It’s not an uncommon practice for a filmmaker to release two films in a year. John Huston released The Treasure of the Sierra Madre the same year as Key Largo (1948), Akira Kurosawa released Scandal in the same year as… Read More ›
film festival
Realities collide in Lucile Hadžihalilović’s fantastical drama “The Ice Tower.” [Fantastic Fest]
Danish author Hans Christian Andersen is known for many a tale from The Emperor’s New Clothes, The Princess and the Pea, The Ugly Duckling, Thumbelina, and, of course, The Little Mermaid. One title that’s well-known in the U.S. is his… Read More ›
Documentary “Chain Reactions” shares the voices of five pop culture pillars discussing the on-going impact a 1970s film has had on their lives and careers. [BUFF]
If you’re a fan of the cultural zeitgeist documentaries, then the name Alexandre O. Philippe should mean something to you. Philippe has directed such projects as The People vs. George Lucas (2010), Doc of the Dead (2014), Lynch/Oz (2022), William… Read More ›
“Sentimental Value (Affeksjonsverdi)” drops audiences into the middle of a complex daughters/father relationship complete with Hollywood drama. [TIFF]
Audiences connected with the last outing by Joachim Trier and Eskil Vogt as writers and Renate Reinsve (The Worst Person in the World) in a lead role in a meaningful way. Back again in the same roles, the trio brings… Read More ›
22 Fantastic Fest 2025 films to build a schedule around.
2025 brings with it the 20th Fantastic Fest and the fifth time that I’m covering the festival for EoM. Past fests brought personal favorites like The Execution (2021), Baby Assassins (2021), Unicorn Wars (2022), The Last Stop in Yuma County… Read More ›
The web series turned tv show now turned feature film “Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie” brings the familiar chaos of Johnson and McCarrol to the big screen. [TIFF]
Have you ever heard of the incredibly Canadian television show Nirvanna the Band the Show? No? It premiered on Vice in 2016 after being a web series in 2007. The show was about two friends who create a band called… Read More ›
Mystery thriller “It Was Just an Accident” engages audiences to explore their own morality. [TIFF]
Sometimes a title is crucial to the integrity of the movie, giving audiences an idea or an exploratory idea of what they’re about to get themselves into, and sometimes the title is something that feels like it could mean more… Read More ›
“Exit 8” utilizes the video game adaptation genre to dive deep into humanity and individual choices. [TIFF]
To go into a movie without knowing anything about it is a rare experience, but sometimes something drops into your inbox and you decide to jump head first into it knowing nothing other than that it is a festival screening…. Read More ›
28 Toronto International Film Festival 2025 films to see.
2025 brings with it the 50th Toronto International Film Festival and the second time that I’m covering TIFF for EoM. While I’d love to cover all the titles scheduled, in advance of my attendance, I’ve put together a short-list of… Read More ›
Horror thriller “Burning” utilizes multiple perspectives to showcase how little we know about the people around us. [Fantasia]
In storytelling, the most obvious thing is that the narrative is based on perception, but it’s also the thing that we most take for granted as an audience. We presume that what we see, what we hear, is what happens;… Read More ›
You may not know you’re “Transcending Dimensions,” but you’ll certainly feel it. [Fantasia]
Photosensitivity Warning: There are three instances of powerful strobing/flashing lights that may trigger a painful response in audiences: two shortly after the title card appears and one in the climatic sequence of the film. Japanese filmmaker Toshiaki Toyoda has built… Read More ›
“Mother of Flies” is a poetic and unsettling horror tale from one of indie cinema’s most distinctive filmmaking families. [Fantasia]
Mother of Flies is another remarkable entry from this year’s Fantasia International Film Festival, and a testament to the uniquely haunting and heartfelt filmmaking voice of The Adams Family — the indie horror power trio made up of Zelda Adams,… Read More ›
Brock Bodell’s “Hellcat” twists and turns itself into a solid feature debut. [Fantasia]
While there is something inherently engaging about a fast-paced action piece that is enshrouded in mystery, it gets even more interesting when it’s a directors first time at the plate. Brock Bodell’s first feature Hellcat excels at not pretending the… Read More ›
“The School Duel” ditches gun laws for a popularity contest in independent Florida. [Fantasia]
Politics is never an easy conversation to have, and it’s even a more difficult topic to bring up in film as people try to attend fictionalized narrative stories to escape the reality of every day. That is not to say… Read More ›
“Buffet Infinity” is the full experience, pulling you in with curiosity and excitement and leaving you feeling over-stuffed. [Fantasia]
Trigger Warning: Viewers with audiovisual sensitivities may find elements of the film disconcerting or triggering due to various auditory elements. If you’ve seen some of the more recent V/H/S anthology movies, then you know their stories focus around a central… Read More ›
Meta movie “I Fell in Love with a Z-Grade Director in Brooklyn” is the rare one that hits you in the feels. [Fantasia]
There is something special about movies that are love letters to filmmaking, genres, and low-budget movies — it is just such a niche topic to touch upon but, when done right, it can be a cinephile’s perfect movie. Thankfully, Kenichi… Read More ›
“Every Heavy Thing” doesn’t care if you enjoy it or not as it defies industry norms with abandon. [Fantasia]
Every Heavy Thing is the gonzo movie of the year — a chaotic, brain-bending descent into madness that feels like a dream you half-remember after waking up, unsure if it was brilliant or just bizarre. Director Mickey Reece (Agnes), known… Read More ›
Underdog sports action drama “Blazing Fists” offers profound revelations to go along with bone-crunching action. [Fantasia]
Between the stories we tell ourselves and the ones we present to others, somewhere in the middle lies the truth of who we are, that part of ourselves that we either can’t bear to put into the light of day… Read More ›
Low-stakes sports dramedy “Good Game” is worth booting up and logging in. [Fantasia]
In the realm of capitalism, if you can do it, chances are you can make money off of it. That’s why you can make money from doing everything from playing board games, tossing a pig skin, or PvP Counter-Strike competitions…. Read More ›
Julie Pacino’s psychological thriller “I Live Here Now” draws you in and never lets you escape. [Fantasia]
Thinking you cannot get have a child conventionally due to something out of your control leads to making different choices, but when you’re proven wrong, everything turns your world upside down. However, in Julie Pacino’s feature debut, I Live Here… Read More ›