Fantasia 2026: 'The Leader' Review

In 1997, the Heaven's Gate cult committed mass suicide. A potent new movie reflects on the group's leaders and their disturbing, seductive beliefs. For Screen International, I reviewed The Leader.

Fantasia 2026: 'Rubberhead: The Life & Monsters of Steve Johnson' Review

Anyone who came of age loving practical effects will probably dig Rubberhead, a documentary about makeup effects artist Steve Johnson who was the mastermind behind films like Ghostbusters during his heyday in the 1980s and early 1990s. Eventually, though, the industry changed and he faced some personal issues. The movie goes into all of that. My review is here. 

Fantasia 2025: 'Terrestrial' Review

In Terrestrial, a struggling screenwriter (Jermaine Fowler) is visited by his college buddies, who discover that he's now a hotshot Hollywood mover-and-shaker. What's he hiding? My review of this dark comedy is here. 

Fantasia 2024: 'In Our Blood' Review

In the found-footage horror film In Our Blood, an L.A. filmmaker returns to her New Mexico hometown to shoot a documentary about our addicted mother. Then, people start disappearing. What's going on? I reviewed this intriguing but ultimately disappointing first feature here.

Fantasia 2024: 'Bookworm' Review

In Bookworm, Elijah Wood plays a (not very good) magician who reunites with his estranged daughter (Nell Fisher) to go on a quest to find a rare panther. I reviewed this so-so quirky family film for Screen International.

Fantasia 2023: 'What You Wish For' Review

In What You Wish For, Nick Stahl plays a chef tasked with an unusual assignment. I won't reveal the twist, but my review of this dark comedic thriller is here.

Fantasia 2023: 'Empire V' Review

The vampire film Empire V was banned in Russia for its critique of the nation's corruption. Does that mean you should see it? My review is over at Screen International.

Fantasia 2023: 'Sympathy for the Devil' Review

Joel Kinnaman plays a man driving to the hospital to see his pregnant wife. But when he gets there, a menacing figure (Nicolas Cage) gets into his car, pulls out a gun, and tells him to drive. Where are they headed? For Screen International, I reviewed Sympathy for the Devil.

Fantasia 2022: 'Country Gold' Review

Fantasia veteran Mickey Reece returns with his latest film, in which he plays a Garth Brooks-like country star who meets his idol, George Jones. (He's in for a surreal evening.) I reviewed Country Gold for Screen International.

Fantasia 2022: 'Shin Ultraman' Review

It's already a huge hit in Japan, but now Shin Ultraman has made its way to North America. You can read my Screen International review here.

Fantasia 2021: 'The Last Thing Mary Saw' Review

It's rural New York in the 1840s. A young woman from a conservative religious family is having a secret affair with the maid. Will that cause problems? Of course it will. For Screen International, I reviewed the spooky, atmospheric horror-drama The Last Thing Mary Saw.

Fantasia 2021: 'The Devil's Deal' Review

The Devil's Deal is a complicated thriller in which an aspiring politician gets screwed out of his party's nomination and decides to get revenge on the people pulling the strings. What follows is a series of double-crosses and shifting allegiances. But if you get on its wavelength, it's also a pretty grim portrait of power. My review is up at Screen International.

Fantasia 2020: 'Come True' Review

A young woman with sleep issues volunteers for a study in which college students will monitor her nocturnal brainwaves. What could possibly go wrong? For Screen International, I reviewed the very effective horror film Come True.

Fantasia 2020: 'You Cannot Kill David Arquette' Review

David Arquette has had a heart attack and suffers from psychological issues. But he is bound and determined to remake himself as a professional wrestler. For Screen International, I reviewed the new documentary that charts his progress, You Cannot Kill David Arquette.

Fantasia 2020: '12 Hour Shift' Review

I wish 12 Hour Shift was sharper than it is. A horror/dark comedy about an overworked E.R. nurse (Angela Bettis) who's part of a black-market organ trafficking scheme, the movie is set over one crazy, grisly, bloody night. My review is up at Screen International.

Fantasia 2020: 'Hunted' Review

A woman is abducted after meeting a handsome stranger in a bar. But after their car gets into an accident, she makes a run for it, with her pursuer (and his henchman) in hot pursuit. And so a battle for survival begins. For Screen International, I reviewed Hunted.

Fantasia 2020: 'Perdida' Review

A man's wife leaves him. Distraught, he goes to a bar, where he meets a pretty waitress. They start an affair. The waitress moves into the man's house. She starts to wonder if the place is haunted. Could it be the ex-wife, who has gone missing? For Screen International, I reviewed the thriller/ghost story/romantic melodrama Perdida.