Recently, Arianne and I were having a conversation and we came to a realization. As if it really makes that much of a difference, but, some of her favourite films of the years always come out of SXSW. And for myself, it’s always Sundance. There’s obviously over-lap but this marks to be true. And this marks another movie that came out of Sundance that is now on my list.
Author: Andres Guzman
This is where the controversy might begin.
The Last Jedi is the best Star Wars film. You can have your own favourite, but on a technical level, it is the best. Both my opinion and probably as close to fact as possible.
Frankly, I have no idea where this review is going to go until I just dive right in, which to be fair, is exactly how everyone should go into Midsommar.
I can not be alone, but Ari Aster made a hell of a name for themselves last year with Hereditary. I gladly caught it in the theatres three times and have been anxiously anticipating for Midsommar (or a follow-up in general) ever since. He has a clear voice about these bonds that are astonishing to witness.
Sometimes you go into a movie expecting one thing and you walk out of the film having gotten that. And other times, you get the complete opposite. Child’s Play falls somewhere right in the middle of all that.
If you know me, you know that this article was coming. In fact, you all should be surprised it wasn’t already posted by the time this one will be.
Before we even talk about the trailer, let me educate the uninformed. Mike Flanagan is one of my favourite working filmmakers. He understands horror at a core level – and then allows you to empathize with his characters through proper drama. Why do horror films work better than others? Simple, because you care about the characters. The villain or our heroes. In some slasher series (take a stab at any really), by the end of their franchises, it becomes less and less about an on-going hero (with some exceptions), and more and more about a hero. We don’t go to see any Friday The 13th films except to see Jason kill some teenagers. We do go see any of the Scream films, or the recent sequel to 1978’s Halloween, Halloween. I know, names for movies are strange. But that’s what works best with Flanagan. You care about his characters.
With every year, there are always a handful of films that I try and champion. Films with little-to-no marketing. This is why I almost have a film end on my list of favourites at the end of the year that nobody has heard of before.
Knives and Skin is definitely one of those movies you’ll hear me rave about for the rest of the year. If you followed any outlets that have been at Tribeca, Overlook or even Fantasia later this year, I know you’re going to hear all about this film. And you very much should. You’re going to hear a lot of similarities to Twins Peaks – and rightfully so.
Another day, another write-up for a trailer for a movie you’ve never heard of from a writer who’s been waiting for this moment for months.
James Gray may not be a name you’re really aware of, and that’s fine, he wasn’t a recognizable name for me until recently. But today, we’re going to change that. In 1994, he made his debut feature Little Odessa, and in 2000 he directed and co-wrote The Yards (with Matt Reeves, remember that name for a second).
While I didn’t see that many films for the festival, it felt good to agree with an award for once. Xiang Zi won an award for Best First Feature and it’s extremely worthy of its award.
The film is a wonderfully unique and exquisite story that with such control from the director. Never allowing you to get further than she wants you to get. On top of that, it’s edited in a very moving and swaying motion. It weaves in and out of everyone’s past, so you’re never aware of where you truly are.
Trailer write-up time!
Taking a mild break from my reviews and watches to talk about a movie that I am ready to rally behind. Let’s talk about Luce for a quick minute. Directed by Julius Onah (The Cloverfield Paradox. Hold your thoughts, I know what you’re thinking) and written by the man behind the play of the same name, JC Lee. Let’s take a look at this trailer now.
The festival in a way is over for me. I’ve seen 7 films in the theatre and there are four more screeners to make my way to, which also means way more writing for me to do. I’ve so far seen a variety of great things at the festival, and a few parts or maybe one film I didn’t enjoy. Which is a fairly great ratio when it comes to a festival. I know I’m speaking early about that, but I’m also going to speak early on the fact that I don’t see myself falling more in love with a film than I did with Second Star on the Right.
The UnderSCENE 