Books and video games are all fodder for a story, as we have witnessed the recent success of the television series The Last of Us. Joe Lo Truglio’s claustrophobic, outdoor thriller Outpost clicked for me like the PS4 game Firewatch…
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Teddy’s Christmas is a wholesome Norwegian fantasy film perfect for the Christmas season. It has the charm of a Rankin/Bass special, like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, and the warm nostalgia of A Christmas Story. Andrea Eckerbom’s film effectively fuses fantasy…
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AWARD THIS! 2023 NOMINEE! When a woman (Every Heart) calls a man (Shane Ryan-Reid) on the phone and asks him to come and visit, he can’t refuse. As he happily obliges and they spend some time together, the walls begin to…
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Under The Influencer is writer-director Alex Haughey’s sophomore feature-length film. Given the premise and title, logically, viewers would think this a comedy. So imagine the surprise when this turned out to be a searing look at the content creator lifestyle,…
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The writing, intertwined with Fennell’s direction, stands as the film’s paramount triumph. There’s an elusive playfulness in the darkness that runs through the narrative, elevating Saltburn beyond an average psychological thriller or a dark comedy. The unpredictable script works in…
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AWARD THIS! 2023 NOMINEE! When there is nothing new under the big black sun, the best direction to go is underground. As an outlaw film critic, I watch many films for the subterranean market, usually made with micro-budgets consisting of…
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It’s easy for us to sit back on our cellphones and computers and complain about the migrant crisis along our southern border. In David Damian Figueroa and Kayvon Derak Shanian’s documentary short, Shura, they profile the life of Shura Wallin—one…
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Written and directed by Lindley Farley, The Fez Belcher Show is a comedic look at the aging punk rocker. In the 1980s, Fez Belcher (Gregory Adair) released a beloved album as the frontman of a band. He then went solo…
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Rionne McAvoy’s documentary, The Ones Left Behind: The Plight of Single Mothers in Japan, shines a compassionate light on a social crisis that plagues Japan that’s not so different than the problems single mothers face here in the States. The…
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Summary Despite its flaws, Silent Night is an enjoyable genre film that shouldn't be taken too seriously. The movie's style, particularly its visual storytelling and Kinnaman's performance, keeps it engaging. The lack of depth in supporting characters and the film's…
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The Big Picture Godzilla Minus One takes the iconic movie monster back to his roots and offers a thrilling take on the character, unleashing his destructive force in new ways. The film balances sweeping spectacle and tense action with the…
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AWARD THIS! 2023 NOMINEE! Out In The Ring is Ry Levey’s feature-length directorial debut. The documentary examines pro-wrestling’s past and current struggles to appropriately and properly represent the LGBTQIA+ community. Levey and his crew use interviews with wrestlers who are out…
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