Fantasia Festival has provided a bevy of opportunities to showcase some truly great genre films, primarily focusing into the sci-fi/horror route of things. The grisly, spooky, and downright weird have been on full display since the start of the festival,… Read More ›
Internet trolls have long been the bane of social media journalists and content creators, but rarely do the victims of such attacks get a chance to face their opponents eye-to-eye. In Ivo Van Art’s Dutch language film The Columnist, this… Read More ›
“Reel Conversations” highlights filmmakers behind official Real to Reel Film Festival Selections. On this episode of “Reel Conversations,” Thomas Manning speaks with the crew behind the short film The Journal, Including director/actor Sydney Rowlette, DP and editor Connor Thomas, and… Read More ›
Over twenty years after his first experimental Shakespeare film adaptation, Tromeo and Juliet (1996), Lloyd Kaufman and the team at Troma Entertainment have released yet another irreverent and outlandish adaptation with #ShakespearesShitstorm, a wacky musical-comedy and gross-out fest based on… Read More ›
One of the first horror films I ever saw during its release time was Bryan Bertino’s 2008 home-invasion thriller, The Strangers. I will always have the distinct memory of watching it at my best friend’s house after a July 4th… Read More ›
Everyone has their favorite urban legends, mine typically revolve around abandoned places and towns that have no explanation in their abandonments. Others like bigfoot, the Loch Ness monster, or the Bermuda Triangle. It’s easy to see that the latter is… Read More ›
Multi-talented writer and director Mathias Malzieu, who is known for his success as a novelist and musician as well as filmmaker, returns to this year’s virtual Fantasia Film Festival with a delightful grown-up fairytale. Malzieu’s previous animated film, Jack and… Read More ›
Ah, amusement parks; the sites of “controlled fun” that you either love or loathe. Whether you like the themes and characters of something like Disney World, the rides and thrills of Carowinds, or the wet-and-splashy water park fun of Wet… Read More ›
Among the types of people underrepresented in film, surely women over 50 would rate in the top 10. When they do emerge, such characters tend to serve as guides, champions, or foes to the main character. Whether spouting sage wisdom,… Read More ›
There is no film more indicative of “you either love it, or you don’t” than Nobuhiko Ôbayashi’s 1977 horror film, House. The surrealist and absurdist take on the typical haunted house story creates a film that defies all convention and… Read More ›
Teen angst. Everyone has had it; hell, I still have it and I’m 24 (today is my birthday when this is published). It’s generally an integral part of our shaping as adults by going through the hormonal and emotional rollercoaster… Read More ›
“Reel Conversations” highlights filmmakers featured in the 21st Annual International Real to Reel Film Festival. On this episode of “Reel Conversations,” Thomas Manning speaks with Samantha McLeod, writer, director, for The Thief. The Thief is a dark, suspenseful short with… Read More ›
The word “nightmarish” is one of those terms frequently thrown around when describing horror films. While the jump-scares, villains, and gore of the horror genre can certainly haunt us in our sleep, oftentimes, the plots of horror movies are quite… Read More ›
“Reel Conversations” highlights filmmakers featured in the 21st Annual International Real to Reel Film Festival. On this episode of “Reel Conversations,” Thomas Manning speaks with Rachael Morrison, director for Elvers. Elvers takes viewers to Ellsworth, Maine and into an exploration… Read More ›
“Reel Conversations” highlights filmmakers featured in the 21st Annual International Real to Reel Film Festival. On this episode of “Reel Conversations,” Thomas Manning speaks with Morgan Holub, writer, director, producer for Lost in Place. Lost in Place is a sci-fi… Read More ›
“Reel Conversations” highlights filmmakers featured in the 21st Annual International Real to Reel Film Festival. On this episode of “Reel Conversations,” Thomas Manning speaks with filmmakers connected to the short film Mike. Mike is the story on an intellectually challenged… Read More ›
“Reel Conversations” highlights filmmakers featured in the 21st Annual International Real to Reel Film Festival. On this episode of “Reel Conversations,” Thomas Manning speaks with Amanda Rodriguez, director of Stories Happen in Forests. Stories Happen in Forests explores the power… Read More ›
One of film’s unique narrative strengths is the camera’s ability to manipulate perspective. A movie can put us behind the mask of a serial killer on Halloween or on the tip of a shark’s nose just before it attacks. Point-of-view… Read More ›
“Reel Conversations” highlights filmmakers behind official Real to Reel Film Festival Selections. On this episode of “Reel Conversations,” Thomas Manning speaks with Chris Hudson, producer/director for The Mayberry Effect. A humorous and inspiring documentary, The Mayberry Effect explores how The Andy… Read More ›
Long takes have become the new major flex a filmmaker can make in their films these days, from Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), to Sam Mendes’s 1917, even making its way into video games like… Read More ›