Fantastic Fest 2025 kicks off today in Austin, Texas, with another year of potentially great offerings. The festival is jam-packed with several great titles and early premieres. For example, the highly anticipated sequel to Scott Derrickson’s The Black Phone is expected to captivate the Austin community during the first weekend. The festival will also feature Chris Stuckmann’s long-awaited movie debut, Shelby
Read MoreThe film Twinless discusses the tragedy of losing a twin. For most of us, it’s not a common experience we might face. The feeling is mostly shared within a specific group. However, the film by James Sweeney suggests that the sense of losing connection is universal. Especially in grief, where losing a loved one can make it feel like a part
Read MoreWeapons accomplishes an agenda that used to be a hallmark for filmmakers like JJ Abrams. The goal is to surround the narrative with a mystery box format. The intention is to influence the audience to rush to the movie to uncover all the secrets hidden within. The key difference is that filmmaker Zach Cregger clearly understands the assignment better than JJ
Read MoreOur Fantasia Film Festival 2025 coverage continues with two unique films that explore themes of isolation. The first is a haunting film about the struggles of assimilation faced by a child of migrants in a white suburban school. The other film centers on a 10 Cloverfield Lane-inspired narrative about a woman trapped inside a moving camper. Foreigner and Hellcat may differ
Read MoreThe Naked Gun (2025) features Liam Neeson in another career reinvention. Similar to Taken in the late 2000s, this comedic reboot pushes the iconic actor into a new zone, with the Oscar nominee (and action star) indulging in excessive puns and bathroom humor. While it’s amusing to see a distinguished presence dive into absurdity, the reboot can’t quite reach its full
Read MoreOur Fantasia Film Festival coverage continues with two films that offer distinctive horror experiences in housing communities. The first is a horror-comedy called Hold the Fort, about an HOA fighting forces of evil in slapstick fashion. The second movie is called Noise, involving a woman with hearing loss attempting to find her missing sister, who disappeared after hearing supernatural noises above
Read MoreEach year, covering Fantasia Film Festival reminds me of how dull America’s writing has become. Rewrite exemplifies this idea, not just because it’s penned by one of Japan’s best sci-fi screenwriters. The film blends an earnest high school drama with a complex time travel story. It’s especially appealing because its source material is inspired by the brilliant anime, The Girl Who
Read MoreFantasia Fest 2025 kicked off over the weekend, and we are here with our first of many reviews. The first is a subversive dark comedy from Grosse Point Blank screenwriter Steve Pink about a group of friends reconnecting with their successful (and unstable) friend who has inherited wealth as a sci-fi novelist. Terrestrial mostly reveals the movie’s conflict inside a mansion.
Read MoreEddington wears the skin of a Coen Brothers movie while utilizing the comedic mechanics of a South Park episode. The film plays everything serious while featuring solid performances from talents like Emma Stone and Joaquin Phoenix. It has the window dressing of rich Coen Brothers thrillers like Blood Simple and No Country for Old Men. Yet, the material is wildly satirical in
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