The Movies

CANDYMAN

SCOOBY-DOO ON ZOMBIE ISLAND

QUEENS OF THE DEAD

Vampires can't be confined to just one day! Buffy may be the vampire slayer, but Count Dracula is the vampire layer. We're talking Christopher Lee in Terence Fisher's DRACULA, released in 1958.This is part of Hammer Studios' revitalizing of the classic Universal Monsters. But now, we have color popping, we have blood spurting, cleavage bursting. In the words of Wooderson: "Alright, alright, alright." This is a more lurid, sensual take on the Universal Monsters; I must imagine audiences at the time responded to these takes as their own kind of exploitation films.But when you've got powerhouse actors such as Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing in the mix, there's no way you can dismiss these movies as mere "exploitation." This movie, streamlined by Jimmy Sangster's adaptation of Bram Stoker's novel, carries itself lean and mean, full of vampires and hunters who don't fuck around. It's a classic for a reason.---Follow The Movies on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Letterboxd⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Throw a couple dollars in the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tip jar!

When the calendar flips to October 1st, I feel a tingle in my sweet tooth. The 31 Days of Halloween have arrived! That means a whole month dedicated to horror (as if this podcast were deprived of it).As I started last year's series with DRACULA (1931), I figured I'd keep the vampire theme and kick off 2026 with 1992's BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, directed by Fran Rubel Kuzui.This predates Sarah Michelle Gellar, Willow and Spike, writer Joss Whedon's first bite at the apple. While the series would adopt a darker blend of horror, comedy and teenage drama, the movie is more decidedly a comedy, a choice Kuzui made to both Whedon and 20th Century Fox's chagrin.However, this approach, for me, works. Kristy Swanson's Valley Girl Buffy clashes hilariously with Donald Sutherland's devoted, if still a tad unhinged, vampire-slaying mentor Merrick. Gimme the neon highlighter costuming blended with saturated Hammer-style gothic vampirism. Gimme montages where Buffy clumsily, yet passionately learns how to spar, climb ropes, flip and kick. (The amount of tumbling in this joint puts GYMKATA to shame.)Add in Rutger Hauer as a violin-playing mustachioed vampire king and Paul Ruebens (deliberately resembling his mugshot after an incident of indecent exposure at a Sarasota movie theater) delivering the greatest mockery of a death scene ever put to film and I get a movie that's difficult to take seriously but never as so to love.---Follow The Movies on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Letterboxd⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Throw a couple dollars in the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tip jar!

How else could I end this series? Seriously, how? What spooky season is complete without a rewatch of John Carpenter's "absolute classic" HALLOWEEN?Leave it to a master to skewer the myth of suburban safety. Horror isn't relegated to the cannibal-owned homes of rural Texas nor the decaying castles of Eastern Europe. Michael Myers came from a suburban American family, raised in a community resembling many of ours. Same schools, same culture. Michael Myers is one of us. He IS us.This wasn't a bullied revenger nor a teenage Manson acolyte. He was a first-grader.And yet, he stabbed his sister to death with a kitchen knife. Why? The movie never says. And even if Dr. Loomis (Donald Pleasance) spent the opening car ride to the sanitarium dictating a thesis to the nurse, would we really accept his clean-cut answer? When schoolchildren are gunned down, do we believe the reasons told to us by the news? I don't ask if we understand them. Do we believe them?I think evil is something primal, locked away in the recesses of our consciousness, unable to be fully understood. As much as humanity would like to have a grip on its impulses and provide explanations for every behavior, we're simply not there yet. And what Michael Myers reveals is the harrowing truth: evil is baked in. Any one of us has the capacity for terrible things. It's foolhardy and dangerous to walk around the Earth as if it isn't true. The great storytellers tell us the truth, as difficult as it may be to hear. John Carpenter and Debra Hill are two of the greats.---Follow The Movies on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Letterboxd⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Throw a couple dollars in the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tip jar!

TIGERS ARE NOT AFRAID is set in Mexico, its characters directly impacted by cartel violence. Writer-director Issa López doesn't shy away from the truth: her leads are children and they are not impervious to such violence.A shocking---Follow The Movies on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Letterboxd⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Throw a couple dollars in the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tip jar!

Seriously, how could I possibly wrap up this 2025 edition of the 31 Days of Halloween without talking about 2025's DEFINING horror flick? To have a filmography that includes FRUITVALE STATION, CREED and BLACK PANTHER and have SINNERS still be the best work is a testament to how gifted a director Ryan Coogler is.Vampires, blues, sweaty sexy bodies, the endlessly frustrating phenomenon of trying to create something that betters one's community within a social stratification designed to belittle and oppress. What fucking more could you ask for in a movie?---Follow The Movies on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Letterboxd⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Throw a couple dollars in the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tip jar!

ↃL⊥\\Ↄ—\\ᘰ: •ↃↃ ᒕ•Ω⨀, ⊥L ⨪LL---Follow The Movies on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Letterboxd⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Throw a couple dollars in the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tip jar!

RED ROOMS is not about a child murderer. RED ROOMS is not about his trial, wherein I learn he livestreamed these murders on the dark web for money. RED ROOMS isn't even about the wailing of one of the victims' mothers, who runs out of the room after video evidence is shown to the jury.RED ROOMS is about a young woman with no connection to the killer, the victims nor their families. She's nobody and somehow, everybody: a groupie, an investigator, a bystander, a protege?Kelly-Anne (Juliette Gariépy) is a woman who longs for the New Wild West of digital life. Beyond the post-"dot com" bubble and tech oligarchy lies the unrestricted promises of cryptocurrency, decentralized servers, hacking so sophisticated that no information nor content lies out of reach. Digital life is the ultimate power fantasy, free of the constraints of time and resources.---Follow The Movies on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Letterboxd⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Throw a couple dollars in the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tip jar!

