'The Tragedy Of Macbeth' (2021) Movie Review

Full of witches, madness, and courtly power-grabbing machinations, not to mention it’s Shakespeare’s shortest play, Macbeth makes for good movie fodder. And now, with The Tragedy of Macbeth, we get Joel Coen’s take on The Scottish Play. Added bonus, this also marks the Coen Brother’s first solo joint, sans sibling, filmmaking partner, and career co-conspirator Ethan.

'The Matrix Resurrections' (2021) Movie Review

In 1999, the Wachowski’s rewrote the cinematic game plan with The Matrix. Big and brash, the influence on movies remains palpable and omnipresent today. The subsequent sequels, Reloaded and Revolutions, are overstuffed, messy, and divisive—and still awesome despite being way up their own asses. Now, almost 20 years after the fact, Lana Wachowski, operating solo at the helm for the first time, is back with the long-awaited The Matrix Resurrections. And the results are mixed. At times this is exciting and fresh; at others, it’s a painfully dreary rehash.

'Licorice Pizza' (2021) Movie Review

As a whole, I’m not entirely certain what Licorice Pizza, the new 70s-set coming-of-age film from Paul Thomas Anderson (Phantom Thread), amounts to. Pieces are absolutely magical, full of joy and whimsy. Others…are a bit more problematic, at best; downright cringe-inducing at worst. It watches like a movie where the filmmaker has zero checks and balances, able to indulge any and every flight of fancy with no oversight. Which is both a good and bad thing by turns. This freedom allows PTA to indulge himself; the flipside of that is, of course, overindulgence. 

'The Northman' Trailer: Robert Eggers Returns With Vikings And Vengeance And Bjork

Around these parts, we’re big fans of Robert Eggers. When you go back to back with The Witch and The Lighthouse right out of the gate, we’re going to pay attention. And damn, the first trailer for his upcoming Viking vengeance tale, The Northman, does not disappoint. Check it out below.

'Spider-Man: No Way Home' (2021) Movie Review

Let’s be honest, no one gives a damn what I think about Spider-Man: No Way Home, the latest in the complicated Marvel/Sony/etc. wall-crawler relationship. So, here’s the short version: it’s fine, 100% fine. It will honestly probably sound like I hated it, but I didn’t, it’s enjoyable enough, though entirely toothless, even by Marvel standards.

'The Unbearable Weight Of Massive Talent' Trailer: Nicolas Cage Plays Nicolas Cage In Most Nicolas Cage Movie Ever

Are you ready for the most Nicolas Cage movie that Nicolas Cage ever Nicolas Cage-d? If that sentence seems awesome instead of like gibberish, you may be ready for the first trailer for The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent.

'Castle Falls' (2021) Movie Review

A low-budget, Dolph Lundgren-directed, Scott Adkins-starring DTV action film. If those words mean anything to you, and if they do and they pique your interest in a positive way, Castle Falls has something for you.

'Zeros And Ones' (2021) Movie Review

Abel Ferrara’s pandemic-shot terrorism thriller, Zeros and Ones, presents a difficult mystery to unravel. In the end, it remains to be seen whether or not finding a concrete solution is even entirely possible, but the sparse, lean, meditative tale offers an esoteric and, most importantly, compelling journey of obtuse motivations, dubious loyalties, and looming violence.

'Night Raiders' (2021) Movie Review

The near-ish future of Night Raiders, writer/director Danis Goulet’s debut feature, sets up a dystopian society where an oppressive government requires children under 18 be placed in the Academy, a kind of militarized boarding school that brainwashes and programs kids. Niska (Elle-Maija Tailfeathers, The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open) lives off the grid in the wilderness, sheltering her daughter, Waseese (Brooklyn Letexier-Hart), from such a fate. When Waseese is taken, Niska falls in with a group of Indigenous resistance fighters led by Ida (Gail Maurice, Trickster) and Leo (Alex Tarrant, NCIS: Hawaii) to liberate her and other children.

'Hell Hath No Fury' (2021) Movie Review

Stolen gold. Nazi conspiracies. Tangled webs of greed, betrayal, and vengeance. Jesse V. Johnson’s Hell Hath No Fury hath damn near everything a historical action thriller needs. 

'One Shot' (2021) Movie Review

The “one take” film, movies staged to look like they play out in a single, unbroken shot, have been used quite a bit as of late. There’s the upcoming thriller Boiling Point, Japanese horror One Cut of the Dead, and the highest profile recent uses, the Oscar-winning Birdman and 1917. Results can be mixed and the approach has limitations and pitfalls, but it’s an ambitious undertaking. The latest from director James Nunn (Eliminators), the unoriginally titled One Shot, uses this strategy to craft a strong gritty, low-budget DTV-style action film. And it’s hard to go wrong with a movie fronted by Scott Adkins.

