Sasquatch Sunset is a vulgar, trippy mockumentary. It’s full of sex, urine, feces, and engorged Bigfoot penis — but that’s just a disguise over a melancholic, soulful, and beautiful adult drama about life, growing, and loss, and one of the… Read More ›
If you watched The Vourdalak with no background information, you might think you’d discovered a lost made-for-TV gem from 1980-something. With its grainy appearance, humble sets, and Jim-Henson-esque puppet villain, how could this dark yet charming vampire fantasy not be… Read More ›
A sequel is a tricky proposition. Audiences who enjoy one story are keen to want more, yet the follow-ups aren’t always as strong or long-lasting as the initial outing. When you add in the complaint of feeling like nothing new… Read More ›
If you have been following my writing and my thoughts on things when it comes to media, it should be apparent that my stance is, and always will be, physical media is king. It is really hard to make the… Read More ›
16th century Chinese novel Fengshen Yanyi (Investiture of the Gods) is the inspiration for a number of adaptions in Chinese entertainment. Adaptations in written forms, television programs, and, of course, cinema. Sometimes it’s in individual portions, such as with studio… Read More ›
The cult cinema streaming service Arrow Player is no stranger to the grotesque, the bizarre, and the gloriously macabre, making it the perfect home for the French dark fantasy film, Pandemonium. This visceral and nightmarish flick, which made the rounds… Read More ›
The 16th century Chinese novel Fengshen Yanyi (Investiture of the Gods) has been told (and re-told) in portions in text, television, and film over the years with versions animated and live-action. In the fall of 2023, Wuershan’s Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom… Read More ›
Most Scooby-Doo films are just alright. They are often glorified hour-long episodes of the series, or Archie Comics-style cameo machines. But starting in 1998 and ending in 2003, there was a run of good-to-great straight-to-VHS films, Scooby-Doo! On Zombie Island… Read More ›
The 1990s brought forth a number of cinematic comic book adaptations. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Dick Tracy, and Darkman in 1990; The Rocketeer in 1991; Batman Returns in 1992; Batman Forever, Judge Dredd, and The Mask in 1995; The Phantom in 1996; and,… Read More ›
Photosensitivity Warning: The opening sequence and several throughout the film include either flashes of light or strobing that may be triggering for photosensitive viewers. There are certain phrases, certain references, one can make that will elicit a specific response within… Read More ›
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 ›
It’s been stated before, but it bears reminding: expectations can ruin an experience. This is equally true when the hype ahead of something implies one thing when the truth is something very different. In the real world, it can look… Read More ›
Event storylines in comics are not unusual. It’s a way to take on something that doesn’t quite fit in the everyday narratives, while also providing a means of both bringing characters together and altering their trajectory. In the world of… Read More ›
Yellow Smiley offers me X Like he’s drinking 7-Up I would rather drink six razor blades Razor blades from a paper cup He can’t understand, I say too tough It’s just that I’ve seen the future and boy it’s rough… Read More ›
Photosensitivity Warning: In several key sequences, flickering lights are used to convey enhanced emotions which may prove problematic for sensitive viewers. In undergrad at UNC at Asheville, during a lower-level English course, Bram Stoker’s Dracula was read and discussed as… Read More ›
Like the David Bowie song from which filmmakers Carina Mia Wong and Alex Simmons (Buddymoon) drew inspiration for the title of their documentary, We Can Be Heroes is a bit of a melancholic tale of individuals who recognize that they… Read More ›
Photosensitivity Warning: The visual elements used to convey transitions appear as an anamorphic lens-like flare similar to refraction of light that may prove trigging to photosensitive individuals. Memory is greatly tied to our senses. Tastes, sights, smells, and sounds all… Read More ›
From 2013 – 2023, Warner Bros. Pictures has released 15 films featuring characters from DC Comics beginning with The Trinity — Superman (Henry Cavill), Batman (Ben Affleck), and Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) — and now it’s all over with the… Read More ›
After a world premiere at Sundance 2024, co-directors and operators of Magic Society Pictures, Nicole Daddona and Adam Wilder (Sexy Furby; The Mundanes) bring their animated horror short The Bleacher to SXSW for its Texas premiere. Looking like stop motion… Read More ›
Period/fantasy films offer opportunities to view the current world through a different lens. If you lived in a world of orcs, goblins, and magic, what role would you play in the greater hierarchy? If you existed at a time of… Read More ›