I briefly covered Fantasia last year, and looking back at the films that made the cut, they all had pretty high marks. Because of this, I thought I’d take a stab at checking out what the fest had to offer in 2023. While I wish I had gotten more across my desk, I very much enjoyed viewing and covering the films that were sent my way.
Read MoreBest Geezer (2023)
Raya Films are back at it, following up on their micro-budget thriller Casting Kill from this past January with a feel-good comedy entitled Best Geezer. It recently made its world premiere at the Southend-on-Sea Film Festival in Essex, where the film was shot and set, and it will be making its London debut on July 28th. As you may have gleaned, Best Geezer is a British film, and so I’d like to briefly clarify for my American readers that “geezer” has a different meaning across the pond.
Read MoreChattanooga Film Festival (2023)
I’d never attended Chattanooga Film Festival, and with having a lot of free time recovering from surgery, of course, I’d take a stab at checking out what this fest had to offer. While I wish I had gotten to more, I very much enjoyed viewing and covering the films that I had time to watch. There are a bunch of gems here, so I’d say that the Tennessee film community is in good hands for the years moving forward.
Read MoreIndiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023)
What if a hero doesn’t get to live happily ever after? For quite a while, film fans thought Indiana Jones’ ride into the sunset at the end of 1989’s Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade was the character’s swansong. However, in 2008, we were treated to an older Indy with Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
Read MoreDanger God (2018)
As the usage of CGI in films has increased over the last several decades, my appreciation for traditional stunt work has only grown. Stunt people largely worked unheralded as they endeavored to gift stories some realism that was sometimes beautiful, sometimes violent, and always dangerous. One such legend was Gary Kent, the focus of Joe O’Connell’s documentary entitled Danger God aka Love and Other Stunts.
Read MoreThe Flash (2023)
As I wrote in my recent review of Coherence, the multiverse is all the rage, right now. That goes doubly for superhero films. Andy Muschietti’s DCEU course correction The Flash is the latest masked vigilante blockbuster to utilize the brainy sci-fi concept to deploy some fan service and capitalize on the increasing sophistication of audiences that have now experienced about three distinct eras of comic book films.
Read MoreCoherence (2013) #RetroReview
The multiverse is all the rage, right now. You’ve got Everything Everywhere All at Once, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, and many others. However, ten years ago, a micro-budgeted flick was released that played with the concept of alternate realities in a much more psychological manner.
Read MoreCliffhanger (1993) #RetroReview
Surely, 1993’s Cliffhanger has to be in the conversation for director Renny Harlin’s best film. I would also say that it’s Sylvester Stallone’s second-best film of the ‘90s, surpassed only by Demolition Man. May 28th marks the film's 30th birthday and with the recent announcement that a sequel is in the works, I figured it'd be a nice time to take a look back.
Read MoreOutpost (2022)
Like many comedians, Joe Lo Truglio is also a horror fan. The works of Stephen King were a key influence growing up. Now, in-between acting gigs, Lo Truglio has been attempting to make his own horror films.
Read MoreBulletproof (1987) #RetroReview
I was introduced to Steve Carver’s Bulletproof from 1988 via a clip of Gary Busey screaming this from some rafters before jumping down amidst a hail of machine gun fire. What exactly is a “butthorn?” Well, it’s the favorite invective utilized by Busey’s lead character Frank “Bulletproof” McBain.
Read MoreThe Dark Half (1993) #RetroReview
After a two-year delay because of Orion Pictures’ financial problems, legendary writer/director George Romero’s adaptation of Stephen King’s The Dark Half was finally released in 1993. The affable filmmaker preferred to work in an independent setting and it would seem his somewhat difficult experience on this film helped cement that predilection. Notably, it was the last movie he made in his beloved Pittsburgh.
Read MoreErotomaniac (2022)
As you may already know, I have a love for micro-budgeted homemade DIY flicks. I also happen to love animation. Last night, I checked out writer/director/editor/producer/animator Sam Salerno’s Erotomaniac from 2022, which combines both of those aspects.
Read More