Max Beyond (Hasraf Dulull, 2024) 2½ out of 5 stars As feature films based on video games continue to proliferate, director Hasraf “HAZ” Dulull (2036 Origin Unknown) deviates from the mainstream trend to bring a cinematic rendition of a more obscure but fascinating such game. The movie takes place in the distant future, where a […] The post “Max Beyond” Is Thrilling If Clunky first appeared on Film Festival Today ..read more

Abigail (Matt Bettinelli-Olpin/Tyler Gillett, 2024) 4 out of 5 stars Directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, two founding members of the filmmaking collective Radio Silence, bring their unique blend of light-hearted laughs and splattering gore to the unhinged delight of their newest film, Abigail. Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett (Ready or Not) put us into the perspective […] The post “Abigail” Delights with Jokes and Gore first appeared on Film Festival Today ..read more

Dusk for a Hitman (Raymond St-Jean, 2023) 3 out of 5 stars The hitman phenomenon keeps on churning as more and more films involving assassins come out year after year. Audiences can’t seem to get enough of taking an inside look into one of the vilest professions in the world. While many of these films […] The post “Dusk for a Hitman” Mostly Hits Target first appeared on Film Festival Today ..read more

Kiah Roache-Turner, a filmmaker who is no stranger to blood and guts, dabbles in the tried-and-true, and always entertaining, genre of the creature feature. His new film, Sting (which I reviewed last week), employs the terror of both arachnophobia and claustrophobia with a giant spider running amok in a rundown apartment building. I had the […] The post Interview with “Sting” Director Kiah Roache-Turner first appeared on Film Festival Today ..read more

The Greatest Hits (Ned Benson, 2024) 2½ out of 5 stars Letting go of the past is never easy, especially where trauma is involved. It becomes even harder when certain triggers plunge us back into previous memories, preventing us from recovering and moving on. This is the dilemma that Harriet, the protagonist of The Greatest […] The post So-So Beats Weaken “The Greatest Hits” first appeared on Film Festival Today ..read more

Sting (Kiah Roache-Turner, 2024) 3½ out of 5 stars The killer shark is never just a shark. The unstoppable alien loose in a spaceship is never just an alien. And the giant spider that is roaming within the walls of an apartment building in Kiah Roache-Turner’s creature feature, Sting, is not just a giant spider. […] The post “Sting” Offers Compelling Allegory first appeared on Film Festival Today ..read more

The Beast (Bertrand Bonello, 2023) 2 out of 5 stars Inspired by Henry James’ 1903 novella The Beast in the Jungle, French director Bertrand Bonello’s The Beast follows a star-crossed couple through time and space as they manage to never quite consummate their relationship. A meditation on love, loneliness, the meaning of emotion and our […] The post “The Beast” Has No Bite first appeared on Film Festival Today ..read more

Fallen Fruit (Chris Molina, 2024) 3 out of 5 stars Fallen Fruit, the feature film debut of director/writer Chris Molina, tells a familiar coming-of-age tale of heartbreak, identity, and the overall struggle of one’s early twenties. Alex (Ramiro Batista, Little Boxes), leaves New York after a shattering breakup with his boyfriend and moves back in […] The post “Fallen Fruit” Is Relatable but Circular first appeared on Film Festival Today ..read more

Strictly Confidential (Damian Hurley, 2024) 3 out of 5 stars  Can you truly trust anyone around you? Even those closest to us that we think we know well could possibly be hiding a monumental, unrevealed truth. How do you really know if someone is who you think they are? It’s a scary train of thought […] The post “Strictly Confidential” Ends Well first appeared on Film Festival Today ..read more

Wicked Little Letters (Thea Sharrock, 2023) 3 out of 5 stars “This is more true than you’d think.” So states an opening title card in Wicked Little Letters, the second film in a row out from director Thea Sharrock (on the heels of last week’s The Beautiful Game). Whether that text is more figurative than […] The post “Wicked Little Letters” Wins with Wit first appeared on Film Festival Today ..read more