'Nightshooters' (2021) Movie Review

A group of guerilla filmmakers set out to shoot a low-budget zombie movie in a condemned building. Unfortunately for them, a gang of vicious criminals also want to use the soon-to-be-demolished structure for their own nefarious ends. When the crew witnesses a brutal execution, they have to figure out a way to survive. Which more or less means sending their stuntman and master martial artist, Donnie (Jean-Paul Ly), to fight the bad guys.

'The Book Of Boba Fett' Trailer: Star Wars Gives Everyone's Favorite Bounty Hunter His Own Series

Personally, I’ve never understood the broad fascination with Boba Fett in Star Wars fandom. He looks tough and was badass in limited screen time in Empire. I’ve always felt the sparse, looming presence and few words went a long way to create an air of mystery and a certain mystique, and aside from that I've never found his appearances elsewhere particularly interesting. But his “end” in Return of the Jedi is so bumbling and unceremonious it’s laughable. But people are obsessed with him, so what do I know? Anyway, now Lucasfilm is attempting to retcon the bounty hunter into a good guy (or good-ish guy) and here’s the first trailer for the upcoming Disney+ series The Book of Boba Fett.

'New York Ninja' (2021) Movie Review

On its own, New York Ninja is plenty crazy. A bonkers-ass 1980s action movie that’s cheap and campy and utterly absurd at every turn, it’s the type of artifact many people stumbled across on late night cable as kids and were like, “Hell yeah, this freakin’ rules.” And it’s does rule, and we’ll get back to that. But the story behind how this movie actually came to be released is even more unbelievable than the plot of the film. Well, maybe, New York Ninja itself often defies belief.

'South Of Heaven' (2021) Movie Review

Sometimes it’s easy to pinpoint precisely why a movie does or doesn’t work. Other times it’s more nebulous and harder to determine exactly what went wrong. Such is the case of Aharon Keshales’ crime thriller South of Heaven. The pieces are in place for an interesting film, but it absolutely does not come together in any satisfactory way. 

'Scream' Trailer: Ghostface And Friends Return To Stab More Teens

By now you know no horror franchise ever truly dies, no matter how much time passes. It’s been ten years since we’ve visited Woodsboro, but don’t worry, there’s a new Scream on the way. (And, of course, when horror franchises re-launch after years, they also jump back to the original title.) Scream 5 drops early next year, but the first trailer is here with Ghostface, a bunch of familiar faces who somehow survived the previous four movies, and tons of new potential victims. Check it out below.

'Lamb' (2021) Movie Review

For most of the 106-minute runtime of Valdimar Johannsson’s directorial debut, Lamb, the film plays its bizarre concept entirely straight. But there’s a moment where the surreal conceit at the center of the story just becomes silly. Watching it, at a certain point, I thought this has to be intentional, they have to know what they’re doing, this is a comedy, right? But I honestly don’t know. 

'Venom: Let There Be Carnage' (2021) Movie Review

2018’s non-Marvel Marvel movie, Venom, is an odd beast. The movie isn’t particularly good. As a whole, it’s uninspired, messy, stuck in the late-1990s, and Sony’s legal inability to use Spider-Man, the titular antihero’s most notable nemesis, weighs on the film. But then there’s star Tom Hardy. Whatever movie he’s in, is a very different movie from everyone else. It’s basically Hardy arguing with himself for two hours, and it’s really damn entertaining in an unhinged, maybe he’s having an actual mental episode kind of way. Which brings us to the nigh-inevitable sequel, Venom: Let There Be Carnage. 

'No Time To Die' (2021) Movie Review

Originally slated to drop in November of 2019, then further delayed multiple times because of COVD-19, No Time to Die serves as Daniel Craig’s James Bond swan song, his grand finale as the iconic international man of mystery. And after months and months and months of waiting, of anticipation, it ends, to use that oft quoted line from T.S. Eliot, not with a bang, but with a whimper. 

'Copshop' (2021) Movie Review

Directed by Joe Carnahan (The Grey) and fronted by Gerard Butler (Den of Thieves) and Frank Grillo (The Purge: Anarchy), it’s easy to envision what a movie titled Copshop is likely to deliver. If you expect and hope for a violent, irreverent slice of tough-guy action thriller, you will not be disappointed. 

