Before writer/director Naoko Yamada created The Colors Within (2024), she released Garden of Remembrance, a 2022 short film in which remembrance gives way to healing from grief, the presentation of which involved toying with colors, specifically the way in which… Read More ›
The Devil Smokes (and Saves the Burnt Matches in the Same Box) (El diablo fuma (y guarda las cabezas de los cerillos quemados en la misma caja)), also listed simply as The Devil Smokes, is an ambitious and visually arresting… Read More ›
Marking the end of filmmaker Pim de la Parra’s time with Scorpio Films is the 1976 dramatic romance Wan Pipel (One People), which is having its worldwide Blu-ray debut via Cult Epics. Courtesy of Cult Epics and MVD Entertainment Group, EoM… Read More ›
Third places are an important part of any community. They provide individuals, young and old, a place to congregate outside of home and work/school, to relax with various kinds of leisure activities. For the Ontario, Canada, community, this includes Ontario… Read More ›
In the visual essay “Rule Breaker: An Introduction to Sado Najajima” (2025), film critic Tom Mes calls director Sadao Nakajima (The Great Okinawa Yakuza War; Jeans Blues: No Future) one of “the Three Aces of Toei,” and laments that this… Read More ›
Content Warning: Themroc includes implied incest and cannibalism, which may be disturbing to some viewers. One of the best human experiences is discovery; that feeling of coming across something you’ve never heard of, seen, or discussed. Opportunities abound like this… Read More ›
Writer/director Karan Kandhari (Bye Bye Miss Goodnight) presents audiences with Sister Midnight, a dark comedy (slightly akin to Nightbitch (2024) while also being incredibly different) about the situations that arise from arranged marriages and what happens when you’re just not… Read More ›
Zhanna Ozirna’s Honeymoon (Медовий місяць) is a film that speaks directly to our moment in history, an intimate yet shattering portrait of love under siege. Evocative of Raymond Briggs’s When the Wind Blows (1986), it shares that film’s power in… Read More ›
Sonaggios is an incredibly moving and visually captivating documentary that takes viewers into the heart of Tonara, a small village in the mountainous region of Sardinia, Italy. For nearly 150 years, Tonara has been home to a unique artisanal tradition… Read More ›
Choices and consequences. Most of the time, when we think of choices and consequences, it’s within the framework of ourselves. We view it from the perspective of the decisions we make and the repercussions that follow. In reality, our choices… Read More ›
What does it mean to be happy? The answer changes depending on who you ask, what mood they’re in, where they live, what their own experiences/philosophies are, and more. If you live in a capitalist society, happiness is based on… Read More ›
There are some who will tell you that horror is having a resurgence right now, and they’d be misinformed at best, misunderstood at worst. Horror films have been a steady part of storytelling since before the advent of moving pictures… Read More ›
In January of 2025, Radiance Films released Underworld Beauty, a 1958 yakuza drama from filmmaker Seijun Suzuki, the second restoration by the boutique distributor of the filmmaker’s work. Now, with A Tale of Sorrow and Sadness (1977), Radiance Films offers… Read More ›
In a landscape of recycled IPs, a never-ending torrent of superhero fever, and films that are made for adults being shoved to the wayside, original high-concept films (strong examples being Inception (2010) and The Matrix (1999)) seem to be a… Read More ›
“What If …” is not a question reserved for Marvel Comics; rather, it’s a question that’s been asked by philosophers, scientists, and more for the bulk of humanity’s existence. Within that question lives innumerable possibilities that no amount of planning… Read More ›
The Trouble with Jessica is a minimalist comedy of errors that thrives on its sharp dialogue, taut tension, and an outstanding ensemble cast. With an intriguing premise and a blend of dark humor and suspense, the film keeps you on… Read More ›
Compared to horror films with other themes, those focused on lore, especially folklore, evoke a different emotional knee-jerk reaction from their audiences with their eerie tales keeping the uneasy viewers interested and engaged. This is where Aislinn Clarke strives in… Read More ›
In November 2021, The Criterion Collection debuted their first 4K UHD edition — that of Orson Welles’s Citizen Kane. Since then, they’ve released and re-released 4K UHD editions of titles new and old in an effort to continually meet consumer… Read More ›
True crime stories are nothing new in terms of being a source for adaptive works. Law & Order consistently takes their inspiration from real crime tales, as do a variety of films. The four-film deep Crime City series led by… Read More ›
What would you do to make amends with your past? For some, it means rolling up your sleeves and doing the hard work to atone; while, for others, it means living a life of abstinence. Both can be viewed as… Read More ›