A Soderbergh Double Feature: "Black Bag" and "Presence"

by Cláudio Alves

One third of the year over, and already Steven Soderbergh reveals himself to be one of 2025's most exciting filmmakers. In this short span of time, the Oscar-winner has released two new features, starting with the bold POV ghost story of Presence. He followed that up with an old-school spy thriller about sexy liars and the stylish world of deceit they inhabit, Black Bag. As theatrical windows continue to shorten, both pictures are already available for at-home viewing, allowing audiences worldwide to consider Soderbergh's genre experiments up close and personal. 

Indeed, shall we do just that? First up, the high-class shenanigans of Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender against the world…

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Halloween Treats: "Red Rooms" is the year's best scare

by Nick Taylor

As you may remember from last week, I made a threat and promise to talk about contemporary horror this October. We’ve arrived. Hands down the best horror film I’ve seen from this year is the Canadian thriller Red Rooms, a 2023 release by Pascal Plante that’s just completed a months-long journey across festivals and art house cinemas before arriving in your hard drives through a menacing mp4 file. It’s a nasty, skin-crawling film, diving into the world of true crime prurience and online torture porn through the vantage of one of the year’s most intimidating performances. Wanna know more? Follow me under the cut...

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Review: "The Beasts" of Galicia

by Cláudio Alves

Rodrigo Sorogoyen's The Beasts opened at last year's Cannes Film Festival to thunderous acclaim, beginning  a global trip through film festivals and the odd commercial market. Its greatest success came in Spain and France, the two nations that coproduced the film, whose troubled relation toils the land and souls of a narrative inspired by real-life tragedy. If you're an awards obsessive, you might remember The Beasts from news about the Goyas and César, for the film was a sweeper in the former and won Best Foreign Film against mighty competition in the latter – including the Oscar-nominated Triangle of Sadness, EO, and Close. 

Regarding this bounty, it's easy to feel some skepticism creeping in, though, after you've seen The Beasts, the voters' fervor feels somewhat fair. As the film finally enjoys a limited release in American theaters, let's explore its tale of xenophobia and violence in modern Galicia, where monsters rove, feigning humanity…

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Review: "The Lesson"

by Matt St Clair

In his BAFTA-nominated breakthrough performance from last year’s Good Luck to You, Leo Grande, Darryl McCormack dazzled viewers with his charm and dramatic depth. The fact that he held his own against Emma Thompson giving one of her finest performances made his work even more applaudable. The new slow-burn thriller The Lesson from director Alice Troughton and screenwriter Alex MacKeith, allows him to follow up that stunning turn by going toe-to-toe with another European acting goddess.

The acting goddess in question is Julie Delpy who plays Hélène, the wife of renowned author J.M. Sinclair (a sublime Richard E. Grant). Looking to provide their son Bertie (Stephen McMillan) with a tutor to prepare him for his entrance exams to Oxford, the Sinclair couple hires Liam (McCormack), an aspiring writer and avid fan of J.M. 's work...

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TIFF: Lee Jung-jae’s ‘Hunt’

By Abe Friedtanzer

It’s always interesting to see what a performer, who is already well-regarded in their home country, does in the wake of international success. Lee Jung-jae just made history with his SAG and Emmy wins for his leading role on Squid Game. Last week he was announced as the star of the upcoming Star Wars TV series The Acolyte. It’s more than fair to say that he’s hot right now. That makes his directorial debut, Hunt, which he also wrote and stars in, all the more exciting.

The now internationally famous actor stars as the head of the foreign unit of the KCIA, South Korea’s Central Intelligence Agency. It's the 1980s and a period of deep unrest and an assassination attempt in the United States. Back at home, he finds himself pitted against the head of the domestic unit (played by Jung-jae’s friend and frequent collaborator Jung Woo-sung), both tasked to uncover the identity of a North Korean spy...

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