6
Changes in character and perception make this film unique, but it’s unfortunate that these elements are weighed down by a story teetering on the edge of believability.
4
White Elephant is a story of a teen’s diasporic identity told through paltry means and a lack of focus.
7.5
This is a repost of our review from Fantasia Festival 2020. The Mortuary Collection will be available on Shudder October 14, 2020.
Although the anthology film has been a mainstay in the horror genre for decades, it’s been a few years since
6
Reminiscent of 2016’s home-invasion thriller Don’t Breathe, David Charbonier and Justin Powell’s kidnap thriller The Boy Behind The Door is an undeniably suspenseful, albeit often misguided, story about two best friends fighting for survival after being abducted.
Setting aside the inconsistent messaging,
This year’s Fantastic Fest will be going virtual and today the full lineup of films has been announced. Celebration of Fantastic Fest will be taking place September 24 – October 1 on the Alamo Drafthouse streaming platform and will contain a slew
6
It may be almost as messy as the trucks heading back from the Yacht Club, but movies like this are a gateway into the nooks and crannies of our country and serve as a sociological time capsule of this time and place.
Montreal’s Fantasia Festival has officially wrapped, and with that the award winners from this year’s virtual edition have been announced. Daria Woszek’s Marygoround won the jury prize for Best Film and Best Director, with Brea Grant‘s 12 Hour Shift winning
8
Reminiscent of a Kung Fu version of Uncle Drew and even the recent Cobra Kai TV series, Quoc Bao Tran’s feature debut, The Paper Tigers, concerns the lives of three former Kung Fu prodigies who must overcome their past conflicts and now-middle-aged
2.5
Playing out like some kind of perverted fantasy rather than a deep rumination on obsession and addiction, Ben Hozie’s PVT Chat may mean well, but its misguided finale sets the wrong tone on a subject that’s becoming more relevant as more sex
6
Survival Skills works best in its final act, culminating in a dark, powerful finale that completely turned me around on it after a slow second act.
7.5
There are plenty of documentaries out there that discuss meme culture, but none so succinctly outline and break down the trajectory of a meme than Feels Good Man.
6
Continuing the long-standing trend of Japanese manga adaptations that center on a high school that specializes in some specific subject, Kakegurui is a high-energy farce about a posh private academy that’s composed of spoiled rich kids obsessed with gambling.
5.5
Miyamoto Musashi is arguably the greatest fighter in Japanese history, thought to have won more than 60 duels. He also later developed a two-sword fencing style called nitō ichi-ryū.
Musashi was dubbed kensai or “sword saint,” and his legend continued to grow
7
Back in 2000, as part of a promotion for his latest film, Ready to Rumble, actor David Arquette did a collaboration with the WCW and ended up winning the World Heavyweight Championship. This was a controversial stunt that drew savage ire from
6
Class Action Park is a funny and at times tragic documentary that’s well made but could have used some more creative flourishes to better complement its subject matter.
2
Even the most ardent fans of Marshall’s work will have a hard time finding something to grasp onto with this one, which feels more like a vanity project for his girlfriend than the work of a unique and talented director.
