IT’S COMING

Filmmaker Shannon Alexander delivers a chilling documentary about one family’s tumultuous home life in IT’S COMING. Ashley Roland has a gift, although she may feel it’s more of a curse. Her ability to see beyond the veil began at age eleven. Now a mother of five children and having moved back to her family’s Brooklyn apartment, entities are haunting everyone, particularly her young son, Javier. A black figure is making life incredibly frightening.
Ashley can see and hear spirits. The physical and mental toll is obvious, despite her shockingly calm demeanor. She has become so accustomed to her circumstances, and not much ruffles her feathers, until she realizes how deep the negative energy goes.
The film’s structure features sit-down interviews with Ashley and some of her children. She describes her family history and evolving abilities. Alexander accidentally captures small paranormal incidents on camera, predominantly while Javier and Ashley speak. Blink and you’ll miss it, Alexander seamlessly replays those seconds in slow motion, making audiences aware of what they’ve just witnessed. We also get a glimpse of Ashley’s home security footage. Unsurprisingly, the activity increases when the family addresses them in interviews.
Ashley brings in medium Soledad Haren to cleanse the apartment. She provides viewers with paranormal canon, reasons, and triggers for an uptick in activity. It is a solid checklist if you aren’t a connoisseur of this genre. Like clockwork, incidents get worse. An acrid odor pervades their apartment, so intense it triggers CO2 alarms and multiple fire department visits. Soledad returns with her spirit box and performs an automatic writing session, providing few answers and more questions.
A husband and wife team of demonologists, Chris and Harmony DeFlorio, arrive with all the electronic bells and whistles. We see their footage intercut with Shannon’s. The results are undeniably unsettling. This is the point where Ashley finally breaks. It is the first time we see her cry and become physically unwell. When you witness the effect on Chris and Harmony, your heart rate increases tenfold. The comparisons to England’s most infamous haunting, The Enfield Poltergeist, are inevitable.
Javier’s personality slowly changes throughout the long months of filming. He describes a growing friendship with the black entity he calls Kitty. If you know anything about the paranormal, you understand how dangerous this is. You can track what looks like disassociation creeping onto his face. Something is affecting this child, whether it’s his mother’s energy or something genuinely sinister is up to the viewer, but I’ve not been this disturbed by a paranormal documentary in a long time. The final scene will send a shiver down your spine. IT’S COMING will haunt your mind long after the credits roll. You’ll question everything.
IT’S COMING Trailer:
“It’s Coming” which debuted at Hot Docs, is being released by Freestyle Digital Media in North America on November 12th.
Synopsis:
Ashley Roland, a wife and mother of 5, has been beset by supernatural entities since the age of 11. After returning to her family’s ancestral Brooklyn apartment, she begins to witness strange events in her home and learns that her children are now experiencing the same. As the paranormal encounters begin to escalate, Ashley attempts to rid her house of malevolent spirits along with specialists in the field.
Website
https://itscomingfilm.com/


The dialogue, 90% from Noah, has a poetic energy. Once the mysterious woman appears, the story feels similar to The Little Mermaid, but from the Prince’s perspective. However, that would suggest an oversimplification of the script, and I must give more credit. It quickly evolves. Through his writing and delivery, you can glean Kiss’s immense knowledge of opera, poetry, and literature.
Nicole Benoit is lovely playing our enigmatic Mary. She understands the genre intrinsically. Her chemistry with Kiss feels authentic. Adam Kiss portrays Noah in the exact way you might imagine, given his script’s structure. His operatic tone of voice and stageworthy physical presence perfectly match the character.
The clues that something is not quite right glare from the moment we meet her. It is all exceptionally dramatic, with events flowing like the novel Noah should be writing. Suspension of disbelief is key. Romantasy fans will recognize the classic tropes. I love the An Affair To Remember reference. While MY LAST WORDS might be slightly self-indulgent (Mom of the Year goes to Christina Kiss for acting as Executive Producer), it is also a very personal passion project that undoubtedly has an audience.
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Ryan Patrick Brown delivers an unexpectedly gentle turn as Freddy. Focusing on gains rather than violence, his love for his Baba and adoration for Westerns fit perfectly into this weird puzzle. Austan Wheeler delivers a comedically unhinged performance playing Lars. He is a coked-up loose cannon and motivator/bad influence for Freddy. Wheeler’s toxic aggression gets a pass due to his vigilante goals.
Robby Ngai‘s editing is applause-worthy. North provides enough meat to expand into a series. There is much to explore within these characters. Each one deserves an entire episode for their backstory.
The film celebrates the morally grey areas of life. The fantasy sequences bleed into the narrative like a gift. Memorable, singular, and sensorial FILTHY ANIMALS is the epitome of cult indie filmmaking.







