Oddity is a decent horror endeavour where the scares are more memorable than the film itself. This ghost story, about a clairvoyant’s mission to find out the truth behind the death of her sister, is a haunting slow burn that loves to steep itself in atmospheric chills. But also, the production can’t help itself when given the opportunity for shriek-worthy jump scares. Writer/director Damian McCarthy (Caveat) shows plenty of skillful competence for building tension. Even…
Levan Akin’s Crossing doesn’t take long to get going, but it takes a while for it to truly set in. Akin’s film, which he wrote and directed as well as co-edited, is about personal connections. As vague as that sounds, the concept explains itself as more characters intersect with each other.
Comedienne Megan Stalter receives an overdue leading role in Hannah Pearl Utt’s Cora Bora. While the film may not make her an overnight star, similar to the likes of Bridesmaids’ Melissa McCarthy or Borat Subsequent Moviefilm’s Maria Bakalova, Cora Bora is a solid enough vehicle for Stalter to show her capabilities as a potential character actor.
Robot Dreams is a nice slice of easygoing entertainment, and it’s simple to see why it nabbed a recent Oscar nomination for Best Animated Film.
When he was at the top of his comedic and creative form, the New York Times ran an article accusing comedian Louis CK of indecent sexual behaviour involving a number of women who were coerced into his lewd activities. The comic was seemingly paying the consequences for his actions, and his victims finally had a collective voice. However, there wasn’t much longevity for justice. Louis CK reacquainted himself with success through independent endeavours, supported by…
John Krasinski may still be in an early chapter as a filmmaker, but he’s already carving out a nice reputation for having a fantastic knack for fantasy. With A Quiet Place, he was able to create a sensory-deprived moviegoing experience as a distraction to explore the bounds of his fantastical horror. In his latest film IF, a much more family-friendly vehicle, Krasinski has fun with the boundless limits of the imagination.
Daddio looks like an effortless movie, which is its greatest strength. Some of this credit can be offered to its central stars, The High Note’s Dakota Johnson and Milk Academy Award winner Sean Penn, who are both working at the top of their games. But, it’s writer/director Christy Hall who deserves to be praised for her impeccably controlled feature film debut.
Named as one of Variety’s top horror movies of the year so far and hailed by shock comic Anthony Jeselnik, Spanish import The Coffee Table is one hell of an unforgettable and disturbing experience.
Protocol 7 answers that scenario that we’ve all played out in our head – what if a doctor made a Hollywood legal thriller? Director Andy Wakefield, a former physician and documentarian who is also an adamant anti-vaccine activist, makes his feature-length narrative debut with Protocol 7. The movie may fare better than his menacing doc, Vaxxed: From Cover-Up to Catastrophe, but that’s also damning with faint praise.
Quaint humour and wholesome gags about retired life collide with a character-driven, Coen Brothers-inspired thriller in Thelma. In her best role since her Oscar nominated work in Alexander Payne’s Nebraska, June Squibb proves her chops as a late-career lead as the titular golden-ager. Lonely albeit confidently independent in Los Angeles, Thelma isn’t seen as a liability to her daughter (Parker Posey), her son-in-law (Clark Gregg), or her grandson (Fred Hechinger). However, a phone scam that…