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

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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SXSW ’22: Punchy ‘BODIES BODIES BODIES’ Subverts Slasher Formula

Everyone’s always a suspect in any slasher movie worth its salt and that’s true up until the very last moments in Halina Reijn’s Bodies Bodies Bodies. The film, which stars a slew of established and rising talent in the form of Maria Bakalova, Lee Pace, Amandla Stenberg, Chase Sui Wonders, Peter Davidson, and a scene-stealing Rachel Sennott, cleverly subverts what we know of the genre trappings and what we – perhaps falsely? – assume to be true.  Read More

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Out in Theaters: ‘THE HATE U GIVE’

The Hate U Give burns with a righteous anger. Director George Tillman Jr. and screenwriter Audrey Wells wrangle the searing social conscience and incisive melodrama of Angie Thomas’ best-selling novel into what is very likely the most meaningful film of 2018. Thought-provoking and morally challenging, beautifully acted and poignantly directed, THUG is a moving, necessary, and often hilarious, rarity; a mainstream, race-relations pop-art primal scream whose vital message is only intensified by its raw watchability.  Read More