Raw (2016)

After hearing my friend Janice Loreck recommend it to me, I finally sat down and watched Raw (2016), the French-Belgian cannibal horror drama following vegetarian Justine (Garance Marillier, excellent) and her first year at veterinarian school. Yes, not for the faint of heart – there were some sequences that made me feel very squeamish. Writer-director […]

Read More Raw (2016)

Jackie (2016)

I completely missed Jackie (2016) when it was out during the busy summer movie/award movie period but finally caught up with it and yeah, it was excellent. Natalie Portman’s performance, Stephane Fontaine’s cinematography, Mica Levi’s score, Pablo Larrain’s direction, just everything working at a quality level to present a layered, immersive portrait. Can’t believe it […]

Read More Jackie (2016)

A Lizard In A Woman’s Skin (1971)

Exploring further the world of giallo – 1970s-era Italian thrillers with plenty of eroticism, style and violence – I watched Lucio Fulci’s A Lizard In A Woman’s Skin (1971; Una lucertola con la pelle di donna), a title that is more of a metaphor than a creature feature thing. Bored glamorous Carol (Florinda Bolkan) is […]

Read More A Lizard In A Woman’s Skin (1971)

The Endless (2017)

Missed it in the brief window it was at cinemas, The Endless (2017) is a low budget, independent sci-fi mystery focused on two brothers (played by the directors, Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead). They’ve spent ten years living together working dead end jobs after escaping from a religious cult in the woods – one of […]

Read More The Endless (2017)

Stalker (1979)

I finally watched my first Tarkovsky with Stalker (1979; Сталкер). It was on a Friday night when I’m tired from the week and more in the mood for trashier fare rather than a two-and-a-half-hour slow meditation life, but I pushed through. And it was great, as many people have said to me. With a sci-fi […]

Read More Stalker (1979)