Review: THE LOVEBIRDS, Light, Entertaining Fare as a Respite
Formulaic films exist for a reason: people like to know what they're going to be watching. Now, formulas can be tweaked over a long period so changes are slowly introduced that are more palatable to new generations, but still, people...
Chattanooga 2020 Review: THE WANTING MARE, A Fantastical and Haunting Fable
Some research on trauma has suggested that it can pass in DNA, from generation to generation; trauma so severe that literally gets written in our genetic coding, which we then pass on to our children. Perhaps it fades or becomes...
And Now it Really *IS* Alive: QUARANSTEIN!
A few weeks ago, we posted a sneak preview of a quarantine-themes collective short spearheaded by Brian Lonano (Gwilliam). Well now, the monster is unleashed and available for public viewing! Using the 'exquisite corpse' artistic method, 21 filmmakers ffrom around...
Review: INHERITANCE, Nobody's Getting Anything Substantial
Lily Collins, Simon Pegg and Connie Nielsen star in Vaughn Stein's mystery-drama.
Fantasy Meets Futurism in Trailer for THE WANTING MARE
I'm a big fan of non-traditional fantasy; what might be instead called fantastical tales, those that blend fantasy and sci fi in a weird and esoteric blend that never quite explains itself. But that's usually for the better, allowing for...
Review: THE VAST OF NIGHT, A Superbly Accomplished and Riveting Tale
Sierra McCormick and Jake Horowitz star in Andrew Patterson's feature directorial debut.
It's Alive! Alive!!!!!!! In the Teaser for QUARANSTEIN
As a film programmer, I'll admit, I'm nervous about a slew of quarantine set/related content coming my way in the next year or so. However, there are definitely some exceptions. Case in point: anything done by Brian Lonano. We at...
Book Review: BEYOND EMPOWERTAINMENT, Following the Footsteps of Feminist Horror
Women characters have always been at the heart of horror films, though arguably not always for the best reason (as Argento said, people love to see beautiful women getting killed). But there's been a shift in recent years; rather than...
LOVECRAFT COUNTRY Teaser: Not Even The Craziest Things...
I am so glad this is finished and a television show so I don't have to worry about waiting months for it. Lovecraft Country, the HBO series based on the Matt Ruff novel, produced by Monkey Paw Productions (aka Jordan...
Review: BULL, Finding Hope in the Ring
Much of today's naturalist social realism films, especially from the USA, set themselves in the marginalized and rural communities (Winter's Bone, American Honey), looking at those parts of America lost to poverty, unemployment, and drug use. Director Annie Silverstein, a...
Don't You Dare Mess With These Nurses, in First Trailer for 12 HOUR SHIFT
One of the many films that we're sad not to be seeing on the big screen at Tribeca film fest due to the current pandemic is the sophomore feature from director/writer Brea Grant, 12 Hour Shift. Most of us are...
Review: A WHITE, WHITE DAY, Time Exposes Terrifying Wounds
Icelandic film has a reputation of setting tones similar to the country's landscape: sparse in character, frequently cold, often impenetrable and inscrutible, but with seething passion and rage beneath its ice. Maybe this is why their thrillers and family dramas...
Book Review: PORTRAITS OF RESISTANCE Takes A Close Look at Céline Sciamma
By now, audiences in much of the world have been able to witness (either in cinemas or via streaming) the sublime beauty that is Portrait of a Lady on Fire. It was certainly one of my favourite films of the...
Now Streaming: PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE, When Certain Loves Could Definitely Not Speak Their Name
Noémie Merlant and Adèle Haenel star in writer/director Céline Sciamma's classical period film, now on Hulu.
LOS LOBOS, WHEN LIBERTY BURNS, EMA, WHITE LIE Winners at Miami 2020
I was fortunate to attend the first half of Miami Film Festival this month, before it was sadly forced to cancel due to the pandemic. It was my first time attending, and I was blown away not only by the...
Miami 2020 Review: FABULOUS, Likes, Dislikes, and Rivalry
I'm amazed at all the social media apps there are to engage with friends and strangers (and I gave up trying to keep up after Instagram). And apps like Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok,YouTube, and I'm sure more that I don't know...
Miami 2020 Review: AND THE BIRDS RAINED DOWN, Life and Love in Isolation
Maybe it's the current state of the world, but I often find myself thinking about running away from civilization, or at least, moving to the outermost fringes off it. Finding some activity to generate a small income, living in peace...
Miami 2020 Review: THEY CALL ME DR. MIAMI, The Man and the Outrageous Image
I read a quote once that was attributed to Cher, in regards to her plastic surgeries: "If I want to put my tits on my back, that's nobody's business but my own." Whether she actually said it or not, I...
Miami 2020 Review: THE SLEEPWALKERS, Family Constraints and Subtle Patriarchy
There's an old stereotype that girls are harder to raise than boys. While this may be true, I think it's not because girls are more difficult, but that our world and society makes life harder for girls. They learn far...
Miami 2020 Review: WHITE LIE, The Finer Details of the Con
Everyone wants to be loved. Many people also want attention and love from strangers. In our social media age that gives us access to strangers around the world, the allure of the like, the retweet, the reply, can be irresistable....
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