Author Archives: Keith Garlington

REVIEW: “Stella. A Life.” (2025)

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“Stella. A Life.” is a Holocaust drama that tells a true story unlike most others. It’s a fictional film that is based on historical facts that were researched from the 1946 trial records of the Soviet Military Court. At the center of the trial and this story is Stella Goldschlag, a young Jewish woman living in Berlin during the rise of Naziism. Like many Jews, Stella felt the devastating horror of Hitler’s unspeakable despotism. But unlike other Jews, the actions she took were every bit as unspeakable.

The film stars the captivating Paula Beer who was so good in her three collaborations with director Christian Petzold, “Transit”, “Undine”, and “Afire”. Here she takes on an especially challenging lead role that sees her character significantly and tragically transform over the film’s compelling two hours. To no surprise Beer is up to the task, keenly handling the emotionally heavy workload to such great effect that we find ourselves beguiled by Stella’s vivacity and charm. At least until the allure turns to repulsion.

Image Courtesy of Film Movement

The film opens in 1940 where we’re introduced to Stella Goldschlag (Beer), a spirited young woman living in Berlin with big dreams of becoming a jazz singer. Early on it seems as if she has everything going for her. Not only is she and her band getting gigs in fancy nightclubs, but they’ve even earned an invitation to one day travel to America and play on Broadway. But just as her dreams look to be within reach, Stella is faced with the crushing reality of being a Jew in Nazi Germany.

From there director Kilian Riedhof makes a sobering time jump to 1943 where we see Stella working in a factory making pistol clips for a German military. Gone are the elegant gowns, jazzy music, and spirited nights out with friends. And it only gets worse when Stella, her mother Toni (Katja Riemann), and her father Gerhard (Lukas Miko) are forced into hiding after the Nazi roundups begin.

Yet while everything is collapsing around her, Stella refuses to accept the reality of the world. She sneaks out at night, assimilating in with the non-Jewish crowds. “They don’t recognize me,” she naively tells her father, “I don’t look like a Jew.” And despite having married her longtime friend Fred (Damian Hardung), Stella spends many of those evenings cruelly cavorting with low-level German officers before eventually hooking up with an unruly forger named Rolf (Jannis Niewöhner).

Image Courtesy of Film Movement

Stella’s luck eventually runs out when she and her family are captured. Beaten and terrified of being sent to Auschwitz, Stella barters with the Gestapo and agrees to become a “catcher”, exposing the location of hidden Jews to the Nazis for modest wages and protection from deportation. She later recruits Rolf, and what begins as a desperate attempt to save her family turns into a shamefully willing betrayal marked by callousness and revelry.

Riedhof deftly handles Goldschlag’s complex story, showing both the root and consequences of her actions. He also superbly recreates the timeline through period-accurate costume and production design as well as performances that run the emotional gambit. And it all begins with Beer who takes on the challenge of finding humanity in a monster. True accounts state that hundreds to thousands of Jews were captured due to Stella Goldschlag’s betrayal. Yet Beer succeeds in gaining our empathy and turning our stomachs via a richly defined performance that’s not to be missed.

VERDICT – 4 STARS

REVIEW: “Deathstalker” (2025)

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At the risk of once again dating myself, I miss the glory days of 1980s Sword and Sorcery movies. I grew up losing myself in the fantastical worlds created in movie like “Conan the Barbarian” (1982), “Clash of the Titans” (1981), “Beastmaster” (1982), “Krull” (1983), “Red Sonja” (1985), and “Dragonslayer” (1981). While fantasy adventures have continued in things like “The Lord of the Rings” and “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves”, the 80s Sword and Sorcery films had a spirit all their own.

Enter “Deathstalker”, a 2025 release that is an 80s styled Sword and Sorcery movie through and through. It’s passionately written and directed by Steven Kostanski, the man behind 2020’s genre explosion “PG: Psycho Goreman”. Now if you’re at all familiar with “PG” you’ll have a feel for the style of filmmaking you’ll see in “Deathstalker”. It’s almost playfully violent and unashamedly gory. But better than that, it’s a practical effects-driven feature that never lets its modest budget lessen its huge ambition.

Image Courtesy of Shout! Studios

“Deathstalker” is technically a remake of the 1983 Roger Corman produced movie of the same name. Kostanski is faithful to the original film in presentation, narrative style, and tone, but he tells a much different story. While scavenging a fresh, corpse-littered battlefield in the war-torn kingdom of Abraxion, a former soldier in the Queen’s army known as Deathstalker (actor, stuntman, and martial artist Daniel Bernhardt) recovers a gold amulet. His plans are to sell it for a tidy profit. But those plans quickly fall apart.

Deathstalker learns the amulet is cursed and magically bound to whoever possesses it. Unable to rid himself of the cursed relic, he sets out on a journey to find someone who can. Along the way he’s joined by a quirky sorcerer named Doodad (physically captured by Laurie Field and voiced by Patton Oswalt) and later an impulsive thief named Brisbayne (Christina Orjalo).

