Both of my grandfathers died before my grandmothers (one of whom, my mother’s mother, is still with us), and what remained following their deaths was a peculiar phenomenon that I had never considered before. As women of the 1940s, they… Read More ›
VOD
Special features in the home release enhance the already uplifting experience of “The High Note.”
Depending on who you talk to, there have either been not enough movies out to see this year or too few. Even without standard theaters being active, there’re still drive-ins, broadcast, and streaming options, many of which the studios have… Read More ›
AI flick “Archive” creates a nostalgic scrapbook of classic sci-fi, but lacks unique elements of its own.
The dreams of easing our loneliness with humanoid robot companions and the realities of AI technology development have raised intriguing questions about ethics and the limits of technology, questions that have made way for fantastical cinematic plots and memorable robot… Read More ›
Dramedy “Drive Me to the End” asks you to consider how well you listen.
Imagine, for a moment, that you were forced into an extended confinement. Are you lonely or relieved? Now, instead of being on your own, you were given company. Do you feel more comfortable or more anxious? Finally, what if the… Read More ›
Documentary “Suzi Q” forgoes cinematic flash to focus on a musical icon.
“A rocker, a brooder, a loner, a knife-carrier, a hell cat, a wild cat, a storm child, refugee from the frightened city of Detroit.” This quote from acclaimed journalist Philip Norman flashes on-screen in the opening of the Liam Firmager-directed… Read More ›
Strong performances and unique direction put you in the thick of the attack on “The Outpost.”
For roughly 12-hours in October 2009, the soldiers deployed to Combat Outpost Keating, located within a valley of the Afghanistan mountains, engaged in a firefight with Taliban fighters. Later called The Battle of Kamdesh, the engagement was deemed the bloodiest… Read More ›
Though you may weep, be not afraid to embark on “Marona’s Fantastic Tale.”
Screened at a variety of global festivals before seeing a limited release in 2020, Anca Damian’s Marona’s Fantastic Tale (L’extraordinaire voyage de Marona) is unlike anything I’ve seen so far this year. The story itself is fairly simple: a dog,… Read More ›
Closing out the “Time Warp” documentary series, “Volume 3” looks at the area of comedy and camp.
Personally speaking, I don’t really think the concept of a “cult film” resounds in the same way today as it did pre-social media. Everyone’s tastes and needs are attended to so astutely by viral start-up studios and filmmakers shooting entire… Read More ›
“Mr. Jones” wonderfully captures a journalist’s perspective pre-WWII.
World War II movies are Hollywood’s chance to tell something bold, but to also provide a history lesson that audiences might not have been aware of when they were in history class. There’s been a great list of World War… Read More ›
Unabashedly forthcoming, documentary “Inmate #1: The Rise of Danny Trejo” contains a story of destruction and perpetual self-healing.
Boxer. Prisoner. Chulo. Geronimo. Navajas. Gilbert. Johnny-23. Razor Eddie. Slim. Luis. Machete. These are just a few of the names of the characters actor Danny Trejo took over his 37-year career as an actor. He’s played everything from a stereotypical… Read More ›
Get down with an old school, kid-friendly whodunnit with “Hidden Orchard Mysteries: The Case of the Air B&B Robbery.”
When most think of indie films, they think of something like The Peanut Butter Falcon, Room, or Overcomer. They think of One Cut of the Dead or Tigers Are Not Afraid. They think of It Follows or Swiss Army Man…. Read More ›
Surprise hit of 2017, “One Cut of the Dead,” now out on physical release.
In the middle of shooting a zombie film, the cast and crew find themselves fighting off an actual zombie attack. This is the premise for the 2017 release One Cut of the Dead from director Shin’ichirô Ueda adapted from the… Read More ›
Documentary “You Don’t Nomi” perfectly captures the self-aware, but unionic love audiences possess for “Showgirls.”
Love to hate it, hate to love it, or just plain hate it, Showgirls is a movie that to those who have seen it, will never fade from memory. The tale of Paul Verhoeven’s 1995 NC-17 fame epic has gone… Read More ›
To make heaven a place on Earth, “We Must Summon the Darkness.”
Released on VOD and digital April 2020, horror-comedy We Summon the Darkness is making its way to home video and is coming straight for your living rooms. Directed by Marc Meyers (My Friend Dahmer) from a script by Alan Trezza… Read More ›
“Dreamland” is a super stylish and entertaining noir.
Bruce McDonald isn’t a director that a lot of people are going to be familiar with. Sure, he has credits to his name, but nothing that the average filmgoer will be able to recognize. However, the most famous movie in… Read More ›
Mirrah Foulkes’s “Judy & Punch” is a brilliant dark meta-comedy exploring the accepted horrors of the patriarchy.
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 ›
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 ›
Musical dramedy hits “The High Note.”
In times of great stress like these, it’s important to remember what gets us through: art. Art, of course, can be anything from clothes, food, movies, projects, music, and more. They are the things which bring us joy and help… 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 ›
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 ›