Reviews

Epic adventure Wildwood is not for the faint of heart

Set in the odd, sassy, and lush wilds of Portland, OR, Wildwood takes us on an adventure not unlike Jim Henson’s Labyrinth (sans David Bowie in skin-tight stretchy pants). Young Prue just wanted to take her effervescent and curious baby brother Mac out on the town (ok, to farmers market and a couple of stores) when their very loving yet super tight leash parents left for a knitting event (oh so Portland). Out of the blue, poor little Mac was carried off by a large and strangely coordinate murder of crows into the unpassable forest.

Reviews

As expected, Whalefall is a claustrophic, anxiety-inducing thriller

Imagine going for a dive to reclaim your father’s remains supposedly near shore, but instead ending up in the belly of a whale in a matter of moments. It’s not some sea shanty… it’s a real thing thanks to writer David Krauss and writer-director Brian Duffield. Jay Gardner (Austin Abrams) has never had what you’d consider a good relationship with his father. Always being harassed for not following in his footsteps or at the very least chided on to appreciate nature in the intense, nearly fanatical way, his old man did.

Digger the Film
Reviews

Digger… what the heck did I just watch

It doesn’t take a lot of imagination for most Americans to understand the concept and realities of the world in which Digger lives. A ridiculously wealthy man living on his own save a nearly-deceased cat he holds incredibly dear and a few employees that flow in and out of his rooms like water at his bidding. On the day we are introduced to him, he finds out the drilling he so desperately had been pining after in Alaska has caused a crack in the ice shelf creating a brand new and incredibly dangerous speeding projectile of an iceberg headed for Norway. With no warning, things shift and you’re seeing the story in a whole new light. Tension galore throughout the two hour run time and you’re not sure if you hate it or love it, but it got your attention.

Reviews

McKinley’s The Weight is heavy indeed

Set during the great depression, dry earth covering everything, near starvation plaguing more people than it isn’t, and no end it sight leaves Samuel Murphy (Ethan Hawke) and his young whip smart and headstrong daughter Penny (Avy Berry) in dire straights. In a manner of seconds their lives take a nose dive as he throws punches to protect her from predators, but the assault lands him in prison. Promising to be back for her, he takes on any opportunity to lessen his sentence. Time is of the essence, so when the warden of his prison-work camp offers a way to freedom within a week he jumps at it knowing full well it could be life threatening.

Reviews

Finding Emily is a light-hearted rom-com with little else to sink your teeth into

Owen (Spike Feam) is a bit of a sad sack romantic perpetually being dumped by his “true love”. With hearts still in his eyes and an ever hopeful view of love, he’s struck dumb by a woman at a club one night and after a heady time talking about nothing and flirting their hearts out, he got her phone number. He barely catches her first name (Emily of course) and that she goes to Manchester U as friends dragged her off into the night. He tried calling the next day, but the number was one digit short and so began the search for Emily. Desperate to find any clue to her identity after many failed attempts, he finds psychology major Emily (Angourie Rice) who is not the one he seeks but vows to help him none the less while hiding an agenda of her own.

Reviews

So was it worth the fuss to create a live action Moana?

If you haven’t seen the animated version of the film, watching the live action remake wouldn’t be the worst way to introduce yourself to the story, but renting the animated version would probably get you about the same amount of joy. That being said, if this is your story, if they’re portraying your ancestors or if you feel connected to the people on the screen, then the live action film has a stronger sense of that simply because it uses human actors. You do feel more of a connection as a human to the story simply because of that fact.

Festivals Reviews SIFF

SIFF 2026: Deadline

In this near-future drama children in an upper crust private school are feeling the pressures of impending final exams, but this isn’t like what we went through. The pressure is beyond ruthless with school, parents and future all looming like a monster overhead. An anonymous “suicide” note litters the school grounds and while teachers try to find its origin, students are succumbing to the stress of it all and may actually make the contents of the note a reality.

Reviews

Exit 8 gives us all existential (and real) dread

Imagine being stuck in an endless loop through a subway station hallway. If you aren’t meticulous enough to notice any little detail that alters from the “original”, you start all over again. It seems simple enough, right? I mean you just memorize all the minute details about every aspect in the hallway, but make a mistake and you start over… but the stakes start to rise, your secret innermost fears are brought to light and you could even start losing your mind. Not so simple.