Japanese writer/director Kenichi Ugana has made a name for himself among cult and genre fans, with chaotic hits such as Love Will Tear Us Apart, We Are Aliens, and The Gesuidouz. Usually delivered in a collision of genres, like comedy, horror, and fantasy, Ugana’s films often explore the human condition while showcasing his passion for…
Film
Fantasia 2025 Review: Every Heavy Thing
Writer and director Mickey Reece (Agnes, Climate of the Hunter) returns to Fantasia Festival with the world premiere of his latest film, Every Heavy Thing. The comedy-thriller opens to the bare breasts of a woman called Birdie (Bethany Jester) who is talking on the phone to her friend about how she’s sick of Hightown City…
Fantasia 2025 Review: Lucid
Set in the 1990s, Lucid, which had its world premiere at Fantasia Festival, follows Mia (Caitlin Acken Taylor, Pistol), a messy and frustrated art student who is struggling to pass a crucial point in the term. Her professor is hard to please and requires her to create “something with heart” in just one week. Feeling…
Fantasia 2025 Review: Sweetness
Sweetness, which had its Canadian premiere at Fantasia Festival last night, opens on 16-year-old Rylee (Kate Hallett, Woman Talking), who is sitting on her bed underneath the warm glow of fairy lights. She’s watching a video on how to seduce men and practicing the lines herself. Above her, the walls and ceiling are plastered with…
Fantasia 2025: My Most Anticipated Films
Fantasia International Film Festival, held in the heart of Montreal, is back for its 29th edition next week, running from 16 July to 3 August, and I’m delighted to be back providing remote coverage for my fourth year. Described as a juxtaposition between pop culture and alternative cinema, the festival showcases a broad range of…
The Princess Diaries Books and Film Differences
In June 2024, I finished reading the first 11 books in The Princess Diaries series and it got me thinking about the differences between the books and the films. This listicle was written back then and I have no idea why I didn’t end up publishing it, so here it is! And I know this…
Review: Chosen Family
Heather Graham’s sophomore feature film, Chosen Family, which she both wrote and directed, tells a universal story. Ann (Graham) is a yoga instructor who keeps failing into the same bad patterns in both her familial and romantic relationships. Being around her family is exhausting. Her father (Michael Gross) is a religious zealot who is constantly…
9 Woman Directed Films I Want to Watch After Reading Cinema Her Way
In 2015, freelance film writer Marya E. Gates embarked on a year-long project titled “A Year with Women” in which she watched nothing but films directed by women. Gates learned that there wasn’t a lack of female directors at all, but rather a lack of discussion and awareness around them. They were—and are—out there making…
6 Upcoming Book-to-Screen Adaptations to Get Excited For
When I say upcoming, I don’t mean they’re coming this year. What I really mean is that they’re coming eventually. But it does give you enough time to read each of these books, which I’ve either read and recommend (the top three) or am about to read real soon (the bottom three)! Don’t worry, though,…
2025 Oscars: My Votes and Predictions
I cannot believe the Oscars are tonight. They’ve completely snuck up on me. I haven’t finished watching everything I wanted to yet, but I’ve marked below what I want to win in pink. An asterisk (*) denotes that I haven’t seen the film yet so they were obviously not taken into consideration for my personal…