Film Festivals

Review: ‘Relay’ Is A Great Conspiracy Thriller Throwback [TIFF 2024]

September 16, 2024 by Joe Lipsett Leave a Comment

Riz Ahmed as Ash, wearing a grey hoodie, tan jacket and black backpack

It’s been a long time since we’ve had a techno-conspiracy thriller, which makes Relay a welcome surprise.

Review: Alien Romantic Drama ‘You Are Not Alone’ Is A Quiet Gem [TIFF 2024]

September 12, 2024 by Joe Lipsett Leave a Comment

Bar Man (Pierre Yves Charbonneau) stands bathed in the white light of an open fridge door

Leave it to Quebec filmmakers to find a way to make alien abductions and mid-mid-life crises both intriguing and deeply romantic. But that’s what You Are Not Alone (2024) is.

[Read more…]

‘Sebastian’ Continues the Storied Tradition of Sex Work in Queer Cinema [Sundance Review]

January 25, 2024 by Joe Lipsett

A close-up of Max (Ruaridh Mollica)'s face

Sex work and queer cinema have a long and storied history.

[Read more…]

‘The Seeding’ Is Gorgeous, But Predictable [Tribeca Review]

June 12, 2023 by Joe Lipsett

Who doesn’t love a movie that begins with a child wandering in the desert, eating a human finger?

[Read more…]

‘You’ll Never Find Me’ Is A Twisty Puzzle Film [Tribeca Review]

June 10, 2023 by Joe Lipsett

Puzzle films are always fascinating – and challenging – films to review.

[Read more…]

‘Bad Things’ Is More Than Just a Homage to ‘The Shining’ [Tribeca Review]

June 9, 2023 by Joe Lipsett

The last time Stewart Thorndike made a horror film, it was 2014’s Lyle, a lesbian take on Rosemary’s Baby. That’s a reductive description since the film is much more than an extended homage, but the log line certainly makes it an easy sell for genre fans.

[Read more…]