Film Festivals

Our film festival coverage over the years has included Sundance, Fantasia Fest, Fantastic Fest, TIFF and more! Find many movie reviews and insights into visiting these festivals below!


 

Film FestivalsGamingMovie ReviewsReviews

Review: ‘Grand Theft Hamlet’ Shown at SXSW 2024

If anyone ever complains to you that there’s nothing new under the sun in the world of cinema, please kindly point them to the documentary Grand Theft Hamlet. This experiment from British co-directors (and romantic partners) Pinny Grylls and Sam Crane covers the gamut of human emotion, from triumph to tragedy, in its 89 minutes of infectious fun. The story behind

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Film FestivalsReviewsTV & Streaming Series Reviews

Review: HBO’s ‘Ren Faire’ A Docu-Fantasia Full of Power Struggles

“Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely.” That quote, coined in the late 19th century by English historian and politician Lord Acton, would serve as a perfect tagline for the upcoming three-part HBO docuseries Ren Faire by director Lance Oppenheim. The first hour of the limited series, what Oppenheim describes as a “docu-fantasia,” premiered at SXSW 2024 and will turn up on

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Film FestivalsReviewsTV & Streaming Series Reviews

Review: Netflix’s ‘3 Body Problem’ Premiere Episode An Intriguing Start

When David Benioff and DB Weiss, the creators of Game of Thrones, inked a deal with Disney to helm a new Star Wars cycle before backing out in favor of a deal with Netflix, many people called out the pair for essentially losing interest in the series that made them storytelling superstars. Nevertheless, anyone who appreciated the deeply addictive Thrones had to

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Review: ‘Road House’ Remake Offers Humor and Ultra-Violence

It’s hard to imagine a more rollicking opening night film to kick off SXSW 2024 than director Doug Liman’s remake of the 1989 cheese-fest Road House, which starred the late, great 80s action icon Patrick Swayze.  The crowd enthusiastically hooted and hollered their way through Liman’s ultra-violent take on a Zen dispenser of pain with a troubled conscience. There was also

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Film FestivalsWhat to Expect

SXSW 2024: My Must-Watch Screenings and Premieres

The Cosmic Circus is going to South by Southwest 2024! The massive conference, offers a little something for everyone, from complete festivals for film & TV and music, to interactive media exhibitions, panel discussions, and celebrity guests. Scheduled speakers at SXSW 2024 include, among many others, Selena Gomez, Samantha Bee, Nick Kroll, Conan O’Brien, and Kirsten Dunst. SXSW will be held

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‘She is Conann’ Review: A Banksy-inspired Vision of Conan the Barbarian

She is Conann is not a Conan film. The characters are mostly here, including the addition of Red Sonja. But the acid dream of She is Conann has other ideas on its mind. In a weird, nightmarish feminine LGTBQ vision of the Barbarian. We see the iconic character through various stages of her life, bathing the brutal character’s journey in a tub of

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‘Hit Man’ Review: The Perfect Rom-Com Crowd Pleaser

The art of the crowd pleaser is a delicate craft. Trying to make something that will connect with audiences on a major scale while also maintaining artistic integrity, on a good day, might as well be near impossible. So it wasn’t difficult to look upon the rave festival reviews for Hit Man, the latest from legendary filmmaker Richard Linklater (Dazed &

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Film FestivalsMovie ReviewsReviewsStellar Picks

‘Freaky Tales’ Review: Genre Extravaganza Pays Tribute To 1987 Oakland

When an independent director is swallowed up into the blockbuster machine, there’s usually two paths for them. Either they stay in the machine or are never heard from again. It’s Kind of a Funny Story and Mississippi Grind directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck seemed destined for the latter after directing Captain Marvel when they didn’t return for the sequel or immediately

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