During this 31 Days of Halloween series, I've viewed things that would make Isaac Newton crawl back into his mother's womb. Thankfully, one of those isn't Robert Eggers' crack at NOSFERATU, released in 2024.I'm a fan of Eggers' last three films (2015's THE VVITCH, 2019's THE LIGHTHOUSE, 2022's THE NORTHMAN.) They seem to not only faithfully recreate the enivronment of past histories, places and times, but also the attitudes present in the lives of those who lived in these settings. For all the ways technology can open us up to discovering new stories and learning new information, its stewards (us) have done a piss-poor job at preserving the information already discovered. When histories die, the people who wrote them gasp a final breath from the grave. I don't think Eggers can stand that. I think he believes there's still a wealth of knowledge to glean from those who stressed, struggled and discovered, long before Google or Claude.In pursuing these recreations of century-old film aesthetics, Eggers seems to start from a place of darkness and chip away with light, in a manner similar to how a sculptor would use a chisel to chip away at stone. Light cuts through shadow like a blade; blood gushes from a vampire's victim like a geyser. It's an elegant, if haunting mixture that leads to a dreamlike effect lying out of grasp on 1931's capability.As much as I'm charmed by DRACULA and its Gothic sensibilities, the special effects limitations of its time lend themselves to a kitschy charm. It looks like a play. NOSFERATU (2024) looks like an actual nightmare.Here, the nightmare can't be vanquished with a simple stake to the heart, a grave damaged enough to foil a vampiric retreat. It, like all true nightmares, remains in the mind, bolstered by the obsessive fear of the person sleeping. The journey of Ellen Hutter (Lily-Rose Depp) has been deemed by some reviewers as psychosexual, though I find the first part of that term to be more present than the latter.Her cry to be comforted by any spirit capable of hearing the plea reads less as a sexually stunted housewife and more as a woman terrified by an inability to control/manage her burdgeoning psychic abilites. As incomplete is psychological treatment within the late 1800s is also the rationale of men to explain why a woman feels disturbed, despite her telling them.If there's anything sexual here, it reads more as a homoerotic dick-waving contest between Thomas and Orlok.Maybe they should've watched NO REST FOR THE WICKED...---Follow The Movies on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Letterboxd⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Throw a couple dollars in the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tip jar!

DELIVER US FROM EVIL occupies an intriguing crossroads in genre film: police procedurals with demonic horror. I've read Scott Derrickson's 2014 film described as a blend of SEVEN and THE EXORCIST, which is accurate. To take it a step further, this movie's based on the real accounts of one Ralph Sarchie, a NYPD detective-turned-demonologist for the Catholic Church. Having a trained policeman in your church's back pocket when it comes to investigating demonic claims proves to be fortuitous: Sarchie can sniff bullshit from miles away. But this movie isn't based on the fakers; these stories aren't dismissed as poorly handled mental illness. Cops are used to witnessing fucked-up shit. But fucked-up shit that's inexplicable?That's where the movie finds Eric Bana's Sergeant Sarchie (sounds like a G.I. Joe figure) as he and his partner (a lovably brash, dual-knife-wielding Joel McHale) investigate a series of bizarre crimes in the Bronx. The evidence points to three veterans who've returned from Iraq with the spiritual remnants of a dark discovery.When Jesuit priest Mendoza (Edgar Ramirez) informs Sarchie of the high likelihood this comes from the demonic, the cop's skepticism wastes no time presenting in rolled eyes and sarcastic quips. But Mendoza, a man with his own difficult burdened past, recognizes a lost soul when he sees one. One of the best qualities of DELIVER US FROM EVIL is its focus on Sarchie as a faithless man, calcified by a bombardment of hate and trauma. This shell won't be easy to crack at all, let alone crack wide enough to allow faith in the cosmos or God to manifest. I've watched enough of Derrickson's movies to clock his leads as people in search of possibility, a new way of being, inner explorers of faith. But either from societal rigidity or internal roadblocks, they resist any worldviews they don't immediately understand, of which their knowledge can't be used to dominate/control their environments. But when the shell shatters, it fuckin' shatters.Derrickson's movies don't paint these journeys as easy. The dude who directed this and THE EXORCISM OF EMILY ROSE doesn't present demons you could wave away as elaborate makeup jobs. Their movements look inhuman. They shudder. They scurry out of windows. They grind their fingers down to nubs frantically sketching a demon's mantra. If you're gonna dare to face down the Devil, he's not gonna go without a fight, without threatening loved ones and dredging up dried wounds. But it makes the pursuit of goodness that much more worthwhile.---Follow The Movies on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Letterboxd⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Throw a couple dollars in the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tip jar!

Is it crazy to still be working through last year's 31 Days of Halloween in September of this year? Yes. Yes, it is. However, I doubt it's as crazy as what Oscar-winning animator extraordinaire Phil Tippett (JURASSIC PARK, ROBOCOP, RETURN OF THE JEDI, fuckin' PIRANHA) did: drop his magnum opus after three decades of work.MAD GOD is a stop-motion masterpiece: a descent into hell the likes typically reserved for Hieronymous Bosch paintings. The one character we follow is named The Assassin, dressed in a leather coat and gas mask (looking like the dude on the cover of FALLOUT: NEW VEGAS). He's arrived in a world that looks like the detritus of every other failed civilization. Only remnants remain. Statues, cracked buildings, abandoned machinery. No hierarchy exists outside of predator and prey. Even then, what alphas could remain? What would they even live for?I feel more like a witness than a viewer. This is the result of a man and his team painstakingly crafting every beam of light, clay creature and miniature piece of rubble, placing each in a precise location. It's the closest, I'd argue, filmmaking will get to humanity resembling a capital-C Creator. To allow myself to start comprehending how Tippett pieced together these elements and worked them into such a lovingly presented hellscape is to immediately launch open a headache. This is a movie that defies recommendation; there's no questionnaired flow chart that should lead you here. It's simply: Are you human? Yes? Then sit your ass down. Press play.---Follow The Movies on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Letterboxd⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Throw a couple dollars in the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tip jar!

JUST PLAY DEAD marks a different sort of challenge for Martin Campbell. The director, best known for GOLDENEYE, CASINO ROYALE and THE MASK OF ZORRO, is used to staging rough-and-tumble fights, car chases, fiery explosions. But JUST PLAY DEAD posits its tension around a couple whose marriage gasps its last breath in service of a wicked game of wits.In JUST PLAY DEAD, Samuel L. Jackson plays Nick Wolfe, a career criminal whose empire looks to crumble as the feds will indict him for financial frauds within a few months. Nick's plan is to fake his own death and pocket the life insurance payout with his wife, Nora (Eva Green), whose lover Chad (Jason Fernandez) will be framed. One problem: Nora actually wants Nick dead.But Nick didn't get to this age, wealth and notoriety by being naive. Nora didn't spend 11 years married to Nick without also knowing that he would grow wise to whatever plan she'd concoct. It's in this back-and-forth that JUST PLAY DEAD shines. These people are not "good" people but they surely don't hate each other. One moment where Nora lays in bed with her other lover, a cop, has her bemoaning that she could have any stud in bed. The trick, she says, is finding someone she can talk to.For as much as the husband and wife cross each other, they find a sick sense of play in it. Campbell could easily toss a chessboard in the middle of the living room, if he were a worse director. It's in Jackson and Green's banter that Nick and Nora's marriage takes its last gasping breaths, a look into what qualities attracted them together and ultimately, lead them to mutual admiration and even, if I dare say it, respect. But there's no way they'll stay together. Jesus Christ, what a nightmare.In our interview, Campbell discusses the joys of crafting this kind of marriage, the process of leaning into its gauche beachside melodrama and the fearlessness required of any actor to engage with this goofy-ass world, something that Eva Green, especially, handles with aplomb. This is a rare interview in which me saying her accent in this sounds like Katharine Hepburn and Norma Desmond by way of Jennifer Coolidge...is a compliment.JUST PLAY DEAD is now available to watch in select theaters and on VOD.---Follow The Movies on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Letterboxd⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Throw a couple dollars in the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tip jar!

