“Teenage girls are like mysterious, dark, and dangerous …” – Keely Jones, Ted Lasso First films are not barometers by which all subsequent films must account, but they play a massive role in the expectations audiences create. If a first… Read More ›
film festival
Maya Annik Bedward’s “Black Zombie” is a strong piece in the restoration of dignity to Black and Vodou cultures criminalized by media representation. [SXSW]
Zombies are everywhere. They’re on your television set, in your movie theaters, in your comics, in your novels, in your video games, and, yes, even in Minecraft nerdcore tunes. Why? What’s the obsession with zombies and where did they come… Read More ›
Depression lies and Peter Warren’s directorial debut “Kill Me” might, too. [SXSW]
Trigger Warning: Kill Me features explorations of mental health and suicidal ideation, as well as depictions of attempted suicide that may be difficult for sensitive viewers. If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal ideation (active or passive),… Read More ›
Comedic horror thriller “Ugly Cry” explores the drive to obtain the unobtainable. [SXSW]
Having 35 acting credits to her name already and having not yet turned 30, Emily Robinson (Saturday Night Live; Edge of Everything) is no stranger to the Hollywood machine. Having landed her first role when she was just nine years… Read More ›
Mumblecore dramedy “Danny Is My Boyfriend” encapsulates the quixotic nature of heartbreak. [Slamdance]
“Oh, and I don’t know I don’t know what he’s after But he’s so beautiful Such a beautiful disaster And if I could hold on Through the tears and the laughter Would it be beautiful Or just a beautiful disaster?”… Read More ›
Co-directors Jacob Hatley and Tom Vickers cinema verité doc “Clovers” explores the notion of self-determinism within the citizens of Asheboro, NC. [Slamdance]
In 2024, filmmaker Jacob Hatley released crime drama Rowdy Friends, a tale featuring a mixture of professional and non-actors set in rural North Carolina. This film centered J.D. Cranford playing a version of himself after he left prison and went… Read More ›
32 SXSW Film Festival 2026 films to explore.
EoM is excited to cover SXSW remotely for the sixth time, this time helmed by EoM members Douglas Davidson, Justin Waldman, and AJ Friar. Having looked over the announced festival titles, we’ve compiled a short-list of 32 titles we’d like… Read More ›
“The Old Man and the Parrot” intermingles comedy and drama in a story of love and loss that may just soothe the soul. [Slamdance]
There are many ways to process grief. Some of them are beneficial, accompanied by a sense of healing and the ability to move on from the pain and loss, while others are like an anchor, prohibiting one from moving on… Read More ›
Road trip dramedy “BRB” beautifully captures the struggle of forging one’s identity online and IRL. [Slamdance]
“In this farewell There’s no blood, there’s no alibi ‘Cause I’ve drawn regret From the truth of a thousand lies…” – “What I’ve Done” by Linkin Park from the 2007 album Minutes to Midnight There’s a joke floating around the… Read More ›
Documentary “Sell Your House” captures the real costs, literally and figuratively, of independent film making in today’s systems. [SBIFF]
At Fantastic Fest 2023, writer/director Francis Galluppi made his feature-length directorial debut with The Last Stop in Yuma County, a tense thriller involving bad timing, worse luck, and oh so much greed. By May of 2024, it was released in… Read More ›
13 Slamdance Film Festival 2026 films to prioritize.
After missing the 2025 edition, EoM returns to cover the Slamdance Film Festival in 2026! The festivals not long, but there are some extraordinary titles taking part. In an effort to narrow our own plans, here’s a short-list of 12… Read More ›
Generational trauma, cultural horror, and the persistence of healing converge within James Takata’s “California Scenario.” [SBIFF]
Trigger Warning: California Scenario includes depictions of self-harm and sexual material that may be difficult for sensitive viewers. “Art is our weapon. Culture is a form of resistance” – Shirin Neshat, Iranian photographer and visual artist Regardless of the generation… Read More ›
“All of the Above” demonstrates the significance of embracing curiosity while creating space for multiple answers. [SBIFF]
“When the student is ready, the teacher appears.” – Tao Te Ching The concept of religion never quite seemed like a casual topic of conversation, but it has grown to be quite the sticky wicket. It often seems that around… Read More ›
Documentarian Rustin Thompson’s “The Last Picture Shows” explores what’s lost when local picturehouses disappear from communities. [SBIFF]
Photosensitivity Warning: In one of the later segments of archival photos, they are stylized like old film footage with light blips and visible scratches which may prove triggering for photosensitive individuals. The evolution of the movie-watching experience is fairly straight-forward…. Read More ›
Documentary “Mockbuster” or how the process of making a low-budget feature made me enjoy what I love without guilt. [SBIFF]
Of all the terms to be used to describe media consumption, “guilty pleasure” should be stricken from the record. The phrase implies that, regardless of perceived quality, the thing itself is not good in some way and that the enjoyment… Read More ›
13 Santa Barbara International Film Festival 2026 films I’d like to cover.
After taking a year off, EoM returns to cover Santa Barbara International Film Festival 2026 edition! This festival features a number of world and U.S. premieres, several of whom have ended up on my year-end favorites list. Time will tell… Read More ›
In examining the past, documentary “Who Killed Alex Odeh?” illuminates aspects of the present we’d rather not acknowledge. [Sundance]
It didn’t used to feel complicated to be Jewish before October 7th, 2023, and the Israeli-Gaza Conflict began. Having grown up in a Reform Jewish household, I believed in the existence of and even the right of a Jewish state… Read More ›
Documentary “Cookie Queens” heralds the trials and tribulations of your local Girl Scouts during Cookie Season. [Sundance]
The official Girl Scouts of America website identifies Juliette “Daisy” Gordon Low as the individual responsible for creating the organization in 1912 in Savannah, Georgia, and to whom all the troops worldwide are connected. While all the efforts of the… Read More ›
“Mum, I’m Alien Pregnant” will have you laughing and crying while being arm-deep in goop, gore, and gunk. [Sundance]
Photosensitivity Warning: Several sequences in Mum, I’m Alien Pregnant feature flashing or sudden bursts of light. This may prove triggering for photosensitive individuals. Children are parasites. Yes, you read that correctly. After the sperm and egg connect and a zygote… Read More ›
“Infirmary” masterfully wields found footage to a terrifying degree. [DWFNY]
First time feature director Nicholas Pineda (Disquiet) and screenwriter Katy Krauland (A NoHo Heist) create an intense, eerie, horror drama, Infirmary. It utilizes found security camera and bodycam footage to infest its way into the brains of audiences and send… Read More ›