What is it that gives life meaning? Is it the brevity? Is it what you do with it? Who you meet along the way? Is it the service you provide or the service provided to you? On the one hand,… Read More ›
comedy
Darkly comic thriller “Dead on the Vine” is ripe for the picking on physical and digital home viewing.
A good plan gone wrong — it’s the staple of plenty of heist, confidence, and rescue tales as the protagonists have to figure out what to do when the plan goes sideways. Will they make it out alive? Will their… Read More ›
Wacky coming-of-age comedy “Summer of 69” marks a solid directorial debut for Jillian Bell.
Actress and writer Jillian Bell, known for her roles in Brittany Runs a Marathon (2019) and the recent Kinda Pregnant (2025), flexes her directorial muscles for the first time in Summer of 69, a coming-of-age buddy comedy about friendship, self-confidence,… Read More ›
“The Wedding Banquet” invites you to find your seat at the table.
The Wedding Banquet (2025) is one of those rare films that functions more as another swing at bat than as a remake, and returning screenwriter James Schamus (The Wedding Banquet (1993); Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon) scores at least a double… Read More ›
Academy Award-winning tragicomedy, anti-Cinderella story “Anora” comes available on director-approved 4K UHD and Blu-ray combo edition from The Criterion Collection.
In the popular children’s story Cinderella, the protagonist lives a miserable existence, mistreated by her evil stepmother and wicked stepsisters, but ultimately ends up living an enchanted life with Prince Charming, with a little help from her fairy godmother. Written… Read More ›
One of the most entertaining and charming high-concept films of the past few years, “A Samurai in Time” finally comes home in beautifully upscaled 1080p, courtesy of Third Window Films.
In a landscape of recycled IPs, a never-ending torrent of superhero fever, and films that are made for adults being shoved to the wayside, original high-concept films (strong examples being Inception (2010) and The Matrix (1999)) seem to be a… Read More ›
“The Trouble with Jessica” is a dark comedy of errors.
The Trouble with Jessica is a minimalist comedy of errors that thrives on its sharp dialogue, taut tension, and an outstanding ensemble cast. With an intriguing premise and a blend of dark humor and suspense, the film keeps you on… Read More ›
Criterion’s 4K release of “Some Like It Hot” offers little relative to the Kino Lorber 4K release.
When a boutique label announces that they’re releasing a 4K copy of a movie that has already had a restoration done, the questions are inevitably going to be asked as to which transfer is better between the two disks, what… Read More ›
Before you go fast to pick up “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” on home video, know your options and what you’re getting.
Of all the video game adaptations made (and there are several folks may not even realize are adaptations), none have met or exceeded expectations like director Jeff Fowler’s Sonic the Hedgehog trilogy. Each one is an entertaining family film with… Read More ›
Emilie Blichfeldt’s “The Ugly Stepsister” puts traditional Grimm-level horrors on the big screen in a familiar and twisted tale. [BUFF]
Trigger Warning: Be advised that The Ugly Stepsister includes significant elements of body torture and body-related horror. I am not going to sit back and pretend I am an expert on all things fairy tale related, as that is a… Read More ›
A look at the larger and personal legacy of “Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight” on its 30th Anniversary. [The Overlook Film Festival]
Trigger Warning: Though there is no rain, there’s a great deal of lightning in the film which may impact photosensitive viewers. If you’re a person of a certain age, one only needs to hear a few notes of Danny Elfman’s… Read More ›
“Psycho Therapy: The Shallow Tale of a Writer Who Decided to Write about a Serial Killer” lays its comedy well among its perceived tragedies.
Pretentiousness is a matter of perspective. What one person may find authoritative and compelling may be viewed as utter hogwash by another, and usually it has to do with the way one views the person or art at the center…. Read More ›
Drew Hancock’s “Companion” is a rom-com for the modern era.
In the featurette “I Feel, Therefore I Am,” writer/director Drew Hancock (Fred 3: Camp Fred) talks about how sometimes, in relationships, there are those who are more invested than another. Personally, in the right circumstances, imbalance in one area can… Read More ›
Capsule Review: Karan Kandhari’s horror dramedy “Sister Midnight.” [BUFF]
Overall, Sister Midnight swings for the absolute fences which is bold and refreshing to see when it has a cast that supports it, but if the effort ends at the cast’s execution, it can become tiresome and messy. Kandhari throws… Read More ›
Hong Kong cinema homage “Love Hurts” arrives on physical formats, bringing its production secrets with it.
It’s a tale as old as time. Actor gets work with not one, but multiple top-tier directors, and then finds themselves struggling to get work. Most times, those actors fade into obscurity if they can’t pivot. One such actor, Ke… Read More ›
Buddy comedy “One of Them Days” is sparse on bonus materials for the home release, but not on laughs.
During the featurette “Dream Team,” first-time feature director Lawrence Lamont (Rap Sh!t) describes to producer Issa Rae (Insecure; The Lovebirds) the homages within One of Them Days, referring to both Friday (1995) and Superbad (2007). Each of these comes from… Read More ›
Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck’s “Freaky Tales” mythologizes the Oakland Bay area through a punk rock & hip-hop infused anthology.
Anthologies have a long history in storytelling as they gather seemingly disparate narratives into a singular collection. In cinema, the connection between the parts can remain thematic, leaving the stories individual (The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)); may be through… Read More ›
GKIDS Films re-releases Mamoru Hosoda’s “Summer Wars” on home video as they kick off their Hosoda Collection coverage.
“This is the nature of war: By protecting others, you save yourselves. If you only think of yourself, you’ll only destroy yourself.” – Seven Samurai (1954) One never knows what their introduction to a filmmaker’s filmography will be. Someone could… Read More ›
“She’s the He” turns the bathroom panic in today’s political landscape into a hilarious and heartfelt coming-of-age sex comedy. [SXSW]
Coming-of-age tales are fairly commonplace in cinema with explorations of self and sex in semi-recent films like Porky’s (1981), A Goofy Movie (1995), and The People’s Joker (2024). These stories feature young adults getting into a variety of hijinks either… Read More ›
Documentary “Thank You Very Much” revisits the enigma that was Andy Kaufman.
If you don’t know who Andy Kaufman is, then you’ve probably been living under a rock, or never were a fan of comedies. While Kaufman may have been a polarizing figure, for better or worse, he is arguably on the… Read More ›