It’s Halloween night – that beloved evening in late October when kids dress up in their favorite costumes and take to their neighborhood streets in hopes of scoring bags full of candy. It’s also a preferred time of the year for deranged and diabolical movie masked murderers to go on blood-drenched killing sprees. It’s a … Continue reading
First Glance: “Nouvelle Vague”
The French New Wave movement has played a critical role in my deep love for cinema. While it bloomed well before I was born, I later found myself infatuated with the works of Truffaut, Godard, Rohmer, Rivette, Chabrol, Varda, Resnais, and others. So naturally I was drawn to “Nouvelle Vague”, a playful and passionate reimaging … Continue reading
REVIEW: “Caught Stealing” (2025)
In terms of style and substance, Darren Aronofsky movies tend to have many similarities. Most offer dark examinations of the human experience, often focusing on such themes as self-destructive obsessions, psychological trauma and the like. But his latest is something quite different. “Caught Stealing” is a loud and messy attempt at mixing black comedy with … Continue reading
REVIEW: “The Conjuring: Last Rites” (2025)
With 2013’s “The Conjuring”, director James Wan kicked off what would unexpectedly become one of my personal favorite horror film franchises. While the spin-off films have been somewhat hit-or-miss, the three proper Conjuring films have succeeded in creating an authentically creepy world built around two compelling and surprisingly endearing lead characters, both wonderfully played by … Continue reading
REVIEW: “The Threesome” (2025)
With the obviousness of its provocative title, “The Threesome” sets out to grab as much early attention as it can get. Once you get beyond that, you have a movie hampered by dueling ambitions. On the one hand it wants to be a millennial romcom. On the other hand it wants to be a mindful … Continue reading
REVIEW: “The Cut” (2025)
With his new film “The Cut”, director Sean Ellis takes what could have been yet another prototypical boxing movie and turns it into a searing psychological drama. To be sure, this is no underdog story about a determined boxer returning to his former glory by winning the big fight in the end. Instead, Ellis is … Continue reading