In the spirit of past Walt Disney live action remakes or reimaginations such as Maleficent or Dumbo, comes Cruella, directed by Craig Gillespie (I, Tonya) and starring the talented Emma Stone (The Favourite), Emma Thompson (Love Actually), Mark Strong (Sherlock… Read More ›
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Simon Barrett’s feature directorial debut “Séance” is a first class experience.
As someone who, like many, spent the entirety of their education in public schools, I’ve always had a sick fascination with the mystique of the private school experience, particularly that of the private boarding school experience. There’s something so strangely… Read More ›
Bodies will hit the floor and rise again when the “Army of the Dead” mobilizes.
Zack Snyder’s latest film, zombie/heist flick Army of the Dead, represents the best and worst of the auteur. It’s bombastic with copious amounts of gore while also containing heartrending philosophical notions regarding survival amidst nihilistic horror; however, it’s also a… Read More ›
Get to know D.C. Hardcore punk scene in doc “Punk the Capital: Building a Sound Movement.”
As a Jewish kid from Roanoke, Virginia, my music influences were around what was played on the radio; what played on music channels VH1, MTV, and BET; or what was played by my family across their eclectic tastes ranging from… Read More ›
Coming of age comedy “The Get Together” pulls through with an endearing charm.
Storytelling is essential. It’s one of the easiest ways to communicate our values, express our beliefs, and process our experiences. Even our 280-character tweets are a form of storytelling, and many of us couldn’t make it a single day without… Read More ›
Anders Thomas Jensen’s dark comedy “Riders of Justice” offers shocking profundity amid violence.
A young girl and her mother are riding a subway train when an accident occurs, killing the mother and leaving the daughter injured but alive. Her father, a military man, comes home from active duty to care for his daughter… Read More ›
Though magnetic and fascinating, “Things Heard & Seen” is ultimately a harmless a slow-burn haunted house tale.
Horror films are like snowflakes. Some may look incredibly similar to each other, but at their heart, each one has something unique and new to bring to the table different than anything before (unless you’re Gus Van Sant remaking Psycho…that… Read More ›
Director Paul Starkman showcases his mastery of filmmaking in his feature debut, “Wheels.”
Wheels starts with its greatest strength: music. A lively rock-n-roll tune plays over a black screen as a few opening credits fly by, and we hear the protagonist, Max (Arnstar), introduce himself while doing what he loves most: DJing. But… Read More ›
Simon McQuoid’s “Mortal Kombat” is not a flawless victory.
Debuting in 1992, Ed Boon and John Tobias’s arcade game Mortal Kombat shook the foundation of popular kulture almost immediately. It wasn’t just the karacter design (digitized versions of real people known as “sprites”) or the in-game mythos, but the… Read More ›
“The Mitchells vs. The Machines” is a wonderfully unexpected catalyst for personal and social examination.
Trigger Warning for light, yet frequent strobing. There’s something familiar about every aspect of new animated family adventure sci-fi comedy The Mitchells vs. The Machines. The animation style is complex and layered, which is to be expected from Sony Pictures… Read More ›
After several festival premieres, Emma Seligman’s “Shiva Baby” gets the wide release it deserves.
There are a few moments in life where the dichotomy of promise and pressure collide as they do with family. Ideally, family are the folks who love and support you “no matter what,” yet, along with that, they also are… Read More ›
Martial arts action comedy “The Rookies” is best left on the bench.
When you market a film based on being from the writer of 2004’s New Police Story, a continuation/reboot of Jackie Chan’s action-martial arts-drama series, then you’d better be on par or be willing to lose a lot of face. Sadly,… Read More ›
“The Banishing” ultimately leaves viewers with a bunch of delicious ingredients that just refuse to mix together properly.
Rarely does it ever occur, but every now and then, my very public love of horror and my more privately held love of period dramas overlap, and these slower, quieter works of eerie horror almost always speak to me in… Read More ›
Allow the joy of documentary “Lily Topples the World” to knock you over. [SXSW Film Festival]
Documentaries that manage to introduce a new audience to something niche and relatively uncommon (while retaining entertainment value and artistic excellence) instantly earn my admiration. From director Jeremy Workman and executive producer Kelly Marie Tran, Lily Topples the World shows… Read More ›
“Thunder Force” is on the way to protect your town.
Given the option of choosing a Melissa McCarthy-led drama or comedy, the former is near-guaranteed to be stellar while the latter can be hit/miss. She’s a fantastic actor and one whose willingness to embrace physical comedy is something akin to… Read More ›
Ran Slavin’s feature debut, “Call for Dreams,” is “A Page of Madness” for the 21st century.
According to the press notes for Call for Dreams, Israeli director Ran Slavin started the project in pursuit of a “new cinematic form.” Slavin began with the idea to collect dreams from strangers that he could use as inspiration for… Read More ›
Director Mary Wharton’s documentary “Tom Petty, Somewhere You Feel Free” is good for the heart and soul. [SXSW Film Festival]
From director Mary Wharton, the documentary Tom Petty, Somewhere You Feel Free feels like a secret glimpse into a lost part of history. Considering that we are less than three decades removed from the time period of this film’s focus,… Read More ›
Flashes of brilliance in co-directors Mallory Everton and Stephen Meek’s “Recovery” are diminished by inconsistency. [SXSW Film Festival]
A little over a year ago, mentioning the term “COVID comedy” as a film genre would have probably brought looks of confusion. Of course, events within the last 12 months or so have changed the entire motion of the world… Read More ›
“Godzilla vs. Kong:” Showdown for the Monsterverse.
Not since the 1962 film King Kong vs. Godzilla have the mighty titans faced each other in combat on the silver screen. It was the third film for both and, in keeping with the traditions of perceived heroism, Kong won… Read More ›
Jacob Gentry’s jazzy tech noir “Broadcast Signal Intrusion” takes us down a rabbit hole. [SXSW Film Festival]
Imagine being in the middle of a favorite television program, only to have your television hijacked by unwanted and disturbing images. While the interruption doesn’t last long, what appeared on screen you can’t unsee. While this sounds like an old… Read More ›