by Peter Martin

Review: THE GUILTY, The Longer He Talks, The Higher the Stakes

If Larry Cohen lived in Copenhagen, he might have written The Guilty. Veteran filmmaker Cohen, of course, has written dozens of screenplays that start with a clever idea and then expound on it with a wicked, pulp sense of humor...
by Peter Martin

Exclusive PERCEPTION Clip: Seance

Set to enjoy its world premiere tonight at the Downtown Los Angeles Film Festival, Perception tells of a successful young man who still mourns the death of his beloved wife. A chance encounter with a psychic promises to change everything....
by Peter Martin

Criterion in January 2019: MIKEY AND NICKY, 4 MONTHS, 24 FRAMES, NOTORIOUS, IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT

The new calendar year brings a quintet of anguished delights for home video cinephiles from the Criterion Collection. Yes, what better way to recuperate from the expected winter holiday hangovers than by settling back and reassessing your life by watching...
by Peter Martin

Watch: Iwai Shunji's LAST LETTER Gets Affecting, Wispy Trailer

Describing the trailer for Iwai Shunji's Last Letter as "wispy" is meant in the sense that it is fine, light as air video that suggests something is more powerful and affecting than it might look.  More than 20 years ago,...
by Peter Martin

Review: AWAIT FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS, When Your House Becomes a Strange Prison

A British family is confronted with their own worst fears during the holidays. Locked in their own house, they must rise to the occasion or cave in to the pressures of conformity. In Await Further Instructions, the Milgram family has...
by Peter Martin

Watch Exclusive NATHAN'S KINGDOM Clip: Do Angels Exist?

Set to screen at the rapidly-approaching Heartland International Film Festival, Nathan's Kingdom is described as a "dark fantasy, coming-of-age drama." The 'dark fantasy' element is what especially tips it into our sphere of interest, and we have an exclusive clip...
by Peter Martin

Fantastic Fest 2018: Wrap and Index of Films We Really, Really Liked

We have no grand pronouncements to make about this year's edition of Fantastic Fest, except to say that we (mostly) wrote only about films that we really, really liked. Here's our wrap (as of this moment) of our reviews and...
by Peter Martin

Sneak Peek Teaser: GLIMPSE, Episode 4, The Future of Conversation and Human Communication

The sci-fi series Glimpse airs weekly every Thursday on Facebook. We have a teaser for the next episode, titled "Esperanto," that will aim to give a glimpse into the future of conversation and human communication. According to the official verbiage,...
by Peter Martin

Exclusive HEAVY TRIP Clip: The Seeds of Metal Stardom

How do you escape the basement to become a star? The seeds are planted in our exclusive clip from Heavy Trip.  The film, directed by Juuso Laatio and Jukka Vidgren, follows a young man named Turo (played by Johannes Holopainen)...
by Peter Martin

Fantastic Fest 2018 Review: AFTER THE SCREAMING STOPS, Sibling Rivalry Gets Musical

Directed by Joe Pearlman and David Soutar, the documentary examines the British band Bros and the brothers who formed its heart and soul.
by Peter Martin

Fantastic Fest 2018 Review: DESTROYER, Wrestling With Demons Can Be Exhausting

Nicole Kidman, Sebastian Stan, Tatiana Maslany and Toby Kebbell star in Karyn Kusama's sterling, soul-ripping drama.
by Peter Martin

Fantastic Fest 2018 Interview: Gustav Möller Talks THE GUILTY

The charming writer and director has made a chilling thriller. How'd he do it?
by Peter Martin

Fantastic Fest 2018 Review: THE NIGHT COMES FOR US, Brutal, Spectacular Action

All you need is a girl, a gun, and 30 million gallons of blood. Bullets, knives, and fists come in handy, too, in Timo Tjahjanto's extremely violent action picture The Night Comes For Us. The violence is brutal and explicit:...
by Peter Martin

Fantastic Fest 2018 Interview: Gareth Evans Talks APOSTLE

Serving up a big bowl of angry stew, Gareth Evans' Apostle is a kinetic exercise in British folk horror. Full disclosure: I confess that I'm only vaguely familiar with the sub-genre. Watching the filmmaker's latest effort unfold on a big...
by Peter Martin

Fantastic Fest 2018 Review: MADAM YANKELOVA'S FINE LITERATURE CLUB Beguiles, Strangely

The air of a fairy tale blows throughout, swirling hither and thither, as Sophie and Hannah search for a suitable man. It is not just any man they seek, however. He must be good-looking, someone their peers will look upon...
by Peter Martin

Fantastic Fest 2018 Review: THE UNTHINKABLE, Audacious, Gripping and Shamelessly Sentimental

A low-budget wonder from the filmmaking collective Crazy Pictures.
by Peter Martin

Fantastic Fest 2018 Preview: Many Strange and Possibly Glorious Films

This year's edition of Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas, kicks off tomorrow, September 20 and runs through Thursday, September 27. As always, it's filled with glorious genre goodness. The fest opens with the new Halloween and closes with Bad Times...
by Peter Martin

Criterion in December 2018: A DRY WHITE SEASON, FORTY GUNS, PANIQUE, SAWDUST AND TINSEL

Thinking of gifting a home video fan a fresh new Criterion Collection release in December? (Of course, you can always gift yourself.) Here are your options. The first black woman to direct a Hollywood studio film, Euzhan Palcy made history...
by Peter Martin

Fantastic Fest 2018: Final Wave Includes BAD TIMES AT THE EL ROYALE, UNDER THE SILVER LAKE and Much More

Fantastic Fest 2018 will kick off one week from today -- Thursday, September 20 -- and now the final wave of programming has been announced. It includes a mix of high-profile titles, such as Bad Times at the El Royale...
by Peter Martin

Blu-ray Review: THE GUARDIANS, Women Stand Firm on a French Farm

Natalie Baye, Laura Smet and newcomer Iris Bry star in director Xavier Beauvois' stately, engaging drama.