Category Archives: Reviews
FILM REVIEW: ANTEBELLUM strives to be GET OUT, but the cosplay comes up short.
Posted by Victor Moreno
Despite hosting a commanding screen presence from Janelle Monae, the feature debut from writer/directors Gerard Bush and Christopher Renz doesn’t really say anything much about race & prejudice except give us a greatest hits melody of its horrors minus any
FILM REVIEW: NAIL IN THE COFFIN: The Fall and Rise of Vampiro covers the highs and lows of balancing a life as a career professional wrestler with fatherhood
Posted by Victor Moreno
Director Michael Paszt chronicles the crazy rock and roll luchador life of Ian Hodgkinson, a man who became an international wrestling icon known as Vampiro in his youth, but now struggles with injuries from his glory days and a frayed
(FANTASIA 2020) FILM REVIEW: DOPPELBANGER is an interesting vignette on the value of human interaction set in the world of sex work.
Posted by Victor Moreno
Writer/director Sofian Khan’s black and white stylized short serves up a potential future where the gig economy leads to people using their robotic clones as sex workers and the consequences that entail. If the year 2020 has taught human beings
FILM REVIEW: Christopher Nolan’s TENET: The hype is real.
Posted by Victor Moreno
Christopher Nolan’s high-concept science-fiction spy thriller delivers on all cylinders with exemplary performances from John David Washington and Kenneth Branagh that anchor the heady epic. There are very few modern filmmakers who can command the title of film auteur; a
(FANTASIA 2020) FILM REVIEW: HAIL TO THE DEADITES is a love letter about the positive aspects of fandom.
Posted by Victor Moreno
Director Steve Villeneuve’s documentary examines the fan culture and appreciation for the Sam Raimi EVIL DEAD film series but finds a lot of heart in appreciation for the gore-soaked horror classics. I think most people have a favorite film. A
(FANTASIA 2020) FILM REVIEW: CHANGELING conjures up a mother’s darkest fears in the flesh.
Posted by Victor Moreno
Director Faye Jackson’s horror short channels up a mother’s deepest fears about being a parent to an unsettling end. Oftentimes, the best film shorts are the ones that successfully manage to get an idea or feeling across as simply as
(FANTASIA 2020) FILM REVIEW: CRAZY SAMURAI MUSASHI is a 77-minute long one-take samurai showdown powered by the charisma of it’s leading man.
Posted by Victor Moreno
Director Yûji Shimomura crafts this largely one-cut film experiment based on legendary Japanese swordman Musashi completely around the talent and on-screen charisma of it’s lead, cult film hero Tak Sakaguchi (Versus) and it delivers a unique experience. Last year, one
(FANTASIA 2020) FILM REVIEW: YOU CANNOT KILL DAVID ARQUETTE explores the real need to belong in a world of make-believe
Posted by Victor Moreno
Directors David Darg and Price James take a personal dive into the world of actor-turned-wrestler David Arquette and look at what it means to feel a part of a countercultural scene. It’s a dark and barren background. In the distance,
REVIEW: BILL AND TED FACE THE MUSIC is an enjoyable nostalgia-driven comedy swan-song for the iconic 80s duo.
Posted by Victor Moreno
Writers Ed Solomon and Chris Matheson, along with director Dean Parisot, close out the big-screen trilogy 30 years in the making with a fun film that examines the ties that bind in love and friendship in this humourous finale with
MOVIE REVIEW: SHE DIES TOMORROW is a timely dark comedy where a contagious sense of impending death is an unstoppable pandemic
Posted by Victor Moreno
Writer/director Amy Seimetz strikes a timely note in this time of pandemic with this tale of contagious existential ennui. Amy (Kate Lyn Sheil) is going to die tomorrow. She just feels it. It’s in her bones. Nothing matters cuz there
REVIEW: THE RENTAL delivers quality tension and genuine scares.
Posted by Victor Moreno
First-time director Dave Franco delivers a deftly made thriller based on both the horror of the unknown and the emotional toll of blackmail with this excellent genre debut. There’s a special kind of trepidation that comes upon you when deciding
MOVIE REVIEW: PALM SPRINGS is the hilarious comedic take on the ennui of a repetitive existence that we deserve right now.
Posted by Victor Moreno
The Lonely Island’s Andy Samberg and How I Met Your Mother’s Cristin Milioti star in this hilarious and timely comedy that’s one part GroundHog Day Meets 50 First Dates premiering on Hulu July 10th. I’m a fan of The Lonely
MOVIE REVIEW: RELIC is a haunting allegory of the gradual loss of self inherent in aging and dementia.
Posted by Victor Moreno
Director Natalie Erika James explores the weakening bonds of family relationships as one grows old and the ravages of mental illness that can take hold through the lens of body horror in RELIC. One of my greatest fears in life
MOVIE REVIEW: MUCHO MUCHO AMOR is a nostalgic lookback at the life and times of a Hispanic cultural hero
Posted by Victor Moreno
Walter Mercado was one of the most well-known Hispanic television icons of the 1990s; a fabulous caped nonbinary genderqueer astrologer beloved by millions despite the social mores of the culture. This documentary by Cristina Costantini (Science Fair) and Kareem Tabsch
MOVIE REVIEW: GREYHOUND paints a character study of a WW2 ship captain at his most harrowing moments.
Posted by Victor Moreno
Hanks and director Aaron Schneider present a grounded portrait of a man trying his best to safely escort a convoy of merchant vessels to England amidst the U-Boat infested North Atlantic during World War 2. There are few people who
REVIEW: THE OLD GUARD delivers great action set-pieces and a unique comic adaptation with an international flair.
Posted by Victor Moreno
Director Gina Prince-Bythewood and writer Greg Rucka’s adaptation of his Image Comics’ graphic novel series stays true to the source and benefits immensely from a dedicated performance from Charlize Theron and a strong international ensemble cast. Comic book movies seem
REVIEW: THE BEACH HOUSE is steeped in Lovecraftian-tinged body horror anchored by relatable characters at its core.
Posted by Victor Moreno
Director Jeffrey A. Brown’s directorial debut channels elements of classic body horror like Invasion of The Body Snatchers by way of H.P. Lovecraft’s Colour Out of Space in this story of a couple trying to survive an injured relationship. By
REVIEW: Disney+’s HAMILTON is an engaging and timely production to reflect on this 4th of July weekend.
Posted by Victor Moreno
Director Thomas Kail’s filmed staged production of Hamilton will make a believer out of those who wondered what the fuss is all about in this vision of early America told with the flavor and influence of the present. When Hamilton
REVIEW: Hirokazu Kore-eda’s drama THE TRUTH reveals that even behind layers of artifice and resentment, a family can find itself again anew.
Posted by Victor Moreno
Legendary French actress Catherine Deneuve commands the screen in this drama of family and relationships and allowing your walls to come down so you don’t lose them. In THE TRUTH, acclaimed Japanese writer and director Hirokazu Kore-eda makes his debut
REVIEW: Kim Hong Sun’s METAMORPHOSIS uses possession as an interesting take on how unspoken tensions can destroy from within.
Posted by Victor Moreno
A unique spin on The Exorcist, Metamorphosis follows a priest whose faith is broken after a deadly exorcism and the shapechanging demon that begins to haunt him and his family. The book with possession films largely begins and ends with
