TOUCH ME Film Review: An Unapologetically Strange Allegory of Abuse and Trauma TOUCH ME Still | Courtesy of Fantasia Film Festival Touch Me is a deliberately odd midnight horror piece that uses a surreal premise to explore trauma, addiction, and the tangled bonds of codependency. It wears its strangeness on its sleeve: grotesque, humorous, uncomfortable … Read more
Justice League (2017) Director: Zack Snyder Screenwriters: Chris Terrio and Joss Whedon Starring: Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, Henry Cavill, Ray Fisher, Ezra Miller, Jason Momoa, Amy Adams, Amber Heard, Ciarán Hinds, Jeremy Irons, Diane Lane, Joe Morton, Connie Nielsen, J.K. Simmons Overview After the turbulent 2016 releases that left Warner Bros. rethinking its approach to … Read more
Falsified (2017) Director: Stefan Fairlamb Screenwriter: Ashley Tabatabai Starring: Ashley Tabatabai, Mitchell Mullen The short drama Falsified, inspired by the historical kidnappings of children in Spain from the 1930s through the 1980s, aims to deliver a poignant tribute to affected families but ultimately struggles to realize its full potential. Director Stefan Fairlamb and screenwriter/actor Ashley … Read more
Still from THE WELL (2025) | Courtesy of Fantasia Festival The Well is a restrained, character-driven post-apocalyptic thriller that trades spectacle for quiet observation. Directed by Hubert Davis, who is best known for documentary work including the Oscar-recognized short Hardwood, the film applies a documentary eye to fictional material. The result is a focused drama … Read more
Italian Neorealism: Origins, Key Figures and Characteristics Italian Neorealism was not so much a formal school as a cinematic trend that emerged from Italy’s social and historical circumstances in the 1930s and 1940s. While Roberto Rossellini is often credited as a founding figure, the movement can be traced to Luchino Visconti’s 1943 film Ossessione (English: … Read more
#skoden: The Human Behind the Meme | Interview with Director Damien Eagle Bear #skoden Title Card | Courtesy of skoden.film I spoke with Blackfoot filmmaker Damien Eagle Bear over Zoom, shortly before the 2025 imagineNATIVE Film Festival, about his feature documentary #skoden. Filmed in Lethbridge and on the Blood Reserve—traditional Blackfoot Territory—the film premiered at … Read more
Short film Squirrel Island was one of our 10 Picks from the Aesthetica Short Film Festival 2017 for its striking combination of action-espionage tone and sweet, handcrafted animation. Equally compelling is the film’s origin story. We spoke with screenwriter, director, sculptor, animator and artist Astrid Goldsmith about the long journey to release, her motivations, and … Read more
CUFF (Calgary Underground Film Festival) 2025 Award Winners CUFF 2025 concluded on April 27, 2025, at the Globe Cinema in Calgary. The festival’s 2025 edition featured an adventurous lineup of 41 feature films, 45 short films, and eight special events — from live script readings and retro cartoon parties to found-footage presentations and a 007 … Read more
Paddington 2 (2017) Director: Paul King Screenwriters: Simon Farnaby, Paul King, Jon Croker Starring: Brendan Gleeson, Sally Hawkins, Ben Whishaw, Michael Gambon, Hugh Grant, Jim Broadbent, Hugh Bonneville, Julie Walters, Peter Capaldi When the first Paddington film arrived in 2014 it felt like a welcome relief: warm, carefully crafted and gently funny, reminding audiences that … Read more
Vulcanizadora and Joel Potrykus’ Uneasy Catharsis VULCANIZADORA Still | Courtesy of CUFF When I met with Joel Potrykus before a screening of Vulcanizadora at CUFF 2025, the conversation settled into the same deliberate, contemplative pace that defines his new film. Ten months into an extended festival run, Potrykus sounded almost indifferent about the push for … Read more