By: Trevor Chartrand Superb and charming, Wild Goat Surf is a timeless coming-of-age story from writer/director Caitlyn Sponheimer. The movie perfectly encapsulates youth and our formative years; a turbulent time full of nuance and doubt.
By: Trevor Chartrand I recently covered 2023’s A Disturbance in the Force, the documentary about the Star Wars Holiday Special. Now, if there’s anything to take away from that doc, it’s that bipedal apes grunting at each other for 90 minutes doesn’t exactly qualify as captivating entertainment. It’s a lesson directors David and Nathan Zellner would have benefited from before making Sasquatch Sunset.
By: Jeff Ching Are we seeing the genesis of Dev Patel as Hollywood’s next big action star? Will Monkey Man become a colossal action movie franchise similar to John Wick? Monkey Man is certainly in the running for this year’s best action movie.
By: Trevor Chartrand Readers, please note – if you’re not familiar with the serial killer Ted Bundy, The Black Mass will likely leave you feeling confused and alienated. Then again, if you are familiar with Bundy and his capture, you’ll also feel just as confused and alienated…but probably disgusted as well. By making this film, director Devanny Pinn has wasted the time of her crew, her cast, and anyone unfortunate enough to make the mistake…
By: Jolie Featherstone [CW: Violent punishment, religious trauma, forced birth, miscarriage, newborn murder] IT girl Sydney Sweeney (Anyone But You, Madame Web) puts herself in motion to be the next Scream Queen in the blood-soaked, religious horror film Immaculate.
By: Jolie Featherstone Funny and charming, French Girl takes audiences back to the classic romantic comedies of the 2000s in this impressive feature-length directorial debut from James A. Woods and Nicolas Wright.
By: Jolie Featherstone Filmmaker Rose Glass follows up her sharp horror film Saint Maud with Love Lies Bleeding – a grimy, sexy, wild ride. A stylistic and psychedelic blend of self-aware Americana meets noir, Glass delivers a heady acid trip of a love story.
By: Trevor Chartrand Thomas Cailley’s The Animal Kingdom is a modern-day fairy tale. A compelling and imaginative film that combines fantastical whimsy with an ominous, satiric edge.
By: Jeff Ching “Writer’s block is B.S. You’re just lazy,” says anybody that isn’t a writer… and they should shut their mouths.
By: Trevor Chartrand The town of Quartzsite, Arizona hosts an eclectic mix of wanderers each winter, from senior snowbirds in RVs to homeless nomads, from drug addicts to nudist bookstore owners. You’d think the locale, with its bizarre amalgamation of citizens and a variety of worldviews, would be a melting pot for an inevitable conflict. However, as filmmaker Ryan Maxey demonstrates in his doc One Road to Quartzsite, the town is surprisingly tranquil – peaceful…