Acrylic is a bold, colorful dive into the world of nail salons, style rivalries, and over-the-top glamour. Directed by and starring Nicole D’Angelo, the film promises fierce style battles, jaw-dropping nail art, and a showcase of confidence, sass, and charm. On paper, the premise—a competition between two salons vying for the top spot—offers rich potential for comedy and drama, and there are moments where the film flirts with that promise. D’Angelo leads with enthusiasm, and the cast brings a playful energy to the screen.
Read MoreAnother Way to Die (2023)
Gregory Hatanaka’s Another Way to Die is a neon-lit, high-octane indie action thriller that thrives on style and energy, even if its substance sometimes falters. Centered on a rogue CIA agent with a shadowed past, played by Louis DeStefano, the film follows his perilous mission to recover a mystical box—an object that attracts danger at every turn. In a futuristic city drenched in betrayal and bloodshed, DeStefano’s character is double-crossed, outnumbered, and hunted by secret forces, leaving him with no choice but to fight his way through the chaos.
Read MoreSoyboy (2025)
Adrian Hui’s Soyboy is a sharp, unsettling, and oddly tender short film that captures the alienation of a generation drowning in convenience. But what makes this surreal meditation on self-image and disconnection truly linger is the performance by Jack Johnstone as Killian, a performance that’s as raw as it is magnetic. Johnstone commands every frame. His Killian is a product of the algorithm: numb, curated, detached, yet there’s an aching vulnerability beneath his blank stare.
Read MoreThy Will Be Done (2025)
Independent films live or die on passion, and Thy Will Be Done wears that passion in every frame. Jazz Securo’s directorial debut is a brooding, atmospheric thriller that mixes faith, morality, and murder into a surprisingly cohesive and gripping story. What begins as a standard police procedural quickly evolves into something darker and more spiritual, a meditation on justice, guilt, and the fragility of belief.
Read MoreThe R.I.P. Man (2025)
“Shut your mouth and get ready to rest in pain.” That tagline sets the tone for The R.I.P. Man, a low-budget British slasher that punches well above its weight in both atmosphere and execution. Director Jamie Langlands and writer Rhys Thompson deliver a polished indie thriller that successfully introduces a memorable new genre villain, one that might just make you double-check that your doors are locked.
Read MoreBackfire (2023)
Gregory Hatanaka’s Backfire is a 67-minute plunge into cult conspiracies, surreal dialogue, and a constant stream of classical music cues. Billed as an action-thriller about an undercover operative infiltrating a doomsday cult, the film is less about plot clarity than it is about creating a strange, fever-dream mood. For better or worse, it succeeds.
Read MoreBaby Cat (2023)
Scott Hillman’s Baby Cat is one of those movies you can’t quite categorize. At 88 minutes, it’s a curious blend of surreal comedy, experimental drama, and a dash of vigilante-thriller — anchored by a premise so out-there you can’t help but be intrigued. Dana moves to Los Angeles after a breakup and finds herself in a strange new apartment complex.
Read MoreDead Again (2017)
Having been on a Korean film bender lately, I went into Dead Again expecting something in line with the layered storytelling and inventive genre blending that’s made South Korean cinema so exciting in recent years. What surprised me right off the bat, however, was discovering that this supposed Korean mystery-thriller was in fact written and directed by an American, Dave Silberman, who had only a handful of shorts under his belt before jumping into this feature project. That’s not a flaw in itself—cinema is global, after all—but unfortunately, the film doesn’t quite measure up to the high bar set by its Korean contemporaries.
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