An observation about American cinema is made early into writer/actor/director Ahcitz Azcona’s The Inevitable Death of the Crab (La Inevitable Muerte del Cangrejo) that’s incredibly obvious yet startling once considered: whomever the latest “bad guy” is to the U.S., they… Read More ›
Satire is a sticky wicket requiring expert balance to nail. Films like Paul Verhoven’s RoboCop (1987) and Starship Troopers (1997) are as frequently misunderstood for their analysis of corporate greed and nationalism as Fight Club is (film (1999) or novel)… Read More ›
As I type this intro, the verdict to the Darrell Brooks trial has just been read, ending a weeks-long shitshow of an abuse of a public system of representation for someone who was clearly guilty (I can say that now,… Read More ›
Released in theaters earlier this year, director Han Jae-rim’s Emergency Declaration, a story of terror in the air based on real events, now comes to home video. Thanks to the generosity of Well Go USA, EoM is giving away one (1)… Read More ›
Adaptations, in live action or animation, are the lifeblood of storytelling. We, as audiences, like to think that the magic comes from original stories, but, more often than not, that thing you love is an adaptation of a story originating… Read More ›
The French have such a knack for absurdist comedies and horror comedies (this film being the former), that it’s hard not to almost smile ear to ear and enjoy how far out there and how ridiculously things unfold on screen…. Read More ›
Writer/director Park Hoon-jung’s The Witch: Subversion is a remarkable sci-fi thriller, taking the coming-of-age tropes we know and blending them together with supernatural-like covert forces, culminating in an adventure that feels familiar and wholly unique. Just before the film ends,… Read More ›
Costume dramas are far from rare, and because of that, there is a want from production companies to justify new costume dramas by taking a tried and true concept and twisting it on its head. This was made perhaps most… Read More ›
One of the greater mysteries in life is whether or not there’s something after the living world. It’s a question that’s been explored through faith, philosophy, and art. Depending on the community or culture you come up within, the afterlife… Read More ›
Ever since the April 2020 home release of Park Hoon-jung’s The Witch: Subversion, the anticipation for a continuing chapter has built-up month after month. Due to unforeseen circumstances, I was unable to check out The Witch 2: The Other One when it… Read More ›
“Hell is other people.” -Jean-Paul Sartre, No Exit In Sartre’s novel Huis Clos (No Exit), he tells a story of three people locked in a room together who share things about themselves, coming to a conclusion that in their inability… Read More ›
By 1978, writer/director Just Jaeckin was known for his erotic films Emmanuelle (1974), The Story of O (1975), and Madame Claude (1977). Seeking a break from this, Jaeckin developed romantic comedy Le dernier amant romantique (The Last Romantic Lover) with… Read More ›
August 2017: A group of White Nationalists gathered at the University of Virginia, carrying torches and chanting “You Will Not Replace Us.” This slogan within White Nationalist beliefs that speaks to the fear of the White race being replaced. This… Read More ›
There is something special about glancing briefly at a synopsis of a movie and solely making a decision to jump in on the film based on what the PR team decides to compare the film to. Reading that a film… Read More ›
During Fantastic Fest 2022, there is a segment of films the festival placed under a section titled “Burnt Ends.” To paraphrase the section description, it includes a selection of films that may have been made on a shoe-string budget, they… Read More ›
Over the last few years, much of the best stunt work has been coming out of Asia. Preman: Silent Fury (2022) from Indonesia, Aliennoid (2022) from Korea, Baby Assassins (2021) and HYDRA (2020) from Japan, and Raging Fire (2021) from… Read More ›
With Project Wolf Hunting, writer and director Kim Hong-sun ensures that the audience is taken on a journey that will test the limits of their toleration for extreme violence and bloodshed. This film is not for the faint of heart,… Read More ›
Before we dive right into our review of the incredible Spanish horror film, Everyone Will Burn (Y Todos Arderán), we must first talk briefly about an HBO Spain show called 30 Coins. 30 Coins is a semi-religiously involved horroresque show… Read More ›
Murder, mayhem, sorrow, grief, pain, redemption: these are universal aspects of storytelling that transcend time and place. For stories that combine these to the point where pulpy isn’t just a way to describe the story but the viscera that remains… Read More ›
If someone were to mention Indonesian action cinema, films like The Night Came For Us (2018), The Raid: Redemption (2011) and it’s amazing follow-up The Raid 2: Berandal (2014), as well as Merantu (2009) and newly released Vengeance is Mine, All Others Pay Cash (2021)… Read More ›