early 2000s had both Dude, Where’s My Car? (2000) and Harold and… Read More ›
Takashi Miike’s sports drama “Blazing Fists” is ready to enter the ring at home.
Everything you have in this life is because of where you started. Some people have a leg up by being born into a wealthy family (and can afford to get bailed out time and again), while others struggle to afford… Read More ›
Filmmaker Tsui Hark’s violent wuxia deconstruction “The Blade” joins The Criterion Collection with a first-time 4K UHD restoration.
Martial arts fans have it so good right now; it’s truly incredible. With deals being made to restore and re-print various titles out of Hong Kong, what was once hard to find (Hard Boiled) and barely accessible on HD (Rumble… Read More ›
“Mallory’s Ghost” fails to take full form past the trope of a haunting past. [SXSW]
There’re plenty of ideas and concepts that are intriguing and thought provoking in Mallory’s Ghost, having its world premiere in the Competition section of SXSW Film & TV Festival 2026, but not all of them land. Nick Canellakis (Talent Has… Read More ›
Jonás Cuarón’s novel adaptation “Campeón Gabacho” exalts the power of hope and community at a time we need it most. [SXSW]
Despite all the arguments for America First ideology as a way to preserve the United States with the ideology formed on a basis of Christian Nationalism, it’s a belief system that cannot stand in the wake of actual data and… Read More ›