Monthly Archives: January 2021

As far as “fears” go, I typically prefer mysterious and unknown peril to frights shoved in my face, explained, back-storied and underlined. But that’s not how the “Wrong Turn” movies work. For twenty years these films have gotten good looking … Continue reading →

Not sure how Netflix productions qualify as “Independent,” but somehow, they’ve garnered 16 nominations (Universal offshoot Focus had 10), and “real” indie A24 got a bunch. A wide range of films, streaming series and TV shows gained nominations, with films … Continue reading →

What is it about black and white celluloid that makes its modern digital equivalent feel so flat and washed out? Is it the texture, the nearly-invisible but implicit “grain” and sharpness? The contrast between light and shadow, the many shadings … Continue reading →

Horror veteran Caroline Williams, who’s been around since “Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2” back in the ’80s, gets a fine C-movie showcase in “10 Minutes to Midnight,” a tale of a “rabid” bat and the hallucinatory bloodlust consequences it has on … Continue reading →

I blame karma for “Savage State.” You spend a lifetime bitching about “pace” and “urgency,” the notion for motion pictures to remember the “motion” part, and you’re punished with a French-Canadian still-life like this. “Savage State” is a Civil War … Continue reading →

The first hint I had of Indonesia’s thriving horror scene was the best segment of one of those horror anthologies that have been turning up in recent years. I think it was “V/H/S/2.” “The Third Eye (Matin)” is another iHorror … Continue reading →

“Minari” is a near classic of the timeworn “troubles on the farm” drama, a story of a family of non-farmers facing the whims of nature and the widening fracture in a marriage as they set out to work the land … Continue reading →

Netflix should have kept the original title to this Spanish comedy. “Salir del Ropero” translates to “Leaving the wardrobe.” It’s a running gag in the film. Celia, one of the two senior citizens who are in love and hope to … Continue reading →

As acting “baggage” goes, you could do worse than be saddled with the rep Jason Segel takes with him from film to film. He’s carved out a niche playing softies, pushovers, semi-lost souls who go through life always erring on … Continue reading →

Big big viewership numbers as Pixar’s “Soul” makes its mark on Disney Plus. Pixar’s ‘Soul’ Records Historic Nielsen Streaming Win In Christmas Bow On Disney+ News like this makes me wonder why Amazon or Hulu didn’t jump at the chance … Continue reading →