Director Travis Knight (ParaNorman, Kubo and the Two Strings) and screenwriter Chris Butler bring Colin Meloy and Chris Ellis’ fantasy novel Wildwood to life. Though I have never read the source material, the movie makes it clear that it establishes an exciting world filled with vibrant characters, genuine stakes, and an intense, dark, compelling story.… Continue reading WILDWOOD: An Outstanding Dark Fantasy Film
Category: Film Reviews
CLAYFACE: A Batman Villain Re-envisioned as Body Horror
James Gunn and Peter Safran’s DC Universe continues with an origin story for a popular Batman villain that is genuinely a horror story. With a story and script by Mike Flanagan (Hush, Doctor Sleep), the movie re-envisions Clayface as a body-horror tragedy. Flannagan co-wrote the screenplay with Hossein Amini, and James Watkins directs. The result… Continue reading CLAYFACE: A Batman Villain Re-envisioned as Body Horror
GHOST IN THE CELL: a bloody, bizarre, and silly trip behind bars
Fantastic Fest 2026 Indonesian filmmaker Joko Anwar knows how to make an impression, and his latest horror-comedy, Ghost in the Cell, does so with plenty of blood, outrageous situations, and an assortment of characters as entertaining as they are unpredictable. Screened at a film festival, the film proved an unusual mix of supernatural horror, dark… Continue reading GHOST IN THE CELL: a bloody, bizarre, and silly trip behind bars
WHALEFALL: A Nerve-Wracking Thriller With A Sincere Heart
Actor Austin Abrams seems to have found his niche, playing scared, tense, and sometimes timid characters reacting to harrowing or highly stressful situations. Previous movies such as Weapons and Resident Evil show that a likable, talented actor can pull off both thrilling and comedic moments. In his latest role in Whalefall, Abrams gets to show… Continue reading WHALEFALL: A Nerve-Wracking Thriller With A Sincere Heart
Runner: plenty of action and ample laughs
Alan Ritchson brings the muscle, Owen Wilson brings the chatter, and Runner delivers enough vehicular destruction to make a defensive-driving instructor weep. Scott Waugh directs this action comedy, which keeps its premise simple and its leads exceedingly busy. The mayhem has little substance, but I found plenty of excitement in watching this unlikely pair attempt a very… Continue reading Runner: plenty of action and ample laughs
MISTY GREEN: Chris Rock’s Hate Letter to Hollywood
After watching Chris Rock’s latest film, I get the strong impression that he does not like Hollywood. That sentiment is actually very fair given the events that transpire in his movie, Misty Green, which examines the life and career of a black actor (the titular character) who achieved some success and acclaim as a television… Continue reading MISTY GREEN: Chris Rock’s Hate Letter to Hollywood
THE SOCIAL RECKONING: A Fine Follow-Up to an Iconic Film
Sixteen years after David Fincher’s The Social Network took cinema by storm, its writer, Aaron Sorkin, returns to write and direct a sequel that addresses the aftermath of Facebook’s effect on the world, particularly in America. Sorkin takes a different approach, narrowing the scope to focus on the investigative journalism and whistleblowing carried out by… Continue reading THE SOCIAL RECKONING: A Fine Follow-Up to an Iconic Film
Wild Horse Nine: a pairing of actors that pleases unabashedly
Fantastic Fest 2026 John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell are a pairing I could happily watch argue their way through almost anything. In Wild Horse Nine, their chemistry turns a buddy comedy with a serious undercurrent into one of my favorite Fantastic Fest experiences. Writer-director Martin McDonagh gives them clever material, and they deliver it with… Continue reading Wild Horse Nine: a pairing of actors that pleases unabashedly
The Swallow Review: killer mud and a familiar horror formula
Fantastic Fest 2026 I saw The Swallow at a morning press screening early in Fantastic Fest, under embargo because it was reserved for the festival’s closing night. In retrospect, that scheduling worked out well for me. Had I spent a ticket and my final evening of the festival watching people battle an oozing, sucking pool… Continue reading The Swallow Review: killer mud and a familiar horror formula
Fantastic Fest ’26 – Film Review: Ee
This short lesbian erotic thriller will catch you by surprise. When a young girl attempts to shoplift an old blind box figure from a collectible store, the shopkeeper’s seductive wife takes an interest in her. Heather Landsman has given us a sexually charged and very direct glimpse into a young woman’s attempt at shoplifting and… Continue reading Fantastic Fest ’26 – Film Review: Ee