★★★★ There have been some strong contenders, but few have landed anywhere near the seaside town of Amity. Look no further than movies like Sharknado or Trailer Park Sharks for perfect evidence that the horror subgenre practically birthed by Jaws has grown a bit long in the (shark) tooth. Where any given aquatic horror will … Continue reading Film Review: The Devil’s Mouth
Film Review: I Want Your Sex
★★★★★ Indie favorite Gregg Araki really knows sex. From early favorites The Living End and Totally F***ed Up to the masterful Mysterious Skin and even his ultra-gay, oddball Starz series, Now Apocalypse, the best of Araki's works find a way to alchemize eroticism and dark comedy. I Want Your Sex may be Araki's most audience-friendly … Continue reading Film Review: I Want Your Sex
Fantasia 2026: Nightborn
★★ When it comes to folk horror, we have been flooded as of late with some truly great gems: Midsommar, Apostle, Bring Her Back, The Witch. And then there’s Nightborn. Hopeful that the Finnish countryside setting and a dilapidated homestead would make for compelling genre fun, plus the addition of fan favorite actor Rupert Grint, … Continue reading Fantasia 2026: Nightborn
Fantasia 2026: The Mouths
★★★ Carrying a distinctly J-horror vibe, The Mouths is a welcome return to form for The Grudge franchise curator, Takashi Shimizu. The creeping dread has a careful build to it, leading to multiple sequences of super creepy ghost girls, crawling CGI ants, and bewitched trees. The whole film presents as bafflingly outdated in a cozy, … Continue reading Fantasia 2026: The Mouths
Fantasia 2026: Someone’s Daughter
★★★★ Canadian survival thriller Someone’s Daughter may seem on the surface to be a typical stuck-in-the-wilderness flick. However, in the vein of Sam Raimi’s excellent Send Help, this film has much more on its mind. After a riveting cold open that leaves the kidnapper dead, two unlikely people must work together to make it off … Continue reading Fantasia 2026: Someone’s Daughter
Fantasia 2026: No Rest for the Wicked
★★★★★ A moody, atmospheric gay love story set against the backdrop of a gorgeous fishing town? Count me in! No Rest for the Wicked is akin to Call Me By Your Name in the visuals department, even if the focal point is a love story even more tragic. The couple seems doomed from the moment … Continue reading Fantasia 2026: No Rest for the Wicked
Fantasia 2026: Zsazsa Zaturnnah vs the Amazonistas of Planet X
★★★★ For campy ridiculousness and queer joy, it doesn't get much better than preposterously-named Zsazsa Zaturnnah vs the Amazonistas of Planet X. Based on the Filipino sensation, this gem was a blast from start to finish, supercharged with a specific energy that I’ve only tasted from seasons of Drag Race Philippines. These characters, the super … Continue reading Fantasia 2026: Zsazsa Zaturnnah vs the Amazonistas of Planet X
Film Review: Her Private Hell
★★★★★ Iconic director Nicolas Winding Refn took a decade-long hiatus from filmmaking, viewing Her Private Hell as his cinematic resurrection. Sparked by a literal experience where he died and was brought back to life, Refn has handcrafted a movie fully immersed in atmosphere and spectacle. That’s right: Her Private Hell totally rules. Part giallo slasher, … Continue reading Film Review: Her Private Hell
Theater Review: A Walk on the Moon
Based on the rather obscure 1999 film of the same name, A Walk on the Moon distills the movie’s energy, then recalibrates it into a riveting musical with powerhouse vocals. Its concept seems deceptively small scale: a bored housewife starts a wild affair with a blouse salesman in the heat of summer. Yet, the book … Continue reading Theater Review: A Walk on the Moon
Fantasia 2026: Blaise
★★★★ French gem Blaise is a joyous, laugh-out-loud funny delight. It's these kind of strange indie films that really mark the medium as all-encompassing. Those who think animation is strictly a cartoon for kids are missing out. A memorable oddity that embraces being different, much like its lovable protagonist, Blaise balances cringe comedy and political … Continue reading Fantasia 2026: Blaise