Danny Bourque is the one-man-band behind SUNSPARK, a new animated short playing at this year's Fantasia International Film Festival. The movie follows a plucky robot named Zap, who lives in a humanless post-apocalypse characterized by flat, dry, dusty land. That is, however, except for two things: Zap's humble Dust Bowl-era abode and a mountainous junkyard, managed by really-late-stage capitalist Jimbot, who accepts payment in the form of sunflowers.On a search for supplies, Zap finds the discarded shell of a robot and dedicates themselves to the project of repairing and restoring them back to life. The dedication is so strong, it even includes stripping parts from their own body to give to this other robot.With no dialogue, SUNSPARK manages to tell a gentle sci-fi story that's appropriate for any aged heart, while intriguing the mind regarding subjects of relational sacrifice, the nature of sentience and the effects of humanity's flawed stewardship of the Earth.Danny was able to produce this entire project in less than two years with assistance from the Render Network, a non-profit seeking to provide independent creators with the computing resources needed to produce high-quality work with even higher levels of detail. By stringing together a network of computing/rendering power across a global, decentralized network, Danny was able to bring scenes to life that should've taken more than 10x the time to do so with an individual's home computer power. It speaks to one of SUNSPARK's focuses, the magnifying power of community.It's a beautiful short, one whose universe I'd love to spend more time in. My kids enjoyed hanging with Zap and I'm sure they'd like to peek into more stories and characters in the future.---More info on SUNSPARK can be found here.⁠Follow The Movies on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Letterboxd⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Throw a couple dollars in the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tip jar!

It's Christmas in August, y'all! Fantasia International Film Festival mercifully brings UNHOLY NIGHT to us, likely to get our minds off of this 100-degree (37-degree, for you Celsius-users) weather.At an Italian family's Christmas Eve dinner, festivities are interrupted when the grandmother, deceased for a few years, returns, with an undead look and feral rage. It's then up to the awkward 30-something Gino (Marc BenDavid) to muster up some cojones and save not only his family, but his ex-girlfriend Rene (Shailene Garnett), who lives next door and may be confronted by some other undead elders...The movie seems like it'll be a goofy, zombie-splaterring time and, in some ways, it is. But what I loved about Gabriele's screenplay and direction is how it uses the concept to pursue questions of familial expectations, managing a set of regrets, acquiring the bravery needed to stand up for oneself. It dips toes into multiple genres and tones, succeeding on all fronts.I talked with Gabriele about his movie's themes, the experience of designing a set with 3+ generations' worth of family history, the demanding camera work, and so much more.---More info on UNHOLY NIGHT's Fantasia premiere can be found here.Follow The Movies on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Letterboxd⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Throw a couple dollars in the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tip jar!

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It's been 281 episodes since the last live-action Spider-Man review. I'm old.SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY is directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, the first of the MCU movies not to be helmed by Jon Watts. With this new change comes a new vantage point. Instead of this movie dropping Spider-Man (Tom Holland) into the wider MCU universe and its ramifications, this film gives the Webhead more of a chance to shine on his own.Some of this is by design: NO WAY HOME ended with Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) granting Peter a spell to make everyone forget not only that Peter Parker is Spider-Man's secret identity, but also to forget Peter Parker even exists. The Witness Protection Program could never.In this isolation, Peter becomes a full-time friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, stopping robberies and cooperating with the cops while wistfully scrolling through Snap stories of his best friends Ned and MJ (Jacob Batalon & Zendaya), who are enjoying their four years at M.I.T.Peter's life at this moment is all work with some aunt-grieving on the side. The constant hero stress and bruising activates a response from Pete's arachnid DNA: it's morphin' time! With it comes a sort of Spider-puberty. He grows much stronger, develops organic webbing (I'm sure Tobey's in the other universe cackling. "How's the spinerette juice, fucker?") , and grows prone to a more feral, angry temperament. For a Spider-Man labeled by New York as a hero, the menace starts to creep in.But wait, there's more! (Rest in peace, Billy Mays.) A new threat begins attacking Damage Control centers throughout the city. This government agency is, in a way, picking up where SHIELD left off, with a focus on repurposing alien and enhanced-human tech for the betterment of all mankind. This threat has a way of possessing people's bodies, hopscotching their way past security officers and into vaults, searching for the most valuable technology called V-Max.A Spider-sense can only do so much against someone who can jump between bodies at will. It does even less against someone with the capability of finding Peter's loved ones and putting them in a danger he previously thought impossible. I haven't seen him this psychologically disturbed by a villain since Hobgoblin from the '90s TV show.The new ground-level approach does well for crafting a more lived-in New York. Holland's performance is better than ever. The different MCU characters introduced don't step on each other's toes. And yet, I find the big issue with these Spider-Man films remain: they're overstuffed. As a result, I spend more time looking at the clock rather than letting my heart get swept away by the drama.But as is, it's a good leap in the right direction for these movies. Let's hope the next film lands as a WINTER SOLDIER to this one's FIRST AVENGER.---Follow The Movies on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Letterboxd⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Throw a couple dollars in the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tip jar!

More info on BIRDCALL can be found here.---Follow The Movies on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Letterboxd⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Throw a couple dollars in the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tip jar!

Tim Riedel grew up thinking his stories didn't matter. He didn't see a lot of Indigenous movies, even less featuring his Red River Metis tribe; the ones he caught felt more like Schoolhouse Rock primers for Whitey.So as a filmmaker, he turned his attention outwards to More info on ANCESTRAL BEASTS can be found here.---Follow The Movies on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Letterboxd⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Throw a couple dollars in the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tip jar!

