Little Doors is undeniably weird, but unlike some films that use strangeness for its own sake, this one left me thinking about what it meant. Writer-director Anthony Oberbeck sets an awkward romance in a quietly apocalyptic world, then introduces a bizarre physical mystery that upends everything. The result is funny at times, uncomfortable at others,… Continue reading Fantastic Fest 2026: Little Doors – undeniably weird and wildly thought-provoking
Category: Banner Slideshow
Fantastic Fest: Ürei – bleak, disturbing, but well done
Some films I admire more than I enjoy fall squarely into that category, and Ürei is one of them. Written and directed by Yerkezhan Baizhan, the Kazakh horror film is bleak, unsettling, and at times genuinely difficult to watch. It is also very well done. Baizhan expands the story from her 2024 short film of… Continue reading Fantastic Fest: Ürei – bleak, disturbing, but well done
5 More Minutes Movie Review: A Clever, Darkly Funny Time-Loop Comedy
Fantastic Fest 2026 Of all the films I saw at Fantastic Fest 2026, 5 More Minutes was among the easiest to enjoy. It is clever, darkly funny, violent without being overwhelming, and just strange enough to feel perfectly at home at this festival. Directed by Javier Ruiz Caldera, the Spanish film stars Berto Romero and… Continue reading 5 More Minutes Movie Review: A Clever, Darkly Funny Time-Loop Comedy
Fantastic Fest 2026: Half – a Bloody, Relentless Revenge Film
Half is an absolute bloodbath. Directed by Samjad, the Indian action film follows Ethan and Ivy, half-human, half-vampire twins whose road trip turns horrific when a gang of armed bandits attacks them. They survive, but what follows is essentially an all-out revenge mission, and the film wastes little time getting there. The supernatural premise gives… Continue reading Fantastic Fest 2026: Half – a Bloody, Relentless Revenge Film
Fantastic Fest 2026: Roma Elastica – a fever dream easy to sleep through
When the person introducing Roma Elastica called it a “fever dream,” my instincts told me to walk away. I should have listened. Director Bertrand Mandico’s film is so strange, disjointed, and deliberately disturbing that any meaning beneath its excesses is hard to find. Set in 1982, the story follows Eddie (Marion Cotillard), a French actress… Continue reading Fantastic Fest 2026: Roma Elastica – a fever dream easy to sleep through
Fantastic Fest 2026: Resident Evil: a fun way to begin
Fantastic Fest 2026 opened with Resident Evil, and for me, it was a fun way to begin the festival. I’d never played the video game, so I went in with little knowledge of the franchise or any particular expectations. What I found was a fast-moving, bloody, highly visual action film that immediately set the tone… Continue reading Fantastic Fest 2026: Resident Evil: a fun way to begin
HOPE: A South Korean “Monster” Thriller That Goes A Bit Too Far
In the small South Korean community of Hope Harbor, the local police chief and a rookie officer must defend their home from a bizarre, seemingly monstrous threat they are clearly unprepared for. The movie starts solidly and impactfully for its first couple of acts; however, filmmaker Na Hong-jin fails to deliver a realistic ending, which… Continue reading HOPE: A South Korean “Monster” Thriller That Goes A Bit Too Far
PRACTICAL MAGIC 2: An Unnecessary Slog of a Sequel
Until last weekend, I had never watched 1998’s Practical Magic. For whatever reason, a horror/rom-com about witches just never interested me. However, when I did receive the screening invitation to Practical Magic 2, I knew I had some homework to do. After watching the sleek and lean 106-minute affair, I didn’t exactly feel like I… Continue reading PRACTICAL MAGIC 2: An Unnecessary Slog of a Sequel
Mayday Review: Familiar Action, Great Chemistry, and a Scene-Stealing Kenneth Branagh
Sometimes a movie doesn’t have to reinvent anything to be a good time. Mayday, now streaming on Apple TV, is exactly that kind of movie: fast, funny, action-packed, and familiar enough that there are very few surprises. Still, thanks largely to the chemistry between Ryan Reynolds and Kenneth Branagh, I had a lot of fun… Continue reading Mayday Review: Familiar Action, Great Chemistry, and a Scene-Stealing Kenneth Branagh
THE SUN NEVER SETS: Love and Relationship Insanity
Filmmaker Joe Swanberg, one of the founding fathers of Mumblecore, is back with another examination of love, sex, and relationships. In The Sun Never Sets, Swanberg and his wonderful cast present a story and characters whose romantic entanglements drive them mad and push them to do extreme things. Though the movie is labeled a drama,… Continue reading THE SUN NEVER SETS: Love and Relationship Insanity