American Dollhouse
It’s Christmas in March in writer/director John Valley’s (The Pizzagate Massacre) American Dollhouse. There isn’t much out there about this film apart from a minute-long teaser and a logline referencing a twenty-something woman trying to reboot her life in her small hometown trapped by a holiday fantasy whose path is interrupted by a psychotic neighbor, but both have definitely piqued our interest. Of particular interest to me is the fact that it stars the breakout actress of 2024 for me, Danielle Evan Ploeger from RATS! (J Hurtado)
And Her Body Was Never Found
What begins as the most aggravating domestic argument in cinema history becomes a launching point for a very clever take on relationship dynamics. Mor Cohen and Polaris Banks wrote the script, supposedly based on their own real arguments. (Peter Martin)
The Ascent
Look, I have limited mobility due to a stroke, but I could never conceive what Mindy Horvath attempts to do here: as a bilateral amputee, she wants to climb on her hands to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro! That's not all: she also has to reckon with the night that took her legs from her. This is the kind of story I love: transcending personal loss and unimaginable pain to conquer new heights. (Peter Martin)
Black Zombie
The very simple description sells me. Director Maya Annik Bedward promises to "unearth the buried origins of the zombie, reclaiming it as a symbol of survival and spiritual resistance." Yes, please! (Peter Martin)
Chili Finger
Sometimes, you just gotta laugh. Judy Greer is one of my favorite talents; she can handle both comedy and drama, but here she just gets to lean into her performance as a woman who discovers a human finger in her chili one day and immediately recognizes it as an opportunity. What she can't anticipate is what makes the film so fun, especially with such a great cast, including Sean Astin, Bryan Cranston, and John Goodman. (Peter Martin)
Dead Eyes
Described as a "first person horror film," it follows a couple, Sean and Grace, who enter a forest to find Sean's father, who went missing after his youngest daughter died. Once it gets rolling, this horror thriller goes like greased lightning, with vivid imagination and hardcore horrors aplenty. (Peter Martin)
Drag
Written and directed by first-time feature filmmakers Raviv Ullman and Greg Yagolnitzer, Drag stars Lizzy Caplan as a hapless jerk who throws out her back while attempting to revenge-rob a house. Her only way out is for her accomplice, Lucy Devito, to drag her out, but when the homeowner appears unexpectedly, all of their plans go out the window in spectacular fashion and it becomes an all out fight for survival. This one looks like a ton of surprising fun. (J Hurtado)
Edie Arnold is a Loser
“Let’s start a band” is perhaps my most beloved film microgenre, and Edie Arnold is a Loser sounds like it is right up my alley. Co-directed by Kade Atwood and Megan Rico, the film tells the story of a catholic school girl who forms a punk band that manages to repulse and attract in equal measure, turning her into an unlikely icon. Sign me up. (J Hurtado)
Fifteen
There is very little as important in the life of a young Latina as the coming of age ritual that is the quinceañera, and for best friends Mayte and Ligia, it's a party they’ve been waiting all their lives to throw. A pair of outcasts, they are mocked relentlessly in the run up to their big day, but when one of them suddenly begins to change after a chaotic night, the tables turn and suddenly the victims may turn victors, or maybe they’ll just burn it all down. (J Hurtado)
Grind
Gig work sucks, and this anthology feature from horror faves Brea Grant, Ed Dougherty, and Chelsea Stardust has a lot to say about it. The trio take on influencer culture, insanely demanding food delivery rigamarole, staring into the gaping maw of online content moderation, and the dangers of unionization led by stellar wraparound performances from genre icon Barbara Crampton and comedy legend Rob Heubel. It’s a blast and you’re going to love it. (J Hurtado)
Hokum
Among SXSW’s many genre success stories of the recent past was Damian McCarthy’s Oddity from 2024. That film made such a splash across the festival and streaming landscape that no less than indie Oscar-machine NEON grabbed this follow-up from McCarthy and is already giving it a big push. Starring Adam Scott, whose career is on fire after his stunning performance(s) in Severance, Hokum is definitely a film that you will be hearing a lot about in the weeks and months to come. (J Hurtado)
