In some of my TIFF coverage, I take a look at the drama "The Hills Where Lionesses Roar," a film with a carefree spirit with great performances and cinematography. #TIFF21
TIFF 2021 Review: “The Hill Where Lionesses Roar”
Tag: Review
Fantasia Film Festival Review: Don’t Say Its Name (2021)
In horror thriller Don’t Say Its Name, outsiders are being killed by an unseen force in the woods in a Canadian Indigenous community. The town’s sheriff, Betty (Madison Walsh), can’t make heads or tails of it, so she enlists the help of badass game warden Stacey (Sera-Lys McArthur).
The film is an Indigenous story at its core, one about protecting one’s land as outsiders (a coal mining company called WEC) look to profit off their land. At the very least, Don’t Say Its Name is thought-provoking because of this. There’s strong character work here, especially with Betty and Stacey. Stacey’s an army vet suffering from PTSD, so her healing from trauma of war is an intriguing element on top of Indigenous people coping with their collective trauma.
Fantasia Film Festival Review: Yakuza Princess (2021)
She very much holds her own in the action scenes. The fight choreography is strong and (CGI) gore is always steady, with some strong sequences sprinkled throughout, especially a fun scene set in a graveyard. It’s also very well-shot, balancing hand-to-hand combat and gun action.
It doesn’t have the variety of chorography to sustain long, drawn-out fight scenes, so if you’re searching for great ones like seen in The Raid or even The Night Comes for Us (both Indonesia actioners), this one doesn’t have it. It underwhelms in certain areas because of that, especially as it doesn’t have a scene that I think will be remembered in a couple of years. However, it’s still a good showcase for MASUMI as a badass hero coming into her own, with some fun scenes to make it worth the two hours.
“Scenes from an Empty Church” Interview + Review | Writer/director Onur Tukel, stars Kevin Corrigan, Max Casella, Thomas Jay Ryan | The Filmcraziest Show
Featured image: Kevin Corrigan as Father Andrew and Thomas Jay Ryan as Father James in Scenes from an Empty Church. (Courtesy of MPI Media Group.) “New York is dead… It’s not dead, but it’s on life support,” narrates Father Andrew (Kevin Corrigan) to begin Onur Tukel’s newest film Scenes from an Empty Church. This is the usual [...]
Oscar Nominee, Short Film Review: Feeling Through (2020)
Here's a review of Doug Roland's FEELING THROUGH, nominated for an Oscar for Best Live Action Short, a film about a homeless teen making a profound connection with a DeafBlind man who's trying to get home.
Shudder Review: The Queen of Black Magic (2021)
Directed by: Kimo Stamboel. Starring: Ario Bayu, Hannah Al Rashid, Miller Khan. Runtime: 1h 39 min. A remake of the little seen Indonesian 1981 film of the same name, The Queen of Black Magic, director Kimo Stamboel updates the setting of the story to an orphanage. Three men – Hanif (Ario Bayu), Anton (Tanta Gintig) [...]
Shudder Review: A Creepshow Holiday Special (TV Special 2020)
Directed by: Greg Nicotero. Starring: Anna Camp, Adam Pally, Pete Burris. Runtime: 46 min. A Creepshow Holiday Special follows Robert Weston (Adam Pally), a man trying to figure out the strange thing that has been happening to him every full moon. Believing himself to be a werewolf, he finds a support group called Shapeshifters Anonymous [...]
Screamfest Review: You Wouldn’t Understand (short, 2020)
A brilliant and fun nine minutes with strong humour, Trish Harnetiaux’ You Wouldn’t Understand follows a man (Anthony Arkin) whose idyllic picnic is upended by the arrival of a stranger, Angelic Guy (Jacob A. Ware). The dialogue’s sharp and funny and I love some of the humour, especially horse radish being called “horsey sauce.”
My first podcast – Filmcraziest Presents: Popcorn Flicks, Episode #1, “The Luck of the Irish”
Hi everyone and Happy St. Patty's Day! I'm excited to share my first self-produced podcast for my website, called Filmcraziest Presents: Popcorn Flicks. The podcast will be a review show about Disney Channel Original Movies. I love Disney Channel Original Movies and they have a lot of nostalgia for me (I did a bunch last [...]
Tone-Deaf (2019)
Directed by: Richard Bates Jr. Starring: Amanda Crew, Robert Patrick, Kim Delaney. Runtime: 1h 27 min. Released: August 23, 2019. It feels like in every neighborhood there’s a curmudgeonly old fart sitting in a rocking chair on his porch ranting about something. “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” had the Grinch up on Mount Crumpit, shouting [...]
