The dating scene has always been rather bleak. This is not news. With the creation of “dating” apps, the odds of meeting someone this way and it working were always slim and bleak. I haven’t had to be out there… Read More ›
Reviews
Director Soi Cheang’s “Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In” incorporates elements of new school and old school Hong Kong cinema which rattle audiences’ bones and souls in equal measure. [Fantasia International Film Festival]
Every community has its stories — tales of victories and defeats, of perilous ends and new beginnings, and of the old guard and the new. Sometimes these take the form of myths and legends born from imagination and other times… Read More ›
Within the weird and zany world of “Ghost Cat Anzu” lies a bittersweet story of broken hearts searching for healing. [Fantasia International Film Festival]
In Japanese folklore, there exists what’s known as “kaibyō,” a cat that possesses supernatural properties. Of the three types within kaibyō — bakeneko, maneki-neko, and nekomata — manga creator Imashiro Takashi took inspiration from the bakeneko type for his series… Read More ›
“Cuckoo” loudly calls its shot and still hooks its audience with mystery and plagues them with horror. [Fantasia International Film Festival]
In 2019, writer/director Tilman Singer made an enormous splash with his possession thriller Luz. It’s as much an homage to the horror films of the ‘60s and ‘70s, evoking the look via cinematography and art direction, while telling a unique… Read More ›
Dark comedy “The Duel” is a fascinating directorial debut that misfires its exploration of class.
“The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb.” – Proverb of unclear origin. In our lives, there are those who are family by DNA and those by relationships. When those who sired us, grew up… Read More ›
Yûgo Sakamoto’s “Nice Days” showcases why you should never underestimate these “Baby Assassins.” [Fantasia International Film Festival]
Over the last few years, writer/director Yûgo Sakamoto’s (A Janitor) created a very specific cinematic world in which low-stakes slacker comedy meets high-stakes wet work via his Baby Assassins series. Returning for a third outing in Baby Assassins Nice Days,… Read More ›
“The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” delivers the goods in this Arrow Video 4K restoration.
There are movies out there that don’t get their fair shake, and there are directors who fall under the same category. What happens when you end up with both? You get, arguably, a fantastic movie that somehow underperformed and is… Read More ›
“Sing Sing” delivers Grade-A performances in a story capturing the significant rehabilitative properties of art.
Writer and producer Greg Kwedar (Transpecos) returns to the director chair for his sophomore feature film debut with Sing Sing, a prison drama following John “Divine G” Whitfield (Colman Domingo), imprisoned for a crime he didn’t commit. While incarcerated, he… Read More ›
Criterion releases “Farewell My Concubine (霸王別姬)” in its original unedited form in high definition.
Longing for something you can never have is perhaps one of the cruelest forms of emotional torture a person can put themselves through, and it’s an experience all too familiar within queer communities. Every queer person has had the one… Read More ›
Writer/director Jun’ichi Yasuda’s “A Samurai in Time” is a meta sci-fi dramedy with a thoughtful core. [Fantasia International Film Festival]
“To have never gone to war is something to be proud of.” – Seiji Akitsu (Kuranosuke Sasaki) in Godzilla Minus One (2023) There’s this belief that the old ways are better than new. They’re tried, they’re true, and they meet… Read More ›
Even as a DVD re-release, William Friedkin’s “The Boys in the Band” remains a must-see film.
In 1968, Mart Crowley’s The Boys in the Band premiered Off-Broadway and shocked audiences with its candid portrayal of homosexual men. The story of getting the play written and on stage is lengthy, including Mart (Fade-In) being hired as actor… Read More ›
Director Tatsuya Oishi composites the “Monogatari” prequel trilogy into “Kizumonogatari -Koyomi Vamp-” an interesting curio of a cinematic experience. [Fantasia International Film Festival]
Shtriga, vrykolakas, strigoi, vampire — they are mythical creatures of the night who feed on human blood, exist in a perpetual outward appearance of the moment of their transformation, and can live forever under specific conditions. Stories of their existence… Read More ›
“Chainsaws Were Singing” falls short on its promise but is well worth the price of admission. [Fantasia International Film Festival]
When a movie is pitched as “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) meets Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) meets Les Misérables (2012),” there is something that immediately grabs my attention because a musical that is zany and over-the-top… Read More ›
“Mash Ville” takes on many meanings in a confluence of stories around a moonshine business. [Fantasia International Film Festival]
Having never seen Hwang Wook’s previous movies (Dog Eat Dog; Live Hard), I did not know what to expect when watching the latest, Mash Ville, and what was delivered was a combination of some of the zaniest wackiest things ever… Read More ›
“The Strangers – Chapter 1” cuts … and pastes too much from the previous films to be its own entry.
When I was just a wee lad, 11 years old to be precise, I had two fears: frogs (still do to this day) and home invasion. For some reason, I figured that I was a special enough little boy to… Read More ›
A well-cultivated pairing of performances makes “Starve Acre” a worthy addition to the British folk horror genre.
MaXXXine (2024) is a tribute to giallo horror of the ‘80s, The First Omen (2024) pays homage to the psychological horror of the late ‘70s/early ‘80s, In A Violent Nature (2024) adds a twist to the great American slasher film,… Read More ›
Poor CGI quells any well-developed suspense in horror thriller “The Last Breath.”
Since 1975, filmmakers have tried to capture the horror and the magic of a killer shark movie. Jaws broke all kinds of box office records and terrified millions of theater-goers enough that going to the neighborhood pool was panic-inducing. Even… Read More ›
Documentarian Chelsea McMullan uncovers a beautifully human story in “Swan Song.”
In the first half of 2022, the dancers and staff at the National Ballet of Canada were pouring themselves into rehearsals for a historic opening: a new production of the iconic Swan Lake directed by ballet legend Karen Kain. This… Read More ›
Director Park Jin-pyo’s “Brave Citizen” delivers satisfying vigilante justice in this web comic adaptation. [Fantasia International Film Festival]
“If you do nothing, nothing will happen.” This quote is spoken by the character So Si-Min, portrayed by Shin Hye-sun (See You in My 19th Life), as part of a class on ethics. It’s one of several concepts that particular… Read More ›
“Deadpool and Wolverine” brought the buddy cop mantra but left everything else in the cab.
There will be no spoilers in this review as there are plenty of surprises that will be used to great effect for those who care. Basic plot points will be covered, but nothing that wasn’t in the trailers. When the… Read More ›