Monthly Archives: September 2020

The very definition of “midnight movie” includes transgression. “Bad taste?” Sometimes. “Out there?” Ditto. “Offensive?” Almost a given. So there’s no sense in holding “12 Hour Shift” accountable for the misfortune of its timing. A movie about a lethally corrupt … Continue reading →

Novelist Donald Ray Pollock narrates the film of his “hillbilly Gothic” saga, “The Devil All the Time,” from start to finish — and all points in between. His is an authentic Appalachian voice, and when I pick up the book, … Continue reading →

This one comes out Oct. 6.

“Spiral” is a cleverly-conceived riff on familiar horror themes, an attempt to make a gay “Get Out.” A same-sex couple moves to suburban Illinois with one partner’s teen daughter, and weird, scary things begin to happen. But this film, not … Continue reading →

Here’s a sadistic Spanish thriller that begins dark, turns darker and ends darkest of all, with unhealthy servings of paranoia and claustrophobia along the way. Mario Casas (“The 33”) is Angel, “The Paramedic” (“El practicante”). And Angel first gives us … Continue reading →

Call it “Adult erotica” fiction, or adult erotic romances, but chances are, you hadn’t heard this literary genre mentioned in polite company. Then “Fifty Shades of Grey” blew up the best seller lists and the motion picture box office. And … Continue reading →

A LOT of famous to famous-ish voices populate this 2018 BRON Studios/Canadian production, just now heading into release. James Marsden and Rosario Dawson, Jane Krakowski, Nathan Fillion, Rob Riggle and Alfred Molina, anyone? “Henchmen today, supervillain tomorrow.” It seemingly had … Continue reading →

“No Escape,” a “Saw” like murder-puzzle thriller originally titled “Follow Me,” hits enough of its marks to earn a “not half bad” label. It may not do the best job of putting-us-in-the-hero’s predicament. But as for the grisly chills and … Continue reading →

A family gathers at the parents beach house for a not-quite-holiday get-together in “Blackbird,” a downbeat but arresting and intimate melodrama based on the Danish film, “Silent Heart.” Daughters Jennifer (Kate Winslet) and Anna (Mia Wasikowska) and their families are … Continue reading →

I tend to look askance at movie-making nepotism, but Merawi Gerima’s debut feature, “Residue,” has me rethinking that. “Residue” is an immersive, impressionistic sketch of a Black DC expat coming home to a place he swore he’d put in his … Continue reading →