After going mostly virtual in 2020, and having a “soft re-opening” in 2021, Austin’s favorite genre film festival has a “grand re-opening” planned for this Thursday night. With close to 100 films promised, and plenty of wildly fun events planned, this year’s Fantastic Fest claims to be a return to form. As someone who has… Continue reading FANTASTIC FEST IS BACK!
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THE WOMAN KING
If anyone thinks the trailer for The Woman King is great, then wait until one actually sees the whole movie. While I was watching and marveling at the awesomeness of this film, I couldn’t help, but think how, in a lot of ways, this story feels like Marvel’s Black Panther. However, I mean that, obviously,… Continue reading THE WOMAN KING
PEARL
Earlier this year, director Ti West delivered a wild, but fun 70s horror throwback with X. As audiences underwent this flash-to-the-past journey they would eventually discover that West has a bigger picture to offer them. At the end of X, another film gets teased, promising a more complete portrait on the character of Pearl. A… Continue reading PEARL
BLONDE
Gentlemen prefer BLONDES – or at least, many -prefer Marilyn. Monroe was the quintessential blonde bombshell, the woman every woman wanted to be, and every man wanted to be with. Blonde, starring Ana de Armas in the title role, looks to shed light on the star’s life, whose light burnt out too quickly and soon.… Continue reading BLONDE
THE SILENT TWINS
Unique true stories turned into movies have always intrigued me. I find myself looking up details beyond what is presented. The story of June and Jennifer Gibbons, Welsh twins born to Caribbean immigrants in the 1960s, goes beyond mystery and into psychological. The girls were harshly bullied and ostracized because of their race in a… Continue reading THE SILENT TWINS
CONFESS, FLETCH
Beginning in the late 1970s, author Gregory Mcdonald began a series of comedic mysteries whose protagonist is an investigative reporter who goes by the name of Fletch. The first novel inspired the 1985 comedy movie which starred Chevy Chase and was followed by a sequel in 1989 by the movie Fletch Lives. While these movies… Continue reading CONFESS, FLETCH
GOODNIGHT MOMMY
In 2014, Austrian film Goodnight Mommy took the horror world by storm and filled the genre with utter dread and frightening chills. As is the case with a lot of successful foreign language movies, American studios often decide to produce an English-language version to capitalize on the success of its inspiration and to reach wider… Continue reading GOODNIGHT MOMMY
Independent Filmmakers Showcase (IFS) Film Festival – Pie in the Sky
The Independent Filmmakers Showcase (IFS) Film Festival is a celebration of independent filmmaking held in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, Santa Monica, and Hollywood, featuring screenings from emerging and established filmmakers. The festival (held at the beginning of the month) is dedicated to screening and awarding the best works submitted to the IFS over the past… Continue reading Independent Filmmakers Showcase (IFS) Film Festival – Pie in the Sky
CLERKS III
While Clerks II feels like Randalll’s take on his life’s saga, Clerks III is more like Dante’s vision of the franchise. And what I mean by that is that. perhaps, Kevin Smith’s approach to his latest installment is a more realistic and, admittedly, genuine realization that his lead characters have much to face reality, given… Continue reading CLERKS III
PINOCCHIO (2022)
As Disney has promised, they have continued with their series of remakes of their animated classics in a live-action/CGI format. For their remake of their 1940 animated film Pinocchio, Disney producers have tasked filmmaker Robert Zemeckis with the challenge of translating the classic Italian fairy tale. So far, all of the Disney live-action/CGI remakes have… Continue reading PINOCCHIO (2022)