Author: Sean Parker
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We may be calling it The 2024 Chattanooga Film Festival, but realistically, this year belongs to Grace Van Dien. The actress appeared in two of the festivalโs world premieres this weekend, Somnium on Saturday and tonightโs closing film, The Fix. As a kid, Van Dien started with bit parts, playing alongside her father in one…
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I first met Jake Barcus while covering the Boston Underground Film Festival back in March. I had made my way to an after-party in the Cambridge basement of Tasty Burger after viewing Sรฉbastien Vaniฤekโs Infested. It was one oโclock in the morning, and all I really wanted was a Rise Nโ Shine burger before heading…
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Making its world premiere at the Chattanooga Film Festival this weekend, Racheal Cainโs Somnium affirms that dreams are within your reach, even if reality makes achieving them a nightmare. The film follows Gemma (The Rangerโsย Chloรซ Levine) as she arrives in Hollywood from a simple Midwestern farm town to pursue her dream of becoming an actress.…
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In the midst of preparing for the 2022 Fantasia Film Festival, one film stood out above many others. Fantasia always has its impressive share of science fiction, horror, and genre films, yet Vera Drewโs trans-superhero and metaphoric fable, The Peopleโs Joker, was one that I, and I think a lot of other critics had at…
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When John Rosmanโs New Life premiered at Fantasia last August, it was one of those movies I knew I wanted to see. I love science-fiction films, and this one was playing it pretty close to the chest, providing a very limited synopsis and only a couple of pictures to go on. JP Nunez won the…
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Jill Gevargizianโs The Stylist was one of the most delightful surprises of 2020. Outside of Sweeney Todd, we hadnโt really seen a hairstylist killer, which gave the film an original feeling. Not to mention there were two fantastic performances from Najarra Townsend and Brea Grant. Gevargizian, who is a trained hair stylist, put a lot…
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My favorite horror concepts are always the ones that are right in your face, and writer-director Nick Verdiโs Sweet Relief is abundantly that. A slow roll of suburban moral panic, Verdi paints the Rockwellian portrait of a sleepy small town and fills it with uproar over a viral internet challenge. Itโs a song weโve all…
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If thereโs anything I know about Takeshi Kushida, itโs that he can craft a visually striking horror movie. Whatever side of the fence you fell on with Kushidaโs debut feature, Woman of the Photographs, you canโt say it wasnโt a lavishly colored and beautifully shot debut feature. Kushidaโs artistic prowess combined with a love/hate relationship…
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Typecasting is a terrible thing that happens far too often in the horror genre. Fans are often quick to embrace the idea of seeing their favorite โscream queensโ or slasher icons return for new rounds of chaotic violence filled with one-liners, gore, and a possible final chapter to a beloved characterโs storyline. As much as…
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Dima Barch sits on a linen sofa. From the other end of my computer screen, I see his soft eyes, wide smile, and slightly tussled hair as I mess with the settings on Zoom, which has logged me out and wonโt let me record. Barch is calm, patiently waiting for me to ask him about…