Review by Jennifer Valencia Medusa Directed by Anita Rocha da Silveira In Anita Rocha da Silveira’s Medusa (2021) a gang of creepy masked girls wearing creepy roam the streets at night beating up and “converting” any other women who they deem sinful, in the name of Jesus. This gang is
by Jacqueline Valencia Earwig Directed by Lucile Hadžihalilović Sometime in the 1940s, a silent little girl named Mia lives in an dark apartment with a man called Aalbert who takes care to install teeth of ice in her mouth every day. This little ritual translates into other odd routines throughout
by Jacqueline Valencia (Editors note: Both films are part of TIFF’s 2017 Contemporary World Cinema Programme) Miami (2017) dir.: Zaida Bergroth Director Zaida Bergroth’s Miami stars Krista Kosonen as Angela a charming show dancer and Sonja Kuittinen as her small town sister Anna. Anna finds her long lost sister and through admiration and a
by Jacqueline Valencia Tackling relationships in film authentically can be a tricky business, especially if they’re about broken or blended families. There’s nuances and intimacies that get glossed over many times in favour of getting on with the story. Then sometimes there are movies that make entire films about those
by Jacqueline Valencia The appeal of films like the late Tobe Hooper‘s Lifeforce is that I like being entertained. It doesn’t matter if the film is good or bad, I frankly would like to feel like I didn’t waste my time watching it. A good film provokes me to think or it makes
by Kayann Mitchell Debuting at Cannes and infamous for causing fainting spells during its screening at TIFF, Julia Ducournau’s meaty debut was bound to end up on my radar. I’d been chomping at the bit to finally see this French/Belgian gem. But I was crestfallen upon learning that Canada wouldn’t
by Jacqueline Valencia There is so much I could say about this Jordan Peele’s Get Out. However, in an effort to not spoil the film for any readers the best thing I can do is give you my reasons why I feel this is an important film. I’ll be linking a
by Kayann Mitchell Happening amazingly for the first time ever with XX we have four female writer directors, Roxanne Benjamin, Karyn Kusama, Annie Clark (aka St. Vincent), and Jovanka Vuckovic coming together to channel their creative ju-ju into four tales of horror and suspense. Let’s see what the Ladies have to
by Kayann Mitchell I have seen ALL the Underworld series. And I am an unabashed fan of each one for exactly what they are. Fun thrill rides. Did Anna Foerster and add to the cannon with Underworld: Blood Wars? We open with Selene (Kate Beckinsale) still on the run from
by Kayann Mitchell I’m a massive fan of Andre Øvredal‘s Trollhunter. It was a fun bit of filmmaking. Highly recommended if you haven’t already seen it. Go forth now and do so. Its required viewing! This however is a different beast. We open on a murder scene that seems inexplicable to
Critical Focus 