Before the written word carried the words of the present into the future, the oral tradition was used to safeguard family and cultural histories. This method, though reliant on the memory of the custodian, still remains a valued part of… Read More ›
film festival
Filmmaker James Benning’s experimental doc “Allensworth” is a meditation on time and space that may only resonant with those aware of the subject. [New York Film Festival]
Filmmaker James Benning has been making movies as early as 1972, starting with his short film Time and a Half. His projects shift in specificity, but each one appears to be an exploration of a precise subject, and Benning has… Read More ›
Documentarian Michael Gitlin invites audiences to go night swimming with “The Night Visitors.” [New York Film Festival]
Trigger Warning: Photosensitive audience members beware as there are several moments of flashing/strobing, close-ups on bulb filament, bright white backgrounds, and other elements which may induce episodes or migraine. Recently, on a walk with my family, my eldest spoke about… Read More ›
A Conversation with “The Last Stop in Yuma County” writer/director Francis Galluppi. [Fantastic Fest]
EoM Senior Interviewer Thomas Manning recently spoke with writer and director Francis Galluppi about his directorial debut, The Last Stop in Yuma County. A selection for Fantastic Fest 2023, this western flick stars the likes of Jim Cummings, Jocelin Donahue,… Read More ›
Kim Jee-woon’s dark dramedy “Cobweb (거미집)” explores the duality of depression and optimism in creation. [Fantastic Fest]
“Oh what a tangled web we weave When first we practice to deceive.” Sir Walter Scott, author There is no story more powerful than the one we tell ourselves. Are we the hero? The villain? Are we the main character… Read More ›
Original in concept and philosophy, Gareth Edwards’s “The Creator” is a gorgeously shot, powerfully acted, and thoughtful protest film. [Fantastic Fest]
… Compromise is made out of peace But history’s made out of violence … – From “Sing Along” by Sturgill Simpson. Though he made his big splash for most audiences with 2014’s Godzilla, writer/director Gareth Edwards has been releasing films… Read More ›
When it comes to “Pet Sematary: Bloodlines,” perhaps dead is better. [Fantastic Fest]
I’m fairly certain I might be the only person on Earth who feels this way, but I stand firm in that the 2019 remake of Pet Sematary is a better rendition of Stephen King’s source novel than that of the… Read More ›
Writer/director Francis Galluppi’s feature-length directorial debut “The Last Stop in Yuma County” is like a poker hand where everything remains uncertain even after the river. [Fantastic Fest]
Some days it doesn’t matter what you do, your fate is sealed before you’ve even woken up. On those days, you ride it out to the best of your ability, holding on tight to the proverbial wheel is one option… Read More ›
Writer/director Yūdai Yamaguchi brings his martial arts actioner “One-Percenter” to whoop ass at Fantastic Fest 2023. [Fantastic Fest]
Who doesn’t love a little meta-angle in their entertainment, something that’s willing to poke fun at itself all while telling its own version of the very thing it’s potentially satirizing? We’re talking movies like Hollywood Shuffle (1987), The Player (1992),… Read More ›
Nicholas Tomnay’s new darkly comic thriller “What You Wish For” is a dish worth waiting 13 years for. [Fantastic Fest]
There’s an idea that one should never compare their daily struggles with someone else’s highlight reel. I forget where it popped up on social media or who wrote it, but it’s a smart thought. As we toil away at our… Read More ›
The latest short film from writer/director Sam Fox is “Fck’n Nuts.” [Fantastic Fest]
Fantastic Fest is the largest genre film festival in the U.S. and always brings with it some truly memorable experiences. EoM’s been formally covering the festival since 2021, discovering gems like The Execution (2021), Baby Assassins (2021), Unicorn Wars (2022),… Read More ›
John Barker’s follow-up track, “The Umbrella Men: Escape from Robben Island,” captures the magic of the first and pushes it further. [Toronto International Film Festival]
At the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), writer/director John Barker unveiled his third feature film, the comedic caper The Umbrella Men. Filled with the sights, sounds, and life of Cape Town, Barker invited audiences to see a few good… Read More ›
EoM Presents: A Conversation with “The Umbrella Men: Escape from Robben Island” director John Barker and actors Jacques De Silva, Shamilla Miller, and Bronté Snell. [Toronto International Film Festival]
In this edition of EoM Presents, Senior Interviewer Thomas Manning chats with the cast and crew of The Umbrella Men: Escape from Robben Island, a 2023 TIFF selection. Manning speaks with director John Barker and actors Jacques De Silva, Shamilla… Read More ›
“Toll (Pedágio)” explores the cost of individual actions and societal pressures. [Toronto International Film Festival]
Life has grown far more absurd in reality than any other satire could possibly conceive. We have states where the governor actively lobbies for (and signed into law) a reduction in the age to work so that adolescents and teenagers… Read More ›
Todd Max Carey’s documentary “tOuch Kink” makes a strong case that kink isn’t another dirty four-letter word. [Fantasia International Film Festival]
What do you think of when you hear “BDSM”? Do you think of pain and torture? Leather and dark dungeons? Confinement and control? Or do you think of pleasure and release? Do you think of freedom? There’s a good chance… Read More ›
West African film “Mami Wata” is a contender for Best Looking Film of 2023. [Fantasia International Film Festival]
As the ocean rises and falls, and the tide is the guarantor of its own return, so too does the astonishing black and white photography of Mami Wata step return a bygone style to modern folklore for a modern moment…. Read More ›
Allow yourself to be swept up in director Junta Yamaguchi’s time loop comedy “River.” [Fantasia International Film Festival]
One of the best films I discovered during Fantasia 2021 was director Junta Yamaguchi’s feature-length directorial debut Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes (ドロステのはてで僕ら), a time travel comedy presented entirely in one take. Now, two years later, Junta returns to Fantasia… Read More ›
John Rosman’s directorial debut “New Life” explores all the angles of the phrase in his engaging thriller. [Fantasia International Film Festival]
It is entirely human to draw fear from the unknown. How does one plan for it? Prepare for it? Is it the loss of control or autonomy that one fears? Or is it something else entirely? When we look into… Read More ›
Can we still live with ourselves when “Vincent Must Die (Vincent doit mourir).” [Fantasia International Film Festival]
Despite all my rage, I am still just a rat in a cage… “Butter with Butterfly Wings,” The Smashing Pumpkins There are terms and conditions within a society that we all agree to, whether consciously or not. This social contract… Read More ›
“It Lives Inside” utilizes horror to explore the schism of cultural identity via the immigrant experience. [Fantasia International Film Festival]
Immigrant stories are connected to the fabric of America as it exists today. Whether they are just arriving, first generation, second, or beyond, what binds the majority of immigrants together is that they (including myself) are not from here and… Read More ›