Look, Kevin Kopacka’s Dawn Breaks Behind the Eyes is probably best seen without any foreknowledge about the film. That being said, I will do my damnedest to avoid any spoilers. The Austrian-Sri Lankan filmmaker evokes the aesthetics of arty and moody ‘70s Euro-horror in unexpected ways.
Read MoreMad God (2021)
Around thirty years ago, Oscar-winning effects legend Phil Tippett began work on a stop motion sci-fi/horror film, but the rise of CGI convinced him that the old school animation discipline’s days were over. However, around ten years ago, he was persuaded by colleagues to begin working on the film again. When Tippett released a sizzle real a year or so ago, effects junkies everywhere went nuts for the footage.
Read MorePoser (2021)
A young woman longs to make her mark in her local underground music scene in Ori Segov and Noah Dixon’s Poser. I was especially excited to see the film, as it was shot and set in my hometown of Columbus, Ohio. Recent years have seen more movies get made here, but it’s still rare enough to be a treat.
Read MoreThe Northman (2022)
The Northman is perhaps the most accessible work of writer/director Robert Eggers’ young career. He purportedly did not have final cut and the film does feel a half step less quirky than The VVitch and The Lighthouse, both of which I loved. Still, even with one eye sneaking peaks at mainstream concerns, The Northman exudes a distinctive creative vision.
Read MoreCrash (1996) #RetroReview
With the news breaking recently that the legendary David Cronenberg is returning to cinemas this year with Crimes of the Future, a film that reportedly will hearken back to his more transgressive genre roots, I decided to check out one of his more notorious efforts to celebrate. I had never seen his 1996 adaptation of JG Ballard’s Crash before last night. The reviews and anecdotes I’d experienced varied wildly on its quality, but I took everything with a grain of salt, as I remember the moral outrage and controversy the film had generated upon its initial release.
Read MoreThe Batman (2022)
As a longtime comic book fan, I’ve been conditioned to easily accept new interpretations of established characters. New creative teams often attempt to place their own stamps on the mythoi of beloved superheroes. In some cases, they are given free range to completely reinvent a character’s entire universe.
Read MoreThe Belko Experiment (2016) #RetroReview
March 17th marks the fifth anniversary of the release of Greg McLean’s lightly satirical, bleakly humorous, and gory The Belko Experiment. Featuring a what-would-you-do type premise and a mile-wide mean streak, it deftly blends a clearly-defined psychological approach with graphic violence. The result is a visceral, if borderline unpleasant, thrill ride.
Read MoreCyrano (2021)
Director Joe Wright has a history of appropriating great works of literature for his movies. His Pride and Prejudice and Anna Karenina demonstrate a healthy regard for the original material, while still infusing them with his own dreamy style. Wright's successful track record continues here with Cyrano.
Read MoreTexas Chainsaw Massacre (2022)
When reviewing something like Netflix’s new Texas Chainsaw Massacre, I think some bonafides are helpful to the reader. I’m a huge fan of Tobe Hooper’s original film from 1974. The rest of the franchise entries I could take or leave, although I don’t mind revisiting the first two sequels every now and again.
Read MoreThe Long Night (2022)
You had me at creepy cult with weird masks. Rich Ragsdale’s The Long Night is a no-frills tale about a young couple facing off against a sinister sect of demon worshipers in an isolated setting. It’s got some familiar plot points, but there are a few slight curveballs and the photography is legitimately strong.
Read MoreThe Runner (2022
I discovered darkwave duo Boy Harsher a few years ago and instantly fell in love with Augustus Muller’s smoky atmospheric synths and Jae Matthews’ sultry vocals. Their four albums have essentially been the soundtrack to my pandemic. So, when the former film students recently announced that they’d written, produced, edited, and directed a short movie called The Runner that would also include an album’s worth of new songs, it immediately shot to the top of my must-see flicks for 2022.
Read MoreThe Matrix Resurrections (2021)
I was pretty surprised when it was announced that another sequel to The Matrix was being produced, even though many fans felt like there was room to follow up on the trilogy capper The Matrix: Revolutions. Now, eighteen years after that seemingly final entry, Lana Wachowski has returned as director and co-writer with the surprisingly meta The Matrix: Resurrections. Let me take care of some business first.
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