Camera Obscura (2017)

May 23, 2017

According to the official synopsis, the film is about a veteran war photographer with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder who sees imminent deaths in his developed photos, questioning his already fragile sanity and putting the lives of those he loves in danger. Jack is a war photographer with his own dark burden and which he is also trying to deal with his Psychiatrist. His fiancee Claire buys an antique camera in an auction and gifts him as an anniversary gift.

Delusion (2016)

May 17, 2017

The official synopsis of Delusion is what something can be easily related to David Fincher's Gone Girl. Frank Parrillo received a letter from his wife who died three years ago. With help from his nephew, Frank decides he’s ready to start over.

Besetment (2017)

May 17, 2017

Here arrives another movie from distributors Uncork'd Entertainment who just gave us American Exorcism a couple of weeks back. Besetment is a horror/thriller written and directed by Brad Douglas as his debut feature. The film's official synopsis speaks of a story about Amanda Millard, desperate for a job, takes a maid position at the Oregon Hotel in the creepy, backcountry town of Mitchell, Oregon.

Demon (2015)

May 16, 2017

Peter receives a piece of land as a gift for his upcoming wedding. While preparing the property to build a home for his new family, he finds human remains on the ground. He decides to keep the discovery to himself so that all of the wedding arrangements can go on as planned.

The Narrow Caves (2017)

May 16, 2017

All that was old is new again. That’s perhaps the greatest innocuous lesson that the modern age has taught us. For all the advancements we’ve made in iPads, iPhones, u-verses and whatever other piece of technology you can stick a vowel in front of, pop culture is currently in the throes of a retro-binge that has more people scrambling for a piece of 8-bit technology than the latest whatever-terabyte console Sony and Microsoft are churning out this week.

The Short Films of Izzy Lee (2017)

May 9, 2017

You have to know your biases, and here’s one of mine. When it comes to horror movies, I have become one pretentious bitch. Oh yeah--I love the whole indie horror schtick.

Santa Sangre (1989) #RetroReview

March 21, 2017

Welcome to the second installment of Spanish language orphan epics! Want to up the ante with some more existential despair, uncomfortable sexual antics, and surrealist imagery? Of course you do, you darling thing, you-- and wouldn’t mom be proud?

The Devil's Backbone (2001)

March 21, 2017

In honor of Spring Break, I decided to be a lazy bitch and take last week off. Sorry, loyal readers and c’est le vie! In recompense, I’m offering you a morbid, Spanish orphan extravaganza. First up is 2001’s The Devil’s Backbone.

Bloodrunners (2017)

March 10, 2017

Bloodrunners just might be the greatest horror comedy yet unleashed on 2017. I don’t know if that’s a point for or against the movie, but, in either case, it’s pretty damn hysterical. Set in the dying days of prohibition, Bloodrunners nominally focuses on Detective Jack Malone, a hardboiled cop in a sleepy East Coast town whose main jobs seem to be collecting protection money from speakeasies and hanging out at the local whoremansion, where he drowns his memories of World War I in an endless supply of booze and flesh.

Capture Kill Release (2016)

March 6, 2017

I’ve been married nearly a decade now, and occasionally someone will ask me what I think makes a successful marriage. Of course, I have a barrage of criteria--things you would probably expect like a sacrificial attitude, patience, shared political and religious sentiments. But for me, the biggest predictor of a couple’s longevity is the degree to which both parties take an interest in the other’s hobbies.

At Midnight I'll Take Your Soul (1964)

March 4, 2017

After having too much fun celebrating Women in Horror Month here at CineDump, I’ve decided to keep that sweet thematic train rolling with my own mini-celebration of Hispanic-Latino films. To start things off in style, I bring you none other than Coffin Joe, the villainous undertaker, aspiring Nietzschean Superman, proto-Jigsaw torture master, and sharp dresser extraordinaire. That’s right, America, Brazil was doing misogynistic bastards with killer fashion sense long before Freddy “Welcome to Primetime, Bitch” Krueger and his iconic sweater.

Logan (2017)

March 1, 2017

I like to pride myself in having a pretty accurate understanding of movies based off of their trailers. I will generally see the first trailer and know whether or not the movie will be good. I’m not always right; sometimes they’re better than I ever thought they would be, i.e.: John Wick or La La Land.

4K Review

From Hollywood Dreams to Monster Screams: Minions & Monsters on Physical Media

I'll admit it: my two-year-old is obsessed with Minions. Maybe it's the gibberish language, maybe it's the slapstick chaos, or maybe it's the endless stream of Minion content scattered across the internet. Whatever the reason, he loves them.

