English movie, made by A24. London, sometime in the ’80s. Shoppers are highly enthused about the newly opened Dentley and Soper’s Trusted Department Store. The place is characterized both by reasonable prices and odd-speaking, Victorian-looking personnel. The majority of the movie concerns Sheila (Marianne Jean-Baptiste), a single mum looking for love (though more than halfwayContinue reading “‘In Fabric’: What In the Hell was That? (In a Good Way)”
Tag Archives: review
‘The Curse of Buckout Road’: Great Performances Make up for a Garbled Plot
Buckout Road, Westchester County, New York: “The most haunted road in America.” It’s a topic of study for Professor Hancock (Mayko Nguyen) and three of her students, Cleo (Dominique Provost-Chalkley), Erik (Kyle Mac), and Derek (Jim Watson), who are doing a presentation on creation and destruction of modern myth. Their quest to disprove the legendsContinue reading “‘The Curse of Buckout Road’: Great Performances Make up for a Garbled Plot”
‘Little Monsters’: You Need it in Your Life
Australian film, not to be confused with the 1989 movie of the same title, which I reviewed quite a while ago, here. Dave (Alexander England) is a subpar musician who’s just broken up with his girlfriend because they disagree on whether to have kids–he doesn’t want to. He crashes on his sister Tess’s (Kat Stewart)Continue reading “‘Little Monsters’: You Need it in Your Life”
‘The Tokoloshe’ is Absolutely Devastating
South African movie, in English and Zulu, by Black filmmaker Jerome Pikwane. Busi (it’s pronounced Boo-see–I’ve seen the movie, and I’m still reading it as Busy and I’m getting pissed at myself) (Petronella Tshuma) is living in abject poverty; her apartment building is condemned and she’s getting by on scraps. She vows to scrape upContinue reading “‘The Tokoloshe’ is Absolutely Devastating”
‘Black Christmas’ (2019): They Meant Well…
Christmas break is approaching, and the students at Hawthorne College are getting ready to party. And by party I mean the men are picking off the women because they’re possessed by the evil magic practiced by the founder of the college, Calvin Hawthorne. It’s up to a feisty band of fighters (with traditionally masculine names,Continue reading “‘Black Christmas’ (2019): They Meant Well…”
‘You Might Be the Killer’ is Definitely a Great Time
Sam (Fran Kranz, who’s getting typecast as the guy in a cabin in the woods) is a camp counselor with a staff of twelve. When a masked murderer menaces his campgrounds, he calls his buddy, horror expert Chuck (Alyson Hannigan), for advice on how to survive. Unfortunately, all signs point to Sam being the killer. Continue reading “‘You Might Be the Killer’ is Definitely a Great Time”
'Snatchers': Imagine 'Juno', but with Hostile Aliens
Sara (Mary Nepi) is a teenage girl who’s determined to win back her ex-boyfriend Skyler (Austin Fryberger) by giving him her virginity. Unfortunately for her, he’s been infested with extraterrestrial matter, and impregnates her with alien spawn. She runs to her smart friend Hayley (Gabrielle Elyse), who stands by her when the quickly gestating creatureContinue reading “'Snatchers': Imagine 'Juno', but with Hostile Aliens”
‘The Black String’ is a Visceral Experience
Jonathan (Frankie Muniz) is a millennial still trying to figure things out in his life. When loneliness prompts him to call a hotline that sets him up with a local single, he meets Dena (Chelsea Edmundson). Despite his intentions to keep it in his pants on their first date, Dena vociferously talks him into nailingContinue reading “‘The Black String’ is a Visceral Experience”
Richard Stanley’s ‘Color Out of Space’: Stick with it Until the Halfway Point–It’s Worth the Wait
Nate (Nicolas Cage), his wife Theresa (Joely Richardson), and their three kids, young Jack (Julian Hilliard) and teens Lavinia (Madeleine Arthur) and Benny (Brendan Meyer) have moved to Nate’s late father’s farm. To raise alpacas and grow tomatoes and peaches. Yeah, good thing Theresa is bringing in income; she has some kind of consulting jobContinue reading “Richard Stanley’s ‘Color Out of Space’: Stick with it Until the Halfway Point–It’s Worth the Wait”
‘Villains’: Thought-Provoking and Funny as Hell
Jules (Maika Monroe) and Mickey (Bill Skarsgård) are inept but resourceful thieves who have just robbed a gas station. Ironically running out of fuel in the middle of nowhere, they break into an empty well-appointed home. All is well until they stumble onto a little girl chained up in the basement. As they scramble toContinue reading “‘Villains’: Thought-Provoking and Funny as Hell”
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