Jo Gaffney is saving movies. The 24-year-old Vancouver director is to premiere their new short THE LAST DIY SHOW at Fantasia International Film Festival in...35 minutes, as I type this. Shot on 16mm, the punk rock zombie comedy exemplifies the scrappy, go-for-broke, collaborative attitude that acts as a salve to an era increasingly plagued with AI slop.It's not anti-AI, per say. Gaffney's not wagging their finger at a tech bro crowd. Their argument's made in the smorgasbord of art laying around THE LAST DIY SHOW's set, repurposed from that of a local punk venue. I'm talking homemade posters, flyers, fake merch. A cross-section showcasing the inside of someone's body sees organs bedazzled in sparkles via stop-motion animation in order to reveal what happens to the human body when it goes full zombie. Each frame of 16mm film is revealed with tatters intact, hinting at the frame preceding it, just out of sight.The medium is the message: analog is not only king, but also vital to human expression. There's joy to discover through paint-stained fingers and cardboard props, foley sessions made of squashed fruit, nights spent alongside friends and partners, packed like sardines at a parent's house. The textures, the imperfections stick to the brain like graffiti to a wall, lipstick to a mirror. And these tokens of well-spent time survive, long beyond what a human body can hold.Movies are tokens of experience, communicating the desires and troubles we struggle to put to words. To leave these feelings to mere prompts is ephemeral and misses the point. Instead, try shooting 3,000 feet of film over four days to tell a story about a punk-rock breakup while surviving the first hour of the zombie apocalypse. I think you'll have more fun and, much like Jo Gaffney, you'll be saving movies too.THE LAST DIY SHOW is playing as part of Fantasia's Perilous Ports program July 21st at 6:35pm EST (lol right now). More info can be found here.---Follow The Movies on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Letterboxd⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Throw a couple dollars in the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tip jar!

This year marks Fantasia International Film Festival's 30th edition, and as such, I'm raising the curtain with 30 movies (15 features, 15 shorts) I believe y'all should check out, either while walking the floor in Canada or scrolling virtually via the comfort of your own home!Features1. SLEEP NO MORE dir. Edwin. Jul 18. 2. ATTACK ON PARADISE dir. Bob Colaers. Jul 19.3. YOU ARE THE FILM dir. Makoto Ueda. Jul 19.4. LOS VAMPIRES dir. Craig Mitchell. Jul 21. 5. SOMEONE'S DAUGHTER dir. Wiebke von Carolsfeld. Jul 21. 6. NIGHTBORN dir. Hanna Bergholm. Jul 22.7. NO REST FOR THE WICKED dir. Kasper Kalle. Jul 22 & 25.8. FERINE dir. Andrea Corsini. Jul 23 & 26.9. INSECTASY dir. Angus Silver. Jul 24 & 27.10. SOUR MINNOWS dir. Harrison Atkins. Jul 24 & 29.11. UNHOLY NIGHT dir. Michael Gabriele. Jul 25 & 27.12. THE GLORIOUS DEAD dir. John Adams & Toby Poser.  Jul 27.13. COLONY dir. Yeon Sang-ho. Jul 29.14. THE PERIL AT PINCER POINT dir. Noah Stratton-Twine and Jake Kuhn. Aug 1 & 2.15. THE FOX dir. Dario Russo. Aug 2.Shorts1. JINGLE JANGLE dir. Sionne Elise - Jul 17.2. GOODBYE, MONSTER dir. Luke Barnett - Jul 17. 3. THE MAN THAT I WAVE AT dir. Ben S. Hyland - Jul 17.4. 20001: A SPACE ODYSSEY dir. Haruki Kasugamori - Jul 18.5. SPEEDY! dir. Oh Ji-in - Jul 20.6. MAN EATING PUSSY dir. Emily Lawson - Jul 21.7. THE LAST DIY SHOW dir. Jo Gaffney - Jul 21.8. REDNECK dir. Alexandria Basso - Jul 26.9. ANGELS dir. Sam Mandich - Jul 26.10. FRIENDS LIKE US dir. Ray Savaya - Jul 30 & 31.11. THE RETURN SOLUTION dir. Nathan Dubé - Jul 31.12. PRIMUS LE ROBOT dir. Max Delagrave - Aug 2.13. MANCAVE dir. Fredrik S. Hana - Aug 2.14. PASS dir. Jon Ramirez - Aug 2.15. MANHOLE dir. Jake Low - Aug 2.---Follow The Movies on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Letterboxd⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Throw a couple dollars in the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tip jar!

Anthony Frith, disillusioned by the possibility his filmmaking dreams might have been usurped by everyday responsibilities, decided to go boldly into the unknown.He emailed legendary mockbuster (parodies of blockbuster films - i.e. TRANSMORPHERS instead of TRANSFORMERS) studio The Asylum to ask if they'd let him direct a movie. Never mind the fact Anthony had never directed a feature film. But the worst they could say was "No," right?To his surprise, The Asylum accepted and this is where Frith's documentary MOCKBUSTER kicks in, telling the story of his "6-day special," a phrase coined by The Asylum for movies filmed in - you guessed it - six days.What results is chaos, not dissimilar to that of a freshly-punted anthill. After receiving his mission in Los Angeles, Frith flies home to Australia to wait weeks for a script, wrangle together a local cast and crew, wade through studio interference and get the thing done, all while occasionally staring off into the distance to ask "Am I cut out for this?"It's a touching, funny documentary about providing one's nascent creativity with enough bumps and scrapes to take shape in the real world. What starts out as growing pains, this painful dichotomy between the fears of selling out and the inability to fulfill the purest expressions of art, turns into a gentle reminder: Don't take it all too seriously. Have fun. The joys of birthing a project into the world outweigh the terrors and labors of getting it there. It's a mockbuster, baby. Just say yes.---Watch LESSONS FROM A MIDDLE CLASS ARTIST hereMOCKBUSTER is currently available to watch in select theatres and on digital platforms across the U.S. & Canada.THE LAND THAT TIME FORGOT (the 2025 version from The Asylum, not the 2009 version from the Asylum) is available to watch on Tubi.Follow The Movies on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Letterboxd⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Throw a couple dollars in the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tip jar!

Today, I interview Anthony Frith, the director of MOCKBUSTER. The term refers to a knock-off of a blockbuster. For every FAST AND THE FURIOUS, there's a FAST AND THE FIERCE.No studio does this more prolifically than The Asylum, best known for pumping out B-and-C movies quick, fast and dirty. They're the SHARKNADO crew.Frith sent them a cold email, asking to direct one of their movies and make a documentary about the process. They agreed and MOCKBUSTER, this insane story about getting a movie filmed in just six days, was born.We chatted about being silly online, balancing the needs of an Asylum sci-fi flick with those of a documentary, the realities of moviemaking, the surrealities of having AI write not one but two books about one's unreleased documentary, and so much more.MOCKBUSTER is currently available to watch in select theatres and on digital platforms across the U.S. & Canada.THE LAND THAT TIME FORGOT (the 2025 version from The Asylum, not the 2009 version from the Asylum) is available to watch on Tubi.---Follow The Movies on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Letterboxd⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Throw a couple dollars in the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tip jar!

