Lorry Kikta

If you are interested in the history of cinema, this is a very unique lens to look at it through.

Official Secrets is an incredibly smart film that celebrates the whistleblowers of the world. It also shows the occasional futility in these efforts as well. It illustrates the all-powerful machine that is government and how that machine can destroy whoever it wants pretty damn easily.

Walking on Water is essential for any devotee of the arts, as this shows a project from fruition to dismantling, a full life cycle of an art installation if you will. I, for one, found it very fascinating.

Only a little over an hour-long, yet manages to be one of the most compelling subversions of the possession genre I’ve ever seen.

It’s one of the most exciting genre mashups I’ve seen in years.

Director Sabrina Van Tassel does an excellent job of drawing in the audience to the labyrinthian case of Melissa Lucio.

The movie is well-written by Garrel, Carriere, and Langmann. Cinematographer Renato Berta makes the atmosphere in all of its beautiful simplicity. The acting is fantastic.

The film is truly gorgeous and interesting for fans of literature.

The great thing about this documentary, other than seeing some very provocative dancing, is that it goes beyond the superficial and talks about the socioeconomic situations that most black people in America face.

Regardless of how someone might feel about what she’s done, XY Chelsea will definitely give you some insight into why she did it and maybe will help inform a better understanding of what’s going on behind the scenes in these long, awful wars that America keeps getting into.

The Nowhere Inn deeply explores the dynamic between performer and audience and performer with self. It does so in a way I’ve never seen before. It has so many layers that at some point, you get lost in the thick of it, but in a good way.

The Columnist is that rare mix of comedy and horror that isn’t too cheesy or over the top.

There are visually stunning scenes throughout, but the acting and writing are the pièce de résistance of Sibyl and should be exactly why you put this film on your radar as one to watch from 2019. It’s certainly going on my end of year favorite list.

The Clovehitch Killer is one of the best horror films to come out this year. It’s intelligent and subversive, and it captures the banality of small-town life perfectly.

While there are some serious themes at play, the movie still has plenty of gooey gory fun for horror fans.

I felt as if I knew Steinem by the end of it, and as though there might be some hope in this current hellscape in which we live. It is the exact kind of movie we need in times such as these.

There are some intense, heartbreaking moments in this film, but I am glad to say that the ending is not as sad as it could have been.

This is one of the better examples of art imitating life that I have seen in a long time. It’s very real and takes no prisoners. Watch it when you feel like having a good cry.

The cool thing about this film is that instead of the normal talking heads and formulaic path of the typical biographical documentary, we are shown photos and films from Wyman’s personal archive, which is one of the most impressive things I’ve ever seen.

I highly recommend this film to everyone but especially those who love biopics and prison thrillers. I think it’s important for people to learn this piece of history, and I’m glad that Francis Annan brought his interpretation of these events to an audience that might not be familiar with them.

I found the entire emotional journey on which Weightless takes viewers to be rewarding as well as heartbreaking.

The script, written by David McKenna, is extremely impactful, as are the performances.

Beast Beast captures the high school experience like lightning in a bottle.

A beautifully told, deeply personal story ... for people who can dig the mumblecore.

Becky is a thrilling game of cat-and-mouse that leaves you unsure if the good guy is really that good at all. It’s funny at parts, shocking in parts, but mostly it’s just a great thriller that just so happens to have a 13-year-old girl as the heroine.

I recommend this film more for fans of Jarmusch than for hardcore fans of the zombie genre. Although I hope that it does serve as an introduction to Jarmusch to people who haven’t seen his other films. Hopefully, most audiences can take away the message from the movie and don’t get too thrown off by the jokes or the star power involved.

I think that Prisoners of the Ghostland belongs in the category that was previously only really reserved for Jodorowsky’s El Topo, and that is the Acid Western. It embodies and revives that category of movie. If you like Westerns, martial arts, Japanese cinema, Nicolas Cage, or anything weird AF, then this is certainly for you.

Hampstead is a perfectly good romantic dramedy.

Check out VHYES if you want to see the most original film to come out in ages.

The movie is also just plain out fun, and I feel like a lot of other horror films could take a lesson from it.

The performances are inspired.

Liberté is shocking, but it is staged as banally as possible.

The film is fast and tight and hits all the beats perfectly.

If you can handle a movie with a jam-packed ridiculous narrative that doesn’t entirely solve itself, then you should definitely watch Dreamland.

It’s definitely a well-crafted genre offering. The writing could be better, with more of an emphasis on the relationships than on the plot mechanisms, but the ending is cool. The cast is also very good, but again, if the script were just a tad bit better, the film would get a better rating from me.

It’s a darkly funny allegory about technology with awesome practical gore.

It’s a smart comedy that points out the flaws of all aspects of the United State’s political landscape. It discusses how bad the division is in our country and how the media and politicians are complicit in this division. It’s a problem for both sides of the aisle that needs to be addressed before any real change can be made.