But there are others who want the amulet for their own nefarious purposes, namely a powerful necromancer named Nekromemnon (Nicholas Rice). He intends to unleash the amulet’s power to destroy the world and then rebuild it as he sees fit. So Nekromemnon sends out a host of assassins to kill Deathstalker and bring the amulet to him. And that sets up the bulk of the movie as Kostanski straightforwardly steers us from one action-packed and blood-drenched sequence to another.

Overall the story is fun, routinely silly, and proudly in-tune with the movies that inspired it. Admittedly the mythology is a little muddled and there is a tad too much exposition. But the cheeky sense of humor ensures it’s never taken too seriously. And the world-building is fittingly fantastical and full of imagination. It features many interesting locations that are populated by such creatures as two-headed trolls, witches, pig soldiers, swamp monsters, the reanimated dead, and so on.

Image Courtesy of Shout Studios

But the most fun is found in the movie’s special effects. You could almost consider “Deathstalker” to be a celebration of the practical effects era. Kostanski and his team put aside the prominent digital approach of today. Instead they go a more handcrafted route, using an amazing combination of stop-motion animation, richly detailed makeup and costumes, latex masks, prosthetics, bodysuits, and an assortment of sets and props. As with the movies from the genre’s heyday, the effects are sometimes obvious. But artistry can shine brightest in the imperfections. And there’s something refreshing about seeing a creative vision without the slick polish of CGI.

“Deathstalker” turns back the clock to an era when bringing your imagination to life required more than computer programs and green screens. It takes us back to a bygone era of Sword and Sorcery adventures, telling a ridiculously entertaining story and creating an inspired world of wonder despite its budget limitations. It does it all with a sincere passion but also an ever-present sense of self-awareness. Those two ingredients are essential in making “Deathstalker” a glorious throwback experience.

VERDICT – 4 STARS

First Glance: “Train Dreams”

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This year Netflix has what may be their best Fall lineup of original movies since their beginning. Firmly planted among them is “Train Dreams”, the sophomore feature film from writer-director Clint Bentley. This American drama is an adaptation on Denis Johnson’s 2011 novella of the same name. It premiered in January at Sundance and since has gained widespread praise. Even more, it has a sparkling cast highlighted by Joel Edgerton, Felicity Jones, Kerry Condon, William H. Macy, and Clifton Collins Jr.

“Train Dreams” is set in the rugged Pacific Northwest during the early 1900s. Edgerton plays Robert Grainier, a logger who goes to work building a railroad across the rapidly expanding United States. While his work keeps him in the outdoors he enjoys, it forces him to be away from his wife Gladys (Jones) and their young daughter. The movie follows this simple man’s life amid a world of unprecedented change. The first trailer reveals a near hypnotic beauty that manifests itself both visually and narratively. It looks to be exquisitely shot and the cast couldn’t be more perfect in this small but stunning slice.

“Train Dreams” releases in select theaters on November 7th and on Netflix November 21st. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

REVIEW: “Coyotes” (2025)

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Horror and comedy collide with somewhat mixed results in director Colin Minihan’s “Coyotes”. This often silly and rarely scary feature kicks off with a lot of promise. But it’s not long until the whole endeavor turns into one big missed opportunity. It’s a movie that has its moments, mostly from its cheeky swings at humor. But it’s hampered by a lack of thrills and a reheated family story that we’ve seen time and time again.

The film stars real-life couple Justin Long and Kate Bosworth. They play Scott and Liv, a well-to-do couple living comfortably in their affluent Hollywood Hills neighborhood with their moody teenage daughter Chloe (Mila Harris). Local newscasts report that surrounding wildfires have pushed ravenous coyotes deeper into Los Angeles resulting in several attacks. But that barely registers with this privileged family who feel perfectly safe in their swanky house on a hill.

Image Courtesy of AURA Entertainment

But that changes when an overnight Santa Ana windstorm blows down a tree that crushes their car and cuts a power line, leaving them without electricity or phone service. It’s obviously very inconvenient for the family but it’s very convenient for the story which needs them trapped and isolated for the coyote carnage that’s to come. And that carnage comes in a hurry.

Before long the snarling menaces are terrorizing Scott, Liv and Chloe. But not in a way that feels remotely harrowing (as intended). Instead, their encounters with the beasts routinely come across as cartoonish rather than actually frightening. Contributing to that is the often obvious CGI which not only makes the coyotes look digitally rendered but act like it too. In many ways they’re smarter than the humans, which is humorous in itself. But it’s hard to be too scared when they look this computer generated.

Image Courtesy of AURA Entertainment

As for the family drama, it’s nothing especially new. A workaholic father reconnecting with his neglected family and reprioritizing his life in the face of imminent danger – we’ve seen it before. Meanwhile we get a colorful assortment of side characters including a spacey call girl, Julie (Brittany Allen), their weirdo next-door neighbor, Trip (Norbert Leo Butz), Scott’s beer-swigging buddy, Tony (Kevin Glynn), and the overly dramatic pest control guy, Devon (Keir O’Donnell). They’re mainly around for comic relief and most exist solely to be coyote fodder.