Today, I interview Nevin Seus, one of the music editors of SUPERGIRL!A 20-year-veteran in Hollywood, he's no stranger to DC projects, working on MAN OF STEEL, BATMAN V. SUPERMAN and JUSTICE LEAGUE.However, this newest project represents a different challenge for him, given that composer Claudia Sarne (THE BOOK OF ELI, TRIPLE 9) had only six weeks to deliver a full score. For Seus, that means whatever pieces Sarne provided needed to be distilled into its clearest and most impactful form, ASAP.Sometimes, this means stripping a scene entirely of music. In others, it means suggesting accents to give a fight scene more weight or hunting down the synthesizer that'd distinguish a space alien's presence in the score.During much of this interview, I try to break down what it means to work as a music editor, list the responsibilities entailed. I think we do an honorable job, but I get the impression from Seus that a mere 30 minutes won't even crack the pavement on this subject. It's a multifaceted job for those dedicated to infusing stories with the right details, the essential musical backbone that makes movies magical.SUPERGIRL is now available to watch in, likely, any and every theater you can find.---Follow The Movies on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Letterboxd⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Throw a couple dollars in the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tip jar!

HUNGRY is now available to watch in select theaters and on VOD.⁠---Follow The Movies on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Letterboxd⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Throw a couple dollars in the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tip jar!

THIS ORDINARY THING is a documentary about the non-Jews who risked the lives of themselves and their families in order to hide and rescue Jews during the Holocaust.Testimonies are read by a who's who of actors, including Dame Helen Mirren, Stephen Lang, Stephen Fry, F. Murray Abraham, Lily Tomlin, John Leguizamo and Carrie Coon. I haven't even scratched the surface.This choice is one of many that gives the documentary a modernity that's sobering, frighteningly familiar. As director Nick Davis mentioned in my interview, 1942 seems very close to 2026. These people didn't experience their lives in sepia tone with a cello accompaniment. They didn't have our hindsight; they didn't already know the Nazis would lose.When faced with the persecution and systemic slaughter of their friends and neighbors, under the threat of death by local authorities, they were tested. Do they help or turn their backs? In one of the most relieving turn of events, given the current state of the world, these people helped. If they did, there's no excuse for us, in 2026, to not do the same.---THIS ORDINARY THING is now available to stream on Prime or rent on Apple TV.Listen to my interview with THIS ORDINARY THING director Nick Davis hereFollow The Movies on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Letterboxd⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Throw a couple dollars in the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tip jar!

Nick Davis is the director of THIS ORDINARY THING, a documentary about the non-Jews who helped rescue Jews during the Holocaust. It's a collection of fascinating testimonies read by top-caliber actors (including Helen Mirren, Carrie Coon, Lily Tomlin, John Leguizamo, F. Murray Abraham, Lily Rabe) that present a time and place not so dissimilar to our own. These are ordinary people faced with the threat of genocide, the death of their friends and neighbors. Other people who they may consider friends spread hateful rhetoric. The way some people talked about the Jews in this documentary don't seem too far from the ways others will rationalize the Gazan genocide.This modernity is something Davis listed as a goal in this interview, not only as a way to keep this relevant to 2026, but also as the best way to keep these people and their stories alive. It's the ultimate goal of all history, I think, to persist when our bodies cannot.I asked Davis about the stories he couldn't shake, the process of getting Helen Mirren to say yes to the project (something he retells with an air of bewilderment, even as this movie's in the can and available to the public), and the ways which he crafted the story to breathe life back into 1940s Europe.---THIS ORDINARY THING is now available to stream on Prime or rent on Apple TV.Follow The Movies on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Letterboxd⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Throw a couple dollars in the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tip jar!

On this episode of The Movies, I interview Jonathan Zuck and Ramon O'Rourke, the director and producer of the new killer shark movie CHUM.A Maltese destination wedding turns deadly after a boating accident leaves the couple and their friends with only one option: dive into waters inhabited by a man-eater, a shark who gnaws on limbs like turkey legs.Their savior is a rugged, experienced fisherman named Roy. However, let's just say the shark isn't the only killer in CHUM...I talk with Zuck & O'Rourke regarding the challenges of shooting in open water, a feat JAWS director Steven Spielberg cheekily described, of his own decision to do so, as being deprived from a combination of courage and stupidity. The CHUMs concur with knowing grins.We get into the logistics of filming using an armada of boats, the reinterpretations derived in post-production, lessons learned while directing and much, much more.---CHUM is now available to watch in select theaters and on VOD.Watch the work-in-progress cut of CHUM hereFollow The Movies on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Letterboxd⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Throw a couple dollars in the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tip jar!

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On today's episode, I interview Siobhan McCarthy, the writer, director, editor, animator and composer of SHE'S THE HE, a high-school farce about two guys who pose as trans women to sneak into the girls' locker room and allow one bud the opportunity to finally chat up his crush. However, when the other realizes she feels more than comfortable as a trans woman, to the point where she realizes she IS trans, the movie blossoms into a gentle yet goofy primer on the trans experience.McCarthy and I chatted about the memery laden within, the intersections of economic and gender oppression, the GOAT David Lynch and much, much more. I dare y'all to find someone with a brighter Golden Retriever energy. They're just that joyful.---Check out SHE'S THE HE showtimes hereFollow The Movies on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Letterboxd⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Throw a couple dollars in the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tip jar!

In SHE'S THE HE, high school best friends Ethan (Misha Osherovich) and Alex (Nico Carney) devise a foolproof plan. With two weeks left till graduation, only two weeks for Alex to finally drum up the nerve to chat up his crush Sasha (Malia Pyles) and forever shake off the widely believed rumor that he and Ethan are gay for each other...the dudes are gonna pose as trans women, get inside the locker room and allow Alex the one-on-one time he needs to woo the girl.Fuckin' foolproof.But something unexpected develops. It turns out when Ethan puts on the dress and makeup, something clicks into place. It turns out...she actually may BE trans.Writer-director Siobhan McCarthy uses the great 90s-00s teen comedies - CLUELESS, MEAN GIRLS, SHE'S ALL THAT - as the blueprint by which to farcically combat the conversative playbook opposing gender-neutral bathrooms and the idea of trans folx using whatever shitter feels appropriate to them. As the trailer proudly exclaims, we've got trans people playing trans characters and trans people playing cis characters. Even if you're to take the plot and characters at face value, guys trying to sneak into the girls' locker room, the meta of it all, the casting itself combats the idea of genitalia being the be-all-end-all of gender identity and expression. However, despite the silliness and playful attitudes towards high school drama, I find SHE'S THE HE to work best when it follows Ethan's transition, her reckoning with herself, friends and family the feelings and developments that allow her the opportunity to exist with purpose, with clarity. When it comes to sharing the trans experience, SHE'S THE HE does so with gentleness and patience. It's something that doesn't seem to come naturally in a movie that features a bubblegum-colored Corvette cheekily dubbed Dickgobbler but y'know...it just simply works.---Check out SHE'S THE HE showtimes hereFollow The Movies on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Letterboxd⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Throw a couple dollars in the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tip jar!

---Texas Frightmare Weekend's ⁠⁠website⁠⁠Follow The Movies on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Letterboxd⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Throw a couple dollars in the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tip jar!

