'Can You Ever Forgive Me?' (2018) Movie Review

Lee Israel (Melissa McCarthy) is a miserable human being. She’s a drunk, working menial jobs she feels are below her, and does her level best to push away everyone in her life except her elderly cat. In dire straits and driven by desperation, the former best-selling author and celebrity biographer turns to forging personal letters from famous literary figures, selling her wares to unsuspecting collectors. Such is the plot of Marielle Heller’s Can You Ever Forgive Me?, which recounts Israel’s bizarre real-life saga, carried by a soaring, career-best performance from McCarthy.

'Bodied' (2017) Movie Review

“New jacks are spending mad time on they battle rhymes.”

-Blue Scholars, “No Rest for the Weary”

Joseph Kahn’s Bodied follows Adam (Calum Worthy, American Vandal), a nerdy white college student. Fully entrenched in the PC world of academia, his thesis focuses on the use of the granddaddy of all racial slurs in the world of underground rap battles. Immersing himself in this world, he, along with his mentor Behn Grymm (Jackie Long), discovers a penchant for sick rhymes and ill burns that outrages everyone around him and throws his coddled, carefully manicured life into chaos.

'Prospect' (2018) Movie Review

Chris Caldwell and Zeek Earl’s debut feature, Prospect—which adapts their short film of the same name—is a lot of things. It’s a stripped-down, retro-futuristic sci-fi narrative. It’s the story of an angry, frustrated young woman coming into her own and finding her true strength. And it’s a slow-burn, morally ambiguous western saga about two unlikely partners who are never sure they can trust one another, but may have no other choice. Except, you know, with space helmets instead of cowboy hats. Taken together, it’s a tight, promising introduction to these filmmakers.

'Blue My Mind' Trailer: Delicate Coming Of Age Body Horror

Those of us who went to college and did a thesis often look back at them and cringe. In general, no matter what our chosen field, they’re usually bad, or at least viewing them in retrospect, we see things we could have done to make them better or improvements we should have made. That brings us to Lisa Brühlmann’s haunting new body horror Blue My Mind, which was her film school thesis, and is lightyears more accomplished than anything I churned out in college. Or beyond for that matter. After making the film festival rounds, it’s finally being released. Check out a new trailer below.

'Between Worlds' Trailer: Nic Cage's Girlfriend's Daughter Is Possessed By His Dead Wife, Or Something

Nicolas Cage is not one to rest on his laurels. Fresh off the maniac glory that is Mandy, he’s back with Between Worlds, where he plays a trucker whose dead wife’s spirit takes over the body of his current girlfriend’s daughter. Yes, you read that right. If you don’t believe me, watch this trailer.

Panos Cosmatos's 'Mandy 2' Idea Won't Happen But Is Still Bonkers Rad

Just to get this out of the way: I love Mandy, it’s going to land very high on my end-of-year best-of list. It wraps up in a satisfying manner and I don’t think it needs or even should receive a sequel. That said, if it does get a follow up, which it won’t, it should definitely follow director Panos Cosmatos’ sequel idea, because hot damn, it’s a doozy.

'Cold Pursuit' Trailer: Liam Neeson, His Snowplow, And Revenge

Sure, on the surface, I know Cold Pursuit is a remake of the 2014 Norwegian thriller In Order of Disappearance, which is good. But god damn, it’s really difficult to take a movie about Liam Neeson as a vengeful snowplow driver seriously. Don’t get me wrong, I will watch the hell out of this movie, but we’ll see how it translates. In the meantime, watch the first trailer below.