Every so often, Hollywood attempts to recreate the 1970s by releasing another high-concept disaster movie that vies to emulate the silly, yet thrilling fun of films like The Poseidon Adventure, The Towering Inferno, and Earthquake, putting high-profile, ensemble casts in… Read More ›
streaming
Q-Bits with “The Trial of the Chicago 7” writer/director Aaron Sorkin.
During awards season, there are multiple opportunities for filmmakers and journalists to engage in cinema dialogue. Usually, studios will offer talent connected to films that are being pitched for awards consideration. During the pandemic, these events (film junkets) have transitioned… Read More ›
Q-Bits with “Judas and the Black Messiah” writer/director Shaka King.
During awards season, there are multiple opportunities for filmmakers and journalists to engage in cinematic dialogue. Usually, studios will offer talent connected to films who are being pitched for awards’ consideration. During the pandemic, these events (film junkets) have transitioned… Read More ›
“The Wanting Mare” is a paradox: breathtaking and rich, yet hollow and vacant.
To quote Keanu Reeves, “I love movies.” While he has the joy of making them and watching them, I love them for their transportive abilities. They can move you through time to see a version of what has been, expel… Read More ›
Costner and Lane reunite in the crime drama “Let Him Go,” now available on home video/streaming.
Even in the Before Times, it was nearly impossible to see every film that was released in a given year. You can certainly try, but there’re bound to be a few that you miss either by choice or circumstance. This… Read More ›
Writer/director Ben Hozie’s “PVT Chat” demonstrates admirable skill, creativity, and resourcefulness despite other shortcomings.
From writer and director Ben Hozie, PVT Chat is a story of urban loneliness and isolation along with lust and obsession. Peter Vack acts in the role of Jack, an online gambler who feels internally empty and without any clear… Read More ›
Charming, well-crafted, and funny, Adam Stovall’s romance/horror mashup “A Ghost Waits” is a delightfully spooky good time.
Adam Stovall’s micro-budget flick, A Ghost Waits, makes a pretty convincing argument that romance and horror can work really well together. Stovall doesn’t simply juxtapose the genres or jump back and forth between sweet and horrific moments. Instead, he takes… Read More ›
Sorry, Studio Ghibli fans, “Earwig and the Witch” is terribly off key.
Studio Ghibli’s Earwig and the Witch marks their 22nd feature film and their first 3D animated feature. Adapted from the 2011 novel by Diana Wynne Jones (the second film of theirs adapted from her books, the first being Howl’s Moving… Read More ›
Q-Bits with “The Midnight Sky” director/actor George Clooney.
During awards season, there are multiple opportunities for filmmakers and journalists to engage in cinema dialogue. Usually, studios will offer talent connected to films that are being pitched for awards’ consideration. During the pandemic, these events (film junkets) have transitioned… Read More ›
Psychological thriller “The Night” masters the familiar haunted hotel setting with technical excellence.
Kourosh Ahari’s psychological thriller, The Night, is a stellar example of a film that may not have the next best original ideas within its genre, but is so well done that it is nonetheless entertaining and worthwhile. Despite a handful… Read More ›
Explore the time-bending sci-fi drama “Synchronic” from the comfort of your home.
The theatrical release of creative team Aaron Moorhead and Justin Benson’s Synchronic did not go exactly as either had hoped. Though it did receive a rollout via traditional and drive-in theaters, Moorhead, Benson, and producer David Lawson implored audiences to… Read More ›
Beautiful, painful, hilarious, & uncomfortable, Sam Levinson’s “Malcolm & Marie” is a declarative statement of artistic talent.
It’s 1 a.m. and Malcolm (John David Washington) and Marie (Zendaya) return home from the premiere of Malcom’s film, a film which left the audience in tears and the critics raving. This should be a time of celebration for the… Read More ›
Derek DelGaudio’s powerful Broadway show “In & Of Itself” challenges our notions of identity.
From my perspective, the purpose of a critic is to observe art, in this case film, and analyze it for what it does well and what it doesn’t. To some degree, this is objective as one considers the artist’s ability… Read More ›
“Let Him Go” Digital Code Giveaway
Outings to theaters may be inconsistent, but do you know what aren’t? Performances from Kevin Costner and Diane Lane. This dynamic pair starred together in the Thomas Bezucha-written/directed 2020 release Let Him Go and we’ve partnered with Universal Pictures Home… Read More ›
Be careful out there. If you “Flinch,” you’ll catch a bullet.
If you’re familiar with Cameron Van Hoy, it may be because of his work as Eddie Alvarez in STARZ’s Crash or as Deputy Duke in the hilarious slasher-comedy Tragedy Girls (2017). With luck, thanks to his feature-length directorial debut Flinch,… Read More ›
The “PG” in Steven Kostanski’s horror comedy “PG: Psycho Goreman” stands for “plenty-o-gore.
According to the production notes accompanying my screener, writer/director Steven Kostanski (The Void) grew up wondering what it would be like to hang out with the iconic villains of his youth: Skeletor, Megatron, Cobra Commander, etc. As an adult, his… Read More ›
Open Dialogue with “Rising Phoenix” directors Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui.
Directors Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui capture the history, the passions, and the impact associated with the international Paralympics in the Netflix documentary, Rising Phoenix. This is a film that breathes life through the stories of the athletes themselves using… Read More ›
You’ve got next now that “Max Cloud” is coming home.
Trends are entirely cyclical. What was once deemed out of date becomes retro, reabsorbed into the lexicon of society, often repurposed into something new. It’s not just clothes (ex. tie dye and bell bottoms), music (ex. vinyl and cassettes), or… Read More ›
Check out the unexpectedly life-affirming apocalypse world of “Love and Monsters” on home video.
Despite how things may look from a cinematic perspective, there have been a number of reputable films released this year. In fact, one of the best things to come out of reduced access to theaters is an increase in access… Read More ›
If “‘Wolfenstein’ in the Pacific Theater” meets “Overlord” sounds enticing, check out director Roseanne Liang’s “Shadow in the Cloud.”
It’s a tough conversation, but one that needs to be addressed head-on before jumping into actually talking about the film itself. Shadow in the Cloud, despite its best efforts, is written by Max Landis. Landis, the son of veteran filmmaker… Read More ›