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Furious George - Maddwolf
The Monkey by Hope Madden & George Wolf Why is it that so many kids’ toys are creepy? Not that you should call The Monkey a toy. You should not, ever. Because this windup organ grinder monkey, with its red eyes and horrifyingly realistic teeth, is more of a furry, murder happy nightmare. The film … Continue reading Furious George →
Shoot the Glass - Maddwolf
Cleaner by George Wolf Just months ago, Netflix thriller Carry-On rode a serious Die Hard vibe for a ridiculous bit of popcorn fun. Cleaner has much of the same in mind, borrowing some more specific plot points for Daisy Ridley’s turn as the fly in some terrorist’s ointment. Ridley plays Joey Locke, an ex-soldier who … Continue reading Shoot the Glass →
That's a Bingo - Maddwolf
Old Guy by Hope Madden There were three reasons to be optimistic about Old Guy, the latest from director Simon West. West used to make big budget, memorably bad actioners (Con Air), then middle budget middling actioners (The Mechanic, The Expendables 2), and now low budget actioners that have to find a way to capture … Continue reading That’s a Bingo →
Fright Club: Nasty Videos - Maddwolf
Aaah, the old “video nasties” — movies banned from view to protect us from the untold damage they would do, their ruinous images. The idea that watching something could be our end is a fantastic source for horror. Horror filmmakers have taken that idea and run wild with it. Watching could make you mad. Making … Continue reading Fright Club: Nasty Videos →
Feeling Peckish? - Maddwolf
Little Bites by Hope Madden Set in the “every fabric is patterned” Seventies, Little Bites drops us into one really horrifying relationship. Widowed mom Mindy (Krsy Fox) has sent her 10-year-old, Alice (Elizabeth Phoenix Caro), to stay with Grandma (Bonnie Aarons, The Nun franchise)—an overbearing, hypercritical shrew. That’s not the problematic relationship, though. Mindy sent … Continue reading Feeling Peckish? →
The Crew Is Good - Maddwolf
The Quiet Ones by Matt Weiner Chicago. Miami. Los Angeles… Copenhagen? The city might not spring to mind as a cinematic crime capital. But The Quiet Ones from director Frederik Louis Hviid is here to rectify that with a taut retelling of the largest heist in Danish history. In both direction and tone, with a … Continue reading The Crew Is Good →
Red Menace - Maddwolf
Captain America: Brave New World by Hope Madden and George Wolf Look out! There’s a bloated menace wreaking havoc at the White House, throwing temper tantrums, creating enemies of allies, and ruining everything he touches. But wait, could there be some nefarious, nerdy, unelected mastermind behind the villainy destroying the United States of America? Art … Continue reading Red Menace →
Driver's Seat - Maddwolf
Something Is About to Happen by Rachel Willis After losing her job as IT support staff for a dental supplies company, Lucía (Malena Alterio) seeks employment as a taxi driver in Antonio Méndez Esparza’s Something is About to Happen. I’ll admit I was immediately intrigued by the opening credits. The black text on red background … Continue reading Driver’s Seat →
Family's Feud - Maddwolf
Bring Them Down by George Wolf Just weeks ago, Christopher Abbott was wrestling with wolves. Now it’s sheep, and the bloodlines still get bloody. In Bring Them Down, Abbott is Michael O’Shea, a sheepherder who lives with his ailing father Ray (Colm Meaney) in the Irish countryside. Their farm shares a grazing hill with the … Continue reading Family’s Feud →
Birthday Blues - Maddwolf
Three Birthdays by Adam Barney The sexual revolution of the early 70s pushed the American culture forward, but not without some bumps and awkwardness on the way. Three Birthdays focuses on those bumps and shows how the revolution could wreck a family. Co-writer and director Jane Weinstock breaks her film down into three segments, focusing … Continue reading Birthday Blues →
Seattle Was a Riot - Maddwolf
Heart Eyes by Hope Madden There is an undeniable goofy sweetness to Josh Ruben’s horror films, no matter the body count or blood flow or number of people with holes so big in their throats that you can see the characters behind them. Heart Eyes is the latest from the Werewolves Within and Scare Me … Continue reading Seattle Was a Riot →
Somewhere in Time - Maddwolf
Timestalker by Hope Madden Back in 2016, Alice Lowe wrote, directed and starred in the charmingly dark horror comedy, Prevenge. It’s been a long wait, but her absurd wit, impeccable timing and delightful attention to sight gag detail return with the dark reincarnation rom-com, Timestalker. Lowe is Agnes. No matter when you catch her—mid-1600s, Napoleonic … Continue reading Somewhere in Time →
Mommy's Little Angel - Maddwolf
Armand by George Wolf If you’re the parent of young children, your first reaction to troubling accusations against them is likely to be denial. There must be some mistake, right? My child would never do such a thing. It’s a catalyst that almost demands taking sides, and one that writer/director Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel explores to … Continue reading Mommy’s Little Angel →
Hookers and Blow - Maddwolf
