Slash 2022 Review: Melies d'argent Shorts, A Mosaic of Story Delights
As readers know, I'm a champion of the unsung gems of any film festival - the shorts. It's not just about filmmakers' calling cards, it's a film form too often forgotten. Given how we're inundated more with shorter forms via...
Blu-ray Review: SOUND OF METAL, The Loss of Sound and the Fury
A criticism often levelled at me when I was growing up was that I spoke too loudly; this habit made people assume that I was obnoxious, or felt what I had to say was more important than anyone else. And...
Toronto 2022: MANTICORE, The Brutality of Aching Loneliness
Spanish filmmaker Carlos Vermut (Magical Girl, Quien Te Cantara) has never been one to shy away from difficult subjects or characters, whether it be cruel kidnappings or heartbreaking suicides, his methodical and considerate touch gives more insight and power to...
Toronto 2022 Review: VENUS, Balagueró's Latest Keeps the Blood and Cosmic Action Coming
Don't you hate it when you're trying to pull off the perfect crime under the noses of a local drug lord and you end up having to confront supernatural forces bent on subjugating the earth instead, all the while trying...
Sitges 2022 Highlights Mike Flanagan, Quentin Dupieux, and Masaaki Yuasa in Latest Announcement
In 18 days, I will be in Spain. In 21 days, the great Sitges festival begins, and the amazing announcements just keep coming. Dario Argento will receive the new Golden Honorary Award, while Quentin Dupieux, Ti West and Masaaki Yuasa...
Toronto 2022 Review: THE ETERNAL DAUGHTER, Mirrors and Memories
It might be something bred into us when we're in the womb, a need to please our parents. Or at least, to have some kind of effect on them. The memory of how we either succeeded or failed can haunt...
Toronto 2022 Review: THE WOMAN KING, A Grand Epic of Women in Action
Viola Davis and Lashana Lynch star in Gina Prince-Bythewood's action epic.
Toronto 2022 Review: HOLY SPIDER, A Taut and Stark Social Thriller
It might be the world's oldest profession, but prostitution has always been treated with disdain, or far worse, depending on the society and time period. Prostiutes, who are mainly women, are both wanted and reviled; treated as though they are...
Jaume Balagueró's VENUS to Open Sitges Festival
Spanish director Jauma Balagueró might not be quite as well-known as other directors of his country, at least outside of it, but he's a cornerstone of the horror renaissance that swept the country in recent decades. From the [REC] series...
Blu-ray Review: HOTEL DU NORD, Criterion Takes a Poetic Stroll Through Carné's Paris
Paris is arguably the most romanticized city in the world, and no wonder, given the music, the wine, the food, and the stereotype of all of these things being enjoyed by all citizens all the time. Much of early 20th...
Sitges 2022 Second Wave Announces Edgar Wright, VESPER, and more
Sitges remains the cornerstone of fantastic genre film in Europe, and we're thrilled to be returning to the festival in person this year to cover their tremendous offerings. Besides the previously announced Tron theme, there's announcements on awards, several films...
Fantasia 2022 Review: COUNTRY GOLD, The Second Best Legend After Johnny Cash
Mickey Reece, prolific indie filmmaker, is no stranger to tackling stories of famous musicians (according to my partner, Reece's film Alien is a far superior look at the life of Elvis than the recent Baz Lurhmann film). After his previous...
Blu-ray Review: OKJA, Big Love Comes to Criterion
I remember being filled with excitement as I sat in the Palais auditorium in Cannes back in 2017, awaiting the press screening of favourite filmmaker Bong Joon ho's new film, Okja. I was with my ScreenAnarchy colleague Pierce Conran, who...
Review: GOOD MADAM, Chilling Haunted House Story
Laws might change, but it can takes years, or even generations, to change a society and how it operates. What's bred in the bone cannot be easily overturned, and even as some people might techncially have the hard-fought freedom they...
Review: GONE IN THE NIGHT, Be Careful Outside of Your Comfort Zone
Kath is tired: she's getting older and feeling it. Despite a job and business she likes, her younger boyfriend perhaps has the opposite effect of what she had hoped. His boundless energy makes her feel the lack of her own...
Review: DIARY OF A SPY, An Intimate & Provocative Thriller
The movies have not exactly given us a realistic portrayal of the life of a spy; the kind of action we see from characters such as James Bond, Jason Bourne, and Ethan Hunt is rare in real life, and an...
Neuchâtel 2022 Review: ASHKAL, Fire Without End
If a person sets themselves alight and no one sees it, does the act lose its meaning? Is a half-built housing complex still a potential home, or a constant reminder of impermenance? Can justice be served only through the law,...
ScreenAnarchy's Top 10 Films Of The First Half Of 2022
Blimey folks... they say "time flies" but this year it flies on a rocket, it seems. While the second half of 2022 technically didn't start on the first of July (because February is so short), we DID pass the halfway...
Review: CLARA SOLA, When Quiet Desperation Explodes
What does it mean to leave a life of quiet desperation? The quote's originator might have been referring to people's values, but we could take our own interpretation, of how too many people are unable to find happiness and contentment....
Blu-ray Review: THE TALES OF HOFFMAN, A Majestic Opera Gets Majestic Release
Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger were one of the best directing duos of the 20th century; their varied output included comedies, drama, war stories, and a few musicals. Though none was quite so extravegant, rich, and ambitious as The Tales...
