The Scary of Sixty-First – Berlinale 2021 Review

by Jordan King Debut writer-director Dasha Nekrasova, well-known for her left-leaning capitalist-critical podcast ‘Red Scare’, announces herself as a bold new voice in horror cinema with The Scary of Sixty-First. Certainly not a film to watch last thing before bed, Nekrasova’s film is a skin-crawling post-modern giallo imbued with the cruel edge of a video nasty. Shot through hazy 16mm stock, this slice of unholy … Continue reading The Scary of Sixty-First – Berlinale 2021 Review

jordanmbk98March 19, 2021Leave a comment

Berlinale, Reviews

Wheel of Fortune & Fantasy – Berlinale 2021 Review

by Jordan King Unfurling its acute observations of the profound moments that add up to a life with the poetic complexity and simplicity of a Haiku, Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s richly deserved Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize winner Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy presents us with a triptych of tenderly crafted short stories that are linked by a common thread – love. Shot through and scripted with … Continue reading Wheel of Fortune & Fantasy – Berlinale 2021 Review

jordanmbk98March 18, 2021Leave a comment

Berlinale, Reviews

The World After Us – Berlinale 2021 Review

by Jordan King Following a span of two months where I have turned in over 35 reviews across three film festivals, devouring the best, the worst, and the most bizarre films that the festival circuit has to offer, I arrived at my final virtual screening of Berlinale 2021 with a question on my mind – ‘Why do I write?’ I love cinema. I love the … Continue reading The World After Us – Berlinale 2021 Review

jordanmbk98March 17, 2021Leave a comment

Berlinale, Reviews

Albatros (Drift Away) – Berlinale 2021 Review

by Jordan King Set amidst a small community on the French coastline of Normandy, actor-turned-director Xavier Beauvois’ latest feature Drift Away is an evocative if not entirely concentrated drama, one which possesses shades of the communitarian persecution commentary found in Vinterberg’s The Hunt, as well as a third act sojourn to the sea that mirrors in many ways James Marsh’s The Mercy. Jérémie Renier stars … Continue reading Albatros (Drift Away) – Berlinale 2021 Review

jordanmbk98March 16, 2021March 16, 2021Leave a comment

Berlinale, Reviews

Cryptozoo – Berlinale 2021 Review

by Jordan King Dash Shaw’s hand-drawn adult animation Cryptozoo begins with a hippie couple (played memorably if briefly by Michael Cera and Louisa Krause) having sex in a forest. As Cera’s Matthew compliments his belle’s body from top to toe, the animation demonstrates an abstract approach to form that can best be described as a chimera of pioneer Winsor McCay, oddball auteur Karel Zeman, the … Continue reading Cryptozoo – Berlinale 2021 Review

jordanmbk98March 15, 2021March 15, 2021Leave a comment

Berlinale, Reviews

Vicious Fun – Review

There is a theory out there that you’ll walk past twenty to thirty murders in your lifetime. That’s scary, isn’t it? The thought that there are so many killers out there that you would casually just bump into them at a grocery store, on the train, or in a local bar is so frightening. But what would happen if you stumbled across seven of them … Continue reading Vicious Fun – Review