Review: Tyler MacIntyre’s ‘It’s a Wonderful Knife’
“‘It’s a Wonderful Knife’ is watchable but slight. And considering how popular Hallmark Christmas movies continue to be, maybe that’s all horror fans will really expect.”
Review: Toby Amies’ ‘In the Court of the Crimson King: King Crimson at 50’
“Amies’ revelatory rock doc succeeds by exploring the sacred and profane aspects of the subject’s musical mentality.”
Review: Paco Plaza’s ‘Sister Death’
“With ‘Sister Death,’ Plaza builds upon traditional elements of the possession movie by expanding his cinematic universe through cosmic horror.”
Review: Marcel Walz’s ‘That’s a Wrap’
“As an indie Giallo, ‘That’s a Wrap’ fails to read the room.”
Review: André Øvredal’s ‘The Last Voyage of the Demeter’
“‘The Last Voyage of the Demeter’ doesn’t make enough of an impression to stand out amongst the veritable legions of other Dracula films that already exist.”
Review: Ted Geoghegan’s ‘Brooklyn 45’
“‘Brooklyn 45’ is what happens when an experienced filmmaker finds their voice and brings everything together.”
Crime Scene #4: ‘Amsterdamned’ – The City Is Always Sinking
“‘Amsterdamned’ can’t decide if it wants to embrace those who interact with the city or kill them, and this contradiction is part of the film’s slimy, schlocky charm.”
Review: Ryan Stevens Harris’ ‘Moon Garden’
“More than just another dream-state drama, ‘Moon Garden’ is a moving ode to mother-daughter bonds.”
Review: Joe Lo Truglio’s ‘Outpost’
“‘Outpost’ is an auspicious introduction to Lo Truglio the filmmaker and suggests great things are to come for him. Based on this evidence alone, his leading lady should also have plenty more opportunities to lead a charge in the future.”
Review: Lee Cronin’s ‘Evil Dead Rise’
“‘Evil Dead Rise’ quickly devolves into a mean-spirited slog of self-consciously gruesome attempts at shocking an audience that will only be fooled if they’ve never seen another horror movie before.”
Review: Ari Aster’s ‘Beau Is Afraid’
“If ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ and ‘The Fabelmans’ were one film, complete with the excesses of both yet without the charm, that movie would be ‘Beau Is Afraid.'”
Show Me How to Live
“Both Guidry and Garay could easily headline a YA franchise some day. If viewers don’t remember ‘The Park,’ they should remember the lead actress’ names.”
Review: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett’s ‘Scream VI’
“One of the leanest, meanest and most violent ‘Scream’ sequels yet.”
Review: Michelle Garza Cervera’s ‘Huesera: The Bone Woman’
“In a world where Roe v. Wade has been struck down, and the rights of both women and LGBTQ+ people are consistently under attack, Cervera’s story feels especially vital.”
Berlinale Review: Soda Jerk’s ‘Hello Dankness’
“Through sheer technical editing brilliance that sculpts a world that is both recognizable and strange, Soda Jerk created a truly weird and engaging reflection of the uncanny valley that was the Trump era.”
Berlinale Review: Brandon Cronenberg’s ‘Infinity Pool’
“At its best, ‘Infinity Pool’ is astounding stuff, and one hopes Cronenberg senior is rightfully proud. But yet it is marred — not entirely, but enough — by a muddy texture at the sides, a failure of imagination and a cheap ethnic exoticism…”
Review: Gabriel Bier Gislason’s ‘Attachment’
“Although ‘Attachment’ is undeniably a horror movie, it’s also a sensitively played queer romance and a dissection of the way certain women bind themselves to strict edicts as a kind of self-protection.”
Review: Beth de Araújo’s Gripping ‘Soft & Quiet’
“The combination of real time chronology with the nauseating escalation toward violence makes ‘Soft & Quiet’ as powerful as it is difficult to watch.”