Jeremy’s Review: Hernán Guerschuny’s ‘The Film Critic’ Is a Satisfying Meta French New Wave Tribute

Much in the same way that the last film I reviewed, Justin Reardon‘s Playing It Cool (read review here), took on its subject in a manner that can only be described as meta, Hernán Guerschuny takes a similar concept and flips it.It seems that the film world is now fertile ground for movies (frankly none of them hold a candle Read More →

‘SHADOWLAND’ (Beyond Fest 2024) A shapeshifting doc from filmmaker Otso Tiainen

SHADOWLAND   WORLD PREMIERE / RELEASED IN: 2024 / 98 MINUTES / DIRECTED BY: OTSO TIAINEN Beyond Fest 2024 documentary SHADOWLAND, filmmaker Otso Tiainen sets out to the French Pyrenees to explore an area known as “The Zone,” a place famous for embracing the occult, supernatural happenings, religious experience, and the home of cult director Richard Stanley. This documentary takes Read More →

‘HEADS OR FAILS’ (Fantastic Fest 2024) Lenny and Harpo Guit take a gamble on one disarming dame.

HEADS OR FAILS FANTASTIC FEST 2024 World Premiere BURNT ENDS Masterfully absurd, Lenny and Harpo Guit’s latest film, HEADS OR FAILS, introduces Fantastic Fest 2024 to the ceaselessly irresponsible and eternal hustler, Armande. Down on her luck and owing money to everyone in her path in Belgium, risky wagers are her bread and butter. Whether they pan out is another Read More →

‘RED ROOMS’ (2024) Hideously twisted obsessions.

RED ROOMS Pascal Plante takes true crime obsession to the next level in RED ROOMS. The film follows Kelly-Anne, a woman who becomes obsessed with a serial killer’s trial and the elusive online video of a victim that bares her likeness. Her deep dive down the rabbit hole of the dark web is just the beginning. Juliette Gariépy initially gives Read More →

‘ART OF A HIT’ (2024) The horror of art and fame makes Gaelan Draper’s latest film rock.

ART OF A HIT A has-been rock band heads to the middle of the French countryside to record an album. With a new member and a warning from a local bartender, the group arrives at a castle to meet a mysterious guru producer. As the days pass and secrets spill, things get complicated. ART OF A HIT is not what Read More →

‘THE SOUL EATER’ (Fantasia 2024) A magnificent twist-filled thriller

THE SOUL EATER After a string of child disappearances, two investigators work different angles of the growing small-town chaos. Both with deep unresolved trauma, the gruesome scenes and unanswered questions take Fantasia 2024 audiences on a ride to hell.  Directors Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo craft an intricate mystery that intertwines folklore and crime. Screenwriters Annelyse Batrel and Ludovic Lefebvre Read More →

‘ODDITY’ (2024) IFC and Shudder reign supreme in scaring us with Damian McCarthy’s latest

ODDITY After the murder of her twin sister, medium and oddity shop owner Darcy visits the husband she left behind, gifting him an alarming wooden mannequin. ODDITY is a battle between skepticism and the supernatural. It is a spellbinding tale of revenge. Carolyn Bracken is Darcy. This character is unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. Her supernatural abilities and encompassing Read More →

Fantasia 2024: It’s Heeerrreee (almost). Genre’s best of the best is about to begin.

FANTASIA 2024 It’s no secret that Fantasia is the festival I gush about the most. If you want to call yourself a genre film fan you have to know about the buzziest films coming out of the fest each year. Once again, Quebec will host a plethora of premieres, a gaggle of talks with the industry’s best, and scare the Read More →

(Tribeca 2024 shorts) ‘A ROSE FOR KATRINA, ‘ ‘LICE,’ ‘MY BEST FRIEND,’ & ‘WHEN EVERYTHING BURNS’ – Exemplary work from across the globe

Tribeca 2024 Shorts A ROSE FOR KATRINA Tribeca 2024 Shorts https://tribecafilm.com/films/rose-for-katrina-2024 Short | Australia | 9 MINUTES | English Harry Quinlan‘s short film A ROSE FOR KATRINA is technically dizzying. Augmented and overlapping sound editing combined with its one continuous take filmed from outside the busy household immediately throws you into a subconscious panic. An unknowing Michael shows up for a first date, Read More →

