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Review by Sean Boelman
Teresa Sutherland is already an acclaimed writer in the horror space, having written the horror Western The Wind and serving as a writer on Mike Flanagan’s Midnight Mass. Genre cinephiles are undeniably hoping that her directorial debut, Lovely, Dark, and Deep will boast the same level of pedigree, but apart from some effective visuals, the film offers precious little to enjoy.
The movie follows a novice park ranger who, as she begins to investigate a series of disappearances, finds her grip on reality becoming increasingly strained. This is the type of movie where viewers will likely ask themselves “what the heck is happening in this?” and not be able to figure out the answer — but not in an intriguing, thought-provoking way. If the film is effective at one thing, it is creating an effective atmosphere. As a psychological horror, the movie almost works. It has a little bit of The Shining, a little bit of Lynch, a little bit of Lovecraft — all influences which are extremely good at creeping under the viewer’s skin. Unfortunately, what the movie builds to feels quite anticlimactic, leaving viewers feeling empty and unsatisfied once the credits roll. However, even with the unsettling atmosphere, the film isn’t able to maintain tension for the entirety of its runtime — made even worse by the fact that it is under 90 minutes. It all too often feels like the movie is just spinning its wheels, coming up with excuses to give us more cool and unsettling imagery. The technicals of the film are all quite strong. The cinematography by Rui Poças, the music by Shida Shahabi, and the effects (both practical and CGI) look great. Sutherland also really knows how to use the location in which the movie was shot — a woodsy area in Portugal — to maximum effect. It will likely come as no surprise that, like many psychological horror films, Lovely, Dark, and Deep is another examination of the things that haunt the characters internally. However, this would work better if viewers knew… almost anything about these characters. Even the protagonist feels needlessly vague, and so many character decisions in the movie simply make no sense. It’s a shame that the film doesn’t give its cast much to work with because lead actress Georgina Campbell is extremely talented — as evidenced by last year’s unexpected breakout Barbarian. Campbell tries her best here, and she manages to squeeze just enough emotion out of the character for the audience to care about her fate, but nothing beyond that. The title Lovely, Dark, and Deep is a misnomer — in actuality, the movie is only one of those three things: dark. There’s a lot of potential in this thanks to the talent in front of and behind the camera, but Teresa Sutherland’s feature debut unfortunately doesn’t quite come together. Lovely, Dark, and Deep screened at the 2023 Fantasia Film Festival, which runs from July 20 to August 9. Rating: 2.5/5
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Review by Sean Boelman
At only 18 years old, Australian filmmaker Alice Maio Mackay is already on her third feature film, and all three of them have gained a good deal of recognition among the genre cinephile community. Her latest, T Blockers plays like a queer version of the cult classic horror-comedy They Live, and if that pitch sounds like your thing, this is definitely a movie you’ll want to check out.
The film follows a young trans filmmaker as she discovers that the residents of her town are being infected by mysterious parasites, and she is the only one who can sniff them out. Mackay has taken this familiar premise and put a distinctly queer spin on it, and the result feels charming and creative despite its flaws. As one may expect, the movie is extremely angry in its discussion of transphobia. The result is several story beats and lines of dialogue feeling very on-the-nose. And while the message of the film is undeniably important in a world that is increasingly hostile towards trans people, one can’t help but feel like this is preaching to the choir. The people who are going to seek out a crazy trans genre movie like this aren’t the ones who need to be learning about the dangers of transphobia. One of the biggest shortcomings of the movie is that its character development is somewhat scant. The protagonist is compelling, but even her arc does not feel as pronounced as one would like. And the supporting characters — from the villains to the love interest and even the protagonist’s best friend/sidekick — never grow beyond their archetypes. 
