DAFT STATE shows the vulnerable side of the thriller genre
by Heidi Krull, Staff Writer
Despite having a small cast, Daft State is full of compelling performances.
A REAL PAIN confronts the Holocaust from the POV of third generation of survivors
by Ryan Silberstein, Managing Editor, Red Herring
A Real Pain follows David (Eisenberg) and his cousin Benji (Kieran Culkin) as they travel around Poland with a tour group, seeing where their grandmother lived, the Majdanek concentration camp outside Lublin where she was interred, and their grandmother’s former home.
TRANSPLANT explores the challenges of becoming a world class doctor
by Jonathan Jansen, Staff Writer
Transplant examines the cost of greatness through the lens of a surgical resident that is aiming to be a heart transplant surgeon.
100 YARDS offers a glimpse into the world of Chinese martial arts in the 1920s
by Heidi Krull, Staff Writer
100 Yards features a plethora of exciting fight scenes while also exploring the history of China and how martial arts progressed.
HERETIC is a tense psychological game
by Rosalie Kicks, Old Sport & Editor in Chief
Heretic does not waste any time putting the viewer on the edge of their seat. From the moment The Sisters enter Reed’s home, the air turns tense and the psychological game begins.
DRIVE BACK is a wild ride through relationship issues
by Vannah Taylor, Staff Writer
Despite some unrealized potential, Drive Back is fun for anyone who enjoys failed road trips, hooded slashers, and whatever else is lurking in the woods
SALLYWOOD is a good natured Tinseltown parody
by Kate Beach, Staff Writer
When it leaves the cliches behind and focuses on the lovely intergenerational friendship at its core, Sallywood shines
Lackluster execution makes ELEVATION feel extra derivative
by Tessa Swehla, Associate Editor
Elevation feels like a TV movie made in the early 2000s.
OKIE finds the good and bad in returning to your hometown
by Kate Beach, Staff Writer
Okie is a movie about leaving and coming back. It’s about our hometowns and why we leave them, and what happens when we’re gone too long to fit in again.
BIRD is a unique coming of age fable
by Megan Bailey, Staff Writer
Bird is described as a “fable about marginalized life in the fringes of contemporary society.” The word “fable” fits perfectly, as Bird feels both naturalistic and magical.
Read MoreDisc Dispatch: FILM NOIR - THE DARK SIDE OF CINEMA XXI
by Rosalie Kicks, Old Sport & Editor in Chief
For under thirty-five bucks one can lost in the shadows of not one, not two but three noir pictures in The Dark Side of The Cinema XXI collection.
The seaside simulacra of Cronenberg’s FOUR UNLOVED WOMEN
by Sasha Ravitch, Staff Writer
A stirring and memorable short film full of euphoria and despair.
HE NEVER LEFT can't reconcile whether it is a thriller or a slasher
by Allie Lembo, Staff Writer
He Never Left is a Halloween thriller that may disappoint the slasher fans it attracts. There’s the universal adage to ‘never judge a book by its cover,’ but the film poster’s bold border, masked killer and vintage font so resembles retro horror designs, it was impossible not to anticipate a slasher
VERMIGLIO looks at a 20th century village coming to terms with women's autonomy
by Jonathan Jansen, Staff Writer
A small mountain village called Vermiglio is far enough from World War II to not feel its effects, but war eventually is carried back to the village.
TIME TRAVEL IS DANGEROUS mashes silly science fiction with real character stakes
by Heidi Krull, Staff Writer
Time Travel is Dangerous has an impressive and unique take on time travel and its effects on the universe, while also being incredibly humorous.
MUSIC BY JOHN WILLIAMS highlights the work of a living icon
by Ryan Silberstein, Managing Editor, Red Herring
Two notes (Jaws). Five notes (Close Encounters of the Third Kind). John Williams’ work is so iconic that you can likely hear the exact notes being referenced here, whether you want to or not.
ABSOLUTION is a disjointed character study with Liam Neeson
by Darian Davis, Staff Writer
Those looking for Neeson’s typical straight-ahead beat-em-up fare will be disappointed in Absolution, a slower, more introspective film that struggles to meet its aspirations as an abstract character study.
HERE takes a big swing, but its understanding of America is out of touch
by Ryan Silberstein, Managing Editor, Red Herring
It would be accurate to call Here a gimmick movie, as the film is essentially one static shot of the same place over the course of Earth’s history through the present–with a heavy emphasis on the residents of a house built on the spot in the early 20th century.
BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS is a beautiful restoration, but remains a blue monday
by Emily Maesar, Associate TV Editor
If there was ever proof that adapting Vonnegut’s work is a Herculean task then it’s visible, without any abstractions, in Alan Rudolph’s 1999 fever dream of a film, Breakfast of Champions.
DOC OF CHUCKY is a comprehensive look at the long running horror franchise
by Avery Coffey, Staff Writer
Doc of Chucky brings familiar faces from past films and modern renditions to our screens to recount the impact of Chucky as a horror icon and Child’s Play as a genre franchise.