In a secluded room above a church, a group of posh and affluent white women sip tea and eat dessert while making polite conversation. Then, like a switch being flipped, casting all their pleasantries into a new light, school teacher Emily (Stefanie
7
The slapstick, heavy-found-footage horror Deadstream works much better as a sendup of exploitative YouTuber culture than as a Raimi-esque horror comedy.
7.5
The world of professional skateboarding during its ascendance into mainstream popularity inarguably has the aura of an insulated “boys club,” born out of and maintained within California. For those not entrenched in the skating community, the likelihood of their familiarity with any
8.5
A rare film like Language Lessons demonstrates that the Zoom call structure has potential for honest, effective drama and comedy, even when restricted to a desktop.
7
With climate change becoming a more important issue on a daily basis and the world in the grips of a horrific pandemic, it seems more appropriate than ever to see the production of more eco-horror films — movies that typically feature Mother
8
The Spine of Night is the type of film that proudly wears its obvious inspirations on its sleeve and plays out like a pastiche for an audience that is very much in the know for what it is going for. Philip Gelatt
7.5
No matter who you are or where you happen to live, the pandemic has profoundly affected us all in a myriad of ways, not the least of which is us being forced to isolate from one another, exacerbating people’s feelings of loneliness
9
A recent trend in the realm of horror documentaries has seen directors preferring to “go long” on their subjects, resulting in extended, daunting runtimes. Recent examples, such as Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy (3 hours, 59 mins.), In Search of
7
If anything, the taut psychological thriller Here Before serves as yet another feather in the cap of Andrea Riseborough and her ability to elevate most anything with her presence alone. Playing a grieving mother teetering on the precipice of madness when her
3.5
Playing out like Part 1 of an ill-conceived YA series, Elle Callahan’s Witch Hunt hooks you in with its interesting premise but fails to deliver anything of substance. We’ve all seen stories like this multiple times over, from HBO’s True Blood to
6.5
Nick Gillespie’s ultra-violent satire is like if Joel Schumacher’s controversial Falling Down was updated for the generation that was raised on British talent shows like X-Factor and Britain’s Got Talent. Centering on one eccentric idealist who is pushed over the proverbial edge
8.5
The intimacy of the “influencer relationship” has always been suspect. How does one sift through the disingenuity of the online space to find any real affection when there are Instagram power couples who spend more time orchestrating their romantic selfies and composing
8
What happens when you combine a fleet of public transportation employees, a stage, a classic sci-fi horror film directed by Ridley Scott, and an endless spark of creative ingenuity? You get the West End production of “Alien…on Stage,” an amateur, from-scratch stage
6
Sometimes nuance and subtext are the strongest methods in reaching an audience, allowing them to organically discover the meaning behind specific themes and attributes of a film. Other times, using a proverbial sledgehammer to bash the viewer over the dome is the
6.5
There is an enthralling line of dark-web, creepypasta intrigue running through Jacob Gentry’s Broadcast Signal Intrusion. which starts his sleek conspiracy thriller off on some strong footing. Set in the late ’90s, when the broadcast airwaves were unruly and full of potential
7.5
It is the film’s personal, maternal angle that makes I Am A Cliché anything but.
