The Burden of Nine Lives, written and directed by Vega Montañez, is a gritty, character-driven journey into the heart of vengeance and survival. The story follows Jimmy Diaz, a man whose life spirals into a deadly quest for revenge after witnessing the brutal deaths of his two closest cousins in a black market deal gone wrong. Montañez skillfully explores Jimmy’s struggle as he grapples with haunting memories and faces off against formidable foes in the city’s underworld, all while battling the pull between revenge and redemption.
Read MoreTerrifier 3 (2024)
Bloody sounds. Ooey, gooey, blood spurty sounds. Cue audience members walking out in disgust.
Read MoreThe Summer We Died (2024)
You can feel microbudget filmmaker Dillon Brown stretching his artistic wings with his latest, The Summer We Died. His previous efforts have all been variations on the found footage/mockumentary subgenre. Here, he utilizes a more traditional storytelling approach, albeit one that’s not completely devoid of stylistic flourishes.
Read MoreStargate (1994) #RetroReview
Despite having a fairly large budget for its day, Roland Emmerich’s Stargate from 1994 never feels as big as it should. The script, co-written by Emmerich and frequent collaborator Dean Devlin, is also pretty straightforward and predictable. That being said, I’ve enjoyed revisiting it here and there over the years.
Read MoreIs This the Bed We Lie In? (2024)
JAM Productions' latest short film, Is This the Bed We Lie In?, directed by Joseph McGovern, delves into the raw and intimate complexities of relationships and personal desire. The story focuses on a pivotal conversation between Jennifer, portrayed by Constance Reshey, and her husband, Robert, played by Joel Blanco. At its core, the film is a deeply emotional exploration of a woman revealing her desire to be with another woman and the impact of this admission on her relationship.
Read MoreConfidence (2024)
Bola Gbadebo's debut documentary, Confidence, delivers an empowering exploration of self-belief through a lens of vulnerability, resilience, and the shared human experience. Known for her talents as a journalist, poet, musician, and filmmaker, Gbadebo uses Confidence to redefine what it means to trust in oneself, particularly when life’s challenges test our inner resolve. This film stands out not only as a personal reflection of Gbadebo’s journey but also as a collective one, as she engages with individuals in her community to understand their own experiences with confidence.
Read MoreThings Will Be Different (2024)
Things Will Be Different is a mind-bending sci-fi horror that firmly cements Michael Felker as a director to watch. Produced by genre stalwarts Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, this time-travel thriller excels in creating an eerie atmosphere, blending familial drama with supernatural dread. While the film might feel, at times, like an extended episode of Black Mirror—and that's not a bad thing—it stands on its own as a gripping and original piece of cinema.
Read MoreThe Life and Deaths of Christopher Lee (2024) #FantasticFest
The Life and Deaths of Christopher Lee is a brilliantly crafted documentary that takes you through the astonishing life of one of cinema’s most enduring figures. Directed by Jon Spira, it blends archival footage, puppetry, animation, and interviews to tell the story of Christopher Lee—a man who was much more than Dracula or Saruman. His life reads like an adventure novel: aristocratic Italian roots, ties to Ian Fleming, wartime heroics, Nazi hunting, and even a late-life stint as a heavy metal singer.
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