'Lady Of The Manor' (2021) Movie Review

After being branded a sex offender, stoner slacker Hannah (Melanie Lynskey) gets a job as a live-in tour guide at a historical southern estate. One that happens to be haunted by the ghost of the home’s original inhabitant, the prim, proper Lady Wadsworth (Judy Greer). The two women, one living, one dead, become unlikely pals. Such is the premise of Lady of the Manor, the feature directorial debut from prolific actor and former Apple spokesperson Justin Long, who costars, and his brother, Christian Long. If that sounds funny, don’t worry, it isn’t.

'Prisoners Of The Ghostland' (2021) Movie Review

During production, Nicolas Cage said Japanese director Sion Sono’s Prisoners of the Ghostland “might be the wildest movie I’ve ever made.” Which is saying something from a man who once made a movie where he wore John Travolta’s face. Then again, he’s not wrong. Face/Off, however off-the wall, doesn’t have the testicular explosions, irradiated mutant ghosts, and the ubiquitous cracked mannequin masks of Prisoners. The final product is something like a hyper-absurd post-apocalyptic Escape From New York riff. And I’m here for every last second.

'Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings' (2021) Movie Review

On the surface, Shaun (Simu Liu) appears to drift through life, working a go-nowhere job and wasting time singing karaoke with his BFF Katy (Awkwafina). But Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is a Marvel movie, so you know that’s all an illusion. Turns out, Shaun is really Shang-Chi, son of Wenwu (Tony Leung), a thousands-of-years-old crime lord and leader of the infamous Ten Rings gang. As one might expect, Shaun’s past comes a-calling and he must confront his own history as well as that of his family. 

'Yakuza Princess' (2021) Movie Review

Sometimes a movie appears tailor made for you, as if the filmmakers mined your inner-most desires and combined them into one feature. And sometimes when that happens, despite all the things that sound so, so rad and perfect, the result leaves you flat and does absolutely nothing for you. Such is the case with Brazilian director Vicente Amorim’s Yakuza Princess.

'Candyman' (2021) Movie Review

Candyman. Candyman. Candyman. Candyman…Nope, not going to do it. Haven’t since first seeing the original in 1992, not going to start now. This latest round of nope, nope, oh hell no, is thanks primarily to Nia DaCosta’s new take on the property, which is chilling, gory, stunning to look at, and occasionally frustrating.

'Spider-Man: No Way Home' Trailer: Peter Parker Returns With A Few Surprises And Poor Decisions

The other day the filmic corners of the internet were all a-flutter over a leaked version of the trailer for the next adventure from everyone’s favorite friendly neighborhood wall-crawler, Spider-Man: No Way Home. As so often happens in these cases, the studio hauled ass to, ready or not, release a version of the trailer that doesn’t look like hot garbage. And here it is.

'Demonic' (2021) Movie Review

Primarily known for politically minded science fiction films like District 9 and Elysium, with his latest film, Demonic, writer/director Neill Blomkamp dives into low(ish)-budget horror. The results of this attempt to revive a career that started on a high-note and has flagged somewhat since, are mixed. It has cool ideas, even if they’re not always capitalized on, more than a couple missed opportunities, a strong visual sense, and a heavier emphasis on ominous mood and atmosphere rather than outright scares.

'The Night House' (2020) Movie Review

Horror as metaphor for grief and mental illness is nothing new. Specifically because it provides an effective framework to examine loss, things that scare us and cause us pain, and our responses, filmmakers will always return to this particular well. In his last film, The Ritual, director David Bruckner examined the collective trauma of a group of friends who violently lost one of their own. His latest, The Night House, hones in even closer, focusing on a single woman coping with sudden death and the legacy it leaves behind.

Fantasia 2021: 'Brain Freeze' Movie Review

Zombie stories often get a bad rap. Sometimes for good reason. There are a ton, and, admittedly, a lot aren’t great. But then there are those that show up, do something new, fun, and different, or at least deliver a strong story and compelling characters within the genre. (Recent ones that spring to mind include #Alone, Black Summer, Train to Busan, and others.) Canadian director Julien Knafo’s Brain Freeze definitely falls into this latter category, presenting a zombie movie with an intriguing set up, a few tweaks to the formula, and a showcase interesting personalities. 

'Raging Fire' (2021) Movie Review

A cop haunted by the past, trying to right previous wrongs. Who’s a bit of a hotshot and plays by his own rules, though still operates by a strict code. With a pregnant wife. Yeah, we’ve seen this set up before. But when that cop is Donnie Yen, and we’re talking about Raging Fire, the final film from the great Benny Chan, the result is a top-tier action banger of epic proportions. This sprawling, Heat-inspired cops-and-robbers opus delivers in all the right ways and rules every ounce as hard as one might hope.

