by Peter Martin

Review: CLARA'S GHOST, Families Don't Always Share Their Apparitions

What's most scary about Clara's Ghost is not the titular apparition, but the dysfunction it represents, at least for a non-performing member of a cynical show biz family. The film is set largely in and around the Reynolds family home...
by Peter Martin

Review: HOSPITALITY, Mistakes Transform Into a Slow-Burn Thriller

In real life, we struggle to forget mistakes we have made and hope that our past misdeeds will never come back to haunt us. But the past can never be truly left behind, according to most movies I have seen....
by Peter Martin

Notes on Streaming: MANDY Gets Reckless, THE WORLD IS YOURS Stays Cool

Busting out of the gate at Sundance this past January, Panos Cosmatos' Mandy, starring Nicolas Cage, drew huge attention, especially, I suspect, from those who had disregarded Beyond the Black Rainbow, which was gorgeous and haunting in both spirit and...
by Peter Martin

Notes on Streaming: Good News, No News and Things That Make Me Wonder

Good news for Criterion, no news for FilmStruck, and studios producing films directly for streaming services makes me wonder.
by Peter Martin

Review: RALPH BREAKS THE INTERNET, Cute Corporate Propaganda

Cute, colorful and cloying corporate propaganda, Ralph Breaks the Internet is occasionally amusing and insightful, but, more often, it's simply noxious, lacking any imaginative reach. Really, it's baffling, because Wreck-It Ralph swam in nostalgia for what it portrayed as the...
by Peter Martin

Exclusive DRIVERX Clip: Stop the Ride

'We can't all be brilliant like you, Little Ms. Something!!' is what I wanted to yell at the passenger in this exclusive clip from DriverX. My sympathies lie entirely with the driver, in this case Patrick Fabian, an actor who...
by Peter Martin

The Carlotta Trilogy: Watch THE CONSEQUENCE Before THE CONGREGATION Debuts

Nowadays the entertainment world is awash in sequels, prequels, reboots, and franchises in general. So what makes the so-called "Carlotta Trilogy" any different? First, the short film series by Finnish filmmaker CHRZU (Nightsatan and the Loops of Doom) stars his...
by Peter Martin

Notes on Streaming: MAY THE DEVIL TAKE YOU Delivers a Horrifying Sugar Rush

Recently enjoying its North American theatrical premiere at Fantastic Fest, Timo Tjahjanto's May the Devil Takes You (original-language title: Sebelum Iblis Menjemput ) arrives today on Netflix and it's a must-watch for horror fans. Tjahjanto also recently directed The Night...
by Peter Martin

Criterion in February 2019: TO SLEEP WITH ANGER, Plus BERLIN ALEXANDERPLATZ and More Euro Classics

The Criterion Collection will release Charles Burnett's classic drama To Sleep With Anger on Blu-ray for the first time in February 2019, along with four European classics of varying genres. Of these, Rainer Werner Fassbinder's Berlin Alexanderplatz is the only...
by Peter Martin

Review: THE CLOVEHITCH KILLER Ties a Son in Knots

Deep in the heart of Kentucky, a serial killer lurks in a small community. The neighborhood appears to be a placid oasis of Caucasian peace and quiet. No one is too poor and no one is too rich; they all...
by Peter Martin

Review: GREEN BOOK Delivers Familiar Bromides With Fresh Brio

Delivering familiar bromides with fresh brio, Green Book is an altogether pleasant and very entertaining trip back in time that is more relevant than ever. More than anything else in the career of director Peter Farrelly, it reminds me of...
by Peter Martin

Review: MOBILE HOMES Peers Into the Depths of the Lower Class

The surprising, cold and deadly performance by Imogen Poots in Jeremy Saulnier's Green Room (2015) caught me off guard, perhaps because I associated the actress more with her slighter roles in Cracks, Fright Night, and Need for Speed than with...
by Peter Martin

Exclusive BLUE MY MIND Clip: Poor Fish

Our own Tom Kiesecoms described Blue My Mind as "a confident, full-bodied portrayal of adolescence and its fearful insecurities" in his review. We have an exclusive clip that gives a hint about the changes that a young women is experiencing....
by Peter Martin

Notes on Streaming: HOMECOMING Compels, HOUSE OF CARDS Wraps, THEY'LL LOVE ME WHEN I'M DEAD Captivates

The new film by David Mackenzie, Outlaw King, is my pick of this weekend's streaming crop. Chris Pine, Florence Pugh and Aaron Taylor Johnson star; the historical battles and heated drama look impressive (watch trailer below). Mackenzie (Hell or High...
by Peter Martin

Exclusive PATRIMONIO Clip: Blockade Block

The little guy vs. the big guy. David vs. Goliath. A small coastal community in Baja, Mexico vs. "an American mega-developer threatening to destroy the town's ecosystem and existence." All three are good stories, though we only have an exclusive...
by Peter Martin

Exclusive CHINA LOVE Clip: Love, Photography and Cultural Changes

Set to enjoy its U.S. premiere as part of DOC NYC on Friday, November 9, China Love takes a look at Chinese culture through the lens of pre-wedding photography (?!). On initial blush, it sounds like quite a narrow focus;...
by Peter Martin

Watch Exclusive, Tense POSSUM Clip: Sean Harris and His Puppet

Sean Harris first grabbed me when he gave life to the tragic figure that was Joy Division's Ian Curtis in 24 Hour Party People, and then a little later in Billy O'Brien's Isolation and then I luxuriated in his cunning...
by Peter Martin

Review: THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WIND, Orson Welles' Raw, Fascinating Vision, Refined By Others

In 1975, I became aware of the existence of Orson Welles' The Other Side of the Wind. Excerpts were broadcast on a major television network during the third AFI Lifetime Achievement Award ceremony, honoring Welles. I was electrified at the...
by Peter Martin

Night Visions 2018: November Edition Brings CLIMAX, KNIFE + HEART, KEEP AN EYE OUT, More

Supported by enthusiastic genre fans throughout the land, the Night Visions International Film Festival will celebrate its November 2018 edition by bringing a sizzling selection of highly-touted films to Helsinki, Finland. Gasper Noe's Climax, Yann Gonzalez's Knife + Heart, and...
by Peter Martin

THE QUAKE Trailer: Oslo Shakes, May Not Survive

The unluckiest family in Norway decides to move to Oslo, which makes the fair citizens there quake in their boots. I'm sure it's just a coincidence that the family that survived Roar Uthaug's terrific thriller The Wave (2015) is on...