Sports films come in a variety of competitive forms including boxing, hockey, football, bobsled racing, and chess. With each one, the goal is the same: winning. But some of the great tales of competition don’t have winners, they have people… Read More ›
Reviews
Radiance Films releases director Yasuharu Hasebe’s debut film, the spy spoof “Black Tight Killers,” in resplendent HD.
A war photographer, a stewardess, and a chance meeting set the stage for an 87-minute technicolor adventure of crime, mystery, and romance in director Yasuharu Hasebe’s (Retaliation) 1966 caper Black Tight Killers (俺にさわると危ないぜ). The first of several collaborations with lead… Read More ›
Radiance Films brings a forgotten “Great” back with “Allonsanfàn” on Blu-ray.
If you’ve never heard of the Italian Napoleonic drama Allonsanfàn before today, don’t worry, almost no one has. I had not heard of it until Radiance Films announced this Blu-ray release, and one of Vulture’s film critics Bilge Ebiri quote… Read More ›
Family documentary “Lili” explores parental separation from the perspective of a child in the fallout. [SBIFF]
Divorces are hard. Rarely is there an instance where both parties walk away satisfied, happy, or otherwise ok. Divorce is the resolution of a relationship ending and there’s often regret at what could have been or sadness over what is… Read More ›
Kate Cobb’s feature directorial debut “Okie” asks audiences what they owe to their homes. Its answer may unnerve you. [SBIFF]
My therapist introduced the idea of “the story we tell ourselves.” What they mean by this is that individuals have a tendency to create a version of the truth that fits within the framework of information that they have. Someone… Read More ›
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment releases a first-time 4K UHD edition of Satoshi Kon’s “Paprika” worthy of the film’s reputation.
In the world of animation, there are well-known names like Walt Disney (Steamboat Willie) and Matt Groening (The Simpsons; Futurama), niche names like Rebecca Sugar (Steven Universe), and then there are names so large that they crafted entire houses around… Read More ›
“Ordinary Angels” embodies a heartfelt story through powerful performances and a nuanced script.
The purpose of a movie trailer is to get an audience intrigued in seeing the movie, however, when the trailer paints the movie as something it absolutely is not, it does a disservice to the movie itself and sets up… Read More ›
“Lucha: A Wrestling Tale” captures the ways lessons work on and off the mat. [SBIFF]
In American high school sports, for most schools, it’s football, basketball, and maybe soccer as the big three. Sure, you can run cross country, maybe play tennis, but down on the lower rungs of high school competition (in terms of… Read More ›
Crunchyroll teases the upcoming fourth season of action fantasy anime “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba” with cinematic event “To the Hashira Training.”
Running from February 2016 until March 2020, the shonen manga Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba by Koyoharu Gotouge was adapted into an animated series by Studio ufotable in April 2019 and is set to release its latest story arc soon…. Read More ›
Grief-based horror short “Above & Within” captivates with its storytelling, performances, and cinematography. [SBIFF]
Death, grief, isolation, and the horrors within them all are universal. The question of what gives life meaning when it all comes crashing to a halt, sometimes, unexpectedly, tends to send a chill running down our spines at the mere… Read More ›
Arrow Video elevates the look and sound of “The Shaolin Plot,” now in 2K.
You gotta love ‘70s Kung-Fu cinema. Within the first 15 minutes of Huang Feng’s The Shaolin Plot, a man is killed with a chicken leg, an assassination attempt is flawlessly averted, and a disobedient guest’s head is cut off by… Read More ›
“Bob Marley: One Love” fumbles its attempts to capture the icon’s life and legacy.
Musical biopics can deliver some rousing cinematic feats. Not only can they appease fans of classic artists, but they can also inform them about the artists’ lives. The finished results can be bountiful in the right films (Straight Outta Compton… Read More ›
Despite a loaded action cast, “Lights Out” fails to find its fit.
Inside Lights Out are two wolves: one is a post-war drama involving a solider struggling with PTSD and lost meaning from time in the service, while the other is a thriller involving cops on the take and the money they’re… Read More ›
Documentarian Dan Partland’s “God & Country” deftly lays out the historical evidence that explains the current rise of Christian Nationalism. [SBIFF]
E Pluribus Unum. This brief Latin phrase meaning “one from many” was first added to United States coins in 1795. It’s a motto that speaks to all citizens of the United States of America, even in an era when those… Read More ›
Documentary “The Movie Man” deftly reminds that filmgoing is a social experience that requires social responsibility to maintain. [SBIFF]
Though the first moving pictures were shown in the 1800s and began as a sideshow, they transformed into a main event with the advent of the movie theater. No longer having to go into a tent or side space, people… Read More ›
Radiance Films welcome a new Damiano Damiani-directed film to their collection, the spy thriller “Goodbye & Amen.”
During the debut year for physical media boutique Radiance Films, a distributor interested in lesser-available/known international cinema, they released a wonderful three-film collection of director Damiano Damiani’s film dubbed “Cosa Nostra: Franco Nero in three Mafia Tales by Damiano Damiani.”… Read More ›
Pair “The Taste of Things” with a good meal for the perfect Valentine’s Date.
It was December 16th, 2023, when I received the text “Do u want soup tonight?” to which I replied, “Yeah I can do a soup.” The dinner invitation came from fellow film buff Scott Rogers, who, along with his partner… Read More ›
Wrestling doc “The Death Tour” is more than about heels, faces, or even the pop – but why the audience matters. [Slamdance Film Festival]
In the United States, names like World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), World Championship Wrestling (WCW), Assault Championship Wrestling (ACW), and All Elite Wrestling (AEW) may come to mind when bringing up sports entertainment. But wrestling isn’t a U.S.-based sport, with countries… Read More ›
New Disney+ documentary “Madu” breaks tradition as it follows a gifted dancer from Nigeria to England. [SBIFF]
Photosensitivity Warning: There are a few scenes of refracted light that may be triggering for sensitive viewers. In August 2020, a video of 11-year-old Anthony Mmesoma Madu dancing outside of his ballet school went viral, garnering attention not just from… Read More ›
Filmmaker Omar Kamara explores the rich complexity of sibling relationships in dramedy “African Giants.” [Slamdance Film Festival]
“If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.” – Sir Isaac Newton With all of the discussion of borders — who’s securing them, who’s refusing to do so, what do we do with the… Read More ›