‘MURDER COMPANY ‘ (2024) Based on an untold true story

MURDER COMPANY During the D-Day invasion, a group of U.S. soldiers must smuggle a member of the French resistance behind enemy lines to assassinate a high-value Nazi target. Shane Dax Taylor‘s WWII drama imagines the never-before-told story of a secret mission. While all the elements of greatness are there, MURDER COMPANY delivers a rather average film. I never found myself Read More →

‘FAMILY THERAPY’ (Tribeca 2024) A twisted tale of trauma

FAMILY THERAPY https://tribecafilm.com/films/family-therapy-2024 Sonja Prosenc‘s Tribeca 2024 film FAMILY THERAPY features a nouveau riche household that operates in rigid formality, slowly cracking upon the arrival of a new member. The film opens with Aleksander, Olivia, and daughter Agata picking Julien up at the airport. He is patriarch Aleks’s twenty-five-year-old son from a previous relationship. Following an awkward evening, they awaken Read More →

‘SHELF LIFE’ (Tribeca 2024) Deliciously quirky and fun

SHELF LIFE https://tribecafilm.com/films/shelf-life-2024 Give me all the cheeses. It’s a phrase I should embroider on a pillow in my home. We have an entire drawer dedicated to cheese in our refrigerator. Spending two years in New Haven, my husband and I had the privilege of eating at a restaurant called Caseus (RIP). Their famous five-cheese grilled sandwich was a taste Read More →

TRIBECA 2024: A lineup that wows.

Tribeca 2024 is pulling no punches this year. Comedy, Immersives, Documentaries, and (our pet favorite) the weirdness that is the Midnight Section. Celebrities and fresh faces collide in a festival that will please the harshest critic and most serious cinephile. Welcome to TRIBECA 2024. Here are just a few of the films on our radar this year.   #AMFAD: ALL Read More →

‘PANDEMONIUM’ (2023) Explore the depths of Hell, streaming on ARROW May 27th,

PANDEMONIUM Step into the twisted brain of filmmaker Quarxx’s mind-bending, genre-obliterating PANDEMONIUM. Nathan awakens on the side of the road to discover his wrecked car. When another man begins to explain that they are dead, all Hell breaks loose.  Arben Bajraktaraj is Daniel, the man on the bicycle whom Nathan struck. He is much like a philosophic tour guide to their plight, Read More →

‘JEANNE DU BARRY’ (2024) A sumptuous feast for the eyes and heart.

JEANNE DU BARRY  French filmmaker Maïwenn wears multiple hats in her latest film, the period drama JEANNE DU BARRY. The film introduces audiences to the dazzling titular courtesan that changed the French Court forever.  The script tackles the sheer absurdity of royal existence, highlighting everything from tradition to mundane routines, some undeniably laughable. Louis allows Jeanne a behind-the-scenes look at the Read More →

‘PRATFALL’ (2024) Complex and quintessentially human walk and talk in NYC teems with trauma and connection.

PRATFALL A troubled insomniac encounters an enigmatic French tourist in Central Park. The two set off on a sleepless New York adventure as the city casts a shadow over them. Filmmaker Alex Andre captures an unusual connection between two strangers. PRATFALL walks a highwire of intimacy, trust, and confession. It’s a powerfully human story through the lens of two culturally Read More →

Review: ‘LAST PARTY’ (2024) shines in its camera work.

LAST PARTY In Nicolas Dozol‘s LAST PARTY, one final hoorah to celebrate high school graduation takes a weird turn when four of its attendees experience subtle hallucinations. Cleverly choreographed camera work by Aurel Ganz makes us think the film is one long take. Just as impressive is the actual shot list. 28, to be exact. It is one hell of Read More →

Review: Festival favorite ‘QUANTUM COWBOYS’ continues to wow wordlwide.

QUANTUM COWBOYS A mixed media extravaganza, Geoff Marslett‘s genre-obliterating QUANTUM COWBOYS is an indie film fan’s dream. Two drifters find themselves in a time warp as they attempt to help a local woman reclaim her land and right a wrong. Various animation styles change from scene to scene, from hand-drawn to greenscreen, live-action to stop motion layer and mesmerize, forcing Read More →

Fantastic Fest 2023 capsule review: ‘The Other Laurens’ brims with mystery and mayhem

THE OTHER LAURENS Beginning in Shakespearean fashion, the chaos and bait-and-switch screenplay of Claude Schmitz‘s THE OTHER LAURENS earns your attention. Private investigator, Gabriel gets contacted by his niece to look into the recent death of her father and Gabriel’s estranged twin brother, François. THE OTHER LAURENS is a whirlwind of mafialike underworld, bikers as protective soldiers, drug trafficking, double Read More →