Asher Review: A Creaky Pre-90s Hitman Thriller
Try as they might, even genre giants like Ron Perlman and Famke Jannsen can’t elevate this dull, by-the-numbers hitman thriller. This piece was originally posted on Alcohollywood The ‘90s were peak years for the hitman genre. Between Tarantino, Rodriguez, and Jarmusch, the way we think about and view these agents of quiet doom has informed ... Asher Review: A Creaky Pre-90s Hitman Thriller
CAM Review: Netflix’s Peep Show Into the Terror of Stolen Identity
Director Daniel Goldhaber and screenwriter Isa Mazzei explore the complexities of online sex work with a fascinating thriller about a camgirl facing an identity crisis. This piece was originally posted on Alcohollywood On the Internet, you can be anyone you want. CAM, the debut film from director Daniel Goldhaber and writer Isa Mazzei, asks, “What ... CAM Review: Netflix’s Peep Show Into the Terror of Stolen Identity
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse Review – A Web-Slinging Animated Classic in the Making
Miles Morales gets the big-screen treatment he deserves, an aesthetically vibrant, action-packed story that might just be one of the best animated superhero films of all time. This piece was originally posted on Alcohollywood What if I were to tell you that one of the most dazzling, innovative, hilarious and poignant animated films of the ... Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse Review – A Web-Slinging Animated Classic in the Making
Twisted Pair Review: Neil Breen’s Latest Exercise in Baffling Anti-Cinema
The deeply strange Neil Breen returns with an even more deeply strange entry in his filmography of homespun, barely-coherent ‘psychological thrillers.’ This piece was originally posted on Alcohollywood One doesn’t review a Neil Breen movie so much as ponder its existence. It’s not even a question of how it got made—we know it was financed ... Twisted Pair Review: Neil Breen’s Latest Exercise in Baffling Anti-Cinema
Prospect Review: A Thrilling, Micro-budget Sci-Fi Western
Writer/director team Zeek Earl and Chris Caldwell craft a grimy, visceral space Western about a family of prospectors risking their lives on an alien moon. This piece was originally posted on Alcohollywood Space-based science fiction is usually a big-budget affair – hundred-million-dollar space battles, exotic alien creatures and slick, futuristic spaceships. However, every so often ... Prospect Review: A Thrilling, Micro-budget Sci-Fi Western
Overlord Review: Nazi Zombie Shoot-Em-Up Is Fast and Furhrer-ious
The JJ Abrams-produced Nazi zombie flick provides plenty of schlock and scares, but stumbles over its own rotting feet when it reaches for profundity. This piece was originally posted on Alcohollywood If Indiana Jones has taught us anything, it’s that Jehovah starts with a ‘Y’ and there’s nothing more satisfying that watching someone kick the ... Overlord Review: Nazi Zombie Shoot-Em-Up Is Fast and Furhrer-ious
The Girl in the Spider’s Web Review: Lisbeth Slander gets an action hero makeover
Lisbeth Salander returns, this time played by Claire Foy, in a slick but shallow sequel that trades in the series’ nuance for Bond-ian action. This piece was originally posted on Alcohollywood Pre-screening chatter before The Girl in the Spider’s Web all seemed to center on the same questions: “What happened in the last movie?” “Is ... The Girl in the Spider’s Web Review: Lisbeth Slander gets an action hero makeover
10 Horror Movies For People Who Don’t Like Horror
This piece was originally posted on Alcohollywood Let me rephrase that right from the beginning. This list really should be “10 Horror Movies for People Who Normally Aren’t Into Horror Movies, But Might Be Willing to Give Them a Shot,” but that’s just too long for a title. Horror is the genre most often forced ... 10 Horror Movies For People Who Don’t Like Horror
Suspiria (2018) Review: A Bone-Chilling Descent Into Existential Horror
Luca Guadagnino’s disturbing, cerebral remake of the Dario Argento giallo original is an ice-hot knife to the cerebellum, its scares shrouded in terrifying mystique. This piece was originally posted on Alcohollywood It’s been three days since I’ve seen Luca Guadagnino’s Suspiria, and I still can’t get it out of my head. Two and a half ... Suspiria (2018) Review: A Bone-Chilling Descent Into Existential Horror
Brooklyn Horror Film Festival Dispatch, Part 2: Level 16, Rusalka
This piece was originally posted on Alcohollywood In my last post I suggested that the unofficial theme for the 2018 Brooklyn Horror Film Festival is “horror is whatever you want it to be.” With that expansion of themes and ideas comes a flexibility in using both real life issues and fantasy to create something new ... Brooklyn Horror Film Festival Dispatch, Part 2: Level 16, Rusalka
Brooklyn Horror Film Festival Dispatch, Part 1: Tower. A Bright Day, Empathy, Inc., Antrum
This piece was originally posted on Alcohollywood As horror continues its gradual moving away from traditional monsters and slashers to rawer, more unsettling scares that are COMING FROM INSIDE THE HOUSE, we can look forward to more internet discourse about whether a movie qualifies as “horror.” This requires the sort of pedantry that is the ... Brooklyn Horror Film Festival Dispatch, Part 1: Tower. A Bright Day, Empathy, Inc., Antrum
CIFF 2018 Dispatch, Part 1 (Feat. Interview w/Felix van Groeningen)
This piece was originally posted on Alcohollywood The 54th Chicago International Film Festival is more than just an amped-up pledge drive for Cinema/Chicago – it’s a huge showcase for some of the biggest, most interesting films of the year, foreign or domestic. It’s always a treat to cover – I spent two years as a ... CIFF 2018 Dispatch, Part 1 (Feat. Interview w/Felix van Groeningen)
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina TV Review: A Total Witch Hunt
This Riverdale-ified reboot of Sabrina the Teenage Witch is chock-full of scares, sex and a hefty dose of camp, making for a 21st-century Gothic delight. This piece was originally posted on Alcohollywood It is not at all an astute, original observation that horror, even in a subtle way, tends to reflect current events. Vampires once ... Chilling Adventures of Sabrina TV Review: A Total Witch Hunt
Malevolent Review: Netflix’s Latest is Stylish and Sloppy in Equal Measure
Netflix’s latest creep-fest is a schlocky bore filled with predictable twists and some dodgy performances, though it’s mitigated with some genuine visual style. This piece was originally posted on Alcohollywood “Horror isn’t easy” is probably one of the greater understatements in the history of film. Sure, it’s easy to crank out an hour and a ... Malevolent Review: Netflix’s Latest is Stylish and Sloppy in Equal Measure
Five Movies We’re Dying to See at the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival
This piece was originally posted on Alcohollywood Now in its third year, the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival, taking place October 11th through the 18th, has become one of the fastest rising venues to catch the next best thing in scary movies months before everyone else gets a chance. This year’s line-up showcases both new faces ... Five Movies We’re Dying to See at the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival
The Book of Birdie Review: Atmospheric Chills Abound in This Convent Thriller
Elizabeth E. Schuch’s spooky, atmospheric horror gem prefers to keep its tale of demonic birth and possession filled with atmospheric dread rather than outright shocks. This piece was originally posted on Alcohollywood Secluded from the world, convents offer filmmakers an isolated setting charged with religious significance. This combination especially lends itself especially to tales that ... The Book of Birdie Review: Atmospheric Chills Abound in This Convent Thriller