Reviews

The second installment in a series, especially in the horror genre, is a strange animal unto itself. I could write an entire article on what incarnation a celluloid sophomore effort could take. The possibilities are all over the place. The volatility of the situation comes from two main ingredients: The …

We’ve all heard of Robert Downey, Jr. Between his time as a Brat Packer back in the ’80s with films like Weird Science and Less Than Zero, to his his drug abuse troubles not long after, to his comeback in 2008 as Marvel’s Iron Man, the guy is recognizable to …

Every once in awhile, a film comes along that challenges every preconceived notion of how art is evaluated. As a critic, there are certain bedrock assumptions that allow me to meet a film on common ground. Just as I leave the house and expect a blue sky, green grass, and …

My ears always perk up every time a new title from DREAD is on the way. The label formerly known as Dread Central Presents has quickly become one of the most consistently solid teams around, dropping killer titles (Terrifier, Extremity, Slay Belles, Dry Blood, etc.) virtually every time. The latest …

What’s more exciting than watching a brand new, previously unknown horror short? Watching an entire block of them! I have no idea what I’m walking into with the Small Gauge Trauma Shorts Block from this year’s Fantasia International Film Festival. Will there be demons? Monsters? Psychopaths? Clowns? Who knows! Let’s …

Out of all the films I’ve watched for Fantasia 2019, Maggie was the one I was least familiar with. I like happy surprises, though, and took the opportunity to try something new. Maggie was directed by Ok-seop Yi (Girls on Top) and co-written by himself and Gyo-hwan Koo (Jane), who …

I’ve always considered myself a huge Tarantino fan. I am well aware that some people think he’s a ripoff artist and a hack… some of those people are my friends. However, I have personally loved all of his films, even his segment in the anthology, Four Rooms (1995), where he …

A few months back, we had the opportunity to review Freaks and interview Emile Hirsch, and it was quite the experience. However, I personally never got to see the film, so when the opportunity came for me to review it for Fantasia 2019, I jumped at the chance. I absolutely …

It’s been a pleasure covering films for Fantasia 2019. In my opinion, this has been one of their best years yet and I saw so many wonderful films. However, my favorite was hands down, Riot Girls. Riot Girls is a fucking blast from beginning to end. A female version of …

I’ve watched a lot of movies in my time. I’ve seen just about all of the genre cliches and tropes, and nothing really surprises me anymore. Of course, that doesn’t stop me from searching for new stuff any chance I get. When I chose to review Lake Michigan Monster (2018) …