I love lesbian romance movies. Please, hear me out before you think I’m a total sleaze. As a gay man, there’s no “entry point” for me in queer love stories involving two women. I am taken out of contention to… Read More ›
foreign film
“Parasite” exists to torture your brain and you’ll love every painful second of it. [Film Fest 919]
South Korea is a country technically younger than Helen Mirren, smaller than the state of Kentucky, with a population slightly higher than the state of California. Yet, when it comes to countries leading the way in the realm of technology,… Read More ›
Underneath the tough material of “By the Grace of God (Grâce à Dieu),” audiences will discover something far more gentle and loving.
“A priest, a rabbi and an imam walk into a bar…,” a setup to many jokes heard worldwide. Sometimes, the jokes are funny. Other times they might be offensive, but you’ve heard at least one that somehow pertains to the… Read More ›
Can you solve the Faun’s three challenges? With the new 4K UHD home release of “Pan’s Labyrinth” you can.
Though Oscar-winning writer/director Guillermo del Toro’s been working since the mid-’80s, the majority of audiences know him as the director of either Hellboy (2004), Pacific Rim (2013), and The Shape of Water (2017). In cinema-focused circles, however, del Toro’s more… Read More ›
Director Alexandre Moratto crafts a personal portrait reflective of his experiences in “Socrates”.
From the opening shot of director Alexandre Moratto’s Brazilian coming-of-age drama, Socrates, audiences will recognize that they are in for a very personal, brutally honest, and unrelenting emotional journey following the life of a struggling young teen in São Paulo…. Read More ›
“Luz” is a strong first-go for director Tilman Singer, keeping audiences anticipating every move.
When you think of horror films, what names come to mind? If you’re going old school, you’ll get John Carpenter, Wes Craven, George A. Romero, Mary Lambert, Sam Raimi, Tobe Hooper, Takashi, Miike, Lucio Fulci, Dario Argento, and David Cronenberg…. Read More ›
Sony Classics crime thriller “The Fall of the American Empire” is an emotionally captivating experience.
Oscar-winning director Denys Arcand offers The Fall of the American Empire, an eclectic genre mash-up combining crime drama, a thrilling heist adventure, and a social commentary. This French-Canadian film spoken almost entirely in the beautiful language of French (and subtitled… Read More ›
Martial arts nostalgia only goes so far in “The Unity of Heroes”.
When it comes to crafting compelling stories, anything can inspire ideas: love won or lost, a desire to return to childhood innocence, moments of great historical significance. All of these and more provide the baseline for audiences to engage emotionally… Read More ›
“The Bastards’ Fig Tree” is an inelegant adaptation with an engaging narrative.
Ana Murugarren’s The Bastards’ Fig Tree tells the story of Rogelio (Karra Elejalde), a soldier who’s fighting on the side of the fascist Nationalists during the Spanish Civil War. One night, he and several colleagues raid a house and execute… Read More ›
Fun runs “Rampant” among zombies and classism in ancient China.
When the first description of a film includes something like “from the studios which brought you [insert film title here],” it’s rarely a good sign. Rather than trying to stand on its own merit, this new property is relying heavily… Read More ›
“Iceman: The Time Traveler” is another fun Donnie Yen feature, despite being a weak sequel.
Donnie Yen is one of the most prolific actors in Chinese cinema. Though modern American audiences are most familiar with Yen from his performance as Chirrut Îmwe in 2016’s Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Yen’s been working in films… Read More ›
“The Rising Sun” provides a glimpse into the lives of a nomadic breakdancing troupe.
The concept of a nomadic, bohemian lifestyle is undeniably alluring in its defying of conventional ideas of society regarding employment, responsibility, and family in order to create something unique and personal by throwing off the shackles of conformity to pursue… Read More ›
“Swing Kids” celebrates the promise of freedom.
Films are often more than an escape from your lives or a distraction from politics, family, friends, or whatever ails you. Even hidden within the most harmless looking story is a thematic nugget propelling everything forward, desperately asking the audience… Read More ›
Portuguese dark arthouse film “The Forest of the Lost Souls” is worth a jaunt.
Horror fans looking for something more cerebral should check out the Portuguese dark arthouse film The Forest of the Lost Souls (A Floresta das Almas Perdidas) from first-time feature director José Pedro Lopes, dropping into select theaters August 3rd 2018…. Read More ›
Introspection and patience reward when “The Night Eats The World”.
The wealth of film hitting theaters and VOD services is enough to overwhelm even the most discerning cinephile, which is why it matters to remain open to films beyond your borders both physical and metaphysical. Locking ourselves into genres, into… Read More ›
Liu Jian’s ‘Have A Nice Day’ is an odd mix of peace and violence.
An odd, animated film, Liu Jian’s ‘Have a Nice Day’ is a mixture of meditative imagery, thoughtful dialogue, and creative characters resulting in an unique cinematic experience when a driver who decides to rob the money courier sets off a… Read More ›