Prisoners of the Ghostland is a collaboration between America’s most bonkers actor, Nicolas Cage, and Japanese auteur Sion Sono, known for grotesque violence, extreme eroticism, and surreal imagery. I’m not the biggest fan of Nic Cage’s recent reincarnation as a b-movie cartoon, but I thought this combination was made in movie heaven and couldn’t wait to […]
Sundance 2021: Prisoners of the Ghostland
Really bad decisions and horror movies go together like peanut butter and jelly. There are countless examples: reading the blood-inked Necronomicon, attempting to tame a zombie, reaching down to pull the mask off a downed serial killer, saying Candyman’s name five times to a mirror. In the upcoming “The Devil Below” a group of amateur […]
First Glance: “The Devil Below”
We meet them all at a tearful Italian dockside farewell. A family is disembarking for France, looking for better opportunities than their tiny coastal village can provide them. Mamma is crying, but little Lucia is inconsolable. Mother and father area leaving, and taking her kid brother with them. Tweenage Lucia (Marta Castiglia) insists, “I’m all […]
Long Story Short (2021) Love … Blink and you’ll miss it. A romantic comedy that centers around a time anomaly may not be the most original idea to pursue. Indeed, audiences have seen the conceit in the classic film Groundhog Day (1993) and more recently in Richard Curtis’ About Time (2013), but Josh Lawson’s sophomore […]
It’s hard to believe it’s been thirty-three years since Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall let loose in “Coming to America”. That John Landis comedy was a surprise hit that ended up being 1998’s third highest grossing film at the US box office. Over the years it has maintained its legions of fans mainly due to […]
First Glance: “Coming 2 America”
During the peak of Christmas season watching, my friend Jen told me about a little show she loved called Ted Lasso. I’m normally not much of a TV person so I put it in the back of my mind and didn’t watch it until this last week. I needed a break from the heady nature […]
[REVIEW] ‘TED LASSO’ or a Smile Means a Lot
Short running time feature dramas have an obligation to get down to business, to not squander screen time on clutter. There’s no room for extraneous characters, scenes jammed in that don’t advance the plot, needlessly obscuring relationships when the occasional Big Reveal is mystery enough. “Alice Fades Away” is a Southern Gothic thriller with abuse […]
Movie Review: “Alice Fades Away” in this Southern Gothic thriller
Keep Rolling by Man Lim-chung will open 16th Osaka Asian Film Festival (Japan) which will take place on screen from March 5th – 14th and online from February 28th – March 20th (selected films from previous editions).
16th Osaka Asian Film Festival – Opening Film 2021
“Space Sweepers” is what K-Pop looks like in sci-fi movie form. A not-quite-amusing mashup of “Valerian” and “The Fifth Element,” “Blade Runner” and “Elysium,” it’s the sugariest eye candy Netflix has ever produced. It’s gorgeous, and if you’re all about immersing yourself in a futuristic, apocalyptic, grimy-lived in world, then sit back and soak in […]
Netflixable? Koreans clean up Low Earth Orbit as “Space Sweepers”
Iranian-American director Kourosh Ahari delivers a striking feature film debut with “The Night”, a cerebral slice of psychological horror that impresses as much with its style as it does with its ability to get under your skin. Set within the creepy confines of an old history-rich hotel, “The Night” does what so many other good […]
We’re at that time of year in the UK right now where the rain falls pretty much every day and the sun is nowhere to be seen after 4PM. I don’t know about you, but those kinds of conditions always draw me towards the darker side of cinema. Now isn’t the time for a fluffy […]
In his latest report from the 2021 Sundance Film Festival, Wilson Kwong reviews Marvelous and the Black Hole and Land!
Sundance 2021: MARVELOUS AND THE BLACK HOLE and LAND
Profound, gorgeously shot, and performed, Little Fish is a film that is unforgettable.
LITTLE FISH: A Beautiful, Harrowing Take on Love & Life
Mass may not be an easy film to watch, but its emotional journey is both important and emotionally gratifying.
Sian Heder’s family dramedy offers a unique point-of-view on a familiar formula.
CODA Hits All The Right Notes: Sundance 2021 Review
Welcome to The Best Movies I’ve Never Seen! This is the part of the blog where I work my way through 100 films I’ve never seen that are generally considered to be great. You’re invited to watch along with me if you can find a copy or find it streaming. So grab some popcorn and let’s […]
One Night in Miami is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video. By I. Simon Actors going onto directing features often tends to fascinate me, a reason being that I like seeing whatever they might’ve learned from directors they’ve worked with and how they apply that to their own feature. In the case of One Night […]
Malcolm & Marie premieres February 5 on Netflix. By Ariba Bhuvad Over the course of this year, we’ve seen television and film productions figure out a way to continue their work while following strict COVID-19 safety protocols. But perhaps none are more impressive than director/producer Sam Levinson’s latest Netflix movie, Malcolm & Marie. Levinson wrote, […]
Malcolm & Marie (2021) – Review
Multi-hyphenate Armando Iannucci might be the best working satirist today (all seven seasons of Veep are streaming on HBO Max and DirecTV). His take on the transfer of power in the USSR circa 1953 is so loaded with jokes you have to watch it twice to get it all. From backstabbing to assassination, pajamas and concert recordings, […]
Yesterday, the Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association announced their nominees for the best of the year. After it was snubbed by both the Golden Globes and SAG, it’s nice to see at least one group acknowledging First Cow. (Actually, a lot of groups have been acknowledging First Cow. I just worry it’s the type […]
Here Are The Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Nominations!
