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Brett says: “In what will undoubtedly be on many ‘crowd-pleaser of the year’ lists, THE LIFE OF CHUCK is a Mike Flanagan film that is an adaptation from a Stephen King work. Having both Flanagan and King’s name on a

Diane says: “Is this a bigger budget remake of HAM ON RYE? And why is it playing in my multiplex? (Four people in the audience, three walked out.) Director Tyler Taormina revisits suburban ritual and the end of adolescence. A

Brett says: “Finally, a movie for those of us trapped in our own respective minds! But wait, surely there have been others featuring this concept, right? Did I just make a fool of myself? How do I get out of

Diane says: “Aside from the fact that I misunderstood the premise of the movie, I found BLITZ to have a surprisingly Hollywood (can I say that anymore?) arc, especially compared to director Steve McQueen’s quintet of SMALL AXE. “Led by

Brett says: “HARD TRUTHS is a intimate character study, but who would expect anything less from a Mike Leigh film? Marianne Jean-Baptiste rejoins the director after previously collaborating on SECRETS AND LIES, as she brings perpetually disgruntled Pansy to the

Laks says: “Patriarchy and misogyny meeting their comeuppance in hell is what I liked about this film but I came to it utterly curious having never seen a Turkish horror flick. BASKIN, a somewhat effective B movie Turkish HELLRAISER, was surprisingly

Laks says: “After years and years of delaying, I finally got round to watching DARK SONG. In essence, all the horrors of the film melted away and I came away feeling absolved of the terror and uplifted by the surreal

Brett says: “It is baffling how a director can go from from something so good and even earn writing awards for it (ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT) to something that requires such a reach from viewers that they suddenly

Brett says: “Director Jason Buxton (BLACKBIRD) brings his second feature film SHARP CORNER to life with a unique tone that enriches the entire project. The film is led by a terrific (as always) performance by Ben Foster, who portrays a

Brett says: “In this feature film debut, director Durga Chew-Bose adapts a novel from the 1950s for the screen, but the setting reflects an otherworldliness rather than feeling trapped in time. One can perceive a sense of modernity that seems predominant

Laks says: “It was to my surprise that Hillary Mantel (Wolf Hall) wrote film reviews and even further more so that she reviewed ANGEL HEART. I never would have imagined De Niro taking on the role of the devil and

Brett says: “Director Andrea Arnold transforms the ordinary once again with her latest feature BIRD. The story is thoroughly character-focused, set in a dismal rundown part of regional England. True to her directorial form, however, there is a sense of

Aaron says: “This tightly constructed sci-fi thriller from first-time writer-director Shannon Triplett is the discovery of the fest. Kristine Froseth stars as the nameless (for a while) woman who crashes her car in the Mojave desert and can’t find her

Aaron says: “Aussies relish in a particular brand of genre movie with a nasty streak, from HOUNDS OF LOVE to YOU’LL NEVER FIND ME, but the latest addition, BIRDEATER, is a pretender that can’t break into the crowded field. From

Aaron says: “Sean Baker’s latest, is a blast—funny, raucous, heartfelt, and sad—it’s controlled chaos as only Baker can do. Sex worker Anora ‘Ani’ (Mikey Madison) gets swept up in a Cinderella romance with Ivan ‘Vanya’ (Mark Eydelshteyn), the son of

Brett says: “The phrase ‘where do we begin?’ is sometimes an overused line to set up what all is too often an underwhelming account for such a grandiose introduction, but in reflecting on the film THE BRUTALIST, ‘where do we

Diane says: “Ten years after MARY AND MAX, Australian stop-motion filmmaker Adam Elliot presents another tragicomedy in the form of biography. The film proper starts deep in the mouth of a dying old woman (who, when the camera is pulled

Diane says: “What chutzpah Lorne Michaels had to think he could revolutionize television with ‘Saturday Night Live’! SATURDAY NIGHT is a paean to the cast and crew of SNL, based on memories of the first show in 1975. It’s a

Diane says: “Based on Colson Whitehead’s novel of the same name, NICKEL BOYS has an impressionistic and disorienting style. Early scenes are shot from the POV of main character Elwood–as though through his young eyes–and the landscape is often sideways

Brett says: “In THE WOLVES ALWAYS COME AT NIGHT, Director Gabrielle Brady offers a documentary-fiction hybrid that is sure to appeal to fans of the unique genre. The subjects are members of a family of herders in rural Mongolia who

Diane says: “Will Farrell and his longtime friend Harper Steele, writer for SNL, cook up a cross-country trip so that Harper, recently transitioned to a woman, can become comfortable anew with all the bro places she used to hang out

Diane says: “I was eager to see this film, having read Alexandra Fuller’s 2001 memoir when it came out. It’s a story of the end of British colonialism in Africa through the eyes of a young girl, Bobo. “Director/screenwriter Embeth

Diane says: “Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof indicts the harsh and corrupt Iranian legal system through the lens of one family in THE SEED OF THE SACRED FIG. As the seedlings of the fig strangle their parent, here a man finally promoted

Laks says: “I got a subscription to Shudder for Halloween season and only watched part of the trailer for YOU’LL NEVER FIND ME, an overlooked psychological horror flick that I was convinced I need to watch it straight away that

Julie B. says: “I was motivated to go to this years Boson Independent Film Festival when I saw that a documentary would be shown on Billy Ruane. Here’s my review. Even though I say a lot there are no real spoilers

Brett says: “The film MATT AND MARA is the latest from director Kazik Radwanski (ANNE AT 13,000 FT.) and, like his previous feature film, is a character study from start to finish. Co-title-character Matt is one who takes things as

Brett says: “From director Thibault Emin, ELSE is a rather strange entry into the body horror genre, even for a genre that is usually rife with weirdness as is. The narrative begins a bit conventionally at first as a couple—Anx

Brett says: “Both director Marielle Heller (THE DIARY OF A TEENAGE GIRL) and actor Amy Adams deliver yet again in NIGHTBITCH, a drama-comedy that goes dark at times to tear into the daunting expectations of motherhood. The film is a