Paddington in Peru by Hope Madden and George Wolf So what has Paddington bear been up to in the eight years since the classic Paddington 2? Well, he’s got a new director (Dougal Wilson in his feature debut), a new Mrs. Brown (Emily Mortimer steps in for Sally Hawkins), and a brand new British passport … Continue reading Hookers and Blow →
Real In - Maddwolf
Rounding by Hope Madden Filmmaker Alex Thompson has already developed a good track record across multiple genres. His 2020 dramedy Saint Francis was a bold, impressive feature debut. Last year’s Ghostlight won critical acclaim and not an insignificant number of festival awards. Somewhere between the two he wrote and directed a brooding medical mystery called … Continue reading Real In →
Rizz Up - Maddwolf
The Dead Thing by Hope Madden The clever, underlying theme in Shaun of the Dead is that every Londoner was already basically a zombie. Elric Kane, co-writer and director of The Dead Thing, looks at a culture of app hook ups and sterile, fluorescent work spaces and sees something similar. A whole generation of people … Continue reading Rizz Up →
Sowing Suspicion - Maddwolf
The Seed of the Sacred Fig by George Wolf Mohammad Rasoulof’s films have shown him to be an insightful storyteller. His backstory reveals a courageous activist who continues to endanger his own life and freedom in support of artistic expression. His latest, The Seed of the Sacred Fig, weaves in important details and actual footage … Continue reading Sowing Suspicion →
Paranoid Android - Maddwolf
Companion by Hope Madden It’s not to say that writer/director Drew Hancock is saying anything new, exactly. Most of the ideas are borrowed, and even the look of Companion feels cribbed from more insightfully stylized films. But the way he puts these ideas and images into play and keeps them playing guarantees a mischievously, wickedly … Continue reading Paranoid Android →
RSV-P.O.'d - Maddwolf
You’re Cordially Invited by George Wolf Can you believe there are some people who don’t think Will Ferrell is funny? That’s crazy to me. And what about the ones who claim they aren’t instantly charmed by Reese Witherspoon? Okay I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like Reese Witherspoon. But the point is, putting Will and … Continue reading RSV-P.O.’d →
Nothing to See Here - Maddwolf
Like Father, Like Son by Rachel Willis After witnessing his father (Dermot Mulroney) commit an act of extreme violence, Eli (Dylan Flashner) confronts the idea he might be capable of similar brutality in writer/director Barry Jay’s film, Like Father, Like Son. Eli’s rage is apparent early on. But initially, a lot of it seems to … Continue reading Nothing to See Here →
Fright Club: Skeletons in the Closet, 2025 - Maddwolf
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Maybe our favorite podcast of the year, the annual celebration of all the terrible horror movies that the new crop of Oscar nominees might just want you to forget they ever made. But will we? Never! Happy to see so much horror appreciated this year: The Substance, … Continue reading Fright Club: Skeletons in the Closet, 2025 →
Snuff Films and Cats - Maddwolf
Freelance by Brooklyn Ewing As a fan of early 2000s horror thrillers, I found myself feeling nostalgic as I watched Freelance. The opening credits won me over immediately giving Seven vibes with a touch of 8mm, and Feardotcom. Katie (Nicole Pastor), a freelance video editor, is in desperate need of a job. Her life seems … Continue reading Snuff Films and Cats →
The Born Identity - Maddwolf
The Inheritance by Adam Barney Reconnecting with an absentee parent later in life brings plenty of challenges and emotional work. This would only be magnified if your missing father happens to be a spy on the run from Interpol and the CIA. Co-writer and director Neil Burger (The Illusionist, Limitless) wastes no time with the … Continue reading The Born Identity →
City Hands - Maddwolf
Into the Deep by George Wolf In the category of shark movie stunt casting, Into the Deep may have bagged the great white whale. Because for the first time since Jaws set the standard fifty years ago, Richard Dreyfuss is sharkin’ again (note: piranha movies don’t count). Well, he’s not actively sharkin’, as Dreyfuss plays … Continue reading City Hands →
First Reaction: 2025 Oscar Nominations - Maddwolf
Hollywood, hoping to find and spread a bit of cheer today, announced its nominations for the 2025 Oscars. We celebrate with them, because we’re thrilled for most of these nominees. Check out those Animated Features (once again, the best category in the lineup)! But, as usual, we have a handful of gripes. Actress in a … Continue reading First Reaction: 2025 Oscar Nominations →
A Friend Indeed - Maddwolf
Brave the Dark by George Wolf In just four years, Angel Studios has become a leader in the faith-based entertainment market. TV’s The Chosen and the feature films Cabrini and Sound of Freedom were target audience favorites, and garnered at least some critical acclaim. Angel’s latest production, Brave the Dark, lightens the hands and the … Continue reading A Friend Indeed →
Face Off - Maddwolf
Grafted by Hope Madden Well, Sasha Rainbow knows for sure that there’s an audience for body horror enraged at the pressure to fit a certain standard of beauty. The fact that her feature debut Grafted will face constant comparisons to Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance is less of a positive note. (There’s even a scene of … Continue reading Face Off →
