Materialists
"It's like they say: you're not ugly, you just don't have money."
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The Phoenician Scheme
"I supposed I'm moved by this absurd performance."
Dangerous Animals
Every shark movie lives in the shadow of Jaws. While not the first, it had an immediate and lasting impact on movie culture and the industry. For one, it spawned a bunch of imitators, most of which failed to make any impression, much less a comparable one. Even once that
Ballerina
The kind of movie which plays a song called "Fight Like a Girl" by Evanescence over the end credits.
Sister Midnight
"Oh sure, I'm a domestic goddess."
Bring Her Back
Sally Hawkins going immediately from another Paul King film to an unhinged horror movie is perfection.
Friendship
"I can see the future. And it's full of pals helping pals."
Steppenwolf
"Is there any need for good? It's unnecessary."
Final Destination Bloodlines
As a staple of the aughts, it’s fitting that the last entry in the Final Destination horror franchise came fourteen years ago. It’s a series of mid-budget horror films with almost no recurring characters spawned from a rejected spec script for The X Files, squarely situating it in
Hurry Up Tomorrow
From his very first feature, director Trey Edward Shults has excelled in filmmaking as visual art. Krisha, a movie tiny in both scope and scale, was filmed with such vivacity that you couldn't help but get sucked into the protagonist's headspace as she attempted to reinsert
Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning
"This is your destiny. A destiny which touches the lives of every living thing."
Rosario
The decline of the movie star has been well-documented. For the uninitiated, the idea is that audiences historically showed up to a movie on the strength of its lead actors, but that’s not generally true anymore. Currently, the ones who can draw a crowd are mostly over forty, indicating
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Bonjour Tristesse
"Sometimes I confuse feeling bored with feeling hurt. Both can cause you to get carried away."
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The Shrouds
"How dark are you willing to go?"
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Sinners
"Seven years ain't 'nuff to forget us."
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The Amateur
"Overestimate your chances to build confidence."
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Death of a Unicorn
Let me tell you, the villains are sure to use all parts of the unicorn. ALL parts.
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Hell of a Summer
At first, the offer of Hell of a Summer is very recognizable. An unknown and unseen killer slowly picks off a bunch of kids at a summer camp while their friends obliviously go about activities nearby. There are campfires, tall tales, tiny cabins, lame ice breakers, and awkward hook-ups. There&
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Freaky Tales
"Oakland in ’87 was hella wild."
Festivals
Boston Underground Film Festival 2025 Wrap-Up
My second year attending the Boston Underground Film Festival (BUFF) has solidified my intention to return as long as I'm in the area. Although its single-stream nature means I don't get to choose what to watch, there are some distinct benefits. It requires less pre-festival effort:
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Ash
There's a certain type of low-budget sci-fi I will always show up for. They lack the money to pull off a grand epic. They feature limited action, although a clever director can disguise that with filmmaking tricks and careful planning. They never feature current stars, although rising actors
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The Rule of Jenny Pen
My whole life I've been bored. I look back and see an empty bin.
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Black Bag
"When it's so easy to lie about everything, how do you tell the truth about anything?"
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Warfare
How do you review a dramatic re-enactment? Accuracy isn't an option, as the story being told is based on co-director Ray Mendoza's experience as a Navy SEAL during the Iraq War. I've no reason to doubt his recollection, but I can't comment