If you were to take The Shining (1980) and replace the psychosis with a completely different trip of mental anguish, then you’d get Eugeino Mira’s The Birthday (2004). It focuses on Norman (Corey Feldman) who’s hopelessly in love with his… Read More ›
In the opening shot of Magellan (2025), an Indigenous Malaysian woman walks into a stream, filling a vessel. Suddenly, she spots a white man past the fourth wall of the proscenium and takes off running. She shouts through her village… Read More ›
Nothing is valuable until someone says it is. This may seem obvious, but entire systems are built around what society (locally or globally) deems as worthy of monetary value. It’s why everything from the obvious (gold and jewels) to the… Read More ›
As painful as it can be for everyone involved, death is inevitable. You might be able to delay its arrival, but ultimately, death comes for all of us, and we will all leave someone behind to grieve our passing. Grieving… Read More ›
Have you heard of writer/director Nacho Vigalondo? If you haven’t, you’re truly missing out. While he’s certainly not new to the scene, he has cemented himself as a force to be reckoned with when it comes to weird, insane, crazy… Read More ›
“For want of a nail …” Requiem for a Dream (2000), The Fountain (2006), and Uncut Gems (2019) are examples of a type of film which is well-made, thoughtful, subject to acclaim, and less likely to be revisited, the latter… Read More ›
In 2023, The Academy is still struggling to rock with horror in any major sense beyond a few lucky takers in titles like Misery (1990), Rosemary’s Baby (1968), Get Out (2017), and The Silence of the Lambs (1991), but rarely… Read More ›
He’s gone head-to-head with Mr. Wick, played motorball with Alita, the Battle Angel, and taken on the one and only Machete. Martial artist, stuntman, and actor Marko Zaror has a solid catalog and only added to it with his latest… Read More ›
In this edition of Meet Me at the Movies: Open Dialogue, Thomas Manning sits down with actor and martial artist Marko Zaror to discuss his latest project, Fist of the Condor. Zaror talks about his creative relationship with director Ernesto… Read More ›
One never knows the gems they’ll find at film festivals. Sometimes they’ll be greeted by low-stakes lo-fi supernatural chillers that don’t match your vibe, other times you get to know an action comedy that delights all the same on subsequent… Read More ›
Nobody enjoys a waiting room. In a world accustomed to instant gratification, the experience feels intolerable, even if you have an appointment or assurances that your stay in that space is only temporary. Co-directors Alejandro Rojas and Juan Sebastián Vásquez… Read More ›
When director Patricia Ortega found a revealing picture of her mother as a young woman, scantily clad in an open bathrobe, she didn’t recoil in embarrassment. She made a movie about it. Ortega was surprised by such a blatant display… Read More ›
If you go down in the woods today, you’re sure of a big surprise If you go down in the woods today, you’d better go in disguise For every bear that ever there was Will gather there for certain because… Read More ›
Imagine for a moment that you’ve known what you’ve wanted to do from a young age, that you’ve spent the majority of your life reaching toward a goal despite a lack of familial or even societal support. Now imagine that… 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 ›
There’s something to be said about “movie magic” or whatever word or phrase you use to describe those “Nicole Kidman sitting in the world’s cleanest, emptiest AMC” moments where you really just appreciate every aspect that not only went into… Read More ›
Inspiration is found everywhere. Even the best filmmakers have inspirations that they imbue into their own work, using the work that made them into the filmmakers they are today in smart, reverential ways. Sure, occasionally things can get heavy-handed and… Read More ›
No country’s literature or filmography is short of romance stories. If a writer tells you they’re working on a piece about love, you’ll probably assume they’re talking about romantic love. We live in a culture that prioritizes romance and marriage,… Read More ›