There may not be much tension and its story may not be the most original, but “Coyotes” does land several good laughs. Minihan knows his premise is preposterous, and he (smartly) never takes things too seriously. He also lets loose with a handful of gleefully gory death scenes that will entertain those who appreciate a good on-screen kill. But the gags and guts can only carry the movie so far. And latching onto anything beyond that is a lot harder than it should be. “Coyotes” is in select theaters now.

VERDICT – 2 STARS

REVIEW: “Killing Faith” (2025)

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Recent Oscar nominee Guy Pearce in a supernatural thriller set in the Old West is the recipe for a dish I’d happily consume. Written and directed by Ned Crowley, “Killing Faith” brings those ingredients together with DeWanda Wise and Bill Pullman adding a little extra seasoning of their own. The result is a wildly original feature that bends several genres into a peculiar yet entertaining experience.

The story is set in 1849 in the aftermath of a widespread sickness which broke out some ten years earlier. Wise gets an extra meaty role playing Sarah, a recently freed slave who is convinced that her blonde-haired caucasian daughter (Emily Katherine Ford) is possessed by the devil. It’s a wild and eerie premise which Crowley slickly mixes with his Old West setting to create something that sounds at odds with itself but that fits together perfectly.

Image Courtesy of Shout! Studios

Sarah’s daughter is forced to wear big pink mittens because living things instantly die whenever they come into contact with her bare hands. The unexplained power/curse has the local one-horse townsfolk spooked to the point they have banned Sarah from bringing the child around. In need of some supernatural help, Sarah resolves to make the long and perilous trip to the Ross Corner, home of a renowned (or notorious) self-proclaimed faith healer named Preacher Ross (Pullman).

Unfortunately for Sarah, no one in town is willing to escort her to Ross Corner, not even for the sizable payday she’s offering. That is until she meets Dr. Bender (Pearce), a widowed physician tormented by loss and ostracized by the community he once served. Bender is a tragic soul who spends more of his time getting high on ether than practicing medicine. He has his own issues with the town and is in need of money. So he agrees to take Sarah and her daughter to Ross Corner.

Bender is a broken man who has lost his faith. Sarah is convinced something evil was taken residence inside her daughter. Bender scoffs at her theory, insisting the child is just a carrier of the plague that had swept across the territory. It leads to some compelling conversations on the trail and around the campfire. Through them Crowley gives us closer looks inside the two characters while also revealing an unexpected connection that comes more into view as the story progresses.

As the three outcasts venture across the unforgiving countryside they encounter an array of dangerous hombres, eccentric individuals, and downright chilling psychopaths. They’re followed by Edward (Jack Alcott), Sarah’s simple yet bighearted ranch hand. They’re tracked by a ruthless bounty hunter named Whitey (Jamie Neumann). They run into a mysterious Native American who goes by Shakespeare (Raoul Max Trujillo). And in the film’s most memorable scene, they come across a chilling family consisting of a creepy matriarch (played with demented sophistication by Joanna Cassidy), a nonverbal young woman, and a guitar-plucking brute with a burlap sack over his head.

Image Courtesy of Shout! Studios

Bender’s faith is tested with each unexplainable turn in their bleak and unsettling journey. As he’s squaring off against his own personal demons, Sarah gets cruel reminders of the reality she lives in. Crowley uses them, along with their internal and external conflicts, to astutely critique American history, marginalization, and man’s penchant for violence. He exposes the sins of humanity through the grim depravity of his story. But it’s also through his unnerving imagery, specifically a series of brutal nightmare sequences and bursts of extreme bloody violence.

For most of its runtime, “Killing Faith” remains a dark yet absorbing genre-bender that does things with the Western that we rarely see. It’s only in the final act that the movie struggles to keep its footing. But even then Crowley makes some interesting choices and takes some unexpected chances. And that’s something that can be said about “Killing Faith” as a whole. Crowley’s audacious vision combined with some firmly committed and capable performances ensure we are never disengaged from this mysterious and macabre Old West odyssey.

VERDICT – 3.5 STARS

New Character Posters for “Anemone”

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Focus Features has released three stunning new character posters for “Anemone” coinciding with the film’s weekend release in select theaters. “Anemone” marks the return to acting for Daniel Day-Lewis following eight years in retirement. The new posters are brilliantly fitting for this dark psychological family drama that also stars Sean Bean and Samantha Morton. And it’s directed by Ronan Day-Lewis, the son of Daniel Day-Lewis, who also co-wrote the screenplay with his revered father.

“Anemone” deftly uses the complex relationships between fathers, sons, and brothers to examine such heavy and uncomfortable themes as childhood trauma, PTSD, strained family bonds, isolation, and self-condemnation versus self-forgiveness. It’s a movie overflowing with artistic vision from a daring first-time director and anchored by a brilliant return performance from a generation’s best actor. “Anemone” is one of the year’s best films.

Check out the new posters below and check out my full review of “Anemone” [HERE].