Fantasia 2021: 'Woodlands Dark And Days Bewitched' Movie Review

Folk horror is in the midst of a global resurgence at the moment, so what better time for a documentary to take a deep-dive into the fascinating subgenre? And that’s exactly what filmmaker Kier-La Janisse (author of the great House of Psychotic Women) and company do with the three-plus-hour documentary Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched: A History of Folk Horror. It is every inch what that title suggests and more.

Fantasia 2021: 'Sweetie, You Won't Believe It' Movie Review

Three friends, a van full of inflatable sex dolls, and a fishing trip gone very, very wrong. What about a quartet of inept killers and a mysterious one-eyed man with a brutal vendetta? All wrapped in a bloody, violent, patently ridiculous, near-slapstick package? If that sounds like a fine time, add Yernar Nurgaliyev’s Sweetie, You Won’t Believe It to your mist-see list. 

Fantasia Film Festival 2021: 11 Movies You Must See

With the proliferation of COVID-19 vaccines and at least some people caring enough about their fellow humans to take it, in-person events like film festivals have made a comeback. [Editor’s Note: Hopefully this holds, but it looks like we’re going backwards.] Not all, however. Canada’s Fantasia Film Festival is sticking to the virtual model for 2021. I usually cover the fest remote, so this isn’t much of a change from the norm for me. Regardless of the platform, the fest has yet again assembled an eclectic, weird-as-hell program, and we have some suggestions of things you might want to check out.

'Jungle Cruise' (2021) Movie Review

One thing I did not expect was for Disney’s Jungle Cruise, their latest cinematic adaptation of one of a classic theme park rides, to begin with an orchestral arrangement of a Metallica song. But here were are, and that’s as edgy as this movie ever gets.

'Old' (2021) Movie Review

Does M. Night Shyamalan’s new movie Old work? That’s going to be a matter of some debate and the answer promises to vary viewer to viewer. One thing that is clear, however, is that, for good or ill, this is a big swing that mixes psychological thriller elements, hellish body horror, and arch family melodrama. All within a framework that plays like an extended Twilight Zone episode, wrapped in the director’s magnificent formal touch. It’s wild and all over the place, messy at times, but also ambitious as hell and compelling end to end.

'All The Streets Are Silent' (2020) Movie Review

Sometimes a movie starts and you know immediately it is 100% your jam. That is precisely what happened with All the Streets are Silent: The Convergence of Hip Hop and Skateboarding (1987-1997), the new documentary from Jeremy Elkin and Dana Brown, which held its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival. A love letter to both forms, the film tracks their parallel evolutions, from underground phenomena to mainstream staples, and ways in which, particularly in New York City, they collided and crossed over at a key juncture.

'Hydra' (2021) Movie Review

Hydra begins with every man’s worst nightmare, being killed at a urinal. Okay, maybe not, but it’s a definite concern and something to think about in the bathroom. It’s a hell of a way to kick off a movie, even if most of what follows fails to live up to the opening. Until the very end.

NBFF 2021: 'Slate' Movie Review

Orphan Cha Yeon-hee (Ahn Ji-hye) has spent her entire life wanting to be a heroine. If you’re not a heroine, you’re useless and of no value to anyone. So she believes. In her late-20s, living an aimless life, she lands a role as a stunt double in an action movie. Only when she arrives on set, she’s transported to a parallel world where she must become an actual heroine. The only question is: is she ready to face actual danger and do what she must to become a real heroine? So goes Slate, the latest from Gang director Jo Ba-reun.

NBFF 2021: 'Swan Song' Movie Review

A retired hairdresser walking across a small town doesn’t sound like the most exciting basis for a movie. But when that hairdresser is Udo Kier, and he’s on his way to style a former client’s hair for her funeral, as is the case in writer/director Todd Stephens’ Swan Song, it becomes an odyssey of near-mythic proportions, both epic and intimate in scope. Topped off by one of the best performances of the year, this is funny and sweet, sad and joyous, simultaneously soul-crushing and life-affirming, and deeply, deeply human.

'Pig' (2021) Movie Review

Pig, a movie where Nicolas Cage tracks down his kidnapped pig through the seedy, cut-throat underbelly of the high-end Portland restaurant scene, is so, so much weirder than even that description makes it sound. Part truffle-centric revenge saga, part moody, introspective character study of a broken man trying to heal, it’s by turns delightful, mean-spirited, and moving, but always very, very odd and unlike anything else out there. Also, Nicolas Cage in a rundown deep woods shanty with a pig friend is just the most adorable thing.

