'Mark Of The Witch' (2014) Movie Review

From the very first frame, writer/director Jason Bagnacki’s neo-giallo Mark of the Witch (formerly titled Another) sets a dark mood and an atmosphere fraught with tension. When you start your movie with a bunch of creepy dudes in black robes performing an occult ritual on a baby in a cave, this sort of thing is bound to happen. Spooky imagery, slow motion shots, an ominous drone, and many more tools of the trade pile layer upon layer of pressure on top of you as you watch. One scene even slows and well-known pop song ever so slightly just in order to disconcert you in a new and different way.

This 'Mark Of The Witch' Trailer Is Sinister And Unsettling

It may not be quite as evil a date as it could be, but June 6, 2016, a.k.a. 6/6/16, is about as evil as we’re going to get this year. Which makes it an appropriate release date for Jason Bognacki’s upcoming horror joint, Mark of the Witch. Formerly titled Another, it’s been coming for a while, but now has a U.S. release date, the new title, and a spooky new trailer.

'I Am Big Bird' Movie Review

Everyone loves Big Bird (if you don’t, what’s wrong with you?). The Sesame Street character is an iconic figure in the lives of generations of children around the world, but it’s easy to forget that there’s a real dude inside that feathery yellow walking puppet. For more than 40 years, that has been Caroll Spinney, and the new documentary I Am Big Bird tells the touching story of a man who has spent his life delighting fans across the globe.

'The Skeleton Twins' Movie Review

No one blows up your life quite like family. No one knows how push every button, pick at every scab, or tear open every old wound like the people who are supposed to love you the most. But even though no one can destroy you like family, no one can lift you up and piece you back together quite like they can, either. That’s the central theme in Craig Johnson’s new dramatic comedy The Skeleton Twins, which offers its two leads an opportunity to redefine the trajectory of their careers.

'Calvary' Movie Review

When Brendan Gleeson gets together with John Michael McDonagh, magical things happen. The two first teamed up in 2011 for the black comedy, The Guard, which, though it gets dark when it needs to, showcases Gleeson’s easy charm, humor and ability to absolutely take control of the frame. He’s proven time and time again that he’s one of the best and most underappreciated character actors working today. Their latest collaboration, Calvary, takes a different approach than their last endeavor, but is no less impressive, illustrating again that Gleeson is equally adept in the lead of this character study as in any supporting roles.

'I Origins' Movie Review

It’s been a big summer for science fiction movies, both in the sense of the number of options, as well as sheer size and spectacle. We’ve had giant robots (Transformers: Age of Extinction), giant prehistoric monsters (Godzilla), and giant movie stars like Tom Cruise (Edge of Tomorrow). And this isn’t even taking into account a swarm of super smart monkeys (Dawn of the Planet of theApes) that recently arrived, or the gang of adolescent turtles (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) and the talking raccoon in deep space (Guardians of the Galaxy) that are yet to arrive.

'Intramural' Movie Review

Every subculture, niche market, and fringe topic, no matter how minor and specific, will eventually get its own movie. This is something I firmly believe. Bike messengers have “Premium Rush,” food trucks recently got “Chef,” and then there is dodgeball, ping-pong, paintball, and damn near everything else you can imagine. Personally, I’m waiting for a movie about an over 30, co-ed kickball team, and considering that Andrew Disney’s “Intramural” takes on the no-stakes world of college, recreational flag football, we’re not too far off.

'The Signal' Movie Review

William Eubank's indie sci-fi thriller The Signal isn't going to be a film for everyone, but there are some of you out there who are absolutely going to love it. There are definitely times when you'll ask yourself what the hell is going on and not be entirely sure, and there are moments when the film is needlessly obtuse and obfuscates the facts seemingly just to frustrate he hell out of you.

SIFF '14 Movie Review: 'Cannibal'

From the very first frame, it becomes apparent that director Manuel Martín Cuenca’s “Cannibal” is a movie in no hurry to get anywhere. An extended wide shot watches a couple from a great distance. They fill up their tank, smoke a cigarette, and generally take their sweet ass time before moving on. This doesn’t mean “Cannibal” is slow, simply deliberate and measured. Eventually in this lengthy take, you come to realize that you’re sharing a character’s gaze. As the target car finally moves on, revealing that you’ve been watching from inside another vehicle. Placing you in the still unknown person’s point of view makes you implicit in what comes next—the stalking, killing, and butchering of a human being—and serves to unsettle you, a feeling that never goes away.

SIFF '14 Movie Review: 'Night Moves'

Kelly Reichardt’s (“Meek’s Cutoff”) “Night Moves” is one of two movies I’ve seen at the Seattle International Film Festival this year about dam removal. The other, “DamNation” is a documentary that charts the environmental impact, corruption in government programs, and the long, twisted history of damn building in the United States. That film plays as a nice companion piece to “Night Moves,” a fictionalized thriller about a trio of environmental activists who take it upon themselves to remove a particular dam that has a stranglehold on an Oregon river.

