There's a version of reality where Lockjaw becomes one of those beloved cult indies everyone swears they discovered first. The kind of movie that would have had its trailer playing before every Miramax release in the late '90s until it slowly wormed its way into the consciousness of a certain type of film fan. Watching Sabrina Greco's debut feature, it's hard not to imagine it existing in that timeline.
Read MoreMurder, Mystery and Lucy Lawless: My Life Is Murder Series 5
I'll watch pretty much anything Lucy Lawless appears in. From her iconic turn as Xena: Warrior Princess to scene-stealing work in Spartacus and beyond, she has always had a magnetic screen presence. Somehow, despite being on the air since 2019, My Life Is Murder slipped under my radar.
Read MoreAlley Cats: Ricky Gervais Turns a Pack of Strays Into an Existential Sitcom
Ricky Gervais has spent decades building comedy out of uncomfortable truths, awkward conversations, and characters who say exactly the wrong thing at exactly the right time. Alley Cats takes that formula and filters it through a gang of feral cats roaming the streets, resulting in a strange, frequently hilarious adult animated sitcom that feels like stand-up comedy disguised as a cartoon. At first glance, the premise almost seems too gimmicky.
Read MoreCookie Queens Finds the Humanity Behind America’s Most Famous Cookie Sale
Cookie Queens opens with "Cookie Road" by The Julie Ruin blasting over the introduction, immediately establishing the film's playful punk-rock energy. From there, director Alysa Nahmias takes audiences behind one of America's most beloved traditions: Girl Scout Cookie season. What begins as a charming look at four ambitious young girls competing to become top sellers gradually reveals itself as something more thoughtful, a coming-of-age documentary about ambition, family expectations, and the complicated realities of growing up.
Read MoreLate Fame: Kent Jones Finds Beauty in New York's Lost Dreamers
What begins as something resembling Dead Poets Society quickly reveals itself to be something altogether more contemporary: a sharply observed examination of rich kid faux intellectualism, artistic posturing, and the people who confuse proximity to art with the act of creating it. Kent Jones' Late Fame is sweet, smart, funny, and occasionally scathing. Adapted by Samy Burch from Arthur Schnitzler's novella, the film follows Ed Saxberger, a forgotten New York poet whose long-neglected work is suddenly rediscovered by a collective of young creatives calling themselves The Enthusiasm Society.
Read MoreI Want Your Sex Is a Neon-Drenched Celebration of Desire and Bad Decisions
After more than a decade away from features, Gregg Araki returns with I Want Your Sex, a neon-soaked psychosexual comedy-thriller that feels like a filmmaker completely uninterested in playing it safe. Following Elliot, a drifting twenty-something who lands a job working for provocative artist Erika Tracy, the film dives headfirst into questions of desire, power, self-discovery, and the increasingly complicated ways young people relate to intimacy in the digital age. The result is a big, wonderful, horny cartoon.
Read MoreUnholy Night Delivers a Bloody Christmas Worth Celebrating
One of my favorite things about holiday horror is how easily the genre exposes the uncomfortable truths hiding beneath festive traditions. Nobody understands that better than writer-director Michael Gabriele, whose Unholy Night takes the stress, resentment, expectations, and chaos of a family Christmas Eve and cranks everything up to undead proportions. The result is a funny, atmospheric, and surprisingly heartfelt zombie Christmas movie that feels destined to become a seasonal favorite for horror fans.
Read MoreSour Party: Mumblecore Mayhem and Female Friendship Done Right
Steven Soderbergh's endorsement was enough to get my attention, but Sour Party had me curious long before the opening scene. The poster pops, the cast is stacked with recognizable faces, and the premise sounds like the setup for exactly the kind of oddball indie comedy that either crashes and burns or becomes something special. Thankfully, Sour Party lands firmly in the latter category.
Read MoreThe Fetus: The Wildest Horror Premise of the Year Isn't Quite the Nightmare It Promised
There are horror movies with strange premises, and then there's The Fetus, a film built around the idea that a bloodthirsty demonic baby needs a steady diet of human bodies to grow. On paper, that's exactly the kind of outrageous B-movie insanity that should become an instant cult favorite. In practice, Joe Lam's feature debut is a mixed bag, delivering enough creature carnage and practical-effects mayhem to entertain horror diehards while never quite reaching the gonzo heights its premise promises.
Read MoreDinos, Deadlines, and Desperation: Why Mockbuster Is Must-Watch Chaos
There’s something immediately irresistible about Mockbuster, a documentary that promises chaos and somehow still overdelivers. What starts as a scrappy behind-the-scenes look at a low-budget dinosaur flick quickly evolves into a funny, stressful, and unexpectedly heartfelt portrait of what it actually means to chase a filmmaking dream. At its center is director Anthony Frith, who might be the perfect guide for this kind of story.
Read MoreLove, Lies and Late Harvests: Under the Vines Series 2 Review
Raise a glass because Under the Vines is back and still pouring one of the most easygoing yet quietly addictive blends on television. Series 2 returns to New Zealand’s postcard-perfect wine country with more romantic chaos, gentle comedy, and just enough emotional bite to keep things from going saccharine. At the heart of it all remains the pitch-perfect pairing of Rebecca Gibney and Charles Edwards.
Read MoreChaos in the Family: Little Brother Is Messy, Predictable, and Kinda Hard Not to Like
There’s a very specific kind of comedy where you already know exactly how it’s going to play out, but you still let it ride anyway. Little Brother lives in that space comfortably, sometimes too comfortably, but thanks to a game cast led by John Cena and Eric André, it stays just entertaining enough to justify the sit.
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