In its setup, director Diego “Mapache” Fuentes’s Matapanki struck me as a Chilean version of Josh Trank’s Chronicle: a young man acquires superhero-like powers and soon becomes unable to control his newfound abilities. What Matapanki adds to this story, however, is a really nifty concoction of political satire matched with […]
Movies & Documentaries
Tony Odyssey (Slamdance 2026) World Premiere (REVIEW)
Brazilian cinema is having one of its occasional moments on the world stage, thanks to films like The Secret Agent and I’m Still Here breaking the usual containment unit of Best International Feature and being nominated in major categories at American awards shows. Even a synopsis of those films will […]
The Stunt Man (1980) When Making a Movie Becomes a Matter of Life and Death
One of the Special Feature commentaries for The Stunt Man opens with director Richard Rush claiming that “Putting a dog licking his balls in the title sequence, I suppose, is letting the audience know it’s going to be an iconoclastic picture.” It’s an eye-catching opening, a wild accompanying statement and […]
The Ugly Stepsister (2025) A Beautifully Deranged Fairy Tale
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but it’s generally determined by the standards of society, and when that society is patriarchal, women suffer. It’s a fairly trite observation that’s the subject of a fascinating exploration in The Ugly Stepsister – a version of Cinderella that’s dark and malevolent […]
Libido (1965) Argento may be The Artist, but Gastaldi is The Man
Giallo is known by its directors – Fulci, Bava, Argento, maybe Sergio Martino if you do some digging, but someone just as important is screenwriter Ernesto Gastaldi. Active for nearly thirty years in Italian cinema, he penned the scripts for some of the most iconic gialli, his many credits including […]
Redux Redux (2025) Reclaiming the Multiverse, One Brutal Reality at a Time
After its UK screening at FrightFest 2025, I’ve long wanted to revisit Redux Redux, the follow-up to Kevin and Matthew McManus’s lo-fi horror The Block Island Sound. That movie felt like something a few friends could knock together in their local community — a modern regional horror piece pitched far […]
Missing Child Videotape (Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme 2026)
Despite what the title suggests, Missing Child Videotape isn’t a found footage movie. Instead, director Kondo Ryota’s feature length debut is crafted around its titular subject, which arrives at the home of Keita Kodoma (Rairu Sugita). Unlike Ring, where the videotape has mysterious origins, Keita used it as a child […]
Jimmy & Stiggs (2024) The Messy, Mean, DIY Splatterfest Begos Was Born to Make
In returning to his roots with Jimmy & Stiggs, Joe Begos becomes a conflicting and truly beguiling filmmaker. As a fan of independent music and the punk ethos, a filmmaker who champions those ideals should be right up my street — and for his breakout Bliss (2019), he was. However, […]
Manchester Film Weekender: Adabana, Strangers in Kyoto, and Kaneko’s Commissary (JFT 2026)
Beginning in 2004, the Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme has brought the best of Japanese cinema – both new and classic – to audiences across the United Kingdom. This year’s lineup, which includes a handful of UK premieres, goes by the title of Knowing Me, Knowing You: The True Self […]
Charisma (1999) / Cloud (2024): A Showcase for One of the Greatest Living Filmmakers
A new physical release of a Kiyoshi Kurosawa film is always something to celebrate, however what is notable about Eureka’s choices for the latest release in their Masters of Cinema series is that they highlight Kurosawa’s skills outside the horror genre. With films like Cure and Pulse arguably being his […]