SIFF '14 Movie Review: 'Time Lapse'

When you watch a time travel movie, it’s easy to sit back and imagine the ways that you could use such technology to your own advantage, and how you would avoid the pitfalls and traps that always ensnare the characters on screen. In Time Lapse, when a trio of friends stumble across a camera that takes pictures 24-hours into the future, they set about doing exactly this, and they don’t fare any better than their predecessors. Along with movies like Primer and Safety Not Guaranteed, these low-budget, idea driven sci-fi movies are becoming staples and film festivals, and I am totally okay with this, at least as long as they’re as good as Time Lapse.

SIFF '14 Movie Review: 'Razing The Bar'

The Funhouse was a bar in Seattle, and a dive bar at that. But, nestled in the shadow of the Space Needle, under the Monorail, the most useless piece of public transportation ever devised, it was also a community. For nine debauched, alcohol-fueled years, the Funhouse played host to countless shows, featuring everything from punk bands of all varieties to burlesque troupes and even some things that aren’t so easily classified. I’ve seen both semi-professional wrestling and public pencil fighting—yes, just like you remember from elementary school—go down there, as well as many other awesomely absurd events.

SIFF '14 Movie Review: 'Rigor Mortis'

The last movie I saw from the mind of Juno Mak, 2010’s “Revenge: A Love Story,” is not an easy movie to watch, even for the most seasoned shock cinema veterans. Full of brutal sexual violence, torture, mutilation, and some ways to deal with a pregnancy that most people would never think of, it can be a rough go. But it’s also a fantastic feat of storytelling, full of misdirection and moves that totally change your perspective on the film. Mak wrote and stars in “Revenge,” and he steps behind the camera to direct the vampire horror thriller “Rigor Mortis,” offering up a different kind of darkness.

SIFF '14 Movie Review: 'Zombeavers'

If you buy a ticket to a movie called Zombeavers, odds are you know exactly what you’re getting yourself into. At least you should, if you don’t, and you complain about it later, you only have yourself to blame. There is a good litmus test, however. Read the title out loud, and if you giggle, this is a movie for you; if not, you should probably sit this one out. And if you fall into the first category, I am pleased to report that Zombeavers is as much of a blast as you could hope for.

SIFF '14 Movie Review: 'Standing Aside, Watching'

When Greece is portrayed in the movies it’s usually as either a paradise with gorgeous beaches and crystal clear Mediterranean waters for frolicking in, or as a significant place in the history of the human race. Why else would Bill and Ted venture back there just to kidnap one of their key philosophical figures? Giorgos Servetas’ new film, “Standing Aside, Watching,” however, shows a completely different side of the Southern European nation. This is a grim, bleak picture of a country fraught with corruption and violence, from the top all the way down to the smallest social levels.

SIFF '14 Review: 'Unforgiven'

When we discuss a remake, we’re usually talking about an American revamp of a foreign movie. Hollywood sure does love to borrow plots and characters from Eastern cinema, from “Seven Samurai” and “Yojimbo” to “Oldboy” and, most recently, another stab at the “Godzilla” franchise. Well, this East-West cultural exchange is, in reality, a two-way street. Granted, most of the traffic flows in a single direction, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t occasional cars headed the other way from time to time. This is the cast with Sang-il Lee’s (“Villain”) remake of Clint Eastwood’s western “Unforgiven.”

SIFF '14 Review: 'Mirage Men'

From what sounds like an off-the-wall, wing-nut-inspired concept, Mirage Men delivers a documentary that really gives you something to chew on. The basic premise is that UFOs, the perceived conspiracy surrounding the mystery of their existence, and the entire narrative that continues to this day, is in fact built on an expansive, and continuous, campaign of disinformation from the United States government. This is a fascinating look, not only at the subculture of UFO enthusiasts, but also paranoia, distrust, and the lengths the powers that be are willing to go to in order to protect their secrets and muddy the waters.

SIFF '14 Review: 'Firestorm'

Not to be confused with the Howie Long firefighter joint of the same name, “Firestorm” marks a directorial effort from noted Hong Kong screenwriter Alan Yuen (“New Police Story”). The film doesn’t reinvent the genre or break any new ground, but if you’re in the mood for an insane, HK-style actioner, this will fit the bill just fine. In fact, Yuen takes all of the tropes and formulas you’ve come to know and cranks every last one of them up to a ludicrous degree, including the story and action. Seriously, the blanks and squib budget on this movie must have been absolutely nuts.

SIFF '14 Review: 'Another'

From the very first frame, writer/director Jason Bagnacki’s neo-giallo “Another” sets a dark mood and an atmosphere fraught with tension. When you start your movie with a bunch of creepy dudes in black robes performing some sort of occult ritual on a baby in a cave, this sort of thing is bound to happen. Spooky imagery, slow motion shots, ominous tones, and many more tools of the trade pile layer upon layer of pressure on top of you as you watch. One scene even slows and well-known pop song ever so slightly just in order to disconcert you in a new and interesting way.