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Elliot Page Shines in ‘Close to You,’ But Story Misses Its Mark
For the first several minutes of Dominic Savage’s Close to You, there is little to no dialogue as we are introduced to Elliot Page’s character, Sam. In a modest room he rents in Toronto, Sam wakes up and gets ready for a day that will be emotionally challenging. Though the upcoming day promises to be tough, the initial moments feel like a breath of fresh air. Sam moves through his morning routine with a sense of quiet reflection. He prepares…
The Shining is Kubrick’s Timeless Horror Classic That Still Haunts Audiences
Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 film The Shining is widely regarded as one of the best horror films ever made. Fans and critics alike praise its ambiguity, and the film’s ending remains one of the most discussed in cinematic history. The Shining is based on the book by Stephen King, though Kubrick made significant changes to the story, much to King’s dissatisfaction. The plot follows Jack Torrance (played by Jack Nicholson), who accepts a job as the winter caretaker of the isolated…
Supernatural Meets Deep-Rooted Family Fears in The Dark and The Wicked
In 2008, director Bryan Bertino scared audiences with his cult classic The Strangers, a home invasion thriller where the attackers inflicted harm just for the thrill. The film’s unsettling atmosphere made us wary of every shadow. Bertino’s later film, The Dark and The Wicked (2020) uses a similar sense of dread but takes a supernatural and bleak approach. Drawing from his experience in building tension, Bertino uses it to highlight the film’s familial drama, showing how grief, guilt, and trauma…
Why Doug Liman’s Early Films Still Outshine His Recent Work
Doug Liman is known for being a hard-working director in Hollywood. Despite his success, his recent films have not been as good. Liman is talented at making unique movies with big studios and different genres. However, his new streaming films have not been as impressive. In 2024, Liman released two films that didn’t live up to expectations. The remake of Road House had some exciting fight scenes and a great performance by Jake Gyllenhaal. But the movie didn’t capture the…
The Tattooist of Auschwitz: A Raw and Emotional Depiction of Love in Dark Times
The horrors of the Holocaust and crimes against humanity are always tough to watch. Peacock’s six-part miniseries, The Tattooist of Auschwitz, is particularly intense and honest, showing the brutal way Nazis treated Jewish people under Hitler during World War II. The true story of Lale Sokolov is told through flashbacks by an older Lale, played by Harvey Keitel, who recounts his grim experiences to Heather Morris, the author of the 2017 novel. Some details of the series, based on true…
Future Zombie Comedy Misses the Mark with Nostalgia and Uneven Storytelling
Based on the comics series The Zombies That Ate the World by Jerry Frissen and artist Guy Davis, We Are Zombies is a new horror comedy from the makers of cult hits Turbo Kid and Summer of ’84. Like those earlier films, François Simard, Anouk Whissell, and Yoann-Karl Whissell’s new film has a nostalgic feel. It takes place in a future where humans and zombies live together. The movie packs many ideas into its 80-minute run but doesn’t give any…