Hokum sees filmmaker Damian McCarthy return with another horror film that balances a mystery with supernatural creepiness. His previous effort, Oddity, made great use of the terror of inanimate objects moving. For almost 100 minutes, viewers would scan the background as characters talk in the foreground. And the same question would always arise: Did that giant mannequin-sized doll move? Hokum does not linger on the fear of sentient
Read MoreWe continue our coverage of the Dallas International Film Festival with The Furious. As a film, The Furious promises exactly what its title advertises: many angry characters. And when the film begins, the emotions are immediately justified as a kid takes an arrow to the face. Akin to John Wick, the film has a clear antagonist. For the John Wick franchise, it was a villain
Read MoreObsession accomplishes the impossible. It takes one of the most beautiful human experiences and makes it crawl under your skin. It’s natural to crave human connection or the innate feeling of being wanted. No one ever considers the most extreme version of this scenario. What if someone needed you like a heroin craving? Filmmaker Curry Barker apparently has thought about this extensively. There
Read MoreLee Cronin’s The Mummy sees the Evil Dead Rise director take on a classic movie monster for Blumhouse, following the efforts of properties like The Invisible Man and Wolf Man. For the most part, the latest attempt is successful, especially after the mixed results of Wolf Man. However, the win comes with a few reservations. The movie delivers exactly as advertised.
Read MoreThe Super Mario Galaxy Movie has prompted deep reflection in me. Back in 2023, I was still a new writer here. In fact, The Super Mario Bros. Movie was one of my first reviews here at The Cosmic Circus. At the time, I called the animated film “an acceptable nostalgic delight.” My reasons were that the animated film embraced the game’s
Read MoreUndertone digs at the unnerving fear of emptiness. Not in the sense of space, but the way noise occupies a room. For instance, when some of us need sound to fall asleep or the way we need a television on in the background to get chores done. It’s the anticipated nervousness that if everything becomes silent, something unexpected might fill the
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