5 More Minutes
| A | Fantastic Fest 2026 | Superb! Usually I have to be so emotionally drawn into a movie that my eyes are wet at the end (from either sorrow…
The Birthday Party
| B | Fantastic Fest 2026 | Good thriller. Well written to slowly unveil the turns and secrets. Mostly dark, moody atmosphere. (The trailer looks more brightly lit, but maybe…
Project Hail Mary
| A+ | AFF Year-Round 2026 | I am stunned. This is as close to a perfect script as I have seen in a long time. Drew Goddard was adapting…
Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die
| A- | Fantastic Fest 2025 | This is the other secret screening I attended. The world premiere of Gore Verbinski’s latest film (which I was not even aware of),…
Bugonia
| B | Fantastic Fest 2025 | This was a secret screening I attended. I was delighted it turned out to be this film. I have a like/hate relationship with…
Bulk
| C | Fantastic Fest 2025 | The trailer says it is showing scenes selected randomly from the movie. And those scenes looked intriguing. From the science fiction concept of…
Luger
| B | Fantastic Fest 2025 | Good crime thriller about two lower-rung thugs for hire who get into a situation that is over their heads. They can’t just fight…
Appofeniacs
| B | Fantastic Fest 2025 | The first half of the movie almost ruined it for me. That’s mostly my fault. From the description, I expected a nuanced, maybe…
The Forbidden City
| B+ | Fantastic Fest 2025 | There was a lot going on in this movie. Martial arts, both Italian and Chinese crime families, romance—all going on in the multi-cultural…
The Ego Death of Queen Cecilia
| B+ | Austin Film Festival 2024 | I really enjoyed this film. The main character was interesting, and on an emotional level going through something we all do at…