Art isn’t for everyone. It can be profitable for the artist if it is, striking the balance between personal vision and widespread appreciation, but it’s not a necessity. Sometimes art is entirely for the artist, the work so niche that… Read More ›
foreign film
Sci-fi fantasy “Rewrite” encourages a re-evaluation of what people expect from time loop stories. [Fantasia]
Each story — the ones we tell ourselves that make up our reality and the ones that creatives make for the books, shows, and films we ingest — is a matter of perspective and, frequently, the audience is rarely asked… Read More ›
“Grave of the Fireflies” gets a very timely re-release on several formats in the U.S.
Warning: The following review will include discussion of violent imagery, infanticide, and genocide. If you read my piece last year on Hayao Miyazaki’s modern masterpiece The Boy and the Heron (君たちはどう生きるか) (2023), then you know that the Ghibli studio head… Read More ›
Kang Hyungchul’s superhero action thriller “Hi-Five” brings the laughs and the pain.
“With great power, comes great responsibility.” – Stan Lee, 1962 Amazing Fantasy #15 Despite it now being more than 17 years since the Marvel Cinematic Universe began with Iron Man (2008), superhero stories remain in high demand from audiences in… Read More ›
The horror of R.T. Thorne’s alt-universe “40 Acres” is planted firmly in our past and present. [The Overlook Film Festival]
The longer one is alive, the more one learns about history, the more timeline events feel like traveling in a circle, rather than in a flat line. Communities build up, empires rise, blights come, and, eventually, the empires fall. The… Read More ›
“Dog of God” is horrific, bloody, and grotesque while strangely hot and provocative. [Tribeca]
Let all that you do be done in love. – 1 Corinthians 16:14 Love is a many splendored thing Love lifts us up where we belong All you need is love! – “Elephant Love Medley,” Moulin Rouge There are many… Read More ›
“Deep Cover” goes mission: critical by forgetting a basic rule of delivery — don’t ask for the laugh. [Tribeca]
Given the opportunity to work with strangers or friends, chances are “friends” is going to win out every time. Doing so provides a comfortability to do things one might not ordinarily do, or, at the very least, allow one to… Read More ›
“Brazil” gets even weirder and more entertaining with two versions of the film on its Criterion Collection 4K UHD release.
Director Terry Gilliam has always been a difficult talent for me to connect with. His films relish in a level of weirdness that never lands as intended. Movies like Time Bandits (1981) and 12 Monkeys (1995) never left a significant… Read More ›
Radiance Films adds a first-time Blu-ray edition of Tai Katō’s revenge horror “The Tale of Oiwa’s Ghost” to their collection.
When people talk about stories standing the test of time, at least in America, it’s usually in a hyperbolic sense, talking about the awesome impact and influence that a specific tale has infiltrated since conception. We certainly have stories to… Read More ›
Filmmaker Po-Chih Leong’s wartime dramatic actioner “Hong Kong 1941” joins Eureka Entertainment’s Masters of Cinema series with a strong HD restoration.
In the history of the world, there have been indigenous peoples and there have been colonizers. In some cases, it’s viewed as a matter of perspective, but, by and large, if a people originated from a location, they are the… Read More ›
“Re-Creation” poses a judicial what-if of a well-known cold case. [Tribeca]
I am not going to pretend that the name Sophie Toscan du Plantier means anything to me outside of the context of the film as I do not follow famous deaths or cold cases. However, maybe if I was older… Read More ›
Director Hideo Gosha’s iteration of “Gate of Flesh” gets added to the 88 Asia Collection with a solid presentation both on and off disc.
From September 2nd, 1945, until April 28th, 1952, the U.S. American military, backed by the U.K., occupied Japan in order to supervise the surrender of their competition in World War II. It’s easy for U.S. history today to recall the… Read More ›
Uttera Singh’s feature directorial debut dramedy “Pinch” views universal issues through a specific cultural lens. [Tribeca]
Trigger Warning: Mention of sexual abuse in the following review. Regardless of time and place, some people will only seek to take advantage. All they need is an opportunity and the belief that no one will turn them in and… Read More ›
Propulsive and raw music doc “Metallica Saved My Life” requires no prior exposure or knowledge of the band, the only entry fee being empathy. [Tribeca]
Trigger Warning: Metallica Saved My Life features a variety of flourishes in the editing that include light bursts that may prove impactful for photosensitive viewers. Concert footage does also include expected flashing lights, but nothing out of the ordinary. Some… Read More ›
Documentary “The End of Quiet” uses a microcosm to ask big questions about the cost of modernity. [Tribeca]
In the modern era, noise is constant and everywhere. Doesn’t matter if you live in urban, suburban, or rural areas, if you’ve got some kind of signal transmission, it produces sound, whether you can hear it or not. Recognizing the… Read More ›
Comedy thriller “Birthright” leaves you laughing hysterically in the darkest of corners. [Tribeca]
If you’re a fan of the most insane over-the-top, completely plausible, uncomfortable comedies of all time, then Zoe Pepper is a name to look out for and her newest feature, Birthright, is an absolute must-see. While the film is not… Read More ›
Filmmaker José María Cabral’s documentary “42nd Street” raises more questions than it answers.
There are certain places in this world that draw people to them. The ones to come to immediately to mind in the U.S. are Los Angeles, California, or New York City, New York, as cornerstones of music, theater, and entertainment… Read More ›
“Jane Austen Wrecked My Life” strikes all the typical Austen rom-com notes.
Back in 2013, Director Jerusha Hess brought to life the silly world of Shannon Hale’s novel Austenland. In it, Jane Hayes (Keri Russell), a 30-something fangirl for the works of Jane Austen, travels to a British resort themed to the… Read More ›
Twisted masterpiece “Steppenwolf” brings all of its blood and brutality home courtesy of Arrow Video
Blowing me away (as well as many audience members) at Fantasia International Film Festival in 2024, Steppenwolf is a Kazakh language thriller which follows two characters — a psychopathic, murderous former police investigator (Berik Aytzhanov) and a woman consumed by… Read More ›
“Manas” turns years of research into a sobering drama with intimate and powerful storytelling. [SFFILM]
Manas is a sweeping and emotionally resonant film that lingers long after the credits roll. With breakthrough performances and a poignant human feel that permeates every frame, it is not only a must-watch but also a strong contender for awards… Read More ›