From writer and director Ben Hozie, PVT Chat is a story of urban loneliness and isolation along with lust and obsession. Peter Vack acts in the role of Jack, an online gambler who feels internally empty and without any clear… Read More ›
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Charming, well-crafted, and funny, Adam Stovall’s romance/horror mashup “A Ghost Waits” is a delightfully spooky good time.
Adam Stovall’s micro-budget flick, A Ghost Waits, makes a pretty convincing argument that romance and horror can work really well together. Stovall doesn’t simply juxtapose the genres or jump back and forth between sweet and horrific moments. Instead, he takes… Read More ›
Sorry, Studio Ghibli fans, “Earwig and the Witch” is terribly off key.
Studio Ghibli’s Earwig and the Witch marks their 22nd feature film and their first 3D animated feature. Adapted from the 2011 novel by Diana Wynne Jones (the second film of theirs adapted from her books, the first being Howl’s Moving… Read More ›
Outside of a few unfortunate parallels to current events, “Rams” is a quaint comedy/drama with a delightful cast.
Director Jeremy Sims brings together the talents of Sam Neill, Michael Caton, and Miranda Richardson in Rams, his English-language remake of the 2015 Icelandic film, Hrútar. Rams centers around feuding brothers Colin and Les Grimurson (Neill and Caton, respectively), who… Read More ›
Psychological thriller “The Night” masters the familiar haunted hotel setting with technical excellence.
Kourosh Ahari’s psychological thriller, The Night, is a stellar example of a film that may not have the next best original ideas within its genre, but is so well done that it is nonetheless entertaining and worthwhile. Despite a handful… Read More ›
Beautiful, painful, hilarious, & uncomfortable, Sam Levinson’s “Malcolm & Marie” is a declarative statement of artistic talent.
It’s 1 a.m. and Malcolm (John David Washington) and Marie (Zendaya) return home from the premiere of Malcom’s film, a film which left the audience in tears and the critics raving. This should be a time of celebration for the… Read More ›
Derek DelGaudio’s powerful Broadway show “In & Of Itself” challenges our notions of identity.
From my perspective, the purpose of a critic is to observe art, in this case film, and analyze it for what it does well and what it doesn’t. To some degree, this is objective as one considers the artist’s ability… Read More ›
Be careful out there. If you “Flinch,” you’ll catch a bullet.
If you’re familiar with Cameron Van Hoy, it may be because of his work as Eddie Alvarez in STARZ’s Crash or as Deputy Duke in the hilarious slasher-comedy Tragedy Girls (2017). With luck, thanks to his feature-length directorial debut Flinch,… Read More ›
The “PG” in Steven Kostanski’s horror comedy “PG: Psycho Goreman” stands for “plenty-o-gore.
According to the production notes accompanying my screener, writer/director Steven Kostanski (The Void) grew up wondering what it would be like to hang out with the iconic villains of his youth: Skeletor, Megatron, Cobra Commander, etc. As an adult, his… Read More ›
You’ve got next now that “Max Cloud” is coming home.
Trends are entirely cyclical. What was once deemed out of date becomes retro, reabsorbed into the lexicon of society, often repurposed into something new. It’s not just clothes (ex. tie dye and bell bottoms), music (ex. vinyl and cassettes), or… Read More ›
If “‘Wolfenstein’ in the Pacific Theater” meets “Overlord” sounds enticing, check out director Roseanne Liang’s “Shadow in the Cloud.”
It’s a tough conversation, but one that needs to be addressed head-on before jumping into actually talking about the film itself. Shadow in the Cloud, despite its best efforts, is written by Max Landis. Landis, the son of veteran filmmaker… Read More ›
Travel the globe with gentlemen thief Lupin III in his latest adventure “Lupin III: The First.”
First created by artist Monkey Punch in 1967, the adventures of gentlemen thief Lupin III have generated multiple mangas, tv series, and films depicting a variety of escapades. During a press interview for Lupin III vs. Detective Conan: The Movie… Read More ›
In a world full of criminals, what we need is an “Honest Thief.”
At this point in Liam Neeson’s career, the frequency of Taken-like stories he headlines has got to be purposeful. For one, Neeson makes for a damn fine action hero. His characters tend to be believable in their strength and skill,… Read More ›
Packed inside the superhero excess of “Wonder Woman 1984” is a compelling story of greed versus virtue.
As a follow-up to 2017’s Wonder Woman, director Patty Jenkin’s Wonder Woman 1984 is undeniably ambitious. It seeks to expand the mythos of Themyscria, the home of the Amazons; continue the story of Diana Prince as a continuation of her… Read More ›
Sick of Hallmark holiday love stories? Try Joe Duca’s authentic “Evergreen.”
Romantic relationships as depicted in film often receive derision for being too picture perfect, creating unrealistic expectations for what love is really like between two broken people hoping to find a fulfilling partnership. In traditional romances, those which have an… Read More ›
Quick Take Review: “Greenland.”
Greenland is a family drama disguised as a disaster film. When the clock is ticking on an extinction-level event, a mom and dad (struggling with a failing marriage) must do everything within their power to find safe passage to Greenland;… Read More ›
With strong performances, a compelling story, and a satisfying blend of romance and mystery, all “32 Weeks” needs is a better ending.
Sometimes, writers get a tad bit lazy with their narratives and throw in a character with amnesia as a cheap and easy way to wiggle themselves out of plot holes and avoid the extra work of coming up with a… Read More ›
Beautiful and intimate, yet cold and distant, “The Midnight Sky” lacks the cohesion to make it wondrous.
When it comes to George Clooney films, there’s a little something for everyone. You like him endearing and silly, Return of the Killer Tomatoes (1988). You like him sexy and deadly, From Dusk Till Dawn (1996). Or perhaps more maudlin… Read More ›
Go deeper into the inverted world of “Tenet” via home video.
After revitalizing the superhero genre with his Dark Knight trilogy (2005-2012), taking on the heist thriller with Inception (2010), and exploring the sci-fi family drama with Interstellar (2014), writer/director Christopher Nolan has become somewhat of a pillar in modern filmmaking… Read More ›
“All Roads to Pearla” is a strong feature-debut from writer/director Van Ditthavong.
Some argue that a town only truly comes to life once the sun has set. That’s when the things hiding from sunlight feel more comfortable to come out, stretch their legs, and roam the streets freely; when those who strive… Read More ›