Monthly Archives: April 2020

How much time do we allow for a vintage “wuxia” picture for “the good stuff” to begin? Asking for a friend. Sure, you cut some slack for the early films in the genre of martial arts period pieces that reached … Continue reading →

Hollywood has so pounded the “serial killer thriller” to death that you kind of wish they’d close the door on the subject. But here’s a Polish version that’s as sharp as a cold slap in the face, as grisly as … Continue reading →

Allery Parkes has reached the “routines” stage of life. He gets up at the same time, puts on his work shirt, has his breakfast, loads the same canned-meat sandwich into his lunchbox and methodically, slowly, walks to work. Marriage? He … Continue reading →

“Never Ever (À jamais)” is a brief French drama, with lovely settings and beautiful actors. And it finishes with a fine twist. But I’m not sure I can endorse the dull, internalized grief that comes before that finale. It’s a … Continue reading →

When the babysitter stumbles upon a crazed woman devouring the kid she’s supposed to be caring for in the opening moments of “The Wretched,” my first thought was “zombies” and second thought was “vampires.” Silly me. WITCHES. The feminine evil … Continue reading →

    Stuntman turned director Sam Hargrave keeps the camera close to the action in “Extraction,” tight and right in the middle of the brawls and sprawl of Dhaka, Bangladesh and right in the face of his hero, Chris Hemsworth. … Continue reading →

A little “cute” goes a long way in “Vanilla,” a light and winning road picture romance that’s a promising feature film debut from writer-director Will Dennis. That “long way” is New York to New Orleans, where an unlikely pair — … Continue reading →

“Good villains make good thrillers,” the Master of Suspense is purported to have said. And if a writer knows what’s good for her — or him — you name that bad guy “Falconetti.” That name has turned up a couple … Continue reading →