Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is as fresh as Marvel has been in years. A moving tragedy about fathers, sons, and the crushing weight of filial expectations, director Daniel Destin Cretton wraps affecting drama within an effortlessly cool superhero origin story. The MCU’s first film with an Asian lead doesn’t disappoint - even with its muddy, CGI soup third act, there’s a voice within Shang-Chi’s kinetic action, and a powerful performance from screen legend Tony Leung as one of the MCU’s best villains. Minor spoilers ahead…

The Night House flips the script on haunted abodes with chilling efficiency. Powered by a singular, wrenching performance from Rebecca Hall, director David Bruckner’s latest explores the spaces between terrifying, grief-fueled dreamscapes. Minor spoilers ahead…

My 2021 Fantasia Festival coverage begins here! Hong Kong action maestro Benny Chan’s final film, Raging Fire, kicks things off with an injection of adrenaline. The tale of two men on opposite sides of the law barreling towards a bloody, knives-out confrontation, Chan’s swan song is a throwback to old-school action cinema - even its rote story and sleepy lead performance can’t stop the barrage of brutal, steel-fisted violence. 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…

Spinning off from the adventures of Loki and the TVA, Marvel Studios’ What If…? explores the fractured branches of Phase Four’s next big thing: the Multiverse. Animated, self-contained episodes that ask the titular question, the series opens a cabinet full of possibilities, even if it feels a little inconsequential. With its journeys into entertaining parallel realities, What If…? is playful enough with its creativity and dazzling animation, but these half-hour jaunts feel more like curiosities than essential text. Three episodes watched for review, minor spoilers ahead…

The Suicide Squad is comics legend John Ostrander personified through James Gunn’s brazen sensibilities. Surprising heart wrapped in ultra-violence, it’s the Task Force X I’ve always wanted to see, and it mines incredible fun from being brