Fantastic Fest 2023 Review – What You Wish For

Nick Stahl stars in “What You Wish For” – image courtesy of Fantastic Fest   by: Cody Villafana Directed by: Nicholas Tomnay (“The Perfect Host”) Written by: Nicholas Tomnay (“The Perfect Host”) Starring: Nick Stahl, Tasmin Topolski, Randy Vasquez On the run from gambling debts, chef Ryan (Nick Stahl) escapes to Latin America to meet […]

Fantastic Fest 2022 Review – Chop and Steele

  Pranksters Joe Pickett and Nick Prueher in “Chop and Steele”   by: Cody Villafana Directed by: Berndt Mader (“Booger Red”) and Ben Steinbauer (“Winnebago Man”) Starring: Nick Prueher, Joe Pickett If you were watching morning TV news somewhere in the Midwest in the last 15 years and saw a variety of characters that seemed […]

Fantastic Fest 2021 Review – Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes

Kazunori Tosa in “Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes”   by: Cody Villafana Starring: Kazunori Tosa, Riko Fujitani, Gôta Ishida Directed by: Junta Yamaguchi (debut) Written by: Makoto Ueda (“The Night is Short, Walk on Girl”) Part of the fun of film festivals is general is walking into a film that you know nothing about and being […]

Palm Springs

“Palm Springs is a delight, and as enjoyable of a respite as the film’s getaway location promises.”

The Nightingale

“Dismisses archetypes and relies on brutal history lessons to expose man’s perpetually destructive nature.”

After the Wedding

“There’s talent in front of the camera, but very little in the firm rings true – even as a glorified soap opera.”

Them That Follow

“Unable to find the emotional hook needed to express extremely personal issues.”

Light of My Life

“Casey Affleck’s ability to keep the nervous, albeit silent, energy consistent is an impressive feat.”

Sword of Trust

“A sharply written dark dramedy. Deeper and more meaningful than an average satire.”

Dark Phoenix

“Entirely perfunctory, with confusing fight choreography…and completely unearned sentimentality.”

Captain Marvel

“The final product [does] a disservice to what should have been a triumphant moment for the franchise.”