Avatar: The Way of Water is the most compassionate blockbuster of our time. A dazzling gallery frame around cinematic technology in the hands of one James Cameron, its wild spectacle, unbelievable detail, and technical wizardry will blast the eyeballs out of your sockets, but its honest and sincere undercurrents just might be its secret weapon. Like its predecessor, Avatar: The Way of Water is an essential theatrical experience. This film was viewed in IMAX 3D with variable frame rates and reviewed accordingly. Minor spoilers ahead…

A sprawling, sci-fi procedural anchored by weighty performances, white-knuckle set pieces, and thunderous soundscapes, Nope is director Jordan Peele’s most mature and layered work, exploring our primordial obsession with spectacle and our desperate need to capture it. A slowly unfolding puzzle box that is as alluring as it is exhilarating, Peele assembles his formidable image-making around what he knows best: terror and wit. Minor spoilers ahead…

Body is reality. Surgery is the new sex. David Cronenberg’s first feature in eight long years acts as a furtive peek into a carefully crafted, crumbling dystopia. In a world where graphic surgeries are the only form of entertainment remaining, Crimes of the Future explores — with a demure thoughtfulness — the complexities of art and performance in an increasingly uninhabitable society. Come for Cronenberg’s body horror resurgent, stay for the perfect weirdo performances from Viggo Mortenson, Lea Seydoux, and Kristen Stewart. Minor spoilers ahead…

My 2022 Sundance Film Festival coverage begins here. In 2017, the pseudonymous Kogonada made waves at Sundance with his intimate character drama, Columbus. Five years later, the prominent video essayist and filmmaker has returned with After Yang, a meditative sci-fi stunner no less affecting than his beautifully-wrought debut. A deeply emotional examination of identity, purpose, and the memory of all things, After Yang tackles its themes — and its surprising thread on what it means to be Asian and Asian American — with grace and craft. Minor spoilers ahead…

A bare-knuckle haymaker across the dome of our obsession with nostalgia and Hollywood’s reboot complex, The Matrix Resurrections is ambitious, sci-fi metafiction sure to be divisive. Tackling themes of creator vs. destroyer, revival, and the illusion of choice in a brand new context, it’s Lana Wachowski’s meditation on why she didn’t want do another Matrix movie…via another Matrix movie - and it’s great. Minor spoilers ahead…

After multiple COVID-related delays and years of anticipation, Dune is finally here. Capturing the majesty and scope of Frank Herbert’s tome of myth, Denis Villeneuve’s vision is faithfully immense, transportive, and most importantly, accessible. Like its title states, this is very much a Part One, so any review or evaluation rests upon provision, but it’s difficult to defy the gravitational pull of Dune’s meticulous world-building and gorgeous craft, even as it keeps its characters in the shadows of its sprawling grandeur. Minor spoilers ahead…

Junta Yamaguchi’s brilliantly clever Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes is my favorite film of Fantasia 2021 so far. A high-concept, single-take masterwork that melds small stakes sci-fi with lighthearted sweetness, it spins intricate gears inside a deceptively simple framework. Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes pushes lo-fi, low-budget filmmaking to its absolute limit. Minor spoilers ahead…

Once again, I have the privilege of being invited as accredited press to Fantasia Festival, North America’s largest genre film festival. With a larger focus on Asian genre cinema and some eye-popping premieres, this year’s festival will undoubtedly be a cinematic feast. This page will be your portal to my coverage, a full list of all of my Fantasia Festival 2021 film reviews. All reviews in viewing order…

If you’re here for “giant lizard vs. big monkey,” then Godzilla vs. Kong will give you exactly what you’re looking for…eventually. Horror veteran Adam Wingard applies his astute eye for action and spectacle in a marked improvement over 2019’s much-maligned Godzilla: King of the Monsters, even if the film learns only half of the lessons imparted by its predecessor. You get your promised kaiju action, and it’s just spectacular enough to cover up the film’s interminably inert subplots. Minor spoilers ahead…

Whether it’s the gala premieres or its NEXT and Midnight titles, there’s plenty of genre fare to go around at Sundance. I watched a ton of films at the festival this year, and even though I would like to, it’s impossible for me to write full-length reviews for everything. So, here’s a special edition of Strange Harbors Capsule Reviews, covering the wide range of this year’s genre films at Sundance. Minor spoilers ahead…

Having been rescued from its SyFy cancellation in 2018, The Expanse returns for its penultimate season on Amazon Prime Video. Based on the novels by Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck (under the pen name James S.A. Corey), the series is quickly solidifying its legacy as one of the best genre shows out there with its meticulous world-building, gripping political intrigue, and hard science fiction. The Expanse’s fifth season finds its winning streak unbroken, with its tight pacing and deep character work on full display as it careens towards its endgame. Nine episodes watched for review, not including the season finale. Minor spoilers ahead…

A psychedelic cocktail of gruesome violence and cerebral sci-fi, Brandon Cronenberg’s Possessor pushes the boundaries of the body horror genre pioneered by his father. For his sophomore feature, Cronenberg crafts a tech-fueled nightmare sprung from his perverse vision, utilizing the dueling talents of Andrea Riseborough and Christopher Abbot to deliver a twisted, body-swapping experience unlike any other. Minor spoilers ahead…

Our coverage of 2020’s Fantasia Film Festival begins here! With Fried Barry, director Ryan Kruger expands his hit short film of the same name into a feature length fever dream of violent and near-pornographic absurdity. Not everyone will vibe with the film’s provocative vision, but Fried Barry is anchored by a mesmerizing performance from Gary Green and a rollicking improvisational momentum. Minor spoilers ahead…

This year, I have the privilege of being invited as accredited press to Fantasia Festival 2020, North America’s largest genre film festival. This is my very first experience at a film festival as press, and even though it’s mostly digital due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I’m extremely excited to be among the first to see some of the best genre films from all around the world. This page will be your portal to my coverage. I’ll be working my way through plenty of titles, some that won’t see full release until next year. All of my reviews will be in viewing order…

The directorial sci-fi debut of filmmaker Andrew Patterson transcends its genre trappings and micro-budget to deliver a gripping investigative yarn. Bolstered by two magnetic lead performances and a refreshing directorial prowess, The Vast of Night is a lo-fi narrative driven by dialogue and chemistry. Its bare-bones story is ultimately a deflated endeavor, but its human element is so charming that its thin plot can easily be overlooked. Minor spoilers ahead…

Lazy and uninspired, J.J. Abrams’ Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is a pandering regression from the bold new direction established by Rian Johnson’s The Last Jedi. Even worse, it’s the first Star Wars film engineered to please its loudest and most troubled demographic: the toxic fandom. A frantic rush to bring a nine-film saga to a close, The Rise of Skywalker is filled with narrative dead-ends, aborted character arcs, and generic fetch quests, all designed to please as many people as possible. Minor spoilers below…

Sprawling in its vision and intimate in scope, director James Gray follows up The Lost City of Z with his affecting space drama, Ad Astra. Brad Pitt puts forth one of the most subdued - yet poignant - performances of his career as astronaut Roy McBride. A powerful meditation on fathers, sons, and masculinity, Ad Astra profoundly deconstructs a traditional character archetype with a deft hand. Mild spoilers ahead…