Sundance ’22: ‘KLONDIKE’ a Funereal Drama About Ground-Level Russia-Ukraine Conflict

January 21, 2022 by Matt Oakes Posted in Festival Reviews Tagged Klondike, Maryna Er Gorbac, Oksana Cherkashyna, Sergey Shadrin, Sundance, Sundance 2022 Leave a comment

July 17, 2014. Irka (Oksana Cherkashyna) and Tolik (Sergey Shadrin) live humbly in the Ukraine border town of the Donetsk, an Eastern region of disputed territory during the dawn of the Russian-Ukraine Donbas war in Klondike. They’re expecting a child. The film opens as the couple discuss birthing plans and getting somewhere safe to deliver the baby in voice over. Jolting viewers out of even one moment of calm, an explosion rips through the house, leveling a wall of their abode clean off. Commercial airline MH17 has just been shot down right in their front yard. Read More

Sundance ’22: ‘FRESH’ a Horrific Meat-Cute That Takes a Bites out of Modern Dating

January 21, 2022 by Matt Oakes Posted in Festival Reviews Tagged Daisy Edgar-Jones, Fresh, Horror, Mimi Cave, Reviews, Sebastian Stan, Sundance, Sundance 2022 Leave a comment

A one-of-a-kind allegorical delicacy, Fresh revels in taboo subjects to poke fun at the stomach-churning appetites of the modern dating world. A delirious mash-up of cheesy romance and body horror shlock, the debut film from Mimi Cave begins in deliciously grotesque fashion, showing flashes of both American Psycho and Martyrs as her devilish meat-cute puts a dark spin on the idea of “finding the right guy”. Overnight, chemistry and flirtation turns to imprisonment and cannibalism, giving new meaning to the phrase “eating butt.” Read More

Sundance ’22: ‘EMERGENCY’ Effectively Mixes ‘Superbad’, ‘Blindspotting’

January 20, 2022 by Matt Oakes Posted in Most Popular, Out in Theaters Tagged Carey Williams, Donald Watkins, Emergency, RJ Cyler, Sundance, Sundance 2022 Leave a comment

A perfect way to officially launch the Sundance 2022, Emergency reimagines the Superbad formula through the lens of Blindspotting. Striking a well-oiled balance between drama and comedy, this riff on the “best friends on the verge of graduation” goes down some pretty harrowing rabbit holes, rarely pulling its punches as it explores prescient themes of racism, brotherhood, and Black excellence. Smartly-written, director Carey Williams’ killer debut explores black friendship and fraternity as straight-laced Kunle (Donald Watkins) and party animal Sean (RJ Cyler) prepare for a wild night of partying that goes off the rails in ways they never imagined. Read More