20 Days in Mariupol

20 Days in Mariupol

“20 Days in Mariupol,” about the first 20 days of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, spares no one’s sensibilities. It goes on a short list of great documentaries that the viewer will never want to watch again and likely won’t need to because some of the images are so gruesome and the context so upsetting that they’ll be…

John Magaro in Indie Supernatural Horror Film ‘The Mistress’ Trailer

John Magaro in Indie Supernatural Horror Film ‘The Mistress’ Trailer

“I’m not very good with temptation…” Blue Fox Entertainment has revealed an official trailer for an indie horror film titled The Mistress, from filmmaker Greg Pritikin. This premiered at a couple of regional film festivals last year, and will be getting a VOD release at the end of July this summer. Newlyweds move into their…

What We Do in the Shadows Maintains Hysterical Bite in Fifth Season

What We Do in the Shadows Maintains Hysterical Bite in Fifth Season

The fangs of the offbeat, quirky, and queer vampires of Staten Island—Nandor (Kayvan Novak), Laszlo (Matt Berry), Nadja (Natasia Demetriou), and Colin Robinson (Mark Proksch)—and human familiar (or so we think) Guillermo (Harvey Guillén) are still sharp as ever. Five seasons deep into “What We Do in the Shadows,” these buoyant batty vamps might return…

KVIFF 2023: Wrap-Up and Awards

KVIFF 2023: Wrap-Up and Awards

Since last year, when I attended Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (KVIFF) for the first time, I’ve dreamt about coming back. The festival is not just a one-stop shop for most Eastern European cinema, particularly of the Czech variety, but works from Cannes Film Festival, Berlinale, SXSW, and Sundance also make their way to the…

Mack Bates Starring Onstage in Our Town

Mack Bates Starring Onstage in Our Town

I am happy to announce that Mack Bates, a contributor to Black Writers Week at RogerEbert.com, is starring in the Lake Country Playhouse’s production of Thornton Wilder’s “Our Town” in Hartland, Wisconsin. He’s portraying the role of Frank Gibbs, a small town doctor, in the show, which is a period piece set in the fictional town of Grover’s Corners,…

Wham!

Wham!

Whether you still know every word to “Wham Rap!” four decades later or only remember the British pop duo as “George Michael and that other guy,” you’ll find everything you want in the Netflix documentary “Wham!” Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonFull disclosure up front: I am very much in the former…

How the Film Fast Food Nation Helped Me Become a Vegetarian | Movie-Blogger.com

How the Film Fast Food Nation Helped Me Become a Vegetarian | Movie-Blogger.com

Sylvia (Catalina Sandino Moreno) gets ready for work on the first day of her new job at the Uni-Globe plant in Fast Food Nation. Attribution link: http://madeinatlantis.com/movies_central/2006/fast_food_nation.htm Becoming a vegetarian was actually easier than I thought it would be. I never cared for fatty meat. There’s nothing worse than enjoying your tasty and supposedly lean…

The Unloved, Part 115: The Drowning Pool

The Unloved, Part 115: The Drowning Pool

The name Stuart Rosenberg will never be forgotten by a certain breed of film lover. To others, he may never gain any kind of a foothold at all. Rosenberg was a solid craftsman of sturdy dramatic work but he was also a crucial crafter of some of the most important parts of Paul Newman’s legend. He directed him…

Acting Magic: Alan Arkin (1934-2023)

Acting Magic: Alan Arkin (1934-2023)

To impact two different generations for two completely disparate films takes a remarkable actor. Alan Arkin was that kind of actor.  Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonGrowing up, I watched the 1982 animated film “The Last Unicorn” obsessively, but not for the reason you might think. It was for Arkin’s voice performance…

Terrifying Amnesia: The Bunker Demands You to Get Creative to Survive

Terrifying Amnesia: The Bunker Demands You to Get Creative to Survive

“You can overcome most obstacles in multiple ways. Use your wits and your brains. Experiment. If you think something might be possible to do, it probably is.” Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonThese words pop up often in Frictional Games’ “Amnesia: The Bunker,” a new horror video game experience that seems simple…

Harris Dickinson in Excellent Fatherhood Indie Film ‘Scrapper’ Trailer

Harris Dickinson in Excellent Fatherhood Indie Film ‘Scrapper’ Trailer

“Didn’t think I needed you… And I don’t need you to replace mum.” Picturehouse in the UK has revealed an official trailer for an acclaimed indie film titled Scrapper, marking the feature directorial debut of British filmmaker Charlotte Regan. This first premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, and it also played…

It Cuts So Close to the Bone: Lee Cronin on Evil Dead Rise

It Cuts So Close to the Bone: Lee Cronin on Evil Dead Rise

Cheese graters, tattoo needles, kitchen scissors—it would be harder to name a household object that isn’t put to exorbitantly gory good use in Lee Cronin’s “Evil Dead Rise,” a gratifyingly lean and impressively mean new installment in the long-running horror franchise.  Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonKick-started by Sam Raimi’s classic 1981…

Hijack

Hijack

Just enough of Apple TV’s latest high-profile thriller works to recommend it, even if it never quite achieves the heights it should with its premise and captivating leading man. Idris Elba has had a fascinating career in that he has the screen charisma to be a movie star, and yet his most popular roles remain…