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Chilling ‘THE BOOGEYMAN’ Rekindles Fear of the Dark

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A family reeling from the sudden death of their wife and mother. A creature that feeds on grief and weakness. Crippling fear of the dark. These are well-worn horror movie tropes through and through but they are executed to impressive effect by filmmaker Rob Savage in his first traditional feature, The Boogeyman. Savage takes these overcooked conventions and tosses them in a wicked blender of terror and tension to make for a wicked fright fest that could well fling you out of your seat. Read More

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SIFF ‘23: Danish Mindf*ck ‘SUPERPOSITION’ Freaked Me Right Out

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Teit (Mikkel Boe Følsgaard) and Stine (Marie Bach Hansen) are storytellers who’ve left civilization to live off the land for a year – and podcast about the experience – in Superposition. The issue is that might not be the only Teit and Stine out there. This dense and well-constructed metaphysical thriller is designed to screw with your head, with splashes of heady sci-fi creepers like Coherence, Good Night Mommy, and The Night House spliced throughout to create an unnerving exercise in existential dread and doppelgänger distress. Though impressively economic and “small” in scope, Superposition feels expansive by virtue of its big ideas and Karoline Lyngbye’s staggering, inventive direction. She ratchets up the tension and pokes at philosophical quagmires, like the meaning of fidelity in bold, metaphysical ways. It all begs the question: if you met an exact copy of yourself, would you rather fuck, marry, or kill them? (B+)

Capsule Review for Seattle International Film Festival 2023. 

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‘FAST X’ Accelerates the Tired Franchise Into a Wall of Absurdity

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Death has been tamed in the realm of the Fast and the Furious, a universe where mortality is less of a concrete reality and more of a minor inconvenience. Explosions, vehicular disasters, bullets, and even cosmic escapades seem to have lost their lethal touch. Notably, Paul Walker’s Brian O’Conner, who we mourned back in 2013, has somehow cheated death’s finality to make posthumous cameos in four subsequent films. It’s an impressive work ethic that redefines the very essence of ‘life after death’. Why die when resurrection is but as plot contrivance away? Read More

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Kinky ‘Sanctuary’ an Intoxicating Two-Hander That Dominates Audience

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It all starts in a hotel room. Hal (Christopher Abbott) orders room service and waits. Enter Rebecca (Margaret Qualley), a whip-smart dominatrix. Qualley, who you may remember from her standout performances in Maid and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, first poses as a lawyer there to “gather information, verify it, and write up a report.” Although it’s all part of a CEO/powerbroker role play, meticulously scripted to the last detail, it’s actually not that far from the truth. This is Sanctuary, a kinky, mentalist dom-sub rom-com, and it’s the stage for Qualley and Abbott’s most intoxicating performances yet. Read More

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SIFF ’23: ‘My Animal’ Unleashes Queer Love and Werewolf Angst

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In My Animal, Jacqueline Castel deftly blends ’80s nostalgia and Giallo inspiration into a queer, modern fairy tale. This indie film take on high school werewolf erotica feels like a darker, more niche Stephanie Meyer creation, complete with issues of abuse and alcoholism, the tension of forbidden love, and, yes, werewolf angst. Bobbi Salvör Menuez and Amandla Stenberg offer a pair of compelling lead turns as Heather and Jonny, new friends falling headfirst into forbidden flirtation, their palpable chemistry grounding the more outlandish elements of the film. A worthwhile slow-burn, My Animal succeeds in spite of obvious budget constraints, leaning into its over-the-top ’80s-inspired synth score and cheap production design element to add a nostalgic touch – which lends the howling haunt a major whiff of after-school special. (B-)

Capsule Review for Seattle International Film Festival 2023. 

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‘EVIL DEAD RISE’ Splatters the Screen, Breathing Fresh Blood into Lovingly Demented Franchise

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In the realm of horror, few franchises are as steeped in blood-soaked lore as Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead. The latest entry, Evil Dead Rise, cleverly distills this iconic universe’s brutal charms while simultaneously stirring in a fresh batch of viscera. This isn’t just a rehashed resurrection; it’s a blood-thirsty demon rebirth, both reverential and innovative. Much like a vinyl record that keeps spinning, this franchise seemingly has an endless groove of gory goodness. Read More

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SIFF ‘23: Romantic Korean Drama ‘PAST LIVES’ Aches With the Power of Many Lifetimes

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Some of the most romantic movies to ever exist (Before Sunset) don’t feature even a kiss. Enter Past Lives, Celine Song’s achingly romantic two-hander about a pair of entangled Korean childhood friends who must navigate their deep connection across 7,000 miles (she’s in New York, he’s in Korea) and 24 years as they drift into and out of each other’s lives. Song makes it all feel so natural and real, allowing an outsider’s glimpse into this simmering relationship to blossom into something closer to deep knowing and genuine intimacy, eliciting a complex spectrum of emotion that’s both universal and deeply specific. Her debut feature, which boasts spellbinding cinematography and a yearning musical score, is just so alive; as ponderous and philosophical as it is well-acted and deeply-felt. One of the best of the year thus far. (A-)

Capsule Review for Seattle International Film Festival 2023. 

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SIFF ‘23: The Toxic Workplace is a Silent Killer in ‘NEXT SOHEE’

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A contemplative and unique Korean thriller, Jung Ju-ri’s Next Sohee is artfully directed and performed with reserved grace. Sohee (Kim Si-Eun) is an “extern”, a student worker exploited for their labor, mandated to work a call center as a precondition for graduation. Ju-ri turns the office worker grind into a mental prison that chisels away Sohee’s identity, dulling her sparkling presence to a nub. Gaslit by her superiors, manipulated into manipulating customers, subject to degrading psychological warfare, it’s no wonder Sohee is falling apart. Ju-ri paints a portrait of a young adult’s evolution from student-to-worker that’s deeply dehumanizing, revealing a shockingly broken system that’s intentionally stacked against the Sohees of society. Powerful stuff. (B+) 

Capsule Review for Seattle International Film Festival 2023. 

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SIFF ’23: Gothic Thriller ‘MOTHER SUPERIOR’ A Tight Haunt

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The occult dabblings of the Nazi party casts a dark pall over the estate of a witchy Baroness circa 1975 Austria in Marie Alice Wolfszahn’s Mother Superior. The  atmospheric, feminist midnight movie tells the story of deep-cover nurse Sigrun (Isabella Händler) as she attempts to puzzle out the mysteries of her lineage, only to stumble upon the bewitching practices of the Blood Moon Templar. Wolfszahn’s direction is economical and effective, the film clocks in at just a smidge over 70-minutes but never skimps on mood or narrative tidiness. The result is slight, spooky, and impactful; a calling card for an emerging horror talent in Wolfszahn. (B-)

Capsule Review for Seattle International Film Festival 2023. 

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SIFF ‘23: Daddy-Daughter Dramedy ‘SCRAPPER’ a Delightful Diversion

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Georgie (Lola Campbell) is a 12-going-on-30 type, living on her lonesome in her London flat following the death of her mum in Scrappers. When her estranged deadbeat dad (Harris Dickinson) hops the fence and re-enters her life one day, Georgie has to navigate her newfound feelings towards her out-of-the-woodwork parental figure in writer-director Charlotte Regan’s pleasant but lightweight debut. This airy dramedy, clocking in just over 80-minutes, succeeds by virtue of the strong chemistry between its two leads, though there’s not a lot of texture to any of the other characters or character dynamics, making it a somewhat one-dimensional – though pleasant – distraction. What it lacks in narrative complexity, it makes up for in scrappy charm. (B-)

Capsule Review for Seattle International Film Festival 2023.