I discovered Mirror Mirror quite by accident a number of years ago, and I couldn’t believe I hadn’t heard about this 1990 horror gem. With a “who’s who” of actors and a cool plot, this nostalgic film deserves a second look. Mirror Mirror stars the up-and-coming Rainbow Harvest (Old Enough …
Read More »‘THE BLOB’ (1988) Turns 35 – and Still Sucks Me In!
Though I grew up watching old horror flicks with my dad, when I hear people mention The Blob, my mind jumps right to the remake, which hit screens in a cinematic golden year for horror, 1988 (see also: Killer Klowns from Outer Space, Child’s Play, Beetlejuice, A Nightmare on Elm …
Read More »Overlook Film Festival: ‘Smoking Causes Coughing’ (2022) – Review
The team that Smoking Causes Coughing focuses on, Tobacco Force, are Power Ranger expies that use the chemical components of cigarettes but are “heroes” fighting off human-sized rubber monsters. There is no indication these monsters present a threat to anything beyond what the team says, and even kids above 6 …
Read More »‘THE BLACK DEMON’ Review: A Sharkbuster with Bite – and Heart
The newest sharkbuster, THE BLACK DEMON, is righting capitalism’s wrongs and giving horror fans the R-rated megalodon movie it’s been waiting for. From Adrian Grunberg, director of Rambo: Last Blood (2019), comes THE BLACK DEMON, starring Josh Lucas (American Psycho, (2000), Fernanda Urrejola (Cry Macho, (2021), Julio Cesar Cedillo (Cowboys vs. Aliens, (2011), …
Read More »‘IDENTITY’ (2003) – Let’s Play the Identity Game!
What is the Identity Game? While I don’t think anyone would really think of being in a scenario like Identity, we all have friends, or maybe we are that person, who has a zombie apocalypse plan. Or what about thinking about how you’d handle being in a haunted home? I thought …
Read More »Ari Aster’s ‘BEAU IS AFRAID’ – A Divisive Vision
If your central complaint about modern cinema is that we live in a world of sequels, prequels, requels, reboots, and a general sense of unoriginality, allow me to introduce you to Beau is Afraid. With his third feature, Ari Aster challenges the audience in a way not often seen in …
Read More »Unsettling Real-Life Parallels in XYZ’s AI Drama, ‘THE ARTIFICE GIRL’
ThouFuturistic Drama ‘The Artifice Girl‘ imagines a reality exceptionally close to ours. With all the advancements of artificial intelligence, and traipsing around in the Uncanny Valley, there are a lot of incredible and frightening possibilities. In ‘The Artifice Girl‘, the idea of AI crossing the line from a controlled program …
Read More »Evil Wants to be Seen – ‘WATCHER’ (2022) – Review
Being a transplant to a new town is isolating enough. Now mix in a language barrier, and reevaluate your career path – aka unemployed superstar. They say idle hands are the devil’s playground, well The same can be said about an idle mind. It’s a catalyst for a self-imposed existential …
Read More »“Welcome To Death Row. The Doctor Will See You Now:” ‘BEYOND RE-ANIMATOR (2003) – Review
Can you believe it’s been two decades since the release of BEYOND RE-ANIMATOR (2003)? Synopsis After 13 years in prison, the mad scientist from Re-Animator (1985) gets a new chance to experiment with the arrival of a young prison doctor, who secretly hopes to learn to reanimate dead people. Good …
Read More »Something’s not Right at ‘WRIGHTWOOD’ – Short Film Review
A Prank Gone Too Far? Telling a complete story in a short amount of time is no easy task. More often than not, what I’ve seen come into festivals are highly stylized, beautifully shot scenes, but not full stories. Give me substance over style any day. ‘Wrightwood‘ delivers quite the …
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