Karan Kandhari’s Sister Midnight seems, upon its opening, to be a quotidian domestic drama. Uma (Radhika Apte) has one key problem taking over her life: she and her new husband, Gobal (Ashok Parthak), are not at all compatible. Those who arranged their marriage failed to account for fundamental differences in …
This year’s Slamdance Festival featured a film that perfectly blended the horror and humor genres and gave viewers a unique film to cherish on. Yes, we are talking about Woody Bess’ Portal To Hell. This film twists the age-old Faustian bargain into something fresh, unsettling, and deeply thought-provoking. The movie …
Society’s infatuation with social media has grown and evolved over the years. What started with sites connecting long-distance/old friends (looking at you, Facebook) has morphed into something else. The culture constantly compares itself, making it hard for the younger generation to grow without feeling bad about themselves. Such a methodology …
In his essay Defense of an Adaptation, French film critic and co-founder of the historical film magazine Cahiers du Cinema André Bazin states that a literary adaptation for the cinema is impure. He points out how dependence on another medium affects filmmaking and how leaning over another source material, either …
The number of underrated actresses in today’s industry is so vast that any cinephile can bring a different name to the table and present solid arguments. Personally, one of the names at the top of my list is none other than Ash‘s lead, Eiza González. From Baby Driver to The …
Samara Weaving has become a recurring presence in horror, thriller, and action flicks with a touch of dark humor. From The Babysitter to Ready or Not, along with Guns Akimbo and Azrael, the Australian actress has cemented herself as a modern-day final girl, embracing roles that balance stylized violence and …
Directed by Osgood Perkins (Longlegs), produced by James Wan (Aquaman), and based on yet another work by Stephen King (It), The Monkey had all the right ingredients for a memorable horror viewing. Its premise, centered on a toy monkey that causes gruesome deaths whenever someone winds up the key on …
The Gorge is a strong addition to the Apple TV+ movie catalog. Miles Teller and Anya Taylor-Joy make this the perfect Valentine’s Day date night movie. Apple TV+ is giving everyone an option this Valentine’s Day weekend by releasing a film starring Miles Teller and Anya Taylor-Joy in The Gorge. The streaming platform is known for its hit TV shows …
“Torture Porn” — a term used to describe a particularly unsettling subgenre of horror — was made popular in the early 2000s through films like Hostel and Saw. Terrifier 3 doesn’t quite fall into that category, but it comes pretty dang close. Through the use of gruesome practical effects and …
The art of cinema has room for all kinds of experiences, whether unusual blends of genres, unorthodox storytelling methods, or unique filming techniques. Steven Soderbergh (Traffic) is a pioneer of modern independent cinema, and his movies are often acclaimed precisely for their inventive or distinct perspective. Presence fits into the …
There will be no chicanery in this review about what Companion is about, even if the film spends a minor chunk of time attempting to shroud the obvious in double entendres. This obviousness, shall it not be devised from the opening few minutes, the revealing trailer – or from the …
Several factors build anticipation for a film. Whether it’s the cast, genre, franchise, or director, the reasons why viewers feel more or less excited about a new cinematic release are endless. Personally, my expectations for Wolf Man were naturally high simply because it’s the newest movie by Leigh Whannell, the …
With the stage set in A24’s X, Ti West looks to continue the story of Maxine and her fame-crazed counterpart by looking back to yesteryear with the second film in the horror trilogy, Pearl: An X-traordinary Origin Story. As a prequel to the first film, Pearl takes audiences back to …
Nosferatu may be a renowned film for its experimental Expressionism techniques, unsettling settings examining the Occult and its controversial backstory, which led to all copies of the original 1922 silent film by F.W. Murnau being destroyed due to copyright infringement of Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula. Ensuing restoration efforts resulted in …
Kiyoshi Kurosawa is one of the most prolific directors in world cinema. This year, he premiered Chime at the 74th Berlinale. The French remake of his 1998 film, Serpent’s Path, went to the San Sebástian Film Festival. Concluding his year, Cloud debuted at the Biennale di Venezia, and Japan selected …
The year I got divorced my job sent me to a career event for women in our line of work that purported to be a fundraiser for a domestic abuse charity. What it actually entailed was a group of wealthy women reassuring each other, with no sense of irony, that …
Director Alice Maio Mackay sits down to chat over zoom with Alise Chaffins about the comedy-horror film Satranic Panic. The Interview with Satranic Panic’s Alice Maio Mackay [Editor’s Note: This interview has been lightly edited for clarity.] Alise Chaffins: I was super excited to watch this, mostly just because of the …
Musical horror comedies have long been a place to explore gender-expansive themes. Obviously, one of the most famous is the 1975 cult classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show, but there have also been cases made for Little Shop of Horrors to be a trans allegory. Genre films are meant to push boundaries, so seeing …
What do you believe in? It seems like a simple enough question to answer; however, when you begin to break it down, there are many ways to interpret it. What beliefs are we talking about? Religion, perhaps? Are we talking about which God we pray to and what religious standards …
Halloween is right around the corner and so is everybody’s favorite unkillable slasher, Michael Myers. He may not have the in-depth lore of the Jigsaw Killer or the quippy one-liners of Freddy Kruger, but Michael Myers has remained one of the defining figures of horror across thirteen movies. Well, technically …