When J.J. Abrams released Cloverfield in 2008, it arrived cloaked in secrecy. Now, some eight years later, the film’s so-called “blood relative” (Abrams’ term, not mine), comes with a similar marketing strategy. Going-in, viewers are unlikely...
Come PlaySometimes, the lure of generic horror tropes can be too strong for even the most high-minded films to avoid. Come Play is an example. The premise intrigues with its potential – the idea that just because something looks like a traditional �...
Gone in the NightThere’s a reason I’m dubious about using Airbnb for renting a vacation home – it’s because I’ve seen too many horror/thrillers where a double-booking leads to a double-bonking. (Although I have heard there’s also a rom-com out there us...
I.S.S.Three Russians and three Americans living in harmony aboard the International Space Station (I.S.S.) – that’s the setup for Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s science fiction thriller, I.S.S. The film’s early scenes depict the day-to-day interaction...
PeppermintIn 2018, vigilantism is all the rage. I wonder whether that says something about our current culture or whether it’s just something Hollywood has latched onto as a way of making a buck. Peppermint is the third such high-profile film to come t...
Short Term 12It's so easy to go wrong with a film like this. So easy to tart it up with sentiment, to turn up the mawkishness to an "11." For an example of how badly wrong this sort of thing can go, just think Patch Adams, where the manipulation never stopped c...
UnderwaterUnderwater is all adrenaline and claustrophobia – a 95-minute non-stop excursion to the bottom of the sea where human beings are aliens and monstrous creatures haunt the depths. Director William Eubank (The Signal) understands that for a mov...
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