They told me. I listened but never internalized it. Saturdays at Texas Frightmare Weekend are a madhouse. You can't fart and someone be unable to recognize what you've had for breakfast. The line to ride the ESCALATOR winds around like at Six Flags (The escalator actually broke halfway through the day.)Naturally, this day was the most packed. I and my producer/cameraman/best friend Dakota traversed like sardines through vendors, met Steve-O of JACKASS fame (who signs ass cheeks and regales curious onlookers with tales of his fake tooth that's removable at will) and checked out some decked-out hearses.Once the sun set, the convention kicked into high gear. First, the world premiere of Full Moon Features' MODELS VS. WEREWOLVES (AI slop). The movie wasted no time in contextualizing producer Charles Band's claim that Full Moon would release 10 films in 2026. How? AI. AI slathered on the screen like dirty Vaseline. There's no visual language developed, no direction, just the vomiting of pre-existing assets. I'd even grant it the moniker of 'collage' if I believed the placement of said elements extended beyond a Copy-Paste prompt.Operating as a salve to MODELS VS WEREWOLVES was the Fake Horror Trailer Showcase, presented by "Bloody" Bill Pon and Kelley Wilson (CIRCUS OF THE DEAD 1 & 2). Here is where anyone, of any skill level or experience, can submit a trailer for a fake horror movie. It flexes creative muscles and made for a riotous celebration of scrappy independence. Mixed in with the fake trailers were real trailers for GOLDILOCKS (twisted fairytale masked slasher)---Texas Frightmare Weekend's ⁠website⁠Follow The Movies on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Letterboxd⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Throw a couple dollars in the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tip jar!

Coming to you live outside the Grand Ballroom of the Irving Convention Center, The Movies trucks along through Texas Frightmare Weekend 2026!It's Day 2, Saturday, as I record this, but we're gonna be talking about Day 1, Friday.Friday was a learning curve. I had a massive headache, almost - almost - as equally massive anxiety and I struggled to put myself out there to chat with people and share my experience with you lovely people.But I, with the help of a pharmaceutical rapscallion who handed me Tylenol and ibuprofen, persevered. I ended Friday utterly exhausted but grateful at all I was able to see.We're talking exhibits, sweet-ass merch, Joe "Holy shit, he's the first person I see once I enter the building" Dante. For a scary-movie-loving nerd, Texas Frightmare is nirvana. Seriously.If you're still to attend Texas Frightmare Weekend and want some more tips on how to be and do your best there, do yourself a favor and check out Scarah Screamcast's episode on the 10 Commandments of Texas Frightmare. It's gonna save your ass.---Texas Frightmare Weekend's websiteFollow The Movies on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Letterboxd⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Throw a couple dollars in the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tip jar!

PAPERTOWN refers to the town of Canton, North Carolina, whose economy revolves around a local paper mill, owned by Pactiv Evergreen. The town's got less than 4,500 people and 1,200 of them work for the mill. When Pactiv unceremoniously announces the mill's closure within a few months, the town reels, scrambling to understand how their lives, businesses, schools will be affected by the ripple of the mill's absence. Director Jeremy Seifert d. oesn't harp on an elegy to this way of life, rather focusing on the communal bonds that remain. It strips away the bond of coworkers into something more human, something stemmed out of common culture and neighborliness. As America increasingly becomes a post-industrial nation, what is to come of these often rural manufacturing centers? How does economy influence sociology?---PAPERTOWN is currently playing at Mountainfilm 2026 in Telluride, Colorado.Listen to my interview with director Jeremy Seifert hereFollow The Movies on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Letterboxd⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Throw a couple dollars in the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tip jar!⁠

I'm the luckiest duck to be able to attend this year's Texas Frightmare Weekend as press! Gonna be at the Irving Convention Center from May 22-24, alongside other greats such as Matthew Lillard, Joe Dante, Tom Atkins, Tobin Bell, Shawnee Smith - it's a buffet of horror movie royalty.From panels to midnight screenings to "Scaryoke" and exhibitor tents, there's a wealth for any gorehound to embrace and be entertained by.This episode previews the convention schedule, as well as provides a list of TFW do's and don'ts (spoiler alert: water. drink it.)If you're going to Texas Frightmare and you spot me there, feel free to say hi!Download the TFW app for all updates---Follow The Movies on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Letterboxd⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Throw a couple dollars in the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tip jar!

NATCHEZ is a documentary set in Natchez, Mississippi, a town whose main economic source is tourism. What kind of tourism? Antebellum-era mansions. If you're an old, white boomer looking to travel back to an era wherein you could bask in the sun-kissed mansions draped in Spanish moss, where ladies wore hoop skirts and glided across opulent dining halls, these house tours were made for you.But as is with all things Southern, there's a seedier underbelly. There's no way to get that level of rich through cotton without exploitation. without abuse, without slavery.And as more recent generations trend to back away from these kinds of tours, the town starts to reckon with the ways it presents its history, what image they present to the world. Are they willing to weave back in difficult truths regarding slavery and its long-term effects into these historical presentations or will they reject truth?Shot intimately (like where I swear, some of theses subjects are close enough to breath on the lens), Herbert's award-winning documentary (Tribeca 2025, Best Documentary Feature) looks to mix in spoonfuls of Southern charm & wit to make the medicine go down. It's punk as fuck: one of my favorite discoveries of 2026.NATCHEZ is now available to watch for free as part of PBS' INDEPENDENT LENS series.---⁠Follow The Movies on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Letterboxd⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Throw a couple dollars in the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tip jar!

If you're at Mountainfilm Festival, you've got two chances to catch PAPERTOWN:1. Fri, May 22nd, 5:30 PM @ Masons2. Sat, May 23rd, 12:15 PM @ High CampFind more details here---⁠Follow The Movies on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Letterboxd⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Throw a couple dollars in the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tip jar!

For this episode of the 31 Days of Halloween, we got a special guest! Jay Burleson, director/writer of the THIRD SATURDAY IN OCTOBER franchise, joins The Movies to chat about the duology.What's up with all the cats? Will Johnny Stevens return? What's next for the franchise? If you're a War Damn Seahawk, this is NO conversation to miss!---Watch the THIRD SATURDAY IN OCTOBER movies on Tubi!Watch Jay Burleson's newest movie KENNELED on Screambox!Follow The Movies on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Letterboxd⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Throw a couple dollars in the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tip jar!