The pacing in the film is also a bit off. The horror elements of the movie are almost treated like a subplot for the first forty or so minutes, which have heavy romantic comedy elements to them. However, for the last thirty minutes, it kicks it into overdrive and ends up feeling somewhat rushed. With a runtime under 75 minutes, it would have been nice to see the film be a bit longer to allow its story to breathe a bit more. Lauren Last gives a performance in the leading role that can only be described as “kickass.” She channels her inner Roddy Piper, delivering one liners while feeling effortlessly cool. However, there is also a very effective emotional side to her turn as well. In fact, Last is so good that she sticks out like a needle in a haystack — as everyone in the supporting cast is giving pretty standard B-movie turns while she totally dominates. Mackay was clearly going for a particular B-movie look, and if you evaluate the movie by that standard, it’s very much a success. The cinematography is rough and the effects over the top, but it’s very fun in a campy way. Throw in some extremely youth-oriented soundtrack choices and a neon-drenched aesthetic, and you have a to-be cult classic for queer youth. T Blockers isn’t a perfect film by any means, but Alice Maio Mackay takes a fun concept and brings a unique vision to it, creating an idiosyncratic yet approachable queer horror flick. But even beyond the great representation it offers, it’s just an all-around good time. T Blockers is screening at Outfest, which runs in-person in Los Angeles from July 13-23, and online from July 17-30. Rating: 3.5/5
Review by Sean Boelman
The First Slam Dunk was one of the biggest films in its home country of Japan last year, earning a spot among the top-grossing Japanese movies of all time. Western audiences are getting their introduction to the movie at Fantasia before its upcoming U.S. release, but it seems unlikely to translate to do as well here as it did overseas.
The film follows a teenager who, after the passing of his older brother, sets out to achieve his brother’s dream of becoming a basketball star. Based on the popular Slam Dunk manga series, this is the type of uplifting underdog story that should be a crowd-pleaser, but it’s a bit overlong and shoddily paced to connect with many beyond the source material’s admirers and basketball lovers. One of the movie’s big mistakes is not investing more in the team dynamic. We’re given a backstory for the protagonist, but none of the other characters, nor much about his friendship with any of them. As a result, viewers will end up cheering for the protagonist rather than the team as a whole, which is not the most effective approach when it comes to a sports movie like this. The First Slam Dunk deserves major props for delivering some excellent basketball sequences, but there is a bit of a disparity between what we see and what we are supposed to believe. What we are watching is a high school basketball team. The film treats this competition in the same way one would more reasonably expect to see at a professional match — or even a college game — creates a need for suspension of disbelief. Additionally, the fact that the movie is essentially one long basketball match (with flashbacks interspersed throughout to give it more of a story) makes it feel monotonous quickly. Granted, for viewers who are more into the sport of basketball, it may be able to hold their attention more easily, but non-fans won’t be able to get invested easily. There are certainly some moments in which the film pulls on the right heart strings to create an effective emotional beat, but they are undermined by the narrative structure and editing. Although the point is clearly to use this emotional connection to get viewers more excited to root for the heroes, they completely disrupt the movie’s narrative momentum. Still, the animation — particularly during the basketball sequences — is fantastic. The character design is emotive, the action is kinetic, and yet the frame never feels overly busy. There is one scene at the film’s climax that is absolutely breathtaking and arguably one of the best animated sequences of the year. There’s not a ton of detail in some of the backgrounds, but the foregrounds are so great that they command the viewer’s attention. The First Slam Dunk boasts some unquestionably great animation, but the narrative definitely leaves something to be desired. Granted, as someone who is not particularly a fan of the sport of basketball, maybe it can just be chalked up to not being in the target audience — but it’s not quite effective. The First Slam Dunk screened at the 2023 Fantasia Film Festival, which runs from July 20 to August 9. Rating: 2.5/5
Review by Sean Boelman
It’s often evident when a film is a passion project, and that’s certainly the case with The Mattachine Family, directed by Andy Vallentine and written by him with his husband Danny Vallentine. Although The Mattachine Family doesn’t reinvent the wheel when it comes to the LGBTQIA+ dramedy, it’s entirely harmless and just good enough to work.
The movie follows a gay couple whose ideas of family are challenged after their first foster child is reunited with his birth mother. It’s a pretty compelling mix of family drama and romantic comedy, with some funny moments and heartwarming ones, even if it is frequently held back by an uneven script. The Mattachine Family arguably works best as an exploration of its central theme of the challenges of raising a family for an LGBTQIA+ individual. Although there are some moments in which the messaging becomes a bit muddled — such as a scene in a courtroom, where the film comes dangerously close to a regressive take on the foster care system — it’s clear that the movie mostly means very well. The script written by the Vallentines struggles with flow, feeling more like a series of interconnected vignettes than a cohesive story. It feels almost as if they approached writing this film with those key scenes in mind, and the connective tissue simply did not fall into place. Although those moments are often effective at pulling at the heart-strings, the movie simply isn’t able to sustain that emotion. 
