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Sundance Film Festival: ‘Touch Me’ is a Weird, Appealing Story of Cross-Species Attraction

©Courtesy of Sundance Film Festival There are plenty of theories about the existence of extraterrestrial life, and theatrical first contact experiences like the one depicted in Star Trek are hardly the only way in which humanity could become aware of them. Touch Me offers a truly unique method of undeniable confirmation for one human that…

Steven Soderbergh’s Presence Video Review by Matthew Schuchman

©Courtesy of Neon Matthew Schuchman : In the early 90s, while at the video store with his friends who wanted to rent Don’t Tell Mom The Babysitter’s Dead, Matthew asked the clerk if they had any copies of Naked Lunch available. A film buff from an early age, he would turn his fascination into his…

Sundance Film Festival: ‘Omaha’ is a Heartbreaking Family Portrait with Terrific Performances

It’s hard for many people to imagine what it really means to be out of options. There are so many things that would have to go wrong and fall apart for those who live in relative affluence to lose their homes and be forced to live either on the street or out of their cars….

Sundance Film Festival : Mr. Nobody Against Putin Review

©Courtesy of the Sundance Film Festival “Hailed” as one of the most polluted cities in the world, Karabash regularly draws obnoxious YouTubers, who mock its toxic Communist-era legacy. It is exactly the kind of economically-marginalized provincial Russian city that disproportionately supplies recruits and conscripts for Putin’s unprovoked war in Ukraine. Karabash is 1,600 miles from…

The Colors Within Demonstrates the Advantages Offered by Animation to Depict Keenly Humanist Dramas

©Courtesy of GKIDS Honestly, in recent years, Japanese anime has delivered some of the smartest and most realistic on-screen depictions of teenagers. Amongst filmmakers of any variety, few represent teen life with as much sensitivity as Naoko Yamada. She addressed school bullying in A Silent Voice : The Movie and young love in Tamako Love…

”Back in Action” is Family-Friendly & Easy-Going Entertainment

©Courtesy of Netflix  Don’t call Emily and Matt “Boomers.” They insist they are Gen X. That makes sense, considering Gen X’ers’ reputation for adaptability and (unlike other blabbermouth generational cohorts) an inclination to keep their secrets just that—secret. Those are all good traits for successful spies, which, in fact, Emily and Matt once were. Now…

Wish You Were Here is a Melancholic Rom-Com From First-Time Director Julia Stiles

©Courtesy of Lionsgate Abandoning the disappointments of mundane life to instead pursue the excitement of true love can be an equally exhilarating and disheartening journey. Actress Isabelle Fuhrman’s protagonist of Charlotte in the relatable new romantic comedy, Wish You Were Here, effortlessly highlights that rite of passage. After the character’s seemingly perfect first date ends…

‘Wolf Man’ Video Review – Above the Line vs. Below the Line Episode 48

In 2020, Saw and Insidious co-creator Leigh Whannell created on a new take of The Invisible Man with Elisabeth Moss, and for his follow-up, Whannell is back with Wolf Man, another film that pays tribute to another classic Universal horror monster.  In the film, Christopher Abbott (Poor Things) plays Blake, a man who has to…

‘Den of Thieves 2: Pantera’ Drives Away from the First Movie, Delivering Sheer Entertainment

@Courtesy of Lionsgate Released in 2018, Den of Thieves proved to be the best robbery-movie since Ben Affleck’s The Town. Built on the shooting sequences’ gritty realism and the cast’s charismatic performances, the action-thriller directed by Christian Gudegast obtained a decent success at the box-office and a wide range of fans all over these years….

Netflix’s ‘Tokyo Swindlers’ Dissects the Motivations of Japan’s Land-Grab Industry

©Courtesy of Netflix  Based on a novel by Japanese author Ko Shimjo, and directed by Hitoshi Ône, the new Netflix series Tokyo Swindlers explores the cutthroat world of land swindlers who operate below the radar in the Japanese capital. With an aim of acquiring valuable properties by deceptive means, the greedy crews go to extreme…

Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl Review

©Courtesy of Netflix  Gromit is a good dog and a resourceful problem-solver. Many Gen X’ers have a long-standing affection for him, because they have watched Gromit and his “owner” Wallace (who is more like a silly roommate) since their 1989 debut, 35 years ago. Arguably, the intuitive canine also shares Gen X-like attitudes towards technology….