Review

When Healing Hurts: Archangel Delivers an Emotional Gut Punch

For more than a decade, filmmaker Sam Platizky and his team at Narrow Bridge Films have built a reputation through comedy, horror, and the occasional hybrid of the two. With Archangel, however, Platizky takes an unexpected turn into dramatic territory, delivering a deeply personal and emotionally grounded short film that feels less interested in spectacle than in something far more challenging: compassion.

Guerrilla Metropolitana's Dariuss Is a Fever Dream You Survive, Not Watch

"The most important questions are the unanswered ones." Take a moment to let that sink in. Then forget everything you think you know about horror cinema and press play on Dariuss.

Data Not Drama Finds Heart Inside the Algorithm

For someone whose entire life exists online, Jenessa Miller spends much of Data Not Drama profoundly alone. Writer-director David Ramer's intimate sci-fi drama follows the influencer behind the wildly successful "Data Not Drama" brand, a woman who has built a career sharing herself with millions while carefully withholding the parts that matter most. What begins as a clever satire of content culture gradually evolves into something far more affecting: a story about loneliness, vulnerability, companionship, and the universal desire to be understood.

Isabel Hagen Strikes a Perfect Note in On a String

There are funny movies, and then there are movies that catch you so completely off guard that you find yourself laughing harder than you have in months. On a String belongs firmly in that second category. Written, directed by, and starring Isabel Hagen, the Tribeca Best Screenplay winner follows a Juilliard-trained violist attempting to navigate New York's classical music scene while still living at home and trying to figure out what adulthood is supposed to look like.

The Heart Behind Obsession: Amy Evans-Vega, the One Wish Willow, and a Family Creative Legacy

One of the most fascinating aspects of Obsession is how deeply family is woven into its DNA. While audiences have become captivated by the mystery of the One Wish Willow and the film's layered storytelling, many may not realize that one of the movie's most iconic creations came from the hands of Amy Evans-Vega, a graphic designer, illustrator, mother of writer-director Curry Barker, and one of the earliest creative collaborators on the project. As the designer behind the now-famous One Wish Willow packaging, Amy helped create a prop that has become every bit as memorable as the film itself.

Nathan Tymoshuk Is Still Chasing Frogman, and Fans Couldn’t Be Happier

Few independent horror films have built the kind of passionate following that Frogman has earned over the last several years. What began as a low-budget labor of love from director Anthony Cousins and his collaborators has grown into a genuine cult phenomenon, with Frogman Returns expanding the mythology in surprising ways and leaving audiences eager to see where the story goes next. At the center of it all is Nathan Tymoshuk, whose portrayal of Dallas Kyle has become synonymous with the franchise itself.

Jason Isaacs Finds Humanity on The Salt Path

There are certain actors who elevate every project they touch, and Jason Isaacs has long been one of them. While many audiences know him from the Harry Potter franchise or more recently The White Lotus, his latest role in The Salt Path may be one of the most affecting performances of his career. Based on the memoir by Raynor Winn, the film follows Raynor and her husband Moth after they lose their home and face a devastating medical diagnosis, setting out on a 630-mile journey along England's South West Coast Path.

Big Baby: Spider One and Krsy Fox Continue Their Horror Evolution

There are interviews you look forward to, and then there are interviews that feel surreal. Sitting down with Spider One and Krsy Fox to discuss Big Baby was firmly in the latter category for me. Long before Spider One was building horror films through OneFox Productions, he was fronting Powerman 5000.

Malcolm Kelner Is the Face of Obsession, Whether the Rest of the Cast Likes It or Not

Every great film has that one performance audiences can't stop talking about. For Obsession, the viral thriller from director Curry Barker, that performance belongs, unquestionably, to Malcolm Kelner's bartender. What began as a brief appearance in the film's opening moments has somehow evolved into one of the internet's favorite running jokes, spawning memes, fan theories, social media discourse, and a level of celebrity that Kelner has embraced with remarkable confidence.

Over Coffee Creations Wins Award in Accolade Global Film Competition

Jeff Stirling, of Over Coffee Creations, has won a prestigious Award of Recognition from The Accolade Global Film Competition. The award was given for Jeff Stirling’s exciting web cartoon, Soulbound, which aims to platform new talent and create a unique artistic experience that lifts up the little guy in global online production. Soulbound features exceptional animation, character writing, sharp dialogue, densely-packed storytelling, colors, art direction, and innovation that could only emerge from a small indie film sphere.