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The Serpent’s Skin Review: Alice Maio Mackay’s Queer Fury Finds Magic in Horror
At just twenty-one, Australian filmmaker Alice Maio Mackay has achieved what most artists spend decades attempting: an instantly recognizable voice. Her work merges DIY intensity with radical sincerity, balancing the intimacy of friendship films and the assertiveness of horror allegory. She creates stories not about transness as spectacle but transness as lived, felt, and fierce reality. Her newest feature, The Serpent’s Skin, continues her thrilling, rebellious streak, sitting comfortably within her filmography yet glowing more brightly. Like her earlier works, it…
Shell Review: Elisabeth Moss Shines in a Slick but Shallow Beauty Horror
Now and then, a film comes along that turns Hollywood’s obsession with beauty into its own monster. Shell, directed by Max Minghella, attempts exactly that: a glossy look at the cost of staying youthful in an industry that treats age like a disease. Elisabeth Moss leads this horror comedy as Samantha Lake, a fading actress desperate to reclaim her glow, her fame, and perhaps her soul. At first, Samantha seems like many aging performers we’ve seen across film history: talented…
Play Dirty Review: Mark Wahlberg’s Heist Thriller Misses the Mark
If any filmmaker was expected to revive the witty, adrenaline-filled heist genre, it was Shane Black. Known for The Nice Guys and Iron Man 3, he returns with Play Dirty, a movie that aims for a 90s-style action-comedy swagger but lands squarely between boredom and frustration. Adapted from Donald E. Westlake’s novels, the film thrusts viewers into the morally gray world of Parker (Mark Wahlberg), a professional thief with strict ethics about who he targets. The movie opens with a botched robbery that quickly…
Casper Turns 30: Why the Friendly Ghost Still Warms Every Halloween Heart
October marks the time when pumpkins glow, cobwebs hang from every porch, and audiences revisit beloved Halloween classics. This year’s lineup features a milestone that feels extra nostalgic: Casper is turning 30. The friendly ghost who defined PG-rated Halloween adventures for families is back in theaters, greeting both longtime fans and new audiences. Back in 1995, Brad Silberling’s Casper brought warmth and humor to a season usually filled with jump scares. Produced by Steven Spielberg, it offered a family-friendly take on life, loss, and…
Bone Lake Review: When Desire and Danger Collide in the Woods
It begins innocently enough. Diego and Sage, a longtime couple hoping to mend strained intimacy, rent a gorgeous lakeside estate for a peaceful weekend. They imagine long walks, good wine, and reconnection. But when another couple, Cinnamon and Will, arrive claiming to have booked the same property through a different app, the romantic retreat turns unnervingly awkward. The hosts remain unreachable, leaving the two pairs to share the space. This setup in Mercedes Bryce Morgan’s Bone Lake immediately tempts the senses.…
The Smashing Machine Review: Dwayne Johnson Swings Big but Benny Safdie Plays It Safe
Few directors working today carry the cult credibility of Benny Safdie. Alongside his brother Josh, he redefined cinematic anxiety with Good Time and Uncut Gems films which turned desperation into adrenaline. Those movies were propulsive and jagged, steeped in urban chaos and moral collapse. So when A24 announced that Benny would helm The Smashing Machine alone, expectations soared. Add Dwayne Johnson in what promised to be his most vulnerable role yet, and a certain mythology took root before the first trailer even dropped. The result,…