Holy Spider
By: Liam Parker Gripping, uncomfortable, and raw, Holy Spider is a captivating film that explores the moral pitfalls and conspiracies of the seedy underground of Iran.
Reviews
Fisherman’s Friends: One and All
By: Trevor Chartrand As far as unnecessary sequels are concerned, Fisherman’s Friends: One and All isn’t the worst thing ever made, but there’s not a whole lot of new material here, either. Fans will find this second film feels comfortably familiar, but lacking in some of the nuance and charm of its 2020 predecessor. But despite its shortcomings, this picture does deliver in the music department – with plenty of toe-tapping sea shanties to clap…
Falling for Christmas
Falling for Christmas is Netflix’s kick-off for its seasonal programming and Lindsay Lohan’s return to headlining movies. It’s underwhelming on both counts.
All Jacked Up and Full of Worms
Alex Phillips’ feature debut All Jacked Up and Full of Worms plays out like a never-ending string of hallucinations. It’s never clear what’s actually rooted in reality and the movie becomes so surreal, it’s impossible for it to return to normalcy.
Easter Sunday
Filipino American comedian Jo Koy (known for his Netflix specials Live from Seattle and Comin’ In Hot) makes his debut as a leading man in Easter Sunday, a loosely autobiographical comedy that draws on cultural and family dynamics to conjure relatable situational comedy.
Waking Nightmares: A Review of ‘The Sleep Experiment’
By: Liam Parker Scary movies are supposed to keep us up at night. Things that go bump in the night and lurk beyond the shadows rob us of our ability for a good night’s sleep. John Farrelly’s The Sleep Experiment, however, has the opposite effect: it leaves you begging to close your eyes. But wait, the movie isn’t bad! You’ll feel the need to escape to slumberland in order to feel safe again.
The Swearing Jar
By: Liam Parker Reminiscent of Jason Robert Brown’s hit musical The Last Five Years, The Swearing Jar takes the traditional tropes of a rocky relationship and turns them completely on its head. The Swearing Jar is a masterclass in storytelling. What begins as a beautifully sombre tale of love and heartache accented by musical interludes of haunting beauty, descends into a striking and refreshingly human tale of sorrow, loss, and grief.
Nope
Jordan Peele has quickly proven to be a filmmaker with a lot on his mind, which he then translates effortlessly to the screen. His intelligent writing for Get Out earned him an Oscar, and Us convinced audiences that Peele’s feature-length debut wasn’t just a fluke. Peele’s third film, Nope, allows the writer/director to expand his scope; both with his screenwriting and as a visual storyteller.
Wendell & Wild
Henry Selick (The Nightmare Before Christmas, James and the Giant Peach, Monkeybone, Coraline) is a gifted visionary. Even when his stop-motion animated movies become too outrageous or “out there”, it’s a pleasure watching him throw caution to the wind to create art. Selick has teamed up with Netflix and Academy Award winning screenwriter Jordan Peele (Get Out) for his latest stop-motion horror-fantasy Wendell & Wild, a freaky flick involving an orphan making a connection to the afterlife to make…
Decision to Leave
Park Chan-wook (Oldboy, The Handmaiden) aspires to give audiences a different type of police procedural with Decision to Leave, but I’m afraid he’s put too much of his focus on trying to deliver innovation rather than a story that’s either compelling or accessible.