Amy Carlson and Jordan Bridges are a joy to watch as Laurie and Gordan. Their chemistry is spot on. Kirrilee Berger is a pure delight as Joey. She has a natural star quality akin to Jane Levy or Rachel Sennott. She brings an effervescent energy to the screen. 
WHEN: Friday, December 6 at 12:45 PM EST
Gasbag –
THE SHADE
Laura Benanti plays the family matriarch, Renee. She adds authentic warmth to every role. Even if her scenes are few and far between, she steals every single one. Dylan McTee plays the eldest brother, Jason. He exudes hurt with an overly aggressive demeanor that perfectly suits the role.
There are a few particularly memorable shots by cinematographer Tom Fitzgerald. Heather Benson and the makeup department give us startling work. They deserve all the applause.
What gets the pulse-pounding is undeniably well done. Chipman and cowriter David Purdy use dreams as a gateway to terror. Perry Blackshear‘s 
Daruma deals with addiction, PTSD, and redemption in an honest way. There is zero sugarcoating. Immersive camera work helps place the viewer in Patrick’s emotionally injured mindset by placing the camera in his lap whenever he gets intoxicated in a club. Yellen’s overall cinematography is spectacular. His choice to mix follow shots, close-ups, and stunning drone footage while our players embark on their road trip captures Daruma’s vulnerability and heart.
John W. Lawson is undeniably charming as curmudgeonly neighbor Robert. His nuanced backstory is the perfect foil for Tobias Forrest. You’ll fall in love with him. Forrest gives his all, leaning into Patrick’s flaws and working to find his suppressed humanity. Forrest nails each beat. He and Lawson share relatable chemistry. It’s a dramedy duo you didn’t know you needed. 

Rob Morrow
The script is relatively predictable, except for one late reveal that had me simultaneously yelling, “WTF?”. It’s something you’ll have to witness to understand. Overall, the editing and storytelling style feels disjointed. Even at only an hour and thirty-plus minute run, the cuts feel like snippets of a Law & Order series rather than a single film.


Beautiful camera work has an immersive feel. Eccentric production design initially mirrors Anx’s graphic artist occupation, eventually morphing to match the ever-evolving circumstances of the disease. There is a Tim Burton/JimHenson-esque quality to the creature fx. A grotesque whimsy that makes it difficult to look away.
Matthieu Sampeur and Edith Proust give us magnificent performances. The script possesses a dark inevitably the longer they are together. Director Thibault Emin, alongside co-writers Alice Butaud and Emma Sandona, delivers a surprising link to childhood trauma in Anx. The existential aspect creeps up on you and burrows under your skin. The psychosexual element is bonkers. ELSE is a genre-obliterating love story.
THE HOUSE FROM
The editing is clever. For example, one former owner of Jesse’s house in Breaking Bad house was a teacher, so Avallone cuts to scenes of Walter White in his chemistry classroom. She was able to buy her son his first car from the profits of filming. On the opposite end of the spectrum, the current owner of Walter White’s house aggressively hates tourists.
THE HOUSE FROM counters this negative fan experience with the owner of The Goonies‘ home. Susan Preston got a bad rap. This redemptive story is authentically heartwarming. Bushnell Ave, in South Pasadena, is the ultimate film fan’s dream. From Back to the Future to Old School, it boasts several famous houses, and the owners love the fans. The Rubio House in Altadena is iconic. I lost track of the number of films and television shows listed by the owner, Liz. Ethan Embry visits the house, and his excitement and nostalgia are infectious.
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2. The varying visual aspects are so cool, from the black and white to the halo effect. Those specificities keep the audience relatively grounded in Jack’s chaotic “space and time.” What did this storyboarding look like? With all the elements involved, I imagine it was a huge wall or an entire room.
4. Can you tell us about casting Kelly Marie, Chris, and Jack? Their chemistry is magic. Did you let them play with dialogue during the shoot?
5. The set is incredible. As a theatre nerd, it was immersive enough for the imagination to fill in the blanks and for the cast to play on. How did you decide on a unit set?
6. Would you and Nik consider a franchise with new characters? I would be the first person watching the interactions of other people’s minds swirling with what-ifs!
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David Richard White gives leading man Christian an intriguing mix of fear and determination. Aided by D’Orta’s sharp cinematography, White compels you to root for him.
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Daniel’s challenges are plenty. Besides the Faustian bargain, he must keep his features hidden from his daughter. If she comes in contact with her, she will perish. He makes extra cash by working nights for a near-blind convenience store owner. He walks in the daylight draped in clothing to conceal his literal Death mask. With Collette missing school, Daniel must also dodge child services.
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GHOST GAME
I have mad love for
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In filmmaker Ludvig Gür’s IN THE NAME OF GOD, a young priest struggling to inspire his congregation rekindles a relationship with his long-lost mentor. Jonas’ Old Testament-style promises of a higher calling come with a caveat. The Lord grants him special healing powers only when Theodor sacrifices bad people.
Performances are solid across the board. Thomas Hanzon gives Jonas a self-assuredness that simultaneously comforts and terrifies. It is an effortlessly unsettling turn. Vilhelm Blomgren is journalist Erik. Blomgren represents the audience in an emotionally turbulent performance.
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