The 20 Best Horror Movies of 2020

The 20 Best Horror Movies of 2020

This article is part of our 2020 Rewind. Follow along as we explore the best and most interesting movies, shows, performances, and more from this very strange year. In this entry, we tread carefully into the shadows to find the best horror movies of 2020. There’s an argument to be made that horror movies aren’t needed in a…

Horrific Inquiry: BETTER WATCH OUT (2016)

Horrific Inquiry: BETTER WATCH OUT (2016)

Welcome to the newest, and at times goriest, column here at Film Inquiry – Horrific Inquiry. Twice a month, I will be tackling all things horror, each month bringing two films back into the spotlight to terrify and frighten once more. And occasionally looking at those that could have pushed the envelope further. Join us…

The Ripper: Come for The Investigation, Stay for Commentary

The Ripper: Come for The Investigation, Stay for Commentary

It is delightful to be gifted a bonus, right? That’s how I felt after finishing The Ripper, a new true-crime Netflix documentary series.  The Ripper is much more than just the investigation, the strategies, the statistics, the news-footage, the court trials, etc. It is a portrait of a menial police system and their failed attempts…

‘Soul’ Offers Clumsy Blend of Childlike Awe and Grown Up Wonder

‘Soul’ Offers Clumsy Blend of Childlike Awe and Grown Up Wonder

There’s two very different movies in “Soul” vying for our attention. The superior one follows a middle-aged music teacher longing for the career he never had. The second is the kind of high-concept whimsy we’ve seen more than enough of these days. Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonPixar’s “Soul” fuses the two together,…

CLIMATE OF THE HUNTER: A Visually Immersive Period Horror

CLIMATE OF THE HUNTER: A Visually Immersive Period Horror

Climate of the Hunter–directed by Mickey Reece and written by Mickey Reece and John Selvidge–follows two sisters Alma (Ginger Gilmartin) and Elizabeth (Mary Buss) who are both enticed by the same man, Wesley (Ben Hall), who shows vampiric tendencies. Visual Strengths Climate of the Hunter is beautiful in its use of shadows, lighting, and the…

Guardian Gaslighting: Liberal Pub Denies Trump Fans Suffer in Hollywood

Guardian Gaslighting: Liberal Pub Denies Trump Fans Suffer in Hollywood

The headline and subhead for a new Guardian column beggar belief. See for yourself: Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonInfinity culture war: what now for Trump’s Hollywood supporters? From actor Jon Voight to Kirstie Alley, Trump’s celebrity fans have declared war on the left – and there is little sign hostilities will…

Tooth 4 Tooth short film review

Tooth 4 Tooth short film review

★★★★ Directed by: Alice Maio Mackay Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonWritten by: Alice Maio Mackay, Ben P. Robinson Starring: Max Garcia-Underwood, Shabana Azeez, Charlotte Jakubowski, James McCluskey- Garcia, Vincent Donato, Brendan Cooney Read moreRobert Stack Finally Solves a Mystery in ‘The Strange and Deadly Occurrence’,,Film Review by: ,,Jason Knight As the…

Ruckersplaats Hands Monument in Antwerpen, Belgium

Ruckersplaats Hands Monument in Antwerpen, Belgium

Antwerp is home to several symbols and stories involving hands. Such as the severed hand of a giant named Druon Antigoon. Hands have been one of the city’s symbols for several centuries, and visitors can find them in many forms anywhere, including this one hiding in plain sight.  Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonThis…

9 More Dazzling Favorite Movies and Reviews from 2020

9 More Dazzling Favorite Movies and Reviews from 2020

Continuing with our series of dazzling writing from 2020, we present reviews or articles self-selected by each of our editors (Brian Tallerico, Matt Zoller Seitz, Nick Allen, Matt Fagerholm and Nell Minow); and then an article or review of a different writer selected by our editors. For Part I, see here.—Chaz Ebert Read moreA Guide to The…

PALMER Trailer

PALMER Trailer

A man tries to get his life back together in Palmer, the latest from director Fisher Stevens. Eddie’s life was all uphill. As a football star in college, he had everything in front of him until some trouble with the law dashed away all hope. Now out of prison, he’s back home and just trying to…

The Black Stump in Coolah, Australia

The Black Stump in Coolah, Australia

Many Australians have uttered the phrase “Beyond the Black Stump,” but few know where it started. The exact origin of the expression meaning “the middle of nowhere” or “beyond civilization,” is hotly debated. The New South Wales town of Coolah has a pretty convincing backstory to their claim on the original charcoal tree remains. Read…

Hostel Part 3 film review

Hostel Part 3 film review

★★ Directed by: Scott Spiegel Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonWritten by: Michael D. Weiss, Eli Roth Starring: Sarah Habel, Kip Pardue, Brian Hallisay and Zulay Henao Read moreRobert Stack Finally Solves a Mystery in ‘The Strange and Deadly Occurrence’Film Review by: Rachel Pullen Hostel: Part 3 Film Review Ah, 2011, the…

Portslade ‘Gassie’ in Portslade, England

Portslade ‘Gassie’ in Portslade, England

Few people that pass through Portslade, even locals, notice this important piece of local history located alongside a busy road.  Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonOn the corner of Church Road and Wellington Road is a small, run-down wooden “gassie” boat covered in weeds. During the 20th-century, gas works were constructed across the…

20 Great Movies Directed By Women in 2020

20 Great Movies Directed By Women in 2020

This article is part of our 2020 Rewind. Follow along as we explore the best and most interesting movies, shows, performances, and more from this very strange year. In this entry, we highlight essential movies from 2020 directed by women. It’s obvious by now that the gender of a filmmaker, writer, lead actor, or anyone else involved doesn’t…

The Butterflies Have Died film review

The Butterflies Have Died film review

★★★ Directed by: #Rinoshun Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonWritten by: #Rinoshun Starring: #Rinoshun Read moreRobert Stack Finally Solves a Mystery in ‘The Strange and Deadly Occurrence’Film Review by: Patrick Foley What a profound period the first lockdown was for us all. Hours and hours of empty time, and with it the…

Page To Screen: How JOJO RABBIT Fails To Adapt Anti-Fascism

Page To Screen: How JOJO RABBIT Fails To Adapt Anti-Fascism

Page To Screen is a column examining literary adaptations in conversation with their source material. Call up your book club and set out some canapés, we’re talking reading. Every few weeks a clip from Jojo Rabbit does the rounds on Twitter. If you have spent any amount of time on the platform, then you probably already…

Kīlauea’s Lava Lake Is Back, and Volcanologists Are Bubbling With Excitement

Kīlauea’s Lava Lake Is Back, and Volcanologists Are Bubbling With Excitement

Like in many parts of the world, 2020 has been an atrocious year for America: pandemic, wildfires, hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, and more. “But then Kīlauea erupts, and we’re all like: ‘Yes!’” says Jackie Caplan-Auerbach, a seismologist and volcanologist at the Western Washington University. On December 20, 2020, at 9:36 p.m. local time, Kīlauea—the crowning volcanic…

The Satisfaction of Mathematically Efficient Christmas Cookies

The Satisfaction of Mathematically Efficient Christmas Cookies

This December, Martin Lersch, a Norwegian chemist and a passionate cook, rolled out his homemade gingerbread dough and got to work. He flipped his cookie cutter to and fro repeatedly, creating a quilt of cookies in the shape of Christmas trees. But Lersch’s main goal wasn’t simply a batch of delicious holiday cookies. He wanted…