Category: Reviews

I caught Cottonmouth at this year’s Round Top Film Festival, and it left me both unsettled and impressed—a gritty Western thriller that doesn’t pull its punches. Directed by Brock Harris, the film is steeped in dust, betrayal, and retribution, a modern take on the old frontier morality tale. It’s not an easy watch—bleak, violent, and… Continue reading Round Top Film Festival 2025 – Cottonmouth: a gritty Western thriller that doesn’t pull its punches

There’s something both comforting and quietly disarming about a film that tackles the idea of “family” without sentimentality or moral lessons. Adult Children, which opened the Round Top Film Festival 2025, does exactly that. Written by Annika Marks and directed by her husband, Rich Newey, the film finds humor and heartbreak in equal measure as… Continue reading Round Top Film Festival 2025 – Adult Children: set the tone for a weekend that celebrated heartfelt storytelling

A Look at the 8 Dramas I had initially planned to catch all the festival shorts, but due to timing and a last-minute decision, I chose the drama block. Eight films later, I learned something about myself: I can sit more easily through a two-hour feature than through eight short ones in a row —… Continue reading Round Top Film Festival 2025 – Short Drama Showcase

Having watched Christy at its opening-night screening at the Austin Film Festival (with writer-directors David Michôd and Mirrah Foulkes in attendance, alongside the real-life Christy Martin), I walked away both exhilarated and deeply moved. The film stakes its claim not just as a sports biopic but as a profound meditation on identity, power, and survival.… Continue reading AFF 2025 – Christy: a profound meditation on identity, power, and survival.

Screening at this year’s Austin Film Festival, Yesterday Island starts with something as simple as a midnight phone call. It gradually moves into more unusual territory—a darkly comic tale about failure, self-deception, and being both physically and emotionally stranded. Writer-director Sam Voutas brings his offbeat style to the story, although this one feels more focused,… Continue reading AFF 2025 – Yesterday Island: an award-winning, darkly comic tale

The second secret screening of the festival this year was the newest film by Greek auteur Yorgos Lanthimos. In previous years, Fantastic Fest featured the director’s previous films, The Lobster and The Killing of A Sacred Deer, both of which became fan favorites. So, it came as little surprise that Bugonia would get programmed this… Continue reading Fantastic Fest 2025: BUGONIA – A Hilarious Exercise In Absurdity