Junta Yamaguchi’s two-minute time loop movie RIVER from Fantasia Fest is endlessly inventive like its predecessor Beyond The Infinite Two Minutes. This one drops the single-take camera wizardry and adds some romance. It is 86 minutes of laughs, movement, and creativity. If you haven’t seen Beyond The Infinite Two Minutes, it is free to watch […]
Aporia
Judy Greer tries to bring back her deceased husband Edi Gathegi with the help of a lo-fi time machine in writer-director Jared Moshe’s Fantasia Festival sci-fi APORIA. The first 25 minutes of the film would have made a satisfying short by itself. Instead Moshe uses it as a setup and goes on to explore the […]
Femme
Nathan Stewart-Jarrett and George MacKay are both fantastic in the neon-lit queer revenge thriller FEMME from Fantasia Festival. Writer-director duo Sam H. Freeman and Ng Choon Ping construct a near perfect script building on the themes introduced in their short of the same name. Intense from the first few minutes, it all leads to an […]
Egghead and Twinkie
Sarah Kambe Holland’s EGGHEAD & TWINKIE is an entertaining coming out/coming-of-age road adventure comedy with lively animation spread in. If you are looking for a feel-good movie with queer Asian representation, head over to the Outfest LA virtual platform, where it is screening this week only.
The Mattachine Family
THE MATTACHINE FAMILY is a story of found family in the gay community, a love letter to Los Angeles, and a showcase for Nico Tortorella. I wish it had fewer clichés, but it should satisfy most of its core audience. It is streaming this week via Outfest LA.
Talk To Me
Talk To Me from Australian twin filmmaker brothers Michael and Danny Philippou will be the horror movie of the summer. The film, which just had its Canadian Premiere at Fantasia Festival, is fun, old fashioned teenage horror constructed exceptionally well. It has lots of gore and body horror. A star in the making, Sophie Wilde’s […]
Chasing Chasing Amy
I was only mildly interested in Outfest Closing Night selection CHASING CHASING AMY when I first heard about it. Director Sav Rodgers’ film turned out to be both a beautiful love story and an unexpectedly revelatory making-of documentary. It is available to watch on Outfest virtual platform this week.
Lovely, Dark, and Deep
After last year’s surprise hit Barbarian, Georgina Campbell steps into folk horror territory with Teresa Sutherland’s LOVELY, DARK, AND DEEP, which premiered at Fantasia Festival yesterday. Zama cinematographer Rui Poças and composer Shida Shahabi provide atmosphere through excellent visuals and an eerie score. It is one of those films where it’s not always clear what […]
Mami Wata
Director C.J. ‘Fiery’ Obasi’s gorgeous looking mythical thriller MAMI WATA – A West African Folklore had won the cinematography award in the World Cinema section of Sundance. It just had its Canadian Premiere in the Camera Lucida section of Fantasia, which is devoted to films that represent new directions in cinema.
Passages
Even though most of it is in English, Ira Sachs’ Outfest LA Centerpiece selection PASSAGES is a very French relationship drama. Franz Rogowski completely embodies his despicable character and his chemistry with both Adele Exarchopoulos and Ben Whishaw is off the charts. Passages received an NC-17 rating from MPAA, which resulted in MUBI deciding to […]