Affection opens to a woman lying in the middle of the road as her car beeps behind her. Is she dead? All of a sudden, she breathes in and starts coughing. She stands up slowly and looks ahead into the night. Then she has a violent seizure and falls back to the ground. Later, she…
thriller
Review: Vampires of the Velvet Lounge
If you’re into vampires as much as I am, you’ll already know the legend of Countess Elizabeth Báthory. If not, Vampires of the Velvet Lounge gets you up to speed with some heavy text exposition: Born in 1560 Hungary, Báthory was a noblewoman whose behaviour became increasingly bizarre following the death of her husband, Count…
Review: I Live Here Now
Julie Pacino’s debut feature, I Live Here Now, follows actress Rose (Lucy Fry), who spends her time auditioning for roles and hanging out with her TikToker boyfriend, Travis (Matt Rife). As she hasn’t been bookable for years, Rose is happy when she lands the opportunity to meet top agent Cindy Abrams (Cara Seymour), who abrasively…
8 Most Anticipated Book Releases of 2026
Half his age by Jennette McCurdy 17-year-old Waldo is ravenous. Horny. Blunt. Naive. Impulsive. Lonely. Angry. Hurting. Endlessly wanting. And the thing she wants most of all is her creative writing teacher, Mr Korgy. He has the wife and the kid and the mortgage and the bills, with the dead dreams and the atrophied looks…
Review: American Sweatshop
If you’ve been on the internet long enough, it’s likely that you’ve had the misfortune of coming across some disturbing content—even if you only caught a quick glimpse before hastily scrolling away. You can usually report such content with the swift click of a button, but it’s rare we think about what actually happens next:…
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: 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…
Review: Renner
Computer genius Renner (Frankie Muniz) has developed an artificial intelligence named Salenus (voiced by Marcia Gay Harden). Functioning as a life coach, her number one directive is to increase Renner’s assertiveness so he can talk to his attractive new neighbour, Jamie (Violett Beane). After some initial awkwardness on Renner’s part, the pair agree to have…
Review: Blackwater Lane
Blackwater Lane opens with gorgeous shots of the landscape belongings to Elsing Hall, a medieval mansion in Norfolk. In the film, it’s called Crawford House and is home to teacher Cass (Minka Kelly, The Roommate) and her husband Matthew (Dermot Mulroney, My Best Friend’s Wedding), who is a successful businessman. He’s asleep in one room…
32 Most Anticipated Book Releases of 2025
At the start of the year, I often take an interest in the books coming out over the next 12 months. I usually end up buying a bunch, reading a selection, and finding myself no longer interested in the rest. But, for now, here are the ones that have caught my attention for one reason…