Life During Wartime - Maddwolf
The Girl with the Needle by Hope Madden Were The Girl with the Needle any less gorgeous, less poetically filmed or liltingly told, the misery of 1919 Copenhagen might be too grim to bear. But somehow co-writer/director Magnus von Horn’s hypnotic storytelling bathes the nightmare in beauty, compassion, even hope. Vic Carmen Sonne’s vacant expression … Continue reading Life During Wartime →
By Design - Maddwolf
The Brutalist by George Wolf After a series of memorable supporting roles (including Thirteen, Funny Games, and Melancholia), Brady Corbet took a step toward filmmaking in 2012 as co-writer and star of the creepily effective Antonio Campos thriller Simon Killer. He moved behind the camera for The Childhood of a Leader (2015) and Vox Lux … Continue reading By Design →
Magic in the Air - Maddwolf
Every Little Thing by Rachel Willis The life of Terry Masear and the lives of the hummingbirds she cares for are the subject of director Sally Aitken’s documentary, Every Little Thing. Deep in the heart of Los Angeles, Aitken manages to capture a pastoral beauty in the area as she documents Terry’s efforts to rehabilitate … Continue reading Magic in the Air →
Pack Leader - Maddwolf
Wolf Man by Hope Madden A lot of people will go into Wolf Man with comparisons to the 1941 Lon Chaney Jr. original on the ready. For Leigh Whannell fans, threads common to his 2020 gem The Invisible Man are easier to connect. That’s partly because his new lycanthropic adventure is not a reboot, remake, … Continue reading Pack Leader →
Wrong Place Wrong Time - Maddwolf
Night Call by Brandon Thomas There’s something inherently satisfying when the everyman gets sucked into extraordinary circumstances. We all knew that Rambo wasn’t going to get killed by the bad guy. John Wayne didn’t get offed in a movie until near the end of his movie-making career. Did that necessarily dampen my enjoyment of any … Continue reading Wrong Place Wrong Time →
More Room at the Top - Maddwolf
The Room Next Door The films of Pedro Almodóvar often boast a mischievous wit that could, in other filmmakers’ hands, feel out of step with the source material. He seems able to infuse this magic into everything, no matter how serious or dire. Even his wonderful 2011 horror film The Skin I Live In possesses a whimsy … Continue reading More Room at the Top →
Sister Sledgehammer - Maddwolf
Hard Truths by Hope Madden Nobody makes films quite like Mike Leigh, and that may be because nobody’s films more accurately resemble humanity than his. There is nothing glamourous, nothing artificial about a Mike Leigh film. Certainly not Hard Truths. Marianne Jean-Baptiste astonishes as Pansy, the most unpleasant woman in England. Profoundly unhappy with everything … Continue reading Sister Sledgehammer →
Fright Club: Frightful Homecomings - Maddwolf
They say you can’t go home again. Horror filmmakers are more apt to say that you shouldn’t. For our latest episode, we look at some of horror cinema’s most memorable homecomings. 5. Coming Home in the Dark (2021) Making his feature debut with the road trip horror Coming Home in the Dark, James Ashcroft is carving … Continue reading Fright Club: Frightful Homecomings →
Perspective - Maddwolf
Nickel Boys by Hope Madden You’ve never seen a film quite like RaMell Ross’s Nickel Boys. The filmmaker, with an inspired Jomo Fray behind the camera, delivers a visual poem of tragedy, resilience and American history. Ross, along with Joslyn Barnes, adapts Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize winning novel, but brings such human and humane treatment … Continue reading Perspective →
See What Happens When You Find a Stranger in the Alps - Maddwolf
Vermiglio by Matt Weiner Way up north in the Italian town of Vermiglio, everything feels more remote. As World War II lurches toward its end in Europe, the fighting is far away but the trauma of war haunts the town and its men of fighting age. But it’s the women who face the more implacable … Continue reading See What Happens When You Find a Stranger in the Alps →
New to the Yabba? - Maddwolf
Birdeater by Hope Madden Birdeater gets off to a slow but promising start. Louie (Mackenzie Fearnley) and Irene (Shabana Azeez) have an unusual relationship. To give more details than that would be to eliminate some of the film’s surprise, so I won’t. Co-writers/co-directors Jack Clark and Jim Weir have a plan for unveiling information as … Continue reading New to the Yabba? →
Life of Illusion - Maddwolf
All We Imagine As Light by George Wolf “It’s like this place isn’t real. You could just vanish into thin air and no one would ever know.” “We would know.” With All We Imagine As Light, writer/director Payal Kapadia creates a triumphant portrait of friendship and Indian womanhood. In her narrative feature debut, Kapadia unveils … Continue reading Life of Illusion →
Greatest Show Monkey - Maddwolf
Better Man by Hope Madden A great deal about Better Man—Michael Gracey’s biopic of English pop star Robbie Williams—astonishes. Not always in a good way, but it’s tough not to admire a big swing. Williams narrates his own story, and though that’s his voice—cracking wise, soliloquizing and dropping profanities in equal measure—that’s not his face. … Continue reading Greatest Show Monkey →