As per usual, 2023's Fantasia International Film Festival brings quirky delights and strange phenomena to center stage. Indies and more mainstream fare alike comingle for one of the most unique festivals of its kind. After the jump, don't miss our full coverage of this year's iteration! Films #MANHOLE Full review at the link. APORIA Full … Continue reading Fantasia 2023 Wrap-Up
Fantasia 2023: It Lives Inside
★★ Every year, dozens of new horror hopefuls flood the market hoping to hook the next genre classic. It Lives Inside, the debut feature from director/co-writer Bishal Dutta, aims to put a new spin on religion-based terror by honing in on Hindi mythology in a major way. Unfortunately, absolutely nothing here can distinguish the film … Continue reading Fantasia 2023: It Lives Inside
Fantasia 2023: Killing Romance
★★★★ What do you get when you take the quirkiness of Wes Anderson and blend it with Korean slapstick humor and a dash of love triangle? The answer comes courtesy of director Lee Won-suk and writer Park Jeong-ye collaboration, Killing Romance! Bursting with originality and fart jokes, this unconventional comedy lets loose a chaotic ostrich … Continue reading Fantasia 2023: Killing Romance
Fantasia 2023: #Manhole
★★★★ Pulling off a movie set almost entirely in one location with the majority of scenes focusing on a single character is no easy feat. Japanese import #Manhole somehow accomplishes the impossible, trapping its lead character at the bottom of a sleazy tunnel teeming with dead animal foam, icky cobwebs, and a decaying ladder. Director … Continue reading Fantasia 2023: #Manhole
Fantasia 2023: Aporia
★★★★ This year, Judy Greer is truly having a moment. The legendary actress, who has starred in everything from Darren Stein’s quirky Jawbreaker to last year’s vastly underrated Reboot, wowed recently with her heartbreaking performance in Tribeca’s Eric LaRue. Now, Greer headlines sci-fi drama Aporia, from writer/director Jared Moshe. A script rich with moral quandaries … Continue reading Fantasia 2023: Aporia
Fantasia 2023: The Primevals
★★★★ Emerging out of its seemingly permanent slumber, Full Moon’s magnum opus (watch out, Puppet Master!) finally arrives nearly three decades after its initial production timeline. Taking some obvious inspiration from projects including Indiana Jones, Jurassic Park, and The Land of the Lost, The Primevals captures a similar lightning-in-a-bottle energy. Initially filmed in 1994, the … Continue reading Fantasia 2023: The Primevals
Film Review: Sympathy for the Devil
★★★★ Nicolas Cage somehow delivers one of his most unhinged performances yet while keeping it grounded in the grittiness of the movie, opposite an electric Joel Kinnaman, in Yuval Adler’s demented road trip horror/thriller, Sympathy for the Devil. This twisted little treat should give genre fans everything they want and more from one of cinema’s … Continue reading Film Review: Sympathy for the Devil
Fantasia 2023: The First Slam Dunk
★★★★ Come sports fans, come animation buffs, come consumers of impeccably-crafted dramas! Eye-popping, stunningly-realized animation is becoming all the rage lately, and Japanese import The First Slam Dunk, based upon the popular 90s manga and anime series, arrives at the festival to continue this trend. For what essentially boils down to one feature-length basketball match, … Continue reading Fantasia 2023: The First Slam Dunk
Five Must-See Films at 2023’s Fantasia International Film Festival
Fantasia International Film Festival is back with a vengeance for its 2023 rendition! From impressive animation to road trip horror, we are here to put five overlooked movies on your radar. Check out our picks after the jump… APORIA This year, Judy Greer is truly having a moment. The legendary actress, who has starred in … Continue reading Five Must-See Films at 2023’s Fantasia International Film Festival
Film Review: Dark Glasses
★★★★ Known for popularizing the giallo slasher, legendary director Dario Argento returns to the horror fray for the first time in a decade, since 2012’s Dracula 3D. His comeback film is a loving tribute to the earliest days of his career—this translates to substantial, gory kills, a propulsive orchestral score from Arnaud Rebotini, and a … Continue reading Film Review: Dark Glasses