Last year, Ari Aster set the bar high for “daylight” horror films with Midsommar, a terrifying fantasy that casts its disturbing events against a beautiful, blossoming, sunlit backdrop. The genre-play proved to be quite successful for Aster, although the effect… Read More ›
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Comedian Steve Byrne trades the stage for the director’s chair in feature debut “The Opening Act.”
There was a moment, perhaps not so long from this one, where you wondered if you were doing what you always wanted to do, where you contemplated if the “you” of before would be proud of or impressed with the… Read More ›
Supernatural thriller “Broil” is more of a low simmer.
Werewolves. Vampires. Zombies. Each of these monsters of the dark owe their origins to legends and myths, to a time before science when fear ran roughshod over reason. That part of ourselves remains present even now and yet we find… Read More ›
Feel-good drama “The Secret: Dare to Dream” is cinematic comfort food.
Best-selling 2006 self-help book The Secret, from author Rhonda Byrne, implores its readers to view the world through a philosophy known as the “Law of Attraction.” The basic idea is that the thoughts of the individual (positive/negative) bring about the… Read More ›
This. Is. “300”… on 4K UHD for the first time.
If history is to be believed, then the story of King Leonidas I of Greek Sparta is truly remarkable. The story goes that the king and 300 of his soldiers took on an invading army of 100,000 Persians, defiantly keeping… Read More ›
Crime drama “Invincible Dragon” proves to be vulnerable after all.
With turns in Ip Man 3 (2015), Pacific Rim: Uprising (2018), and Master Z: Ip Man Legacy (2018), Max Zhang is slowly becoming recognizable in the stateside martial arts community. His movements are fast, his skill precise, and his presence… Read More ›
Want to get weird? Check out horror-western “The Pale Door.” Just beware that you may find Hell on the other side.
You may not be familiar with the genre term “Weird Western,” but chances are you’ve seen one. The term refers to the combination of a typical western setting in combination with something more atypical of the period. Think Kathyrn Bigelow’s… Read More ›
Martial arts dramedy “The Paper Tigers” honors the heritage of the genre while exploring the cost of neglected bonds. [Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival]
The phrase “peaceful warrior” will always sound like an oxymoron to those who don’t understand it. The confusion lies in perceiving these terms as in opposition to one another — one can’t be peaceful if one is trained in the… Read More ›
Documentary “Dick Johnson Is Dead” is an oft silly and poignant celebration of life.
Alzheimer’s is often described as a “long goodbye.” It’s a progressive disease which slowly robs the individual of their memories and facilities, up to the point of loss of all communication skills and the inability to engage with anything around… Read More ›
Sci-fi drama “LX 2048” appears to possess themes running parallel to current quarantine life, yet fails to explore any of them deeply.
Time is truly the enemy of us all. It’s perhaps the only thing in our lives which is truly finite. whose amount is uncertain and, once used, is never be replenished. There’s a quote attributed to singer/actor/activist Henry Rollins that… Read More ›
The whole world is watching events like “The Trial of the Chicago 7” play out again and again.
Inequities of man are met with protests. Some agree and the voices get louder, some disagree and tell them how to protest. Then lives are lost unnecessarily and protesters get angry, taking to the streets to confront their government. To… Read More ›
Etheria Film Night comes back with a second season, streaming via Amazon.
Following the success of the first digital iterations of the Etheria Film Night, a genre festival focusing on horror, thriller, and sci-fi shorts directed by women, there has to be more sequels, right? Etheria Season II, a block of 10… Read More ›
Unexpectedly, “Spontaneous” offers much needed catharsis during a time of pandemic.
It’s in the strangest of places that we often find that which affirms life. It could be a sunrise, a child’s laugh, a taste of pumpkin spice pick-a-thing, a song you’ve heard a million times, or a film you’re experiencing… Read More ›
Sometimes it requires a little “Misbehaviour” to change the status quo.
November 1970. Several women in support of the Women’s Liberation Movement took part in a demonstration that interrupted the live broadcast of the Miss World competition at Albert Hall in London, England. The protestors threw flour bombs, used noise crackers,… Read More ›
Stanley Kubrick’s “Full Metal Jacket” shows off what 4K UHD can really bring to the table.
Joining the list of catalogue titles Warner Bros. Home Entertainment is re-releasing on 4K UHD comes the widely beloved Stanley Kubrick Vietnam film Full Metal Jacket. Even if you haven’t seen the film, you’re likely familiar with many of the… Read More ›
Latest Disney+ original movie “Secret Society of Second-Born Royals” offers some disposable end of summer fun.
No matter what you think of Walt Disney Corp., you’ve got to admit that they offer a wide range of entertainment for all ages. Sometimes it’s a mega-hit like Hannah Montana and sometimes it’s a mega-bomb like Artemis Fowl, But… Read More ›
Documentary “Stuntwomen: The Untold Hollywood Story” is all substance with a splash of flash.
Billed as “The definitive documentary about the history of Hollywood Stuntwomen,” Shout! Studios’s Stuntwomen: The Untold Hollywood Story takes what was captured in Mollie Gregory’s book of the same name and catapults it onto screens everywhere. The trailer for this… Read More ›
Pretty on the outside, ugly on the inside, there’s little to love in cruelly misguided Janelle Monáe horror vehicle “Antebellum.”
It’s no secret that I absolutely adore Janelle Monáe. I have since her first album, The Archandroid, all the way up the absolutely masterful Dirty Computer album of 2018. I genuinely believe that she is this generation’s Prince in her… Read More ›
Jeon Gye-soo’s “Vertigo” offers sensory exploration of romance from the heights. [Fantasia Film Festival]
In a corporate world made of glass, steel, and concrete, Jeon Gye-soo’s atmospheric Korean language film Vertigo captures the agony of one woman’s emotional and physical isolation and the slow-budding connection she makes with a high rise window washer contracted… Read More ›
Emotional and powerful, “Blackbird” is an exquisite family drama.
Blackbird is the kind of small movie that provides something much bigger and grander for audiences to take in. On top of that, it also features an enticing and very well-respected ensemble of actors, all of whom have incredible backgrounds… Read More ›