Making a movie or television show in the style of a mockumentary can be very challenging. It takes the right combination of a sharp script, talent behind the camera, an editor who knows exactly what they’re doing, and pinpoint precision… Read More ›
Reviews
“Holidays At All Cost (Vacances á Tout Prix)” has enough unique flourishes to make a well-worn journey worth the travel. [Dances With Films Festival]
Vacations are meant to be an enjoyable time of rest, relaxation, and quality time with one’s family. Of course, when you get to a certain age, odds are that you will find yourself having gone through your fair share of… Read More ›
Arrow Video releases a fourth Yasuzô Masumura remaster, 1969’s “Blind Beast.”
As with previously reviewed films Giants and Toys (1958) and Irezumi (1966), Arrow Video is restoring and offering up to audiences outside of Japan another Yasuzô Masumura film: Blind Beast. Arrow Video provides an opportunity to expand what viewers may… Read More ›
Inherit the dreams of Dreamers with “In the Heights.”
In so many ways, truth is stranger than fiction. According to actor Olga Merediz (The Place Beyond the Pines) in the featurette “That Music in the Air,” playwright/actor Lin-Manuel Miranda told her that he’d begun writing songs that would appear… Read More ›
Styled like a documentary, dramatic fiction “Dark Blood” feels like watching the spiritual obliteration of innocence.
Few films have shaken me quite like Harold Trompetero’s Dark Blood has. Uncut Gems (2019) left me vibrating from anxiety; If Anything Happens I Love You (2020) left me stunned, silently crying over the credits; Violet (2021) left me raw,… Read More ›
In the style of teen classics like “The Breakfast Club” and “Dead Poets Society,” Daigo Matsui’s “Remain in Twilight” appeals to our restless youthful spirits with wit and sincerity. [Fantasia International Film Festival]
It’s not every day we get the chance to chat with a loved one who has passed on. Skeptics would say that we never get that opportunity. If you’ve lost someone important to you, you’ve probably at least imagined having… Read More ›
Documentary “Kipchoge: The Last Milestone” reminds audiences that our limits are of our own making.
There are certain landmark achievements in human history, whether physically or intellectually or a combination of the two, that only come along once every century or so, representing the pinnacle of human potential. The documentary Kipchoge: The Last Milestone, directed… Read More ›
Come for the cast in novel adaptation “Here Are the Young Men” and little else.
Coming of age stories come in all shapes and sizes. Sometimes they’re joyous, ridiculous tales like Weird Science (1985), dramatic like Baby, Don’t Cry (2021), or explorations of addiction and trauma like Trainspotting (1996). The story within writer/director Eoin Macken’s… Read More ›
“It Takes Three” adapts the story of “Cyrano de Bergerac” with an ‘80s rom-com swagger.
The biggest reason to stop telling people what films they should love or hate is primarily due to its icky gatekeeping factor, but, secondarily, there’s no telling what people will connect to and when. There are as many people out… Read More ›
Discover new life in “All the Moons (Todas las Lunas),” an enchanting and bittersweet vampire fantasy. [Fantasia International Film Festival]
No country’s literature or filmography is short of romance stories. If a writer tells you they’re working on a piece about love, you’ll probably assume they’re talking about romantic love. We live in a culture that prioritizes romance and marriage,… Read More ›
“The Last Matinee” satisfies with thrills and kills.
The great debate of the importance of the “theatrical experience” has been run into the ground as streaming services continue to expand and movie theater attendance becomes increasingly inconsistent. The industry was headed in this direction even before March 2020,… Read More ›
Shout! Factory’s LAIKA Studios Edition Examination, Part 2: “The Boxtrolls.”
For the last 15 years, LAIKA Studios has amused, entertained, amazed, and, in some cases, downright terrified audiences with their stop-motion animation tales that continually place children at the center, offering a chance for audiences old and young to see… Read More ›
Shout! Factory’s LAIKA Studios Edition Examination, Part 1: “Coraline.”
For the last 15 years, LAIKA Studios has amused, entertained, amazed, and, in some cases, downright terrified audiences with their stop-motion animation tales that continually place children at the center, offering a chance for audiences old and young to see… Read More ›
Russian comedy “Sweetie, You Won’t Believe It” is a road trip horror comedy you’ve just gotta see. [Fantasia International Film Festival]
Everyone has a thing that they look for before deciding if they want to engage with a piece of art. It could be the cover of an album that lures them in, the style of brush strokes crafting a painting,… Read More ›
“The 12 Day Tale of the Monster that Died in 8 (8日で死んだ怪獣の12日の物語)” is a carefully produced, lovingly crafted COVID-related tale. [Fantasia International Film Festival]
I don’t mess with COVID-related content. I’ve lived it for the past 18 months and, when I watch a movie, I absolutely do not want to be reminded of it in any way. Locked Down? I refuse to watch it…. Read More ›
Director Nia DaCosta’s “Candyman” recontextualizes the mythos in a way that’ll excite some and frustrate others.
The stories we tell matter. They carry weight with every word. They are derived from their individual meanings as well as the histories accompanying them. Stories keep people and events alive long after their physical forms are gone, enabling those… Read More ›
“Baby, Don’t Cry” is a coming-of-age fable for those who don’t fit in. [Fantasia International Film Festival]
When most people hear the term “coming of age” to describe a film, they might jump to something like The Breakfast Club (1985), Sixteen Candles (1984), Weird Science (1985) or some other John Hughes film. They’re often films of self-exploration… Read More ›
Zom-com “Brain Freeze” has its heart in the right place, yet still arrives DOA. [Fantasia International Film Festival]
Fine, let’s just get it out of the way: I am not a very big fan of zombie films on the base level. There are many other things that can make a zombie film good, that I can identify with… Read More ›
Undeniable cast chemistry shines bright against the dark forces at play in “When I Consume You.” [Fantasia International Film Festival]
Do your worst childhood fears ever come back to haunt you? Does it feel like the monsters in your closet never left? Most of us outgrow our fear of shadows, monsters, and the dark, and we can now keep the… Read More ›
“Yakuza Princess” offers a breakout performance from lead MASUMI. [Fantasia International Film Festival]
The list of Yakuza-centric films runs the gamut from dramas like Lost Girls & Love Hotels (2020) to martial arts films like Chocolate (2008) to science-fiction horror like Versus (2000) to straight up thrillers like Black Rain (1989). What the… Read More ›