Movie review: The Holdovers brings back classic life lessons, movie settings. The Holdovers, in select theaters Friday, harkens back to bygone periods both of movies and of education. More lessons are learned outside the classroom than in it, but they are subtle lessons, not heavy handed ones.
Movie review: Powerful Killers of the Flower Moon explores banality of evil. Martin Scorsese has made a lot of movies about people seduced by the glamor of crime ultimately facing their downfall. The powerful Killers of the Flower Moon, in theaters Friday, depicts how utter banality can cause men to commit crimes just as horrible.
Screamfest review: Teques Chainsaw Massacre slays with comedy, kills. The Mexican horror film, Masacre en Teques, which screened in the Screamfest horror film festival, literally translates to Massacre in Teques. However the Americanized title, Teques Chainsaw Massacre, accurately conveys the fun spirit of the mayhem.
Screamfest review: Fascinating Pandemonium puts surreal twist on afterlife. The French film, Pandemonium, which screened at the Screamfest horror film festival, is a welcome twist on the horror genre. It deals with death and dead bodies, but in a surreal, philosophical way.
Screamfest review: Graphic The Well both too much, not enough. Makeup and creature effects are about all The Well has going for it. The film, which screened at Screamfest in Los Angeles, struggles with an unwieldy mythology and a choppy narrative.