Category: Reviews

Fantastic Fest 2025: Sirāt Delivers Breathtaking Tension

I was not at all prepared for this movie. I was offered a guaranteed ticket and reserved seat, so I couldn’t pass up the chance to experience a film that would absolutely blow my mind. Though I read the synopsis offered by Fantastic Fest, I had no idea what kind of experience I would have.… Continue reading Fantastic Fest 2025: Sirāt Delivers Breathtaking Tension

Fantastic Fest Review: Quentin Dupieux’s Dark Comedy Satire is Spot-On

About: A social media star, Magalie Moreau (Adèle Exarchopoulos) often shoots videos that go viral and keeps going to “test” various items that include her body as the test site. As a youngster, she began with some items that caught people’s attention, then gradually moved on to more shocking ones. She has vast numbers of… Continue reading Fantastic Fest Review: Quentin Dupieux’s Dark Comedy Satire is Spot-On

FANTASTIC FEST 2025: Silver Screamers – a breath of fresh air — a warm hug in cinematic form

After several days of watching dark thrillers, grim horror films, and cynical dramas at Fantastic Fest, Silver Screamers felt like a breath of fresh air — a warm hug in cinematic form. As someone who’s 66 myself, I wasn’t just watching this documentary; I was deeply feeling it. It’s rare to see people my age… Continue reading FANTASTIC FEST 2025: Silver Screamers – a breath of fresh air — a warm hug in cinematic form

FANTASTIC FEST 2025: Luger – lures viewers in with a grin before hitting square in the chest

Bruno Martín’s Luger is the kind of film that lures viewers in with a grin before hitting square in the chest. It opens with an almost breezy rhythm — Toni and Rafa, stepbrothers and fixers for hire, spend their days doing the dirty work rich clients would rather not be caught doing themselves. Whether it’s cleaning up… Continue reading FANTASTIC FEST 2025: Luger – lures viewers in with a grin before hitting square in the chest

FANTASTIC FEST 2025: The Forbidden City – an excellent “spaghetti” martial arts film

Gabriele Mainetti’s The Forbidden City was one of the most distinctive films I saw at this year’s Fantastic Fest, a sharp and confident entry that blends multiple genres into something strikingly original. Best described as a “spaghetti martial arts” film, it combines the choreography and intensity of classic kung fu cinema with the grit and atmosphere of… Continue reading FANTASTIC FEST 2025: The Forbidden City – an excellent “spaghetti” martial arts film

London Calling -part buddy comedy, part coming-of-age story, and part slapstick shoot-’em-up

Sometimes a movie doesn’t quite know what it wants to be, and that’s both the strength and weakness of Allan Ungar’s latest film, London Calling. On paper, it’s a crime story about a burned-out hitman who flees the UK after a job gone wrong, only to end up working for a new crime boss. His… Continue reading London Calling -part buddy comedy, part coming-of-age story, and part slapstick shoot-’em-up

A BIG BOLD BEAUTIFUL JOURNEY Takes A Novel Approach To Relationships With Baggage

Romantic relationships are challenging. When emotional baggage is involved, this further complicates matters. Writer Seth Reiss and director Kogonada (Columbus, After Yang) tackle this problem with a film that uses surreal fantasy to pair a couple of people who have struggled to have a good, solid, romantic relationship. The movie has many inspired ideas that,… Continue reading A BIG BOLD BEAUTIFUL JOURNEY Takes A Novel Approach To Relationships With Baggage

HIM: The Devil Wants A Star Football Quarterback, Apparently

I caught the trailer for Him when I went to the movies for a film that wasn’t screened for press. The trailer had me instantly intrigued and hopeful for an incredible horror experience that takes place in the world of professional sports. Though the visuals are often striking, the editing, the writing, and sometimes the… Continue reading HIM: The Devil Wants A Star Football Quarterback, Apparently

THE LONG WALK: A Bleak, But Emotional Stephen King Story Realized Superbly For Cinema

Violence begets violence is the big takeaway from The Long Walk, a film adapted from Stephen King’s novel of the same name by director Francis Lawrence and screenwriter JT Moliner. The Long Walk is the very first novel he wrote as a professional writer, but it would not be published until later, under the pseudonym… Continue reading THE LONG WALK: A Bleak, But Emotional Stephen King Story Realized Superbly For Cinema