Premiering at the 2025 Austin Film Festival, Crystal Cross surprised me in the best way. On paper, it sounds like just another indie road movie—two strangers with baggage hitting the road—but Richie James Follin’s debut as writer, director, and star elevates that premise into something much more heartfelt. It’s a story of love, hope, and… Continue reading AFF 2025-Crystal Cross: a story of love, hope, and second chances
Author: Laurie Coker
FANTASTIC FEST 2025 – Shelby Oaks: smart, eerie, emotionally grounded
I entered Shelby Oaks at Fantastic Fest 2025 with fairly modest expectations — the premise sounded quite familiar, and I half-expected another typical horror mystery. Instead, I left surprised by how much the film stayed with me. It’s not perfect, but it’s smarter, eerier, and more emotionally grounded than I expected, with moments that truly… Continue reading FANTASTIC FEST 2025 – Shelby Oaks: smart, eerie, emotionally grounded
FANTASTIC FEST 2025: Answering the Call Again – Black Phone 2 Delivers Chilling Tension and Strong Returns
Black Phone 2 proves that some nightmares never really end. Directed by Scott Derrickson and co-written with C. Robert Cargill, the film picks up four years after Finn killed his abductor and escaped, leaving him the only survivor of The Grabber. Finn, now a teenager, carries a hard-earned edge, while his sister Gwen is still haunted… Continue reading FANTASTIC FEST 2025: Answering the Call Again – Black Phone 2 Delivers Chilling Tension and Strong Returns
Monster Within: built on sincerity and ambition
Some films have all the right ingredients — a heartfelt premise, a meaningful metaphor, and a profoundly personal creative vision — yet still struggle to come together fully. Monsters Within, written, directed, produced, and led by Devin Montgomery (Worm), is one of those films. It’s a project built on sincerity and ambition, but its execution… Continue reading Monster Within: built on sincerity and ambition
Shakey Grounds:
Some films arrive with modest ambitions and humble budgets but still manage to reach for something deeper — a sense of emotional truth, a spark of humanity that lingers after the credits. Shakey Grounds, directed by Michael Garcia and written by Trace Slobotkin, fits neatly into that category. It’s a small, heartfelt drama that doesn’t… Continue reading Shakey Grounds:
FANTASTIC FEST 2025 – Vicious: incoherent, overwrought exercise in nonsense
Some films try to unsettle and challenge audiences with psychological tension and emotional depth. Vicious, unfortunately, does neither. Marketed as a psychological thriller, it ends up as an incoherent, overwrought exercise in nonsense — a film that confuses moodiness for meaning and atmosphere for actual storytelling. The story follows Polly (Dakota Fanning), who receives a… Continue reading FANTASTIC FEST 2025 – Vicious: incoherent, overwrought exercise in nonsense
FANTASTIC FEST 2025 – Chocolate (2008, Remastered)
I’ll admit it: I had never seen Chocolate before this year’s Fantastic Fest. Now that I have, I’m kicking myself for missing out on one of the most exhilarating and emotionally satisfying action films of the 2000s. Presented in a stunning 35mm remaster for the festival’s 20th anniversary celebration, Chocolate is more than deserving of… Continue reading FANTASTIC FEST 2025 – Chocolate (2008, Remastered)
FANTASTIC FEST 2025: Sirāt – draws you in and refuses to let go
Some films don’t just unfold before you — they draw you in and refuse to let go. Premiering at Fantastic Fest 2025, Sirāt, the latest from director Óliver Laxe, is one of those rare, compelling cinematic experiences. Shot with hypnotic beauty by cinematographer Mauro Herce, the film follows Luis (Sergi López, in one of his… Continue reading FANTASTIC FEST 2025: Sirāt – draws you in and refuses to let go
FANTASTIC FEST – APPOFENIACS: the true horror runs much deeper, in the ideas that pulse beneath its gore
Premiering at Fantastic Fest 2025, Appofeniacs is the kind of horror film that sneaks under your skin and stays long after the credits roll. On the surface, it might appear as a blood-soaked spectacle — and yes, there’s plenty of viscera on display — but the true horror runs much deeper, in the ideas that… Continue reading FANTASTIC FEST – APPOFENIACS: the true horror runs much deeper, in the ideas that pulse beneath its gore
FANTASTIC FEST 2025: One Battle After Another- ambitious, bold, and often wildly entertaining
Bob is a washed-up revolutionary living in a haze of stoned paranoia, off-grid with his spirited and self-reliant daughter, Willa. When his evil nemesis resurfaces and Willa goes missing, the former radical races against time to find her as both father and daughter face the repercussions of their pasts. One Battle After Another was among… Continue reading FANTASTIC FEST 2025: One Battle After Another- ambitious, bold, and often wildly entertaining