Mr. K has a lot going for it and most of that energy comes from the always-captivating Crispin Glover (Back to the Future). In one of his most fascinating performances to date, Glover embodies a spiraling character trying desperately to… Read More ›
Belgium
“Steal Away” with actors Mallori Johnson and Angourie Rice. [TIFF]
Clement Virgo (Brother) is back with another powerful drama while, again, pulling double duty as director and as part of the co-writing team with newcomer Tamara Berger. Steal Away balances a multitude of themes, ensuring that the film cannot get… Read More ›
Animated adventure fable “Sirocco and the Kingdom of Winds” envelopes for a pleasant sensory experience.
There are fables that challenge children (The NeverEnding Story), that push children (Labyrinth), and that are not safe for children (Pan’s Labyrinth). In each instance, no matter their differences, the perspective of the child is the focal point through their… Read More ›
“Emilia Pérez” dazzles with its operatic style and frustrates with its masked hollowness.
Redemption stories come in a great many forms. Time loops stories utilize the constriction created by a repeated day(s) to force introspection and change, the loop broken in comedies (Groundhog Day), dramas (The Map of Tiny Perfect Things), and horror… Read More ›
Tragic, whimsical romance “Daniela Forever” perfectly doses audiences with Nacho Vigalondo’s trademark story-telling. [TIFF]
Have you heard of writer/director Nacho Vigalondo? If you haven’t, you’re truly missing out. While he’s certainly not new to the scene, he has cemented himself as a force to be reckoned with when it comes to weird, insane, crazy… Read More ›
Check out “Mr. K” any time you like, but you can never leave. [TIFF]
Remember actors who were in some of your favourite movies growing up or who are part of your core memory and you casually think whatever happened to them? Ever think that way about Crispin Glover (9; Charlie’s Angels)? If yes,… Read More ›
Claude Schmitz’s “The Other Laurens (L’autre Laurens)” offers a stunning visual genre mashup, but sacrifices plot for tone and style.
The Other Laurens is a movie that’s all dressed up with everywhere to go. But after it gets one foot out the door, it can’t seem to go any further. With a nostalgic neo-noir/grunge visual style that’s sprinkled with touches… Read More ›
“The Damned” fully delivers on its genre promises of mystery, drama, and horror. [Tribeca Film Festival]
Genuinely speaking, I don’t want to condone a movie, but the trance, anxiety, and dread that Thordur Palsson creates with his directorial debut, The Damned, needs to be studied as A Clockwork Orange-style of torture. This movie is the one… Read More ›
Bertrand Mandico’s “She Is Conann” questions whether or not crushing your enemies is truly what’s best in life.
Photosensitivity Warning: There are multiple scenes in which either a character is using a camera with flash or a strobe is used (often at length). Proceed with absolute caution. In the realm of action fantasy, John Milius’s 1982 sword and… Read More ›
Despite elements which reduce the effectiveness, the poignantly crafted “The Animal Kingdom (Le Règne Animal)” remains an affecting watch.
With the Oscars now firmly behind us, for better or for worse, one might technically believe that the season of awards films are also behind us, too, at least for the next few months before Cannes gives us some early… Read More ›
Open Dialogue with “The Taste of Things” filmmaker Tran Anh Hung.
In this edition of Meet Me at the Movies: Open Dialogue, Thomas Manning talks with filmmaker Tran Anh Hung about The Taste of Things. Hung was recognized with the Best Director honor at the 76th Cannes Film Festival for his… Read More ›
Pair “The Taste of Things” with a good meal for the perfect Valentine’s Date.
It was December 16th, 2023, when I received the text “Do u want soup tonight?” to which I replied, “Yeah I can do a soup.” The dinner invitation came from fellow film buff Scott Rogers, who, along with his partner… Read More ›
Rosine Mbakam’s “Mambar Pierrette” elevates with an observation approach over tropes. [New York Film Festival]
Despite what stories tell us, our lives don’t end when we achieve the dream, overcome the adversity, or, worse yet, get taken down by the corporate monster trying to rip down the community center. Until we cease to function, the… Read More ›
“Megalomaniac” tells an over-played story in the most violent way possible.
Content warning: I’m not even going to list the triggers that Megalomaniac touches upon so extremely. Basically, if you have a content trigger of any kind, Megalomaniac probably exploits it for you. I can’t say I actually have any, but… Read More ›
Restoration of extreme film “Calvaire” offers little more than access to the film.
Fabrice du Welz’s Calvaire (titled The Ordeal in some English-speaking regions, but not here), premiering at Cannes in 2004, is a strange, but valid entry into the canon of “New French Extremity” that gripped French-language horror/thrillers from the mid-‘90s to… Read More ›
Paolo Strippoli’s “Flowing (Piove)” explores what resentment can do if left unchecked. [Brooklyn Horror Film Festival]
“Hell is other people.” -Jean-Paul Sartre, No Exit In Sartre’s novel Huis Clos (No Exit), he tells a story of three people locked in a room together who share things about themselves, coming to a conclusion that in their inability… Read More ›
Director Harry Cleven achieves something truly remarkable with his hypnotic experimental sci-fi film, “Zeria.” [Chattanooga Film Festival]
Harry Cleven’s Zeria is a wondrous and enlightening celebration of all the things that make us human. Using a combination of miniature sets, practical effects, and puppet-like masks, Cleven creates a breathtaking and unforgettable world that’s mesmerizing, comforting, and terrifying… Read More ›