“I’m not afraid to die.” The refrain of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds’ ‘The Mercy Seat’ seems hardcoded into the DNA of Julia Ducournau’s third feature, which sees the Palme d’Or winner move away from the shock and awe body horror of Raw and Titane into something somehow sadder and stranger. That’s how 13-year-old … Read more
Despite only running between 2004 and 2007, To Catch a Predator had an indelible impact on popular culture. Fronted by the journalist Chris Hansen, the 44-minute episodes became must-see TV, as law enforcement set up sting operations around the US to lure sex offenders into the open using actual minors as decoys. The series was also … Read more
A teenage girl is afraid her parents are going to divorce because it’s all her fault because that’s why parents divorce (you should always let your children know that, of course) but finds hope when she and her annoying little brother discover a book about the Sandman–and his power to make dreams come true. Netflix’s … Read more
Now You See Me: Now You Don’t pulls the ultimate illusion: tricking me into hoping that this third entry would be better than the last two. Tedious and offensively stupid in a sleight-of-hand way that some audience members will be fooled by, Now You See Me 3 coasts thanks to another breezy adventure/heist plot and … Read more
When you have need to go into a hospital, most people in their right mind would expect one of two possible outcomes: firstly, you might walk out back out the door with some deeper clarity of your suspected ailments; or secondly, you might not come out at all, if circumstances are particularly grave. In Dolores Fonzi’s … Read more
It’s hard to imagine today, but there was a point where viral marketing campaigns for horror movies were a rare pleasure, and found footage horrors like The Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity truly cornered this promotional market. Shelby Oaks, the crowd-funded debut by YouTube personality Chris Stuckmann, follows in their footsteps in subgenre and advertising style. Riley Brennan (Sarah Durn), … Read more
In Good Fortune, Aziz Ansari returns to the scene after a way-too-long hiatus and gives us a thoroughly enjoyable drama-comedy about a frontline worker, a tech bro, and a low-rent guardian angel who looks a lot like Keanu Reeves. Reeves plays Gabriel, an angel with small wings who, despite being tasked with saving people from … Read more
In a landscape of historical subversions and reinterpretations, Palestine 36 tells the story straight. Before revolution brings violent coherence as writer-director Annemarie Jacir’s cast of all-too-familiar archetypes juggle developments in Palestine over the course of 1936. There’s the introspective youth Yusuf (Karim Daoud Anaya), who moves from Palestinian villages ravaged by unhinged military man Captain Wingate … Read more
In a movie that isn’t nearly as sexy as its marketing, but still is sort of sexy, Bone Lake is about two couples who find they have both booked the same ridiculously large VRBO, decide to share the place, and end up sort of trying to seduce each other. Oh, and it’s a horror movie. … Read more
Firmly at the season’s halfway point, the Bucs are sitting pretty atop the NFC South at 6-2. For the team as a whole, the bye week could not come at a better time, with injuries having battered a ship that looks well on course to make yet another postseason appearance and playoff run. Speaking about … Read more