Each country has their history and storytellers often find those histories ripe for the picking when trying to devise ways to entertain. In the U.S., for instance, audiences marveled at cinematic release The Patriot (2000) for its depiction of sacrifice… Read More ›
English
Axel Danielson and Maximilien Van Aertryck’s doc “And the king said, what a Fantastic Machine” will get you thinking about the relationship you possess with your camera. [Sundance Film Festival]
Part historical revue, part sociological examination, co-directors Axel Danielson (Kneg) and Maximilien Van Aertryck’s (Kneg) documentary And the king said, what a Fantastic Machine (also referred to simply as Fantastic Machine), premiering at Sundance Film Festival 2023, takes the audience… Read More ›
Performances from Joanna Scanlan and Nathalie Richard linger well “After Love” completes.
This is going to sound rather silly, but it has merit so please bear with me as I explain my logic and theory behind it. Non-American television and movies are typically better than American (US/Canadian) product. That is not to… Read More ›
“The Grandmaster of Kung Fu” Blu-ray Giveaway
There are plenty of films which have explored the life of legendary martial artist Ip Man, but few that do the same for creator of the Chin Woo Athletic Association, Master Huo Yuan Jia. Starring Du Yuhang (Kung Fu League)… Read More ›
Radu Muntean’s drama “Întregalde” offers an exploration of humanity but without an ounce of tension, manufactured or otherwise. [SFFILM Festival]
“Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me” – Matthew 24:40. It says a lot about a person or a community how they treat others,… Read More ›
Writer/director Atsuko Ishizuka’s animated adolescent adventure “Goodbye, Don Glees!” begins at home.
When we’re children, the world appears small. It’s filled with the things that we can perceive and, often, little else. This means that what stresses us out, what keeps us up at night, seem huge because we lack the perspective… Read More ›
Mixed-media documentary “Eternal Spring (长春)” offers a unique perspective on what the persecution of people of faith really looks like.
In March 2002, in order to combat the persistent and often violent persecution practitioners of Falun Gong endured in China, several members decided to break into the evening news to project one of their DVDs. The idea being that if… Read More ›
Before “Part Two” releases in 2023, catch up with Choi Dong-hoon’s sci-fi action fantasy “Alienoid” on home video.
If there’s one complaint that American audiences are prone to have, it’s that there’s never anything original hitting theaters. It’s all superhero stories, remakes, reboots, or some kind of sequel. It’s incredibly risky for studios to make original stories, so… Read More ›
Late stage rom-com “Food and Romance” is cinematic comfort food with a few well-prepared surprises.
Just because you’ve been with someone a long time doesn’t mean that it’s either a good fit or meant to last forever. Good relationships are ones in which each participant invests in both themselves and their partner. Bad ones result… Read More ›
Johannes Grenzfurthner’s experimental supernatural horror “Razzennest” is a disquieting sensory experience that’ll leave you stunned.
Satire is a sticky wicket requiring expert balance to nail. Films like Paul Verhoven’s RoboCop (1987) and Starship Troopers (1997) are as frequently misunderstood for their analysis of corporate greed and nationalism as Fight Club is (film (1999) or novel)… Read More ›
“The Antares Paradox (La Paradoja de Antares)” is a well-executed single-location story. [Fantastic Fest]
Imagine for a moment that you’ve known what you’ve wanted to do from a young age, that you’ve spent the majority of your life reaching toward a goal despite a lack of familial or even societal support. Now imagine that… Read More ›
Action drama “Preman: Silent Fury” hits harder with the pathos than violence.
Murder, mayhem, sorrow, grief, pain, redemption: these are universal aspects of storytelling that transcend time and place. For stories that combine these to the point where pulpy isn’t just a way to describe the story but the viscera that remains… Read More ›
“Goodbye, Don Glees!” Hello, innumerable possibilities.
As long as there are children who grow into adulthood via adolescence, there will always be coming-of-age stories. They may not be indicative of your experience, but they will speak to the universal ideas of growing up, shifting from an… Read More ›
Grab a seat, heist dramedy “The Umbrella Men” is primed to play. [Toronto International Film Festival]
Heist films come in all shapes, sizes, and flavors. There’s the family comedy (The Bad Guys (2022)), the musical drama (Baby Driver (2017)), the superhero action comedy (Ant-Man (2015)), the save-yourself drama (Widows (2018)), the zombie survival action drama (Peninsula… Read More ›
When on the course of life, the best way to get through is to remain “Open.”
Writer/director/actor Jack Eve’s last project was the Agatha Christie-like Bees Make Honey, a film which demonstrated the artist’s ambition as a storyteller. It’s big in terms of cast, costumes, and sets, not the mention the murder mystery script. In July… Read More ›
Arrow Video presents director Johnnie To’s “Running Out of Time” collection in a lovely 2K restoration.
There was a time when the transition away from physical media to digital seemed like a gift as largely hard-to-find media became accessible. Without getting into the larger economic issues within their respective areas, the shift toward digital acquisition with… Read More ›
Choi Dong-hoon’s “Alienoid” is a nearly seamless anarchistic sci-fi action comedy that’ll have you impatient for “Part Two.”
Whether it lands with the general public or not, there’s nothing like a big swing in art, something that extends itself perhaps farther than it should go, never quite breaking its own rules as it bites off more than it… Read More ›
Documentary “Howl of the Underdogs” explores the music and struggles of Norwegian metal band Madder Mortem.
Community is the first place an individual gains their identity and sense of self. Community can come from the country you live in, the state, the city, or your home. Community is what starts to shape what you value or,… Read More ›
“Thirteen Lives” presents a scripted and altered version of the 2018 Tham Luang Cave rescue.
June 23rd, 2018: after a football practice, 12 teammates and their assistant coach decided to explore the nearby Tham Luang Cave in the Tham Luang – Khun Nam Namg Non Forest Park of Northern Thailand. Unexpectedly, a storm hit, flooding… Read More ›
“We Are Living Things” explores life and society through layered metaphors.
Whom among us hasn’t felt lost and alone, even in a crowded room of people? In some cases, the larger the environment, the smaller one may feel due to the vastness of it all. In that case, seeking connection to… Read More ›