The discomfort we find in sleeping in unfamiliar environments is utterly naturalistic. Without familiar smells, shapes, or sounds, the unknown deepens, opening our psyche up to terrors that make our skin crawl as a means of self-preservation. This alone would… Read More ›
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“Arizona” takes off those rainbow shades, revealing a mischievous dark comedy underneath.
There are films where you know from the get-go that they are going to shock you and then there are films that come out of nowhere. Arizona, the latest from RLJE Films, unequivocally falls into the category of the later…. Read More ›
Unfortunately, technical prowess doesn’t outweigh narrative weakness with “Along Came The Devil”.
Horror films involving demonic possession seem to be one of the hottest trends in recent years. From the Conjuring series, the Insidious series, and the upcoming Suspiria remake, horror films about possession utilize supernatural elements recycled time and again in… Read More ›
Lauren Miller Rogen’s “Like Father” grounds an alt-romantic comedy with real emotion.
Netflix’s latest original film, Like Father, marks the feature directorial debut of Lauren Miller Rogen. It’s a dramedy addressing the detrimental impact of a life dissociated from others. A concept like this requires a balancing act of writing, acting, and… Read More ›
“Rock Rubber 45s” is the autobiographical story of prolific cultural phenom Bobbito García.
Blacktop ball, pro ball, trick ball. A&R rep, radio host, world-renowned DJ. Freelance sneakerhead, sneaker designer, founder of a cultural movement. Businessman, author, filmmaker. Entrepreneur, activist, globalist. These disparate concepts are connected by one legendary man whose influence stretches through… Read More ›
Introspection and patience reward when “The Night Eats The World”.
The wealth of film hitting theaters and VOD services is enough to overwhelm even the most discerning cinephile, which is why it matters to remain open to films beyond your borders both physical and metaphysical. Locking ourselves into genres, into… Read More ›
Noir and comedy intertwine for Jack Eve’s “Bees Make Honey”.
There’s no denying that writer/director Jack Eve’s got ambition. Watching a single frame of genre mash-up Bees Make Honey makes that abundantly clear. With bold strokes, Jack sets about combining aspects of straight period pieces and film noir mysteries, with… Read More ›
Documentary “Pressing On” leaves its imprint on audiences in an infectious, rock n’ roll ride.
Of the things we take for granted, the written word is possibly the highest on the list. Before Johannes Gutenberg devised the printing press in 1440, there was little focus on or desire for the common person to read, which… Read More ›
In need of a date night? Don’t wait, “Set It Up”.
Netflix’s latest original feature isn’t going to blow the doors off your house, but that’s not what it’s geared for. Instead, Set It Up is a silly, light-hearted, rom-com that’ll take you on an amusing ride all the way to… Read More ›
Family affair ‘The Year of Spectacular Men’ is a strong prologue of potential.
Coming-of-age tales are typically restricted to the teen crowd. Stories of a lost innocence or new-found acceptance that empowers the central character in a way which emboldens them to tackle the world around them. Though it’s not atypical for stories… Read More ›
Only melancholic memories remain when “All Summers End”.
There’s a strange sense of freedom that comes over us in our youth every summer. Maybe it’s the longer stretches of daylight, the rising heat, or lack of parental supervision as they toil away at their jobs. Whatever it is,… Read More ›
Graphic novel adaptation ‘I Kill Giants’ is beautifully constructed, but misses its emotionally landing.
When the term “graphic novel” is tossed around, most immediately turn toward stories that capture grand adventures of heroes, like Superman, Batman, the Avengers, who display their superhuman strength or intellect while defeating similarly striking villains bent on world, or… Read More ›
Curiouser and Curiouser, Vaughn Stein’s feature debut ‘Terminal’ is a candy-coated neon nightmare into the bowels of Wonderland.
Appearances can be deceiving. Always be the smartest person in the room. There’s no such thing as coincidence. These may be rote clichés, yet the failure to adhere to them will get you killed in Vaughn Stein’s feature debut, Terminal…. Read More ›
Netflix’s Martin Freeman-led zombie apocalypse feature ‘Cargo’ meanders narratively, reducing tension and emotion along the way.
For years now, zombie-related stories have been the rage on screens big and small. Whether telling the on-going story of a group of survivors (AMC’s The Walking Dead) or a one-shot of a father protecting his daughter (Train to Busan),… Read More ›
Despite appearances, ‘Ghost Stories’ is no by-the-numbers affair.
Writing partners Andy Nyman and Jeremy Dyson are likely not names you’d know though you’re likely familiar with their work. Nyman’s an actor who’s worked on The League of Gentlemen, The Brothers Bloom, and Despicable Me 3, whereas Dyson’s spent… Read More ›
‘Kodachrome’ exalts the tangible in an era of digital dust.
There’s a common misconception that if a movie premieres on Netflix it’s somehow not worthy of a theater run; as though only films shown in a cinema house are somehow the only ones worthy of an audience. If films like… Read More ›
Duncan Jones latest film ‘Mute’ is a perfect fit for Netflix’s Instant offerings.
Writer/director Duncan Jones broke onto the scene with the 2009 underground hit Moon, which tracked lunar engineer Sam Bell’s (Sam Rockwell) last days of his three-year mission as his solitary life finally begins to take its toll. Unfortunately, Jones’s follow-ups… Read More ›
Sociopaths are all the rage in ‘Tragedy Girls’.
Last October audiences were inundated by interesting films that drew them in a multitude of directions. Blade Runner 2049, The Florida Project, The Foreigner, and The Square all hit cinemas small and large, so it’d be hard to blame anyone… Read More ›
“Saturday Church” is a quasi-musical journey of self-acceptance.
Audiences will quickly compare Saturday Church to Moonlight, the 2017 Best Picture Oscar winner which also tells a personal, character-driven story about a boy’s search for self at the intersection of sexual identity and race. While both excel at telling… Read More ›
Netflix’s ‘The Polka King’ is full of potential, but misses the beat.
Based-on-a-true-story biopics tend to fall into one of two categories: gritty or glossy. Weirdly, Netflix’s latest original feature The Polka King can’t decide which one it wants to be. Drawing from the documentary film The Man Who Would Be Polka… Read More ›