Movie Reviews — FilmSpeak

‘Hunting Daze’ Review: Ricci Gives one of the Year’s Best Performances in Surreal Thriller [Fantasia 2024]

Nahéma Ricci gives another towering lead performance in Annick Blanc’s ‘Hunting Daze’, an often surreal thriller that, while terrifically intriguing, loses itself in its second half.

Drama, Movie Review, Festival ReviewMaxance VincentAugust 2, 2024Hunting Daze, Movie Review, Fantasia 2024, Drama, Annick BlancComment

‘Infinite Summer’ Review: Miguel Llanso’s Trippy Thriller [Fantasia 2024]

Miguel Llanso tackles artificiality and mindfulness in his latest movie, Infinite Summer, the biggest “B-movie with A ideas” the world has seen in this current era.

Festival Review, Movie Review, Sci-FiMaxance VincentJuly 28, 2024Infinite Summer, Movie Review, Fantasia 2024, Miguel LlansoComment

‘Faces’ Review: Horror Short Scares in Bloody Spades [Fantasia 2024]

We need more movies like ‘Faces’. Not only on the small scale, but in theaters nationwide, working to reform a genre that has only been kept alive by content of the same caliber. Efficient, full of care, and running on fear, Faces is a good old fashioned horror thrill-ride.

Festival Review, Horror, Independent FilmLane MillsJuly 16, 2024Faces, Fantasia Film Festival, Short, Horror, Review of Faces 2024Comment

‘Go For Grandma’ Review: An Endearing Fantasy Short [Seattle Film Festival 2024]

Sabrina Doyle’s short film ‘Go For Grandma’, which won the Grand Jury Award Best Short Film at the Seattle Film Festival, along with several other accolades, explores the subject of childhood trauma through the abuse caused by constant neglect and deflection.

SXSW Exclusive: 'The Fall Guy' Review: A Hilarious, Stunt-tacular, Popcorn Poppin' Movie of the Year [SXSW 2024]

Insanely comedic performances elevate the insanely impressive stunt masterclass of ‘The Fall Guy’ to the point of… well, insanity. Continue for our full SPOILER-FREE review.

SXSW EXCLUSIVE: 'Immaculate' Review: Another Creepy Step For Sweeney’s Rise [SXSW 2024]

While ‘Immaculate’ won’t go down as a horror classic, it won’t harm Sydney Sweeney’s rising star like her last release almost did. In fact, the film had potential that it just couldn’t reach due to the lack luster writing. Continue for our full SPOILER-FREE review.

SXSW EXCLUSIVE: 'Monkey Man' Review: A Brutal and Bloody Directorial Debut [SXSW 2024]

‘Monkey Man’ is a more human take on the classic revenge driven martial arts genre that escalates into a brutal and bloody triumph for the first time director Dev Patel. Continue for our full SPOILER-FREE review.

SXSW EXCLUSIVE: 'Y2K' Review: Doing Fine In An Apocalyptic 1999 [SXSW 2024]

SNL alum Kyle Mooney brings a 90’s teen disaster high-school comedy that is pretty rad… I guess. Continue for our full review exclusively from the 2024 SXSW Film Festival.

‘Road House’ Review: Jake’s Take is Worthy Enough [SXSW 2024]

Fresh off the premiere at SXSW 2024, ‘Road House’ is entertaining in spite of a weak script that could have derailed the entire movie if not for great fight sequences and the unbridled chaos that is the films conclusion. Continue for our full SPOILER-FREE review.

'Dream Scenario' Review: The Birth of a New Nick Cage Classic [TIFF 2023]

Kristoffer Borgli’s ‘Dream Scenario’ is without a doubt one of the best films at the 2023 edition of the Toronto International Film Festival. The script and direction are perfectly woven together and a fully locked in Nick Cage absolutely brings this film together and makes it an incredible experience.

'Fair Play' Review: Buy Into This Psychosexual Corporate Thrill Ride [TIFF 2023]

‘First Play’ serves more as a thriller than a drama though and takes a certain level of comfortability with serious topics to be able to watch. Hopefully, with it’s success on the platform, Netflix will go back to giving more artists a creative domain to showcase their newest works.

'Gonzo Girl' Review: A Drug-Fuelled Explosion of Toxic Masculinity and Wannabe Relevance [TIFF 2023]

Willem Dafoe becomes an erratic, unpredictable, drug-fuelled personality, partnering with Camila Morrone as she delves into this chaotic world as Patricia Arquette’s directorial debut, ‘Gonzo Girl’ discusses toxic masculinity in a unique setting.

'The Royal Hotel' Review: A Tense Travel Thriller [TIFF 23]

If ‘The Royal Hotel’ is any indicator, Kitty Green will definitely be a voice to keep following within the thriller genre, fusing modern tensions and issues with the cinematic language of a thriller to provide a uniquely captivating viewing experience.

'The Peasants' Review: A Heart-Breaking Painting Crafted in Rich Color [TIFF 2023]

‘The Peasants’ follows four seasons within a Polish village. Each frame is hand-painted, which creates a beautiful, gallery-like dimension to the work, allowing the viewer to feel they are witnessing a historical fable come to life.

'Perfect Days' Review: The Perfect Film [TIFF 2023]

Wim Wenders creates a poignant snapshot of beauty in the mundane in ‘Perfect Days’. Featuring a phenomenal performance by Kōji Yakusho, audiences are reminded to stop and smell the roses, no matter where you are and what you’re going through.

TIFF, Drama, Festival ReviewTayler WellsSeptember 13, 2023tiff movie review, tiff 2023, tiff, perfect days, perfect days review, wim wenders, koji yakushoComment

'Fallen Leaves' Review: Lonely Lovers in the Unforgiving World [TIFF 2023]

‘Fallen Leaves’ is tender and sweet, despite some dark themes that surround the main characters both personally and in the world around them. With an achingly short runtime of 81 minutes, this deadpan tragicomedy shouldn’t be missed.

'The Boy and the Heron' Review: An Epic Coming of Age Adventure Fuelled by a Mother-Son Bond [TIFF 2023]

For those avid Studio Ghibli lovers, ‘The Boy and the Heron’ may be a little more mature than expected, but completely needed. Everything in this story is meticulous and deliberate, maintaining a special creativity and adventure shining through every moment.

'Evil Does Not Exist' Review: A Hypnotic Lullaby on Humanity and Nature [TIFF 2023]

The first minutes of ‘Evil Does Not Exist’ is so careful, it could almost come across as boring, if it weren’t for its beauty. The film is a great reminder of deliberate pacing and storytelling, and one of the highlights of TIFF 23 so far.

TIFF, Drama, Festival ReviewTayler WellsSeptember 11, 2023evil does not exist, tiff, tiff 2023, Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Drive My CarComment

'La Chimera' Review: A Delightfully Whimsical Archaeological Adventure [TIFF 23]

To describe ’La Chimera’ without an excess of adjectives is no easy task. The plot is rather simplistic on paper, but an array of spirited performances, inspired direction, and dream-like cinematography makes ‘La Chimera’ a truly transportive viewing experience.

'Dumb Money' Review: This Financial Fiasco Drama Is Both Funny and Flimsy [TIFF 23]

‘Dumb Money’, as an adaptation, feels both timely, and too soon. Nonetheless, the film’s message is evergreen, and its ensemble is more than enough to carry a well-enough put together film to being a good time.

Comedy, Festival Review, Movie Review, TIFFArjun PersaudSeptember 8, 2023Dumb Money, Paul Dano, TIFF, TIFF 2023, Review of Dumb Money, Dumb Money Review, ReviewComment