What would you do to make amends with your past? For some, it means rolling up your sleeves and doing the hard work to atone; while, for others, it means living a life of abstinence. Both can be viewed as… Read More ›
Reviews
Before you go fast to pick up “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” on home video, know your options and what you’re getting.
Of all the video game adaptations made (and there are several folks may not even realize are adaptations), none have met or exceeded expectations like director Jeff Fowler’s Sonic the Hedgehog trilogy. Each one is an entertaining family film with… Read More ›
Emilie Blichfeldt’s “The Ugly Stepsister” puts traditional Grimm-level horrors on the big screen in a familiar and twisted tale. [BUFF]
Trigger Warning: Be advised that The Ugly Stepsister includes significant elements of body torture and body-related horror. I am not going to sit back and pretend I am an expert on all things fairy tale related, as that is a… Read More ›
A look at the larger and personal legacy of “Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight” on its 30th Anniversary. [The Overlook Film Festival]
Trigger Warning: Though there is no rain, there’s a great deal of lightning in the film which may impact photosensitive viewers. If you’re a person of a certain age, one only needs to hear a few notes of Danny Elfman’s… Read More ›
New Blumhouse thriller “Drop” keeps you guessing until the end
First-date jitters take on a whole new meaning in Drop, a Blumhouse thriller from Happy Death Day director Christopher Landon. Drop stars Emmy-nominated Meghann Fahy (The White Lotus) as Violet, a single mom looking to re-enter the dating scene, alongside… Read More ›
Disney’s “Mufasa: The Lion King” is generic and forgettable yet gorgeous in 4K.
In a time where sequels, prequels, and legacy-quels run rampant, one hopes — even begs — for something different. A prequel to the live action The Lion King (2019) that revolves around Mufasa and his humbling, noble rise to power… Read More ›
“Psycho Therapy: The Shallow Tale of a Writer Who Decided to Write about a Serial Killer” lays its comedy well among its perceived tragedies.
Pretentiousness is a matter of perspective. What one person may find authoritative and compelling may be viewed as utter hogwash by another, and usually it has to do with the way one views the person or art at the center…. Read More ›
Documentary “The Spirit of Halloweentown” seeks to investigate the relationship between the real St. Helens and its inhabitants separate from its cinematic connection. [The Overlook Film Festival]
Since debuting in 1998, Disney’s Halloweentown has spawned a total of four films and at least one marriage (co-stars Kimberly J. Brown and Daniel Kountz of Halloweentown II: Kalabar’s Revenge). It’s developed quite the fanbase since the original Halloweentown, turning… Read More ›
“Escape from the 21st Century” is a fun hyper-stylized time travel film. [BUFF]
Content advisory: strobing/strobing effects Time travel movies are so incredibly hit or miss simply because everyone tries to either recreate Back to the Future (1985) or make their own mark on the ever-loaded when at the core the film, at… Read More ›
Drew Hancock’s “Companion” is a rom-com for the modern era.
In the featurette “I Feel, Therefore I Am,” writer/director Drew Hancock (Fred 3: Camp Fred) talks about how sometimes, in relationships, there are those who are more invested than another. Personally, in the right circumstances, imbalance in one area can… Read More ›
“Best Wishes to All” leaves many thematic dark corners for audiences to stare into. [The Overlook Film Festival]
“Only the pursuit of happiness is guaranteed. The rest is up to you.” – David Fagan While there are things that are specific to culture, community, or time, other things are universal, like the overwhelming dread experienced by the young… Read More ›
“William Tell” translates the heroic myth into a by-the-numbers historical fiction.
Content Warning for implied sexual assault. In the subgenre of historical epics, there are those based on real events (Lawrence of Arabia (1962); Rob Roy (1995)) and those inspired by legend (Excalibur (1981); Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991)). In… Read More ›
Capsule Review: R.T. Thorne’s “40 Acres.” [The Overlook Film Festival]
R.T. Thorne’s feature-film directorial debut, 40 Acres anchors its tale of familial strife and global terror as the world teeters on the brink. Screening during The Overlook Film Festival 2025, audiences may presume 40 Acres to be a straight-forward horror-thriller… Read More ›
Capsule Review: Karan Kandhari’s horror dramedy “Sister Midnight.” [BUFF]
Overall, Sister Midnight swings for the absolute fences which is bold and refreshing to see when it has a cast that supports it, but if the effort ends at the cast’s execution, it can become tiresome and messy. Kandhari throws… Read More ›
Short and sweet thriller “Wake Up” continues RKSS’s trend of fun subversive horror.
The key to a great slasher film, other than a great antagonist, is a situation where the stakes are high for one or both parties, an arena where both the hunter and the hunted have an equal playing field and… Read More ›
Hong Kong cinema homage “Love Hurts” arrives on physical formats, bringing its production secrets with it.
It’s a tale as old as time. Actor gets work with not one, but multiple top-tier directors, and then finds themselves struggling to get work. Most times, those actors fade into obscurity if they can’t pivot. One such actor, Ke… Read More ›
Buddy comedy “One of Them Days” is sparse on bonus materials for the home release, but not on laughs.
During the featurette “Dream Team,” first-time feature director Lawrence Lamont (Rap Sh!t) describes to producer Issa Rae (Insecure; The Lovebirds) the homages within One of Them Days, referring to both Friday (1995) and Superbad (2007). Each of these comes from… Read More ›
Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck’s “Freaky Tales” mythologizes the Oakland Bay area through a punk rock & hip-hop infused anthology.
Anthologies have a long history in storytelling as they gather seemingly disparate narratives into a singular collection. In cinema, the connection between the parts can remain thematic, leaving the stories individual (The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)); may be through… Read More ›
GKIDS Films re-releases Mamoru Hosoda’s “Summer Wars” on home video as they kick off their Hosoda Collection coverage.
“This is the nature of war: By protecting others, you save yourselves. If you only think of yourself, you’ll only destroy yourself.” – Seven Samurai (1954) One never knows what their introduction to a filmmaker’s filmography will be. Someone could… Read More ›
“She’s the He” turns the bathroom panic in today’s political landscape into a hilarious and heartfelt coming-of-age sex comedy. [SXSW]
Coming-of-age tales are fairly commonplace in cinema with explorations of self and sex in semi-recent films like Porky’s (1981), A Goofy Movie (1995), and The People’s Joker (2024). These stories feature young adults getting into a variety of hijinks either… Read More ›