Anthony Francis
‘Boy Kills World’ Film Review: Enough Already
Today’s action films just aren’t fun anymore. With the exception of a select few, most action thrillers drown in an excess of preposterously over-the-top moments that make them hard to enjoy. Existing in the tired world of video game-inspired action,
‘Challengers’ Film Review: Simplistic Metaphors On and Off the Court
Along with golf, the world of tennis has rarely made for good cinema, (1979’s Players, anyone?). With the exception of 2017’s Battle of the Sexes (which only worked due to the committed performances from Emma Stone and Steve Carell), the
‘Civil War’ Film Review: A Viscerally Thrilling Warning For Our Times
Alex Garland’s latest, Civil War, is a riveting cinematic event. It has been some time since a filmmaker has captured the climate of America so precisely. Paul Schrader’s powerful 2017 statement, First Reformed, is perhaps the last time and that
‘The Wild’ Film Review: A Vivid and Complex Korean Crime Thriller
The new Korean thriller, The Wild, is the latest entry into the Asian gangster genre. Over the last decade and a half, the Korean gangster picture has taken its place on the mantle, right beside China and Japan, forming an
Miami Film Festival Premiere: ‘Fallen Fruit’ Film Review
Fallen Fruit is the feature film debut from writer/director Chris Molina. This is a sometimes humorous, sometimes touching, and always convincing story of a young man in flux, as he finds himself at a crossroads much too early in life.
‘The First Omen’ Film Review: The First Great Horror Film of 2024
The Devil once again gets his due with yet another prequel to a classic horror film. Director Arkasha Stevenson is at the helm of The First Omen, the latest Hollywood cash grab hoping to find box office gold through name
‘Monkey Man’ Film Review: Dev Patel’s Bloody Revenge Tale
Dev Patel’s feature length directing debut, Monkey Man, finds its lead character bringing down the walls of vengeance and unleashing his hell in a violent and viscerally commanding revenge picture crafted with an infectious passion. The film’s aesthetic falls somewhere
‘Música’ Film Review: The Rhythms of Life and Love
The rhythms of life abound in director/writer/star Rudy Mancuso’s debut feature film, Música, a charming little piece about finding love and searching for one’s role in the play of life. In this fantastically imaginative piece, Mancuso stars, directs, co-writes (with
‘Sting’ Film Review: Spine-Tingling Arachnophobic Chills
“Creepy Crawlies, creeping round my creepy house.” These lyrics from the Horror Rock group Scary Bitches perfectly capture the unnerving chills found in writer-director Kiah Roache-Turner’s Sting, a thrilling creature feature about a young girl, her family, and the man-eating
Samurai Saturdays: The First Two Zatoichi Pictures
I have long immersed myself in Japanese cinema. Growing up with a father who introduced me to Eastern movies at a young age, by the time I was a teenager, Japanese (and Chinese) films became my favorites, continuing to this