Thriller

Festival Coverage

Canadian Film Fest ’22: The Last Mark

In this efficient “hitman with a heart” tale from director Reem Morsi, The Last Mark is a confined thriller starring a conflicted crook (Shawn Doyle) and a kidnapped call girl (Alexia Fast) reeling for a “job” that went sideways after the escort witnesses the murder.  The characters hide out at a safe house arranged by a fixer (Ashgrove’s Jonas Chernick) to escape the hitman’s unpredictable partner-in-crime (Bryce Hodgson).  The dynamic between the unlikely fugitives is deliberately…

Reviews

The Cursed

The Cursed (formally titled Eight for Silver) is a morality tale of sorts.  Writer/director Sean Ellis (Metro Manila) tells a disturbing story about how shameful decisions made by an older generation can haunt the next of kin.

Reviews

Help

By: Trevor Chartrand Short film writer/director Blake Ridder is on the right track with his feature-length debut Help, but the movie struggles to tell a cohesive story.  This neat little thriller is tidy and simple, but ultimately falls apart during its goofy, over-the-top final act.  While the film has some decent visuals and an acceptable sense of pacing and style, it’s hard to take the narrative seriously.

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Zeros and Ones

Zeros and Ones begins with an enthusiastic vlog from Ethan Hawke, who eagerly tells the audience that he’ll be playing a dual role in the movie that we’re about to watch.  He also speaks highly of the film’s writer/director Abel Ferrara (Ms. 45, Bad Lieutenant, 4:44 Last Day on Earth), and how the filmmaker has made a truly special movie that speaks “to this moment” and that it’s “Abel’s hit on what we’ve been going through…

Reviews

Marionette

The most interesting thing about Marionette is the question it made me ask myself: if a generic movie is a functioning entry in its genre, should it receive a passing grade?  I had just given Netflix’s bombastic blockbuster Red Notice a recommendation because of this same grading method.  So, what’s preventing me from doing the same with Marionette?

Reviews

The Surprise Visit

The Surprise Visit features a small ensemble of actors who seem to be challenging each other.  Only they’re not inspiring each other, they’re competing against each other for who can exaggerate the most.  And director Nick Lyon is letting his cast “duke it out”.

Reviews

The Scary of Sixty-First

Until recently, when she was cast in the third season of HBO’s hit series Succession, Dasha Nekrasova was one of those niche internet celebrities that enjoys considerable notoriety in select circles while remaining virtually unknown in the larger public consciousness.  She is perhaps best known as the co-host of the popular left-leaning podcast, Red Scare.  Much like her podcast, Nekrasova’s debut directorial feature is calculated to invite controversy.  Brash and antagonistic, The Scary of Sixty-First…