The concept is original, and the film spends a lot of time misdirecting or not explaining things thoroughly, adding an intriguing layer of mystery. The questions the film asks about life, love, and morality are heavy but not so much as to weigh down everything.

Overall, I would recommend seeing this film if you are a fan of Mapplethorpe’s work, the New York art world, or of Matt Smith. He gives a bravura performance which outshines everything and everyone on screen.

It’s a Christmas movie that makes you laugh. There are a couple of cheesy scenes, though, so don’t worry if that’s what you’re looking for in your holiday viewing.

Unfortunately, I have to admit that the tenor of the movie is almost unbearably cheesy and sometimes verges on infomercial territory.

It should be memorable for fans of thrillers, especially for those of the home invasion variety.

Come Away is just a heart-rending, joyful, and gorgeous movie that everyone should take their kids to go see.

The performances are remarkable, particularly from Kingsley, and I love the script. I can’t wait to see what Dan Kelly and Devereux Milburn do next, whether it’s together or separately.

Gracefully directed by Fried Green Tomatoes and Justified director Jon Avnet, Three Christs is a great dark comedy about a dark subject. I can’t say enough how great the performances are. It’s a relevant character study on those who suffer from mental illness and the ones who treat it and why they do.

Random Acts of Violence has something to say about the proliferation of torture porn and horror that glorifies violence. Baruchel does it in a smart, sometimes funny, and sometimes utterly devastating way. It’s absolutely worth checking out if you love horror, and maybe even if you don’t.

The Last Thing He Wanted is trying to be too many things at once. It goes off on several tangents that don’t ever conclude.

The visual effects are haunting, the costume design by Juliana Hoffpauir is delightfully fanciful, particularly for Shaw’s scenes as a nameless masked demon. The cinematography from veteran cinematographer Shane F. Kelly is a sight to behold. Basically, The Blazing World is gorgeous. It’s also incredibly well written by Peirce Brown and Young.

It’s perfectly entertaining, it’s just not going to win any Oscars, but it doesn’t need to, it’s a summer movie for fans of the comic and adults who still feel like kids. If that’s you, go see it!

This deep-thoughts comedy is a must-watch for fans of Greg’s, but also for anyone who wants something beyond frat boy comedy or the typical Apatovian-adjacent improv stuff that has become de rigueur at this point. It’s a special movie that I hope people enjoy as much as I did.

Some moments are a bit corny, such as subliminal messages coming from a tape played backward. However, I find the spin that writer/director Daniel Farrands puts on one of the most gruesome murders in history, will make all who see The Haunting of Sharon Tate examine the Tate murders, and maybe our own lives differently.

Victor Goodview is definitely goofy. There’s terrible ADR, a lot of weird time spent in bathrooms, too much man-butt, but it’s still got a heart of gold underneath. Which makes it fit into the Troma canon quite nicely, if you ask me.

Insofar as low-budget horror goes, The Edge of Isolation is successful at exploring its subject matter without becoming to cheesy or hackneyed. The acting and writing are good, as well as the score and cinematography. I think Houkal, who is also a prolific actor, has a good career ahead of him as a filmmaker.

While nothing horrifying happens within the first half hour, what comes after is enough to give you some anxiety for at least the rest of the day after watching it.

Something is an incredibly solid debut feature.

Overall, Nothing Stays The Same: The Story of The Saxon Pub is a feel good movie. The ending is happy and it’s wonderful because all of these people deserve a place to showcase their art. Music is very important. Community is as well.

Into the Mirror is, as the kids say, a “#mood” but in all honesty, that is a great way to describe the film. It’s based on feelings and the subconscious seen through Daniel’s eyes, rather than being objective.

Tabernacle 101 is undeniably entertaining in a trash-tv sort of way.

Overall I would say that Travis Scott: Look Mom I Can Fly is an incredibly wholesome, feel-good film that shows us that hard work and determination really can bring you grand success in some cases.

If you want to know more about cult cinema, Time Warp: The Greatest Cult Films of All Time is a great place to start.

You should absolutely see Time Warp: The Greatest Cult Films of All-Time – Vol. 2: Horror and Sci-Fi. It’s about an hour and a half long, and I’ve seen it twice and could watch it again.

It feels like a lost gospel. It really is a magical film like nothing else.

Haymaker has a little something for everyone, and it’s totally worth the watch. I’m excited to see what Nick Sasso does next.

Agony resounds with gothic horror vibes and feels like it belongs to the past.

It makes me curious about what Noel David Taylor is going to do next. This weirdo indictment of Hollywood is just that interesting.

The film is quite funny and very well written by writer/director Morgan Ignari.

If you want to see a movie that explores grief and death with a very unique and interesting twist, watch An Unquiet Grave. I doubt you’ll regret it.