Mike Flanagan, creator of two of the all-time greatest Netflix miniseries in The Haunting of Hill House and Midnight Mass, dips back into the murky waters of gothic horror in an eerie, atmospheric masterpiece dedicated to Edgar Allen Poe. The aptly-named The Fall of the House of Usher weaves Poe’s prose, themes, and melancholy into … Continue reading Fantastic Fest 2023: The Fall of the House of Usher
Fantastic Fest 2023: The Animal Kingdom
★★★★★ A grounded, frequently disturbing sci-fi/fantasy drama, The Animal Kingdom tears into chilling body horror elements and complex commentary about embracing the animal inside. Set in the near future, a “disease” characterized by physical, animalistic transformations has spread across the world. Those infected face intense outward discrimination, not to mention asylum experimentation. Embracing the obvious … Continue reading Fantastic Fest 2023: The Animal Kingdom
Interview: Actress Amrit Kaur
Putting the Toronto International Film Festival in our rearview, Allison sat down to chat over Zoom with The Queen of My Dreams actress Amrit Kaur about her cultural and cinematic influences, the complicated nature of arranged marriage, and using film to inspire conversation. In this unique film, when Azra’s mother, Mariam (Nimra Buch, Polite Society), discovers … Continue reading Interview: Actress Amrit Kaur
Film Review: Love at First Sight
★★★★★ A rather long time has passed since the Netflix rom-com renaissance led by 2018’s To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before. In that film’s wake, a wide variety of unique titles flooded the market, varying in quality. Soon, every major company tried to hop back on the hype train. While I strongly believe there … Continue reading Film Review: Love at First Sight
TIFF 2023: Inshallah A Boy
★★★★★ (Written by Intern, Wyatt Frantz) The most provocative social narratives immerse its audience in issues that can be seen from the ground up. Through its strong characterization and grass roots focus, Inshallah a Boy wisely reveals how the muscle of patriarchal societies can take a firm hold over one's agency. That burden is rested … Continue reading TIFF 2023: Inshallah A Boy
TIFF 2023: Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person
★★★★ In the most uniquely-titled movie of the entire festival, Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person delivers a modern coming-of-age vampiric dramedy with a subtle and elegant flair. This unique film marks the directorial debut of Ariane Louis-Seize, who co-wrote the screenplay with Christine Doyon. Together, the duo craft a genre-blending feature spilling over with … Continue reading TIFF 2023: Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person
TIFF 2023: After the Fire
★★★★ (Written by Allison Brown) Arriving in a burst of flames, After the Fire brings a timely story of a family affected by omnipresent police brutality from a new perspective. The cinematography starts off at its peak with the opening credits and particularly, as it come to a close. A car slowly burning throughout … Continue reading TIFF 2023: After the Fire
TIFF 2023: The Queen of My Dreams
(Written by Allison Brown) ★★★★ Amrit Kaur, known for playing the witty Bela Malhotra in The Sex Lives of College Girls, instantly drew me to The Queen of My Dreams. The film is noticeably a very personal story, as Director Fawzia Mirza is both queer and Muslim just like her lead, Azra (Amrit Kaur, Ayana … Continue reading TIFF 2023: The Queen of My Dreams
TIFF 2023: Dumb Money
★★★ (Written by Allison Brown) Following the onslaught of thrilling corporate biopics over the past year, ranging from Blackberry to Tetris, I was highly anticipating Sony’s take with Dumb Money. Since r/wallstreetbets became public knowledge for analysis, nearly every major festival seems to have selected a documentary detailing the rise and fall of retail traders, … Continue reading TIFF 2023: Dumb Money
Film Review: Sitting in Bars with Cake
★★★★ Prime Video is something of a mixed bag when it comes to many of their offerings. Look no further than Red, White & Royal Blue, or Shotgun Wedding to spot the wide disparity in titles for the streamer. The lack of consistency often gives me pause when trying to decide what movies are worthy … Continue reading Film Review: Sitting in Bars with Cake