REVIEW: El Planeta (2021)
Comedian Joan Rivers famously declared “My daughter and I are very close, we speak every single day and I call her every day and say the same thing, “pick up, I know you’re there.” El Planeta (2021) observes a mother-daughter relationship dynamic that might have…
REVIEW: The Man Who Sold His Skin (2021)
Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania stumbled across the inspiration for her Oscar-nominated film on a trip to Le Louvre in Paris. There, she saw a retrospective dedicated to the Belgian artist, Wim Delvoye. As part of this exhibition, Tim Steiner became a living piece of…
REVIEW: The Guilty (TIFF 2021)
On this particular day in Los Angeles in The Guilty, everything is heated. Sky’s orange. The hills are ablaze. “The Guilty” is in blackletter type. Regularly heard are blaring sirens and calls for emergency services. But the place where the temperature is highest would be…
TV REVIEW: Star Wars Visions (2021)
While it might be controversial to some, it seems like Star Wars as a property has felt somewhat stagnant for a few years. Even with the fun and sense of adventure brought forth by The Mandalorian, that show has recently fallen back on old characters…
REVIEW: Killer Concept (2021)
Frightfest is no stranger when it comes to films revolving around a film crew: the fantastic Found Footage 3D was hugely successful in 2016, which focused on a film crew that are haunted by their own creation. But Killer Concept has a different twist. Killer…
REVIEW: Antidote (FrightFest 2021)
Antidote follows Sharyn Berkley (Ashlynn Yennie) who wakes up in a strange underground medical facility after an operation, where the doctors mutilate and torment the patients, only to then miraculously heal them with a classified medicine. Reading the latter half of the synopsis, I couldn’t…
REVIEW: Saint Narcisse (2021)
In Greek mythology, Narcissus was renowned for his heart-stopping beauty. Unfortunately for him, it was his inability to peel himself away from his ravishing reflection that ultimately led to his death. This stark warning about the perils of poring over every inch of our faces…
REVIEW: Wife of a Spy (2021)
Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s latest directorial venture, Wife of a Spy, is a romantic period piece set in Japan during World War II. It is centered around Satoko Fukuhara (Yū Aoi), who begins to suspect that her husband Yūsaku Fukuhara (Issey Takahashi), might be a spy for…
REVIEW: Gaia (FrightFest 2021)
Gaia is a South African film that follows two forest rangers that become lost in the woods and discover two people who live in out in nature. But they soon discover that the two strangers are closer to the natural world than previously thought. I…
REVIEW: Everybody’s Talking About Jamie (2021)
Drag Queens are breaking into the mainstream like never before, and rightfully so. Our TV screens are filled with the constant conveyor belt of queens from RuPaul’s Drag Race and our pubs/clubs up and down the country are featuring an ever expanding array of vastly…
REVIEW: Old Henry (Venice 2021)
The classic western is back. Old Henry marks an unassuming return for Tim Blake Nelson, who clearly impressed during his turn in The Ballad of Buster Scruggs. This time, he plays Henry – the eponymous farmer, scratching out a living with his son and his…
REVIEW: Becoming Led Zeppelin (Venice 2021)
Bernard MacMahon’s officially sanctioned documentary Becoming Led Zeppelin is an amusing and indulgent, highly conventional ode to the band’s ‘supergroup’ origins. Featuring commentary from bassist John Paul Jones, singer Robert Plant and guitarist Jimmy Page – with late drummer John Bonham appearing through historical radio interviews…
REVIEW: Encounter (TIFF 2021)
British director Michael Pearce is back for his sophomore feature Encounter, following the critically acclaimed psychological thriller Beast, with an intriguing and genre-defying sci-fi road trip turned family drama. However, there is a certain twist revealed throughout which may divide viewers, as not all is…
