Yet another debut feature that premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival was “You Won’t Be Alone” from Goran Stolevski. The Australian-Macedonian writer-director has over 25 short films to his credit, and here he brings a unique and fresh twist to the familiar witch story. His folk horror concept is intriguing. His visual style is … Continue reading
First Glance: “After Yang” (2022)
If you have followed my Sundance 2022 coverage you probably already know that I was a huge fan of “After Yang”, the new film from Kogonada. In many ways it’s the perfect followup to the filmmaker’s 2017 feature film debut, “Columbus”. Both films are thoughtful and moving meditations and both feature Kogonada’s easy narrative rhythm … Continue reading
Sundance Review: “Alice” (2022)
Genres galore make up the craziness that is Krystin Ver Linden’s “Alice”, a film that teases big things but is ultimately undone by both its ambition and execution. It’s a movie centered around an idea that has all the potential to be a wild and stylish Tarantino-esque revenge thriller. Instead, “Alice” never gets its footing … Continue reading
First Glance: “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” (2022)
I’ll say it again – I hate this current trend where horror movie sequels rehash the same title as the original film in their franchise. “Halloween” did it. “Scream” just did it. And now “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” is doing it (they actually did it back in 2003, but that was a remake rather than a … Continue reading
Sundance Review: “Lucy and Desi” (2022)
(CLICK HERE for my full review in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette) On its surface, “Lucy and Desi” looks like a fairly by-the-books documentary. There’s little to its style or approach that sets it apart from countless other docs. But don’t be misled. In addition to its compelling subjects, the feature is energized by director Amy Poehler … Continue reading
Sundance Review: “Speak No Evil” (2022)
One of the more intriguing ‘horror’ films in this year’s Sundance program comes from Danish filmmaker Christian Tafdrup. It’s “Speak No Evil”, a smart but unsettling chiller but not in the traditional sense. In fact, the film didn’t start out as a horror movie. It was originally conceived as a psychological drama centered around a … Continue reading