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&
Freaky Tales
"Oakland in ’87 was hella wild."
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:
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
The Rule of Jenny Pen
My whole life I've been bored. I look back and see an empty bin.
Black Bag
"When it's so easy to lie about everything, how do you tell the truth about anything?"
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
Mickey 17
"Have a nice death! See you tomorrow!"
Eephus
"Why do they care so much? Don't they have anything better to do?" This comment from a young girl to her brother echoes throughout the film, a call for you to meditate on that very topic yourself. On the surface, we're watching a recreational
The 2025 Oscars
What an exciting year for the Academy Awards! I haven't been paying close attention to the Oscars for all that long. But the years I have featured an early consensus regarding the major awards, be it the winner or a head-to-head matchup. While that's basically true
The Monkey
"Everybody dies."
Pop Culture Maniacs
Cleaner
Cleaner feels like a relic from a bygone era. The many comparisons it's received to Die Hard are debatable, although the marketing is certainly inviting them. To be fair, their cores are the same: an action-thriller in the style of an airport novel about an unassuming person thrust
Pop Culture Maniacs
Armand
A new Renate Reinsve movie is always a reason to celebrate, especially one like this which lets her fully utilize her wonderful range.
New Releases
Captain America: Brave New World
Julius Onah throws The Winter Soldier into the microwave a decade later, and expects us to applaud.
Pop Culture Maniacs
Bring Them Down
"Y'know what they say. Where there's livestock, there's dead stock."
New Releases
Heart Eyes
"You can be so Clueless sometimes. It's one of the 10 Things I Hate About You, honestly. You can't let him go to his Best Friend's Wedding and hook up with a bunch of Bridesmaids and move to Notting Hill."
Pop Culture Maniacs
Love Me
The core theme of Love Me destined it to be labeled a pandemic-era movie. While Americans had already been experiencing epidemic levels of loneliness in the late 2010s, the outbreak of COVID-19 and subsequent lockdowns highlighted what was already there while deepening that isolation. We were drowning in a preponderance
New Releases
Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat
"In the newly independent Congo, the role of the Congolese army will remain the same role it always played since 1886 when Leopold II created this army."
Pop Culture Maniacs
Grand Theft Hamlet
Transforming an actor's worst fear from "forgetting my lines" to "getting blown up by a stranger dressed as a cowboy stripper".
Pop Culture Maniacs
A brief announcement.
New Releases
Presence
It should surprise no one that Soderbergh's ghost story is far more concerned with its creative conceit than being scary. And that's a good thing.
New Releases
Hard Truths
"Why can’t you enjoy life?" "I don’t know!...Haunted. Haunted. It’s not fair."
New Releases
Sing Sing
"We don’t say that in here. We use 'beloved'."