It was the summer of 2015 and I was sitting in our local theater preparing to watchPixar’s latest film, Inside Out. I wasn’t sure what to expect since their two previous films(Brave and Monsters University) were hit-and-miss with theatergoers and critics alike.To attempt what looked like an animated film disguised as a psychological study of…
Dark Highway is one of the most terrifying films in recent memory. No, there’s no jump scares or demonic possessions. What makes Dark Highway so terrifying is that it exposes true evil. The type that really lurks in the shadows of our world, living in the shadows and staying out of sight. Directed by Anna Jane Edmonds, the…
Sometimes, the greatest demons we fight aren’t the ones of the spiritual realm. In The Exorcism, Anthony Miller (Russell Crowe) is an actor who’s struggling to find work. When he finally lands a role in a supernatural horror film, he believes he may have found a role that can help him rebuild his career. When his…
I’ve fallen in love with an older woman. And her name is Thelma. At the age of 93, Thelma (June Squibb) takes joy in simple things like needlepoint and spending time with her grandson. However, after she is taken advantage of by a phone scammer, June is left heartbroken and ashamed. Furious that she would fall…
As an American filmmaker, Jeff Nichols has always been interested in America and its more unexplored parts. In another collaboration with Michael Shannon (but not starring him), Nichols loosely adapts the plotless collection of photos and interviews of Danny Lyon, who is featured in the film and played by Mike Faist. The film is some…
“I felt evil blow into Jonestown.” In 1978, over 900 people who had followed a charismatic religious leader to a South American jungle died. It is often seen as a mass suicide. It is more properly understood as a mass murder. Cult Massacre: One Day in Jonestown from National Geographic chronicles those events as told…
“Can I die and be reborn as a girl?” In Estibaliz Urresola Solaguren’s 20,000 Species of Bees, an eight-year-old who is experiencing gender dysphoria searches for an identity. The child’s mother has her own identity issues to deal with. How each sees themselves and how the world around them sees them creates both conflict and…
It was always an unenviable task to return to Riley’s mind. In 2015’s marvellous Inside Out, Pixar created a world that felt entirely fresh. With emotional depth (pun intended), the film was lauded for its brilliance and originality. As a result, one can’t blame fans for fearing its sequel. After all, the first film was such…
Directed by Amnon Carmi, Yaniv follows Barry Bernstein (Ben Ducoff), a high school drama teacher who’s budget is slashed entirely, throwing their upcoming production of Little Shop of Horrors into disarray. But things seem to be looking up when Barry hears about an underground gambling scene for the Hasidic community, centred around a little known card game called ‘yaniv’….
Life is no laughing matter. I Used to be Funny tells the story of Sam (Rachel Sennott), a young stand-up comedian who is battling PTSD. As we take steps into her past, we discover that she recently took a job as a nanny in order to make ends meet. By caring for Brooke, a teen whose…
