★★★★ Beautifully realized stop motion animated I Am Frankelda has to be one of the most stunning movies of the year. With imagery that recalls Coraline and The Nightmare Before Christmas, directors Roy Ambirz and Arturo Ambriz do an incredible job at paying tribute whilst paving their own exciting way into the future. At times, … Continue reading Fantasia 2025: I Am Frankelda
Tribeca 2025: How to Train Your Dragon
★★★★★ Despite having only seen the Dreamworks originals once each in theaters, I was still optimistic for the company’s first foray into the live action remake arena. Seeing dragons interact with humans in the real world, built off identical mythology, has a certain appeal to it. Would Hiccup and Toothless live up to the lofty … Continue reading Tribeca 2025: How to Train Your Dragon
Film Review: Fountain of Youth
★★ On paper, Apple TV+'s Fountain of Youth should be a total blast. Director Guy Ritchie has a great eye for fun action set pieces; screenwriter James Vanderbilt has a stellar track record in the genre space; and leads John Krasinski and Natalie Portman have filmographies overflowing with outrageously entertaining spectacles. So why does this … Continue reading Film Review: Fountain of Youth
NYICFF 2025: The Legend of Ochi
★★★ Falling in tone somewhere between Wes Anderson and 80s Jim Henson, A24’s fantasy-themed curiosity, The Legend of Ochi, has all the ingredients for an instant classic. A whimsical score that evokes nostalgia and timeless charm, stellar creature design that utilizes only practical effects, stunning cinematography that transports viewers to the faraway island of Carpathia … Continue reading NYICFF 2025: The Legend of Ochi
SXSW 2025: Fucktoys
★★★★ A depraved feminine-driven journey through a 16mm dreamscape, Fucktoys loudly announces the arrival of writer/director/lead actress Annapurna Sriram. Expect grimy aesthetics, hilarious cameos, and plenty of bodily fluids—for AP (Sriram), that is just another average day in Trashtown. The mesmerizing cinematography and vignette nature of the narrative structure are accompanied by gross-out humor and … Continue reading SXSW 2025: Fucktoys
Film Review: In the Lost Lands
★ A few absolutely sure things to expect from a modern Paul W.S. Anderson film: shoddy visuals, choppy storytelling, and Milla Jovovich trying her absolute hardest to sell the material. Despite the obviousness of these features, I was still hoping to fall in love with In the Lost Lands, especially being hatched from the mind … Continue reading Film Review: In the Lost Lands
Film Review: Wicked
★★★★★ After becoming a smash hit—and playing on Broadway now for over two decades—it would have been easy to make a rushed, condensed version of Wicked that failed to live up to the Tony-winning hype of its show counterpart. I still remember hearing about the concept for the first time when I was in high … Continue reading Film Review: Wicked
Film Review: The Boy and the Heron 4K
★★★★ Despite capturing a gorgeous visual aesthetic, the first time I watched the newest Oscar-winning feature from acclaimed director Hayao Miyazaki, I had a hard time following its largely symbolic exploration of grief through a magical realism lens. Upon subsequent viewings, The Boy and the Heron has evolved before my eyes into a breathtaking tapestry … Continue reading Film Review: The Boy and the Heron 4K
Fantastic Fest 2024: Frankie Freako
★★★★ Frankie Freako writer/director Steven Kostanski is certainly no stranger to the strange and unusual. After all, this is the same guy responsible for The Void, Leprechaun Returns, and perhaps most notably, Psycho Goreman. The latter film certainly feels closest in tone to this genre mish-mash, a pastiche of extraordinarily repugnant late 80s/early 90s content … Continue reading Fantastic Fest 2024: Frankie Freako
TV Review: The Penguin
Against all odds, Matt Reeves crafted a surprising masterpiece with his gritty, Se7en-esque take on the caped crusader with his 2022's flick, The Batman. A world so rich with detail ends up being the perfect fit for episodic television. The tertiary baddie of The Penguin still made a major impression in the Reeves film, and … Continue reading TV Review: The Penguin