The other part of the film that is somewhat off-putting is its tone, which leans a bit heavily on the sentimentality at times — even to the point of ocassionally becoming a Lifetime-esque melodrama. Much of the blame can be put on the dialogue, which consistently means well, but is often cheesy or on-the-nose with what it has to say.
That being said, the movie is saved by solid direction by Andy Vallentine, guiding some gifted performers in their roles. Nico Tortorella gives such a convincing performance in the lead that it is hard to imagine anyone in the role. They exude so much raw emotion that the film feels authentic, even when its writing is a bit strained. In the supporting cast, Emily Hampshire is the biggest standout, having the flashiest “supporting actress” moments, while Heather Matarazzo’s bit part feels like more of a bid to lend the movie a higher profile. In terms of the film’s below-the-line qualities, it’s about as one would expect from an indie dramedy like this. The cinematography is a bit on the oversaturated, glossy side, and the needle drops and score tend to be on the nose. It’s competent enough to pass as mainstream, possibly for a life on streaming or the like. If there’s one word that you could use to describe The Mattachine Family, it’s cutesy. It’s occasionally effective as a tear-jerker, and is elevated by some disproportionately excellent performances, but it too often falls victim to the script’s melodramatic trappings to be any more than merely alright. The Mattachine Family is screening at Outfest, which runs in-person in Los Angeles from July 13-23, and online from July 17-30. Rating: 3/5
Review by Sean Boelman
In 2021, The Sadness was one of the most talked about genre films of the year with its relentless and seemingly endless barrage of violence. This year’s Vincent Must Die, directed by Stéphan Castang, has a similar premise but takes a more comedic (and slightly tamer) approach, which makes it a great fit for the genre fest circuit.
The movie follows a man who chooses to live a life on the lam when he finds himself suddenly being physically attacked by everyone around him for no apparent reason. It’s the type of high-concept horror-comedy where the film’s success lives or dies by how much the viewer buys into the premise and world. As one would expect, there are some moments of very shocking violence. For most of the first two thirds of the movie, it comes in relatively short — but extremely brutal — bursts. However, over the course of the film, it becomes more frequent and graphic in its carnage, and by the end, it’s probably not for the squeamish. That being said, although the movie is often upsetting and disturbing in its depictions of violence, there’s also a (pitch black) sense of humor about it. Viewers will understandably let out some nervous laughter after seeing a man getting the crap beaten out of him by an intern he disrespected in the workplace. These moments of dark comedy do wonders for the pacing and making the film more palatable. 
One of the more surprising things about Vincent Must Die is how efficient it is with its character development. The easy way out would have been to make the eponymous protagonist one extreme or the other — a “nice guy” who doesn’t deserve it at all, or a horrible person we want to see suffer. Mathieu Naert’s script gives us someone in-between, where we often understand why people would be frustrated with him, but still root for him to overcome.
Karim Leklou’s performance in the leading role is perfect. It’s a very reactionary performance, where much of the emotion he shows is either fear or bewilderment. Vimala Pons also gives a very strong turn, bringing a lot of emotional nuance to a character that is a tad underdeveloped and Manic Pixie-esque. The only real shortcoming of the movie is that it is ultimately unclear what Naert wants to say with this story. At a certain point, it begins to feel as if everything is somewhat random — and maybe that’s what it’s trying to say. There is a lot of senseless violence in the real world, and if that’s what the film wants viewers to take away, it succeeded. Vincent Must Die is a very funny and satisfying horror-comedy, even if it doesn’t have as strong of a grasp on its messaging as it would have needed to earn itself true cult classic status. Still, it’s an impressive exercise in genre filmmaking, and a strong debut for Stéphan Castang. Vincent Must Die screened at the 2023 Fantasia Film Festival, which runs from July 20 to August 9. Rating: 4/5 |