The Stylist: a beautifully made character study with a basic plot and sketchy psychology
Jill “Sixx” Gevargizian, “The Stylist” (2016) Never did a psychotic serial killer look more fragile or seem so worthy of our compassion and sympathy as Claire…
North American Films
Reviews of films made in Canada and United States including all films made by Hollywood.
Malacostraca: personal and career inadequacy, family breakdown and resentment leading to tragedy
Charles A Pieper, “Malacostraca” (2018) Playing like a conventional creature-feature horror flick with all the inconsistencies the genre often attracts – how on earth does the…
Locksmiths: a parable commenting on the decay and degeneration of Western society
James Kwon Lee, “Locksmiths” (2015) Behind the laconic, even mundane title is a surprisingly taut and unbearably suspenseful story with a heartbreaking climax in which two…
Redacted Tonight (Season 4, Episode #271): covering the most under-reported news stories of 2018 – 2019
“Redacted Tonight (Season 4, Episode #271)” (RT America, 14 December 2019) In this episode, Redacted Tonight host Lee Camp runs through several stories picked up by…
Corrections: a tale of obsession, extreme control, psychological projection and denial
Nicholas Tucker, “Corrections” (2017) A tale of obsession and extreme control in a future dystopian society, this short film is completely character and dialogue-driven, revolving around…
Nano: hard-boiled pulp fiction ho-hum plot with an unusual premise
Mike Manning, “Nano” (2017) This short film has the look and feel of a proof-of-concept work itching to be made into a full-length feature film or…
The Replacement: an inquiry into the nature-versus-nurture dilemma
Sean Miller, “The Replacement” (2018) What starts out as an investigation of the consequences of cloning in this sci-fi comedy short turns out almost to be…
Nine Minutes: choosing how to die as your oxygen gives out
Ernie Gilbert, “Nine Minutes” (2017) What if you suddenly discovered that you only had nine minutes left to live? How would you spend that time? This…
Plurality: a film of techno-dystopia in New York
Dennis Liu, “Plurality” (2012) A competent little short that looks very much like a proof-of-concept work for a longer feature film, “Plurality” plays like a conventional…
British Films, North American Films
Zero: teenage survivalist making a critical decision about her future
Keith and David Lynch, “Zero” (2019) In a post-apocalyptic world, when robots and humans have fought each other almost to the death in a long drawn-out…