The great thing about genre is that it offers fans straightforward and familiar material, but it also allows filmmakers the space to come up with new interpretations within established formulae. This is especially true of horror, and the challenge for the filmmaker is to offer scares within the blend of familiarity and innovation. Bishal Dutta’s It Lives Inside is similar to many examples of what could be called the “curse film,” from “Ringu” and “The Grudge” to “Drag Me to Hell,” “It Follows” and 2022’s “Smile.” There is an initial victim, a protagonist who becomes the latest target, a tickin ..read more

The case of Lizzie Borden is popular and famous, to the extent of having effectively entered folklore. Taking place in Fall River, Massachusetts in 1892, the murders of Abby and Andrew Borden and the trial of Andrew’s daughter Lizzie the following year that ended in her acquittal, has been the subject of books, theatrical productions, folk rhymes and indeed movies. The Inhabitant joins this limited sub-genre, but rather than depicting the events of the murders themselves, Jerren Lauder’s film explores the legacy of such a dark history. The opening supertext of the film provides the context of ..read more

The title The Man from Rome evokes the thriller genre, be that spy, conspiracy or crime. Think of “The Man Who Knew Too Much,” “The Spy Who Came In From The Cold,” or indeed, “The Man From U.N.C.L.E.” True to title, The Man From Rome utilizes tropes of conspiracy, espionage, mystery and action. It comes complete with a stern-faced but honorable hero, clearly dangerous with a shadowy past, plagued by guilt but absolutely the man you want on your side. There are multiple computers with urgent-looking tech experts tapping rapidly away, talk of servers, hacking, protected files and secret accounts ..read more

Every once in a while, I am glad to watch a movie that I wouldn’t normally watch. This, however, was not one of those times. In the 80 minutes that I sacrificed watching Breaking Infinity, an indie film about time travel, I did wonder if I could use their equipment to go back and not watch this film. Directed by Marianna Dean (“Hollyoaks” TV series), the movie has an interesting story but little to no support. The budget for this science fiction thriller is minimal, but it is not the biggest issue with this film. The writing of David Trotti (“Exorcist: House of Evil”) is the culprit. Under-dev ..read more

I don’t claim to know them in any way, shape or form though, truth be told, I wouldn’t mind if I did. Nonetheless, from what I’ve seen of Chris Evans (“Avengers: Endgame”) and Ana de Armas (“No Time To Die”) from tabloid news (which admittedly is a terrible source to base an opinion upon) they both appear to be charismatic and good-natured people to be around. You wouldn’t, however, come to that conclusion from watching the cheerless film Ghosted, in which both star and pretend to share unrivaled sexual chemistry. The Dexter Fletcher (“Eddie the Eagle”) directed film starts as many meet-cute r ..read more

The good news about the film Condor’s Nest, an international revenge thriller set in 1950s Latin America that features a surviving WWII American airman Will Spalding (Jacob Keohane, “Halloween Kills”) in search of a sadistic SS Colonel (Arnold Vosloo, “G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra”), is that it conforms to a three-act structure. This is the paradigm that screenwriting gurus consider to be the Holy Grail of feature length narrative film making. The bad news is that Phil Plattenburger, writer and director, gets nearly everything else wrong. Even the film’s genre is in question. Whether the viewer ..read more

“Hit the road Jack and don’t you come back, No more, no more, no more, no more. Hit the road Jack and don’t you come back no more” — Percy Mayfield A road trip that builds on Abbas Kiarostami’s “A Taste of Cherry” and Jafar Panahi’s “Taxi,” Jafar’s son Panah has built on his father’s legacy in Hit the Road, a mixture of laugh out loud comedy, sadness, family drama, and serious social/political issues. While the film succeeds in bringing the meaning of the genre “comedy/drama,” into sharp focus, its protest against the repressive regime in Tehran is clear. From the opening scene, however, it is ..read more

It begins with rapid titles. “WB,” “DC,” The Batman, all flash up on screen quickly, before an opening point-of-view shot through binoculars takes in a well-dressed man in an opulent mansion. Watching, observing, planning and judging, this extended shot is unsettling in its voyeurism, especially as the viewer shares the perspective of this watcher, who... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more ..read more

Successfully following up on an Oscar-winning documentary is not an easy task, but directors E. Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin (“Free Solo”) more than accomplish that with The Rescue, the tension-filled story of the rescue of 12 young soccer players, ages 10-16, and their coach trapped in the Tham Luang Nag Non cave in Northern... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more ..read more

The balance between innovation and homage is a difficult one to strike. This is especially so when dealing with established and beloved properties. Spider-Man: No Way Home takes on the formidable task of balancing the demands of a standalone film, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), and the wider presence of Spider-Man in cinema and popular... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more ..read more