Mam
What catches my eye here first was the multiplicity of languages -- English, Cantonese, Mandarin, and Vietnamese -- and the film's protagonists: a chef from Texas and a Vietnamese waitress, who meet in New York City and forge a bond to fulfill the chef's burning ambition to open his own restaurant. Charming and irresistible, this is a quintessential NYC movie that captures the buzzy energy vibe of Chinatown; it feels like an early 80s indie. (Peter Martin)
The Man in the Big Hat
Here's another example of the type of documentary that I enjoy. This one digs into the life of someone I had never heard of before, Steven Fromholz, described as an "unsung pioneer of 1970s Texas Progressive Country," which is not a genre of music that I know anything about. But that's why I want to see it! I'm counting on the doc transcending its educational trappings to reveal why he was revered by musical legends, yet never became a big star. (Peter Martin)
Margo's Got Money Troubles
In a very adult-skewing series, creator David E. Kelley goes where he has rarely gone before. With each episode running 35-45 minutes, the series falls on the lighter side of Kelley's work, bolstered by dextrous performances that easily straddle mommy comedy and family drama, with stellar performances that sting, led by Elle Fanning (more adult than we've seen her before), Michelle Pfeiffer (saucy-tongued and outspoken), and Nick Offerman (as a recovering professional wrestler). (Peter Martin)
Over Your Dead Body
Directed by The Lonely Island’s Jorma Taccone, Over Your Dead Body is the English-language adaptation of Tommy Wirkola’s hit black comedy The Trip. The story of an unsteady couple who take a vacation where each has secretly planned to kill the other was an absolute blast in its original iteration, and with Jason Segel, Samara Weaving, and Timothy Olyphant heading up this remake, there’s a lot to look forward to. (J Hurtado)
Monitor
The idea of working as an internet content moderator sounds, frankly, singularly unappealing. But what if you blocked a video, and its creator somehow begins haunting you? And your workmates? Brittany O'Grady gives a very good lead performance in a film that is genuinely discomfiting. (Peter Martin)
Never After Dark
The story of a traveling psychic who gets more than she bargained for while investigating dark forces in a remote country house, Never After Dark is poised to be a breakout hit for director Dave Boyle. After he recently co-created the hit Netflix series, House of Ninjas, Never After Dark is Boyle’s first feature in 12 years, and that is enough to have me super excited. (J Hurtado)
Their Town
The description may not necessarily sound magical -- or even in our usual genre-movie lane. But we love indie films that burn brighter than the usual usual, and director Katie Aselton spins a magical tale, simply by following two high schoolers (Ora Duplass, Chosen Jacobs) around their town on a single night. Call it an adolescent Before Sunrise if you must, but the performances are truly exceptional, and the film transcends genre. (Peter Martin)
They Will Kill You
Back in 2018 director Kirill Sokolov came out of nowhere with the high energy violence of Why Don’t You Just Die?, one of the most exciting, kinetic action thrillers of the last decade. Now he’s bringing that energy to Hollywood with Deadpool 2’s Zazie Beetz as an unlucky housekeeper in New York’s most dangerous high rise. Judging by the footage we’ve seen so far, this looks like a raucous, bloody ride. (J Hurtado)
Wishful Thinking
Maya Hawkes and Lewis Pullman star as a couple on the verge of breaking up when they attend a couples-therapy seminar. Somehow, after that, the state of their relationship begins affecting the world around them on a monumental scale. This is a clever premise that twists into something that is awesome, smart, and very, very funny. (Peter Martin)
Summer 2000: The X-Cetera Story
I love docs that introduce me to something I never knew existed before. Actress Ayden Mayeri recounts the fabulous summer of friendship that led to the recording of a homemade album, which promptly disappeared into the ether until it was rediscovered more than 20 years later. Director Ayden Mayera doesn't spare us from the splinters, but also focuses on all the joys that make young girls into exceptional adults; this is a fabulous film. (Peter Martin)
