As long as there are children who grow into adulthood via adolescence, there will always be coming-of-age stories. They may not be indicative of your experience, but they will speak to the universal ideas of growing up, shifting from an… Read More ›
foreign film
Grab a seat, heist dramedy “The Umbrella Men” is primed to play. [Toronto International Film Festival]
Heist films come in all shapes, sizes, and flavors. There’s the family comedy (The Bad Guys (2022)), the musical drama (Baby Driver (2017)), the superhero action comedy (Ant-Man (2015)), the save-yourself drama (Widows (2018)), the zombie survival action drama (Peninsula… Read More ›
When on the course of life, the best way to get through is to remain “Open.”
Writer/director/actor Jack Eve’s last project was the Agatha Christie-like Bees Make Honey, a film which demonstrated the artist’s ambition as a storyteller. It’s big in terms of cast, costumes, and sets, not the mention the murder mystery script. In July… Read More ›
“Sniper: The White Raven” Blu-ray Giveaway
Back in July, Well GO USA released director Marian Bushan’s Sniper: The White Raven, an adaptation of the true story of Ukraine’s most famous sniper. Whether you’re a fan of war films or just enjoyed this one specifically, EoM is giving… Read More ›
Get the full experience of Mamoru Hosoda’s “BELLE” through the 4K UHD collector’s edition from Shout! Factory and GKids Films.
After hitting the festival circuit in 2021, writer/director Mamoru Hosoda’s musical drama BELLE landed in select U.S. theaters in January of 2022 and then shelves the following April. Both times, my reviews of the film lauded the look and sound… Read More ›
Arrow Video presents director Johnnie To’s “Running Out of Time” collection in a lovely 2K restoration.
There was a time when the transition away from physical media to digital seemed like a gift as largely hard-to-find media became accessible. Without getting into the larger economic issues within their respective areas, the shift toward digital acquisition with… Read More ›
Choi Dong-hoon’s “Alienoid” is a nearly seamless anarchistic sci-fi action comedy that’ll have you impatient for “Part Two.”
Whether it lands with the general public or not, there’s nothing like a big swing in art, something that extends itself perhaps farther than it should go, never quite breaking its own rules as it bites off more than it… Read More ›
Darkly comic thriller “Wild Men” examines the tolls of toxic masculinity.
Being a man sucks and this is why the patriarchy needs to go. Society, at least in America, subscribes to the idea that being a man requires a certain toughness, a rigidity, an emotional distance from things happening around them…. Read More ›
Documentary “Howl of the Underdogs” explores the music and struggles of Norwegian metal band Madder Mortem.
Community is the first place an individual gains their identity and sense of self. Community can come from the country you live in, the state, the city, or your home. Community is what starts to shape what you value or,… Read More ›
Pierre Pinaud’s “The Rose Maker” blooms fully thanks to bonus features included on home video.
Working in a trade is a lot like parenting. Not the tantrums or conflict portions, necessarily, but the guidance and cultivation that comes from helping to develop something into its best self. In director/co-writer Pierre Pinaud’s (On Air) new film… Read More ›
Experimental action thriller “Carter” combines a myriad of technical techniques to diminishing effects.
One of the more unmentioned action thrillers by wider audiences is director/co-writer Jung Byung-gil’s The Villainess (2017). It’s a story about a female assassin, how she got to where she is, and how she attempts to extricate herself from the… Read More ›
“The Killer” slays. [Fantasia International Film Festival]
There’s a subgenre in film that features a very simple and comfortable setup: retired/reclusive individual meets a young individual, forms a bond (often reluctantly), young individual gets into trouble (usually kidnapped) causing the retired/reclusive individual to jump back into action…. Read More ›
Well Go USA unleashes action/comedy “Baby Assassins” upon a grateful home release audience.
Since its international premiere at Fantastic Fest 2021, writer/director Yûgo Sakamoto’s Baby Assassins hasn’t been far from mind. I discussed it on two Cine-Men episodes, gave it a highlight mention in the 2021 Sticky List, and made sure to include… Read More ›
Horror/thriller “Missing” lacks the suspense it needs to pack a punch. [Fantasia International Film Festival]
After a release in 2021, first-time feature director Shinzô Katayama’s (Mother, third assistant director) horror/thriller Missing (さがす) is having its North American premiere during Fantasia International Film Festival 2021. The concept of the film seeks to join the likes of… Read More ›
Det. Ma and the rest of the Major Crimes Unit return to catch criminals in the action comedy thriller “The Roundup.” [Fantasia International Film Festival]
Actor/writer/producer Don Lee, also known as Ma Dong-seok, has been making movies since 2005. He’s had roles in The Good the Bad the Weird (2008), Mother Vengeance (2012), a scene-stealing role in Train to Busan (2016), and, of course, the… Read More ›
Anachronistic musical fusion “Inu-Oh” adapts an old story to tell a very modern tale of artistic freedom and personal identity. [Fantasia International Film Festival]
One of the oldest storytelling conveyances is the oral tradition. Before we could write or read, we spoke and the sounds we made transfixed audiences, transporting them to times before their present. With the advent of the written-word, one might… Read More ›
“Dark Nature” contains big ideas that are underserved by putting most of its secrets up front. [Fantasia International Film Festival]
Folklore is easily the earliest form of storytelling we have. Some folklore is intended to serve as lessons in morality or ethics, designed to push a people into certain behaviors, while others are merely stories passed down through the generations… Read More ›
Good news! “Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko” arrives on home video with our two-hours of bonus materials.
The latest GKids Films release, Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko, is set to arrive on home video from Shout! Factory with a host of special features that celebrate the last adaptation of author Kanako Nishi’s work. In this case, the adaptation… Read More ›
Documentary “Orchestrator of Storms: The Fantastique World of Jean Rollin” offers the long-overdue flowers to an auteur less known. [Fantasia International Film Festival]
It is not the destiny of every artist to be known beyond the reaches of their imagination. It’s a sad truth that sometimes, well past an artist’s prime or even after their life has ended, is when someone’s catalogue of… Read More ›
“Popran (添付)” is an amusing, heartfelt phallus joke whose finish delights, even if not leaving one awash in afterglow. [Fantasia International Film Festival]
In 2017, writer/director Shin’ichirô Ueda released unto the world One Cut of the Dead, his adaptation of Ryoichi Wada’s play “Ghost in the Box!”. If you haven’t seen the film, it’s an absolute marvel that’s an inventive lo-fi zombie film… Read More ›