I love the movies. Gosh, I love movies. I love watching them and I love making them. – Keanu Reeves, May 14th, 2019. We should all be so lucky to be able to do what brings us joy, what fulfills… Read More ›
foreign film
Tünde Skovrán’s pseudo-narrative documentary may not inform who you are, but it will strongly convey “Who I Am Not.” [SXSW]
So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them. – Genesis 1:27 – New International Version There are many versions of Genesis 1:27. They each carry the… Read More ›
Documentary “Another Body” explores the impacts of deepfake revenge porn. [SXSW]
There are a lot of things on the internet that are gross, and I don’t mean those weird videos of people popping pimples or anything like that. In the last 10 years or so, “revenge porn” became a thing, and… Read More ›
Writer/director Caroline Fioratti’s “Meu Casulo de Drywall (My Drywall Cocoon)” explores the conflicting ideas between security and safety. [SXSW]
What does security look like? Is it the absence of threat or the protection from them? Does security form from an abundance of safety or a dearth of individuality? Can one be secure and therefore free to share their concerns,… Read More ›
“Legend of Gatotkaca” Blu-ray Giveaway
Well Go USA champions Asian cinema, bringing some form of action, adventure, drama, horror, and intrigue with each release. The latest feature is director Hanung Bramantyo’s Legend of Gatotkaca, an Indonesian martial arts superhero story that’s streaming on Hi-YAH! beginning February… Read More ›
Go further into the casefile of “Decision to Leave” with the Blu-ray release.
When I first heard that Park Chan-wook was releasing a new movie, my anticipation skyrocketed through the roof! It quickly became one of my most anticipated movies of 2022. Then, when I had a chance to see it (later than… Read More ›
“Everybody Wants to be Loved (Alle wollen geliebt warden)” explores different types of love, the good and the bad/toxic. [Santa Barbara International Film Festival]
“Love is a many splendid thing. Love lifts us up where we belong. All you need is love.” – Christian, Moulin Rouge! Generally speaking, there are four types of love: Eros (erotic), Philia (friends/family), Storge (parents for children), and Agape… Read More ›
Sinéad O’Loughlin’s short film “Lamb” is a calling card of homegrown terror in a single chamber. [Santa Barbara International Film Festival]
The only right length to tell a story is the length required to tell it completely. This is why a story can be constructed with as few as three words or as much as a 90-minute or more screenplay. It… Read More ›
If you vibe with drama “The Young Arsonists,” you’re in for a powerful exploration of feminine adolescent independence. [Santa Barbara International Film Festival]
Memories are a strange thing. They are flickers of the past, like embers of a long burnt out flame riding the strands of neuropathways until they can be inflamed once more, waiting to come billowing into the present. The problem… Read More ›
Director Kei Ishikawa’s dramatic thriller “A Man (ある男)” explores the value of self and identity. [Santa Barbara International Film Festival]
Who are you? Stop for a moment. Read not a line further, and think on that. Are you one thing or are you many? Are you your thoughts and fears? Your anxieties or successes? Your actions? Are you your present… Read More ›
Restoration of extreme film “Calvaire” offers little more than access to the film.
Fabrice du Welz’s Calvaire (titled The Ordeal in some English-speaking regions, but not here), premiering at Cannes in 2004, is a strange, but valid entry into the canon of “New French Extremity” that gripped French-language horror/thrillers from the mid-‘90s to… Read More ›
Social thriller “The Sixth Child (Le sixième enfant)” will challenge you to reconsider the complex notion of conception. [Santa Barbara International Film Festival]
In modern society there are a number of presumptions that enable and empower those who have to look down upon those who have not. Aspects of health, wealth, occupation, and hobbies are all treated as aspects of one’s morality. Don’t… Read More ›
Michelle Yeoh’s 1986 historical actioner “Magnificent Warriors” gets a 2K restoration from 88 Films.
Before Oscar-nominee Michelle Yeoh (about damn time) traveled everywhere all at once, before she was a rich Asian, before she played a Chinese agent alongside 007, Yeoh was part of a heroic trio, a royal warrior, and, for the Hot… Read More ›
Revisit the gore of “Project Wolf Hunting” in all it’s high-definition glory at home.
If you didn’t catch Kim Hong-Sun’s latest work on the festival circuit or when it played theatres, I don’t think there is a single thing I can say that would possibly prepare you for the absolute madness that is Project… Read More ›
“The Baby Daddy (ארי והזרע הקדוש)” avoids agenda in presenting a situation with many variations of consideration. [Santa Barbara International Film Festival]
Parenting is not for the weak. – Douglas Davidson, father of two. There’s a growing trend right now with birth rates in the U.S. dropping compared to previous generations. According to a March 2021 CDC report, as of 2019, birth… Read More ›
See Gaspar Noé’s “Irreversible (Irréversible)” restored in 2K and recut in chronological order in the brand-new “Straight Cut (Inversion Intégrale).”
Content warning: Irreversible contains extreme depictions of violence, rape, racism, homophobia, transphobia, misogyny, strobe effects, disorienting cinematography and soundtrack, and whatever else you can think of. If you could be negatively affected by something, it’s most likely on full display… Read More ›
“Attachment” boasts engaging performances over a less engaging script.
Anyone who knows me knows that I am an advocate for directors who want to express their vision and take a swing for the fences. Gabriel Bier Gislason has jumped ship from shorts to features with Attachment, and while exploring… Read More ›
Takeish Kushida’s “Woman of the Photographs” explores the warped nature of self perspectives.
Whenever I see a film that is on a subject that I know is controversial, I try to place myself in at least the headspace of the main character (when able to) to see if I can connect and resonate… Read More ›
Lost for 40 years, Jean-Denis Bonan’s thriller “La Femme Bourreau (A Woman Kills)” receives both a restoration and wide release, courtesy of Radiance Films.
Art imitates life when it comes to timing. One can never predict how something will be received and, even things prognosticators think is a shoe-in, could fall flat. Sometimes the politics of the day get in the way, other times… Read More ›
“Project Wolf Hunting” Blu-ray Giveaway
Director Kim Hong-Sun’s Project Wolf Hunting had a simultaneous North American premiere at Fantastic Fest 2022 and in select theaters October 2022. EoM senior interviewer Thomas Manning covered the film, calling it “…undeniably gutsy…”. Months later, Hong-Sun’s horror action-slugfest is… Read More ›