The second half of Jay Burleson's THIRD SATURDAY IN OCTOBER duology is here! It's also the first movie in the franchise! Let's hear it for out-of-order storytelling!This movie's better than PART V. Where the latter specializes in Troma-style camp and gore effects, this movie's got a stronger sense of atmosphere and foreboding, as it borrows more from '70s horror flicks like THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE. The death-row-inmate Jakkariah Harding is freshly barbecued via electric chair and pissed the fuck off, hunting the parents of his latest victims. But as slashers do, he'll just nab any-and-everybody he finds cause I guess he's going for a killstreak, 30 years before CALL OF DUTY went modern.I've yet to mention Kelvin Wooten's (also known as Wu10) score. It's one of my all-time favorite horror scores, resemblent of the haunting, ominous sounds of Halloween, perfect for driving slowly down a sleepy hometown road. In the dark, with this music on, you'll swear you can spot any creep behind a cloud of fog. Its blend of synths, jazz, funk and orchestral tinges give this a flavor that you can simultaneously vibe, dance and recoil to. Put this on at your next Halloween party; it's just gonna slap.And then "Meow Meow Meow Meow" will kick on. Hehehehehe. I love a franchise that loves cats.SURPRISE! I'm not quite done with THE THIRD SATURDAY IN OCTOBER movies because on the next episode of The Movies, Jay Burleson comes onto the show to talk about his slasher combo masterpiece, as well as his new film, KENNELED, which is now available to stream on Screambox. Stick around, friends; we got a special interview coming!---Follow The Movies on ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠Letterboxd⁠⁠⁠⁠Throw a couple dollars in the ⁠⁠⁠⁠tip jar!

If you're gonna get me to talk about the same movie on the podcast twice, it simply must be a banger, right?In a way, this duology (surprise!) is the reason I even conceived of the 31 Days of Halloween series for The Movies: I wanted to highlight movies that were seasonal classics to me but maybe not yet for everyone else.Jay Burleson's THE THIRD SATURDAY IN OCTOBER films exist as beautiful snapshots, not only of the eras in which they take influence but also the eras in which they were discovered by Gen Xers/Millennials.If THE THIRD SATURDAY IN OCTOBER is billed as this undervalued, previously discarded horror franchise about a death-row-inmate-turned-boogeyman stalking & hunting denizens of a sleepy Alabama town, then PART V reflects a campier, cheaper entry. Think HALLOWEEN 5: THE REVENGE OF MICHAEL MYERS or FRIDAY THE 13TH: A NEW BEGINNING.It's at this point in the "franchise" you're supposed to enter, because when you grew up in the '80s/'90s, your film education depended on the local video store's stock. Sure, they'd have copies of the NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET movies, but it was nearly inevitable that somebody had rented the first film. Another guy probably has DREAM WARRIORS sitting on his shelf with the Blockbuster packaging on the VHS rented so long ago, the late fees surpass the value of a brand new copy.So, as a burgeoning preteen, you take what you can get (or what you can sneak past the clerk and your parents).Burleson nails the atmosphere. I can almost feel the crispness of the fall air, the crunch of amber-paletted leaves under my feet. Football season is in full swing and the excitement of trick-or-treaters and scary movies are just around the corner. It's a magical time of year for us weirdos. What better place and time to set a slasher film?Hit up Tubi and check this movie out immediately. Speaking of immediately, the other half of this duology review is out as I type. Once you finish PART V, come back to the 1st: THE THIRD SATURDAY IN OCTOBER.---Follow The Movies on ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠Letterboxd⁠⁠⁠Throw a couple dollars in the ⁠⁠⁠tip jar!

WHO MOVES AMERICA? tells the story of the UPS Teamsters Union's efforts in 2023 to negotiate a fair contract with UPS lest they force a company-wide strike. Some members remember the last strike, in 1997, wherein Teamsters fought to maintain workers' pensions and avoid a slashing of full-time jobs in favor of cheaper part-time jobs. Now, the full-time vs. part-time rhetoric is being combatted, as Teamsters seek a contract that also increases part-timers pay. Another goal is an elimination of the 22.4 position, a hybrid position that in theory, allows drivers flexibility by mixing their shifts with indoor package handling, but in practice, results in UPS sending more drivers out with less pay and no overtime protection. The company basically found a way to run drivers ragged for less money. Fuckin' capitalism, am I right?But Bridge's movie doesn't harp on contract intricacies, instead humanizing workers with different situations. One Brooklyn teamster picketed during the '97 strike and wishes to leave a better legacy for his brethren moving forward. Another young father from California joins Teamster meetings in order to facilitate a better path forward for his family. Another Kentucky woman is a part-timer working while studying in college, skeptical of what real benefits a new contract will offer but receptive to any advances. We see them chatting in diners, prepping kids for bedtime, getting made up in their bathrooms. Bridge's approach is intimate, reminding us of the faces and lives in mind during each round of negotiations.It's not a movie that wraps things up in a bow and I wonder if Bridge's ending reigns more critical of the Teamsters' efforts than one would think. But as President Bartlett from THE WEST WING says, "...change comes in excruciating increments for those who want it."As Dave Hause puts it, "There's always some dirty fucker, always some corner-cutting son of a bitch."So it's inevitable that there will always be another contract. Thankfully, WHO MOVES AMERICA? reminds us that the spirit of collective bargaining is also always alive and fucking well.---⁠⁠⁠Buy tickets for the April 30th screening of WHO MOVES AMERICA at the Austin Film Society hereFollow The Movies on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Letterboxd⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Throw a couple dollars in the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tip jar!⁠⁠

THE SUPER MARIO GALAXY MOVIE is a Greatest Hits show reel for a 40-year-old franchise, for better and worse. But, as a guy who blasted through the game 19 years ago (holy shit), who am I kidding? It's all for the better.---⁠Follow The Movies on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Letterboxd⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Throw a couple dollars in the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tip jar!⁠

Last Sunday, April 19, I attended the spring edition of the 48 Hour Sparks Film Race, hosted by Little Spark Films at the Farr Best Theater in Mansfield, TX.The contest challenged teams to conceive, write, shoot, edit and release a short film within just 48 hours. It was a true test of skin-of-one's-teeth pressured filmmaking, with two shorts crossing the finish line.The first, Cory Ahre's gory comedy ALL AMERICAN BBQ, featured zombies enjoying a particularly droll barbecue until a pig boy grows wise to the ingredients of his hot dog and, frenzied with anger, goes on a fucking rampage.The second, Jacob Harper's Satanic Panic-inspired thriller MUSIC TO MY EARS, featured a metalhead sequestered by a government stooge hellbent on removing such music from American society. Can she break free before her captor sentences her to the kind of aural torture that threatens to implode her skull?Which of these shorts won the grand prize of an interview with Horrorhound Radio and Rue Morgue, free studio time at Sprocket Hole Entertainment Studios and a free session with Open Aerial Video's drone operator? Listen on and discover, true believers!---Follow Little Spark Films on their websiteFollow The Movies on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Letterboxd⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Throw a couple dollars in the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tip jar!⁠

