In recent memory, there are few films that have made me quite as angry as Mirrah Foulkes’s feature-length directorial debut Judy & Punch. Debuting at Sundance in 2019 before a long theatrical release, the film itself is a brilliant dark… Read More ›
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Deceptively cutting and mesmerizingly mad, director Josephine Decker loses no momentum in her second feature “Shirley.”
Director Josephine Decker’s feature debut Madeline’s Madeline (2018), a tale centered on a young woman whose grip with reality slowly weakens as she finds her imagination being made real, continues to entrap my mind. The film itself is an experimental… Read More ›
When these “Debt Collectors” come ‘round, pay fast or get knocked down quick.
There are certain director-actor pairings that just excite audiences when they hear about them. Mel Brooks and Gene Wilder. Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro. Sam Rami and Bruce Campbell. Jesse V. Johnson and Scott Adkins. Johnson and Adkins first… Read More ›
Nuclear Age meta-drama homage “The Vast of Night” answers questions with more questions.
Just because you’re going to tell a story people have heard, doesn’t mean you need to tell it the way people know. That seems to be the M.O. for director Andrew Patterson in his debut picture The Vast of Night…. Read More ›
A Conversation with director Laurent Bouzereau and co-producer Natasha Gregson Wagner.
The HBO Documentary Film Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind is available on HBO, HBO Now, HBO Go, and On Demand. Noel T. Manning II interviews producer Natasha Gregson Wagner, daughter of Natalie Wood and director Laurent Bouzereau about bringing this very… Read More ›
Like a traditional fairytale, “Tigers Are Not Afraid” will lift you up and cut you down.
The 2017 supernatural-horror-drama Tigers Are Not Afraid (Vuelven) from writer/director Issa López (Casi divas) is truly an extraordinary cinematic experience. It pulls you in, charms you, enthralls you, rips you to shreds, and mends back the pieces. Thanks in part… Read More ›
Great performances fail to breathe life into color-by-numbers dramedy “Military Wives.”
When it comes to films that are “inspired by” or “based on” an actual story, there’s a persistent battle between reviewing the film in front of me and the truth. It’s something which Darryl Mansel, The Cine-Men co-host, and I… Read More ›
Breezy comedy “The Lovebirds” takes a light approach to a dark premise.
Despite things being as they are in 2020, actors Kumail Nanjiani and Issa Rae are having a really solid year. Rae’s The Photograph is an engrossing story focused on a mature love, while her HBO program, Insecure, is all over… Read More ›
ASMR short “Tingle Monsters” is a chilling slice of internet horror with an important message.
For those who enjoy the soft whispering, feather-like brushing, and light tapping of ASMR videos, the idea of “ASMR horror” may be especially unsettling. Horror works extremely well when it invades our safe spaces, and directors often succeed by setting… Read More ›
You’re not going to want to write home about latest home video release “The Postcard Killings.”
Newly married daughter and her husband murdered. No prints, no evidence of any sort. An NYC detective left with nothing but his wits as he tries to track down the murderer. This is the basic premise of thriller The Postcard… Read More ›
Autumn de Wilde’s feature debut “EMMA.” is a delightful take on a classic scruples comedy.
There are some films which, upon even the briefest of beginnings, you realize are something special. Such is the case with director Autumn de Wilde’s first feature film EMMA., an adaption of the Jane Austen novel from writer Eleanor Catton… Read More ›
“Time Warp: The Greatest Cult Films of All-Time, Vol 2 – Horror and Sci-Fi” fails to coherently focus on its own subject matter.
Depending on who you ask, the term “cult classic” in regard to filmmaking may be applied as a compliment or an insult. Motion pictures acquire this status based on a variety of factors. Perhaps the film flew under the radar… Read More ›
If you grew up on Hanna-Barbera cartoons, don’t wait on watching the easter egg-filled “Scoob!”
Beyond telling an engaging story, animated children’s features have two goals: captivate the target audience and be clever enough so the parents don’t want to murder themselves on the 58th viewing. By all marks, Warner Brothers Animations’s Scoob! succeeds in… Read More ›
Genre mash-up “Samurai Marathon” gets off to a messy start but comes together mid-stride.
Described as “a lively action flick with a samurai twist,” latest Well Go USA release Samurai Marathon meets that description with a unique vigor. Directed by Bernard Rose (Candyman) and adapted from the novel “The Marathon Samurai: Five Tales of… Read More ›
Take flight anytime you want with “Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)” on home video.
As I left the theater in early February, I knew instantly that director Cathy Yan’s Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) was not for me. The post-fight margaritas, the bullet-proof bustier, the severity of Black… Read More ›
A Conversation with director Robin Hauser.
Documentary director Robin Hauser speaks with Noel T. Manning II about her documentary Bias. She explores her own journey into discovering who we are and why we each carry some sort of bias … even if we’re unaware of it…. Read More ›
Teen comedy “CRSHD” is a fun and colorful take on coming-of-age in the social media generation.
From Rebel Without a Cause (1955) to The Breakfast Club (1985) to Lady Bird (2017), each generation has its special coming-of-age films that it can claim as its own. These are the movies grounded in a cultural milieu that take… Read More ›
“Clementine” has all the makings of a juicy coming-of-age story, but struggles to pull it all together.
From writer/director Lara Jean Gallagher, Clementine is a psychological drama and emotional think-piece that deals with the consequences of a breakup and the rocky, unstable journey from one stage of life to the next. Aspiring artist Karen (Otmara Marrero) is… Read More ›
Slow burn neo-western “Arkansas” is a strong first feature directorial debut for Clark Duke.
When you do something for the first time, you don’t expect a grand slam, even out of a big swing. You might hope, you might dream, but you’re more likely to keep expectations close. For author John Brandon, this meant… Read More ›
Animated adaptation of Chinese tale “Ne Zha” asks children what we owe each other.
Myths and legends, stories like those of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round, Robin Hood, and Paul Bunyan and those of gods, goddesses, demons, and immortals, are often given the adaptation treatment in cinema. These stories are often… Read More ›