North Bend Film Festival 2021: 8 Movies To Watch

Though it’s only been around a few years, the North Bend Film Festival has quickly become one of my favorite fests. Part of that affection is obviously geographic proximity. (It’s an easy drive from Seattle, so there’s minimal travel.) But it also takes place in an odd little hamlet nestled in the mountains. (North Bend is where Twin Peaks was filmed and you understand why when you experience the off-kilter oddness in person.) 

'Black Widow' (2021) Movie Review

Ever wonder what Marvel Cinematic Universe staple Black Widow, aka Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson), was up to betwixt the Wars Civil and Infinity? (And, you know, before the fate that ultimately befalls her in Avengers: Endgame?) As it turns out, she went on a wacky family vacation. Sort of. Sort of as in sort of wacky and sort of as in sort of family. Such is the tale told by her long-awaited first solo venture, Black Widow.

'Silat Warriors: Deed Of Death' (2021) Movie Review

Popularly, Muay Thai tends to get more love than Silat, another martial art native to Southeast Asia, particularly Indonesia, Malaysia, and the surrounding region. (As an example, there are like a dozen schools in the Seattle area that teach Muay Thai, but almost none with a curriculum that includes any Silat. Though Iko Uwais definitely holds it down, movie wise.) But the fighting style gets its due in Silat Warriors: Deed of Death (Geran), a low-to-no-budget actioner from director Areel Abu Bakar.

'The Forever Purge' (2021) Movie Review

The purest exploitation franchise currently going is back for another (perhaps final, perhaps not) ride, full of heavy-handed political allegory built atop a foundation of gratuitous violence. Never one for subtlety, we expect and receive nothing less from The Forever Purge. You won’t find any unexpected elements, but fans of these films will find much to enjoy.

'Halloween Kills' Trailer: Evil Dies Tonight, But Probably Not

Any good slasher franchise, like it’s evil centerpiece, is going to be damn near impossible to kill. Such is the case with both Michael Myers and the Halloween saga which he spawned. Like every movie scheduled for in 2020, the latest installment, Halloween Kills, was delayed thanks to COVID-19. But Blumhouse wants to remind us it is still stalking toward theaters and released this awesome new trailer.

'F9' (2021) Movie Review

F9, yes, the ninth installment of everyone’s favorite family-centric saga of street-racers-turned-international-agents-of-espionage, is somehow both exactly as ridiculous as expected and even sillier than anticipated. This makes the movie simultaneously ludicrous over-the-top escapism and tediously overwrought nonsense drama. It’s a strange duality. We’ve come so far from the days of hijacking shipments of DVD players.

'Werewolves Within' (2021) Movie Review

Don’t you hate it when you move to a small town for work and it turns out there are werewolves on the loose? Yeah, that sucks. Unless you’re watching Werewolves Within, the latest from director Josh Ruben (Scare Me). An adaptation of a video game I’ve never heard of, Ruben and writer Mishna Wolff mix scares and laughs in a way that many attempts to do so fail to achieve. Playing like a horror whodunnit, the result is something akin to a lycanthrope take on Clue or Agatha Christie with monsters. (Literal monsters, not the metaphorical human variety, though the film has plenty of those as well.) It’s one of the most fun, entertaining movies to come out this year, and easily a top-tier video game movie.

'Titane' Trailer: The First Look At Julia Ducournau's New Thriller

Julia Ducournau’s Raw isn’t just one of the best debuts of the past few years, it’s straight up one of the best movies of the last decade. So, of course, when we hear tell of a new movie from the French director, our ears perk up. NEON just released the trailer for her follow up, Titane, about a long-lost child who all of a sudden returns to the world. But I can’t help but think this also looks a bit like a nightmare Fast & Furious movie. And, sure, what the hell. Check it out below.

'Pig' Trailer: Nicolas Cage Hunts For His Kidnapped Pig. Yes This Is A Real Movie

In the upcoming thriller Pig, Nicolas Cage plays a hermit living in the woods who goes on a revenge-fueled hunt for his kidnapped truffle pig. Did I write this movie? I don’t remember doing so, but it sounds like something I would do. Regardless, here is the first Pig trailer. Enjoy.

'Gaia' (2021) Movie Review

Mushrooms are creepy as hell. We got a bit of that earlier this year with Ben Wheatley’s In the Earth, and to further drive that point home, there’s now South African director Jaco Bouwer’s Gaia. The two films play like companion pieces of slow-burn existential environmental horror, and this offers another a tense, moody narrative that’s part creature feature, part mediation on nature, technology, and our role in the world.