January has a bad wrap when it comes to movie releases, considered by most to be a dumping ground for films that studios or distributors don’t think have a chance. January gave us BELLE (2022), PG: Psycho Goreman (2021), Derek… Read More ›
thriller
Deceptively simple sci-fi dramatic thriller “Bor Mi Vanh Chark (The Long Walk)” will terrify you while drawing you in.
Since its initial release in September 2019, director Mattie Do’s (Dearest Sister) dramatic sci-fi thriller Bor Mi Vanh Chark (The Long Walk) has seen either additional festival screenings or limited releases across the globe. Now, with distribution from Yellow Veil… Read More ›
Every element of Damien Power’s “No Exit” works together to create an engaging adult thriller.
Remember adult thrillers? Remember when major studios actually made them? James Mangold’s Identity at Columbia, Tarsem Singh’s The Cell at New Line Cinema, or even Nimrod Antal’s criminally underrated Vacancy at Screen Gems. It doesn’t really matter if films like… Read More ›
Writer/director Rian Johnson’s “Looper” celebrates its 10th anniversary with a 4K UHD release.
10 years ago, writer/director Rian Johnson wasn’t known as the divisive director of Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017), he was a still new entity with only two features under his belt: Brick (2005) and The Brothers Bloom (2008). Then… Read More ›
Explore the technical marvels that brought “Last Night in Soho” to life via copious home video bonus features.
2021 was a pretty good year for writer/director Edgar Wright. After taking a three-year break between projects, the Baby Driver (2017) creator brought the award-winning documentary The Sparks Brothers (2021) and supernatural thriller Last Night in Soho (2021) to theaters…. Read More ›
“Seobok: Project Clone” Blu-ray Giveaway
I was lucky enough to catch the action-thriller Seobok during the 2021 Fantasia International Film Festival and quite enjoyed how it balanced the various elements to craft an action-packed, yet thoughtful tale. Retitled to Seobok: Project Clone, Lee Yong-ju’s film is headed… Read More ›
“Emily the Criminal” eschews the familiar thriller trappings, decrying the subjugation of self, making for a memorable heist of identity. [Sundance Film Festival]
From May 11th, 2016 – August 19th, 2018, there was a one-man Broadway show titled In & Of Itself in which actor/magician/trickster Derek DelGaudio first challenged his audience to pick a single word identifier for themselves to finish the phrase… Read More ›
Director/co-writer Ryoo Seung-wan’s “Escape from Mogadishu” brings hope amid horror home.
Director/co-writer Ryoo Seung-wan’s 16th film and South Korea’s submission for the 94th Academy Awards, Escape from Mogadishu, is a reconstruction of events during the Somali Civil War (currently still on-going). It’s a film which didn’t make the shortlist of nominees… Read More ›
“Halloween Kills” 4K UHD Giveaway
In 1978, writer/director John Carpenter and co-writer Debra Hill unknowingly began one of the most beloved series in horror/slasher history. In 2018, director David Gordon Green continued the story Carpenter and Hill began with their same-titled follow-up Halloween. This direct sequel… Read More ›
Cast chemistry of “The 355” elevates the by-the-numbers screenplay.
One could describe The 355 as an action thriller with an all-star cast, and that would be true. But a more simple way to describe The 355 is that it’s every spy thriller flipped so that the old tropes feel… Read More ›
“Last Night in Soho” Digital Code Giveaway
Horror-thriller Last Night in Soho is writer/director Edgar Wright’s eighth film, which he wrote in collaboration with Krysty Wilson-Cairns (1917). Their story transcends time and space as Thomasin McKenzie’s timid Eloise finds her dream of life in 1960s Soho turning into… Read More ›
“The Superdeep” Blu-ray Giveaway
After releasing on Shudder, Russian supernatural horror-thriller The Superdeep is dropping on home video and digital-to-own early January 2022 in partnership with RLJE Films. Whether you’re the kind who likes to own the media you consume or you’re just too curious… Read More ›
Uneven in tone and narrative at times, “Schemes in Antiques” isn’t the con romp you expect, but it’s a ride worth taking.
Chinese adventure hybrid Schemes in Antiques from director Derek Kwok (Immortal Demon Slayer) may feel, to American audiences, like a mash-up between National Treasure (2004) and Ocean’s Eleven (2001). It’s at times silly, serious, delicate, and violent, all while using… Read More ›
James Wan’s “Malignant” is the rollercoaster horror ride you didn’t know you wanted.
In September 2021, Warner Bros. dropped Malignant rather unceremoniously into theaters and on its streaming service HBO Max. I say “unceremoniously” because its story is co-developed by director James Wan who’s the co-writer of Saw (2004), who crafted the story… Read More ›
Noir “Nightmare Alley” boasts a packed cast and stunning visuals.
“Is he man or beast?” barks Willem Dafoe’s Clem, the man who runs the oddities exhibit at a carnival, enticing people to look down upon an enclosure where a figure is hidden. These people have come to see something horrendous… Read More ›
Writer/director Abel Ferrara’s “Zeros and Ones” is not just a drama, but a full-circle experience.
Written and directed by Abel Ferrara, Zeros and Ones opens with a video message directly from lead actor Ethan Hawke, even before the actual narrative of the film gets going. This video from Hawke looks to have been shot on… Read More ›
You don’t need to say his name to bring him home. Nia DaCosta’s “Candyman” is available on home video now.
In horror, there are far more stories of unrelenting evil than there are tales of vengeance. Look at the pantheon of horror elite and you’ve got Michael Myers, Freddy Krueger, Leatherface, and Pennywise. There are plenty more, for sure, but… Read More ›
Sion Sono’s odd and beautiful “Prisoners of the Ghostland” arrives in four flavors: 4K UHD, Blu-ray, DVD, and streaming.
If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it countless times: revisiting a film is always bound to reveal something new. We have to be willing — correction — open to that newness because, whether a film is a longtime favorite… Read More ›
“Prisoners of the Ghostland” Blu-ray Giveaway
There are some films that are so wild that once seen, cannot be forgotten. Such is the case with Sion Sono’s first English-language film, Prisoners of the Ghostland, which premiered at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival. It’s a wild mix of… Read More ›
“Don’t Breathe 2” is a horrible follow-up to an outstanding horror film, but a surprisingly great home release.
One of the most underrated horror/thrillers of the past decade was easily Fede Álvarez’s Don’t Breathe. The tense, heart-pounding suspense and brutal, but surprisingly pared back (at least compared to the absolute bloodbath that was Álvarez’s first feature 2013’s Evil… Read More ›