Tag: Independent Cinema
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His House (2020) Review: A Black History Month Spotlight on South Sudan, Survival, and the Horror of Displacement
In celebration of Black History Month, this review revisits His House (2020), Remi Weekes’ haunting exploration of displacement, survivor’s guilt, and the refugee experience. Anchored by powerful performances from Wunmi Mosaku and Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù, the film follows a South Sudanese couple fleeing civil war only to confront both bureaucratic hostility and supernatural terror in Britain.…
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Redux Redux Review: A Multiverse Thriller About Grief, Revenge, and the Illusion of Control
In Redux Redux, directors Kevin and Matthew McManus strip the multiverse thriller down to its emotional core. What begins as a time-travel revenge story quickly transforms into an unflinching character study about grief, obsession, and the illusion of control. Michaela McManus delivers a gripping lead performance as Irene Kelly, a mother who uses a mysterious…
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Nirvanna the Band – the Show – the Movie Review: A Time-Traveling Cult Comedy About Friendship, Failure, and Creative Ambition
Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol bring their long-running cult comedy to the big screen with Nirvanna the Band – The Show – The Movie, an inventive time-travel mockumentary that blends archival footage, absurd humor, and a surprisingly heartfelt exploration of friendship, ambition, and creative stagnation.
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All That’s Left of You Review: Cherien Dabis’ Generational Portrait of Palestinian Loss and Resistance
In her five-star masterwork ‘All That’s Left of You,’ Cherien Dabis explores the intergenerational cycle of trauma and the ‘impossible calculus’ of survival. From the 1948 Nakba to a modern-day medical moral dilemma, this review examines how a family’s grief becomes a radical assertion of Palestinian identity.
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Sirāt Is the Bad-Feel Movie of the Year — And It Hurts to Look Away
Release Date: November 14, 2025 (U.S. Release) Runtime: 115 minutes (1h 55m) Rated: R Production Companies: Los Desertores Films AIE, Telefónica Audiovisual Digital, Filmes da Ermida, El Deseo, Uri Films, 4A4 Productions Producers: Domingo Corral, Óliver Laxe, Xavi Font, Pedro Almodóvar, Agustín Almodóvar, Esther García, Oriol Maymó, Mani Mortazavi, Andrea Queralt Cinematography: Mauro Herce Editing: Cristóbal…
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It Was Just an Accident: Jafar Panahi’s Defiant Masterwork of Vengeance and Forgiveness
Release Date: US theatrical release began Oct 15, 2025 Runtime: 104 minutes (1h 44m) Rated: PG-13 — violence, smoking, thematic elements, strong language Production Companies: Jafar Panahi Productions, Les Films Pelléas, Bidibul Productions, Pio & Co, Arte France Cinéma Producers: Jafar Panahi, Philippe Martin Cinematography: Amin Jafari Editing: Amir Etminan Music / Composer: Abdorreza Heidari It…
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Terror Through the Lens: 2025’s Most Ambitious Found Footage Films
Since its horror inception with a film like Cannibal Holocaust (1980), the found footage genre has long found a welcoming and supportive home within horror itself. From there, we can trace clever and tactical marketing strategies that paved the way for The Blair Witch Project (1999), whose success relied on the persuasive and deceiving nature…
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“If I Had Legs I’d Kick You” Review: A Raw, Relentless Portrait of Motherhood’s Breaking Point
Release Date: October 10, 2025 (United States theatrical) (Premiere: January 24, 2025 at Sundance) Runtime: 133 minutes (1 hr 53 min) Rated: R — for language, some drug use and bloody images. Production Companies: A24, Central Pictures, Fat City, also credited: Bronxburgh; Elara Pictures Producers: Sara Murphy, Ryan Zacarias, Ronald Bronstein, Josh Safdie, Eli Bush, Conor…
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Good Boy (2025) Review: A Haunting Horror Told Through a Dog’s Eyes
Release Date: Theatrical release (U.S.) — October 3, 2025 (festival premiere at SXSW March 10, 2025) Runtime: 73 minutes (1 hr 13 min) Rated: PG-13 — for terror, bloody images and strong language Production Companies: What’s Wrong With Your Dog? (Leonberg / Fischer indie credit) — distributed in English territories by Shudder / IFC (Independent Film…
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The Best Horror Films of 2025 (So Far): From 28 Years Later to The Long Walk
2025 has been an incredible year for horror, and I wanted to take a moment to highlight the films that are keeping the theatrical experience alive. While plenty of other blockbusters have carried their weight at the box office, I’d argue horror deserves its own recognition. As anyone in the fandom knows, it’s one of…