Finally making my way through the backlog by fulfilling a long-awaited (putting it lightly) listener request! This one comes from critic Danielle Ryan who gave me their all-time favorite movie: Danny DeVito's DEATH TO SMOOCHY.The film stars Robin Williams as a daytime children's show host named Rainbow Randolph who's pinched by the FBI for accepting briberies from parents to give their kids special treatment while in the studio audience. The network responds to the scandal by canning Rainbow and hunting for the squeakiest and cleanest replacement possible.Enter Edward Norton as Smoochy the Rhino, a folk-song-playing guy in a purple rhino costume whose catalogue features songs about eating one's vegetables and practicing patience regarding one's douchebag stepdad. This guy was preaching the values of all organic, vegan and high protein diets more than a decade before influencer and social media marketing.Smoochy then finds himself in a whirlwind of opinions: the vice president of development (Catherine Keener) sees him as a glorified stand-in; his manager (Danny DeVito) can't wait to prop his star power in order to receive his cut; a mob boss using a nonprofit as a front wants Smoochy's participation in their grandest event. Did I forget the increasingly unhinged and jealous Rainbow wants Smoochy's foam head on a pike?This movie's fucking insane, as though Tim Burton directed a version of Dick Tracy by way of NETWORK. However, this screenplay, penned by David Letterman writer Adam Resnick, is so sharply written, so full of character, dark satire and geniune heart, that I find myself wholeheartedly embracing this stylistic hodge-podge.Williams is delightfully deranged but I think Norton comes out the film's MVP. Taking a guy known for angry, darker roles in films such as FIGHT CLUB and AMERICAN HISTORY X and having him flex the opposite side of his moral range, despite being given a wealth of justification to tell these people to fuck themselves...and having me believe this expression of goodness and forgiveness? It's a stellar feat. I honestly think it's my favorite Norton performance.This movie made me grin from ear to ear, laughing my ass off along the way. It's an unfairly maligned gem.---DEATH TO SMOOCHY is available to watch for free on Tubi, amigos!Follow Danielle Ryan's writing on SlashFilmFollow The Movies on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Letterboxd⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Throw a couple dollars in the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tip jar!⁠

In THE TRAVEL COMPANION, a struggling documentarian named Simon (Tristan Turner) has one professional (and personal) thing going for him: the friendship with roommate Bruce (Anthony Oderbeck). Bruce works for an airline and has Simon signed up as his travel companion, allowing Simon to nab free flights to anywhere on standby seating. For a documentary filmmaker, the ability to nab desired locations for free is crucial, allowing Simon to get rare footage on the cheap.Does he know what the movie's gonna be about? Not yet, but that's something he's marinating on.While Simon stresses over his movie, Bruce starts a relationship with Beatrice (Naomi Asa), a fellow talented director capable of handling budgets and sets Simon couldn't even dream of. And now, the airline perks are being placed into question, so Simon tries his damndest to keep his friendship alive whiel assuring those tickets stay in his grasp.The movie is less ha-ha funny and more relatably funny, laugh-not-to-cry funny to a guy whose own creative project often feels like it consumes him at the expense of time and memories spent with his loved ones.It's gorgeously photographed (New York is a fuckin' cheat. code.) and the jazz score is lush and frenetic. The movie doesn't necessarily tie everything together in a bow, but I'll choose to see that as an experiential stopping point. Wood and Mallis based the movie in part upon personal experiences so I imagine the lessons learned only extend as far as their own conclusions. Maybe we'll check back in in 2036's THE TRAVEL COMPANIONS (There's definitely gonna be a baby involved.) ---THE TRAVEL COMPANION is making its way around the country in select theaters - Find showtimes here.Follow The Movies on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Letterboxd⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Throw a couple dollars in the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tip jar!⁠

UNDERTONE is best watched within two visual extremes: a movie theater and a laptop. What remains the same in those two instances is the intended environment: no distractions, enveloped by sound, whether from a Dolby Atmos sound system or a good pair of over-the-ear headphones.This is a movie where what you hear is the star of the show and what you see sets the stage for you to have no escape from some disturbing terror.Evy (Nina Kiri) is the host of horror podcast The Undertone, joined by best friend and co-host Justin (Adam DiMarco). One night, Justin shares an anonymous email received that features 10 different audio files. The files tell the story of a married couple seemingly experiencing a haunting. Typical fare for skeptic Evy but as the audio unfurls, she notices her environment growing a little darker, spookier than normal.Tuason is currently tapped to direct the next PARANORMAL ACTIVITY installment but I've no idea how he'll top what's done here. UNDERTONE is simple, predictable, even, but handled with such care and elegance that the result remains the same: a nail-biter of a haunted house movie that left me walking out of the theater with residue chills. This is a - great - fucking movie.---UNDERTONE is now available to watch in select theaters or on PVOD.Follow The Movies on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Letterboxd⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Throw a couple dollars in the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tip jar!⁠

I interview Rushabh Patel, executive producer and star of the new horror movie I KNOW EXACTLY HOW YOU DIE. Patel stars as Rian, a author who's checked into a dilapidated motel in order to finish his horror novel. However, the events he writes down on his laptop start coming to life, up to and including Rian meeting his protagonist, Katie, who's being stalked by a serial killer. Now, Rian must team up with Katie in order to save her from the most gruesome fate.I KNOW EXACTLY HOW YOU DIE veers into surreal territories, moments where time and reality bend so I asked Patel about how to remain anchored in a performance that lends itself to such chaos.This is also Patel's feature debut as a producer so I also had to ask what he learned from working as an executive producer, being down and dirty with the movie from its inception. His answer is simple but crucial. Y'all gotta listen to this.---I KNOW EXACTLY HOW YOU DIE is now available to watch, buy or rent on VOD.Follow The Movies on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Letterboxd⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Throw a couple dollars in the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tip jar!⁠

I KNOW EXACTLY HOW YOU DIE is pitched as SCREAM meets STRANGER THAN FICTION, about a horror writer (Rushabh Patel) who realizes their story is coming to life within a dilapidated motel. Now, he needs to help his protagonist (Stephanie Hogan) escape the gruesome fate of being stalked and murdered by a serial killer.I appreciate some of the ideas presented, mainly the idea of someone covering up their internal turmoil with creative endeavors to routinely diminishing results. I like the idea that this writer is now forced to take on a different sort of responsibility to his characters and story; the stakes impose more heavily whenever real flesh and blood are involved.However, i found I KNOW EXACTLY HOW YOU DIE to be mainly a half-formed smattering of these ideas, often discarding character development and a sense of tension, urgency for meandering runtime-extending conversations and the kind of dream sequences that serve a similar attention-grabbing purpose as waving a set of keys in front of a baby's face.I think this team has potential but this movie ain't it.---I KNOW EXACTLY HOW YOU DIE is now available to watch, buy or rent via video on demand.Follow The Movies on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Letterboxd⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Throw a couple dollars in the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tip jar!⁠