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: 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: 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…
By: Trevor Chartrand Lonzo Nzekwe tells a very personal story in his gritty revenge-thriller, Orah. Having lost his brother at the hands of an alleged corrupt police officer in Nigeria, the filmmaker has admittedly helmed this movie as a sort-of revenge fantasy; with his characters exacting justice in ways he never could. As the film’s writer and director, Nzekwe’s ambitions are noble and empowering but, as a film, Orah is ultimately a messy series of…
By: Trevor Chartrand For years, filmmakers have pondered the potentially apocalyptic dangers of self-aware, sentient computers: from Kubrick to the Wachowski’s, and everything in between. The machine uprising is an all-too-common cautionary tale, but has also never been more relevant than it is today. With deepfakes and ChatGPT, it appears we are closer than we’ve ever been to this trope becoming a reality. So the timing is right for director Spencer Brown to throw his…
By: Trevor Chartrand Directors Steve Kozak and Jeremy Coon explore a relatively uncharted galaxy in the Star Wars universe with A Disturbance in the Force: How The Star Wars Holiday Special Happened, a documentary that examines the television variety show that never was: The Star Wars Holiday Special.
By: Trevor Chartrand For full disclosure, Rise of the Footsoldier: Vengeance, is the sixth film in an action/crime/thriller series that I am, admittedly, unfamiliar with.
By: Trevor Chartrand Director Danny Madden brings us 15 Cameras, the second sequel to 2015’s 13 Cameras, just in time for this year’s spooky season. The third entry in this series is serviceable, with an interesting twist on the original premise. It’s a creepy thriller through-and-through, despite being a tad obvious with its metaphors.
By: Trevor Chartrand Children and adults alike will have a blast with PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie, director Cal Brunker’s follow-up hit PAW Patrol: The Movie. This animated adventure film is an all-around fun and exciting viewing experience for the whole family.
By: Trevor Chartrand The Beasts, from director Rodrigo Sorogoyen, is based on the ominous and tragic true story of discrimination set in rural Galicia, Spain. With all due respect to the victims involved, this true story is captivating – there’s tons of cinematic potential in this narrative that The Beasts, frankly, fails to exploit. Instead of a tense, emotional thriller, Sorogoyen has chosen to take a much slower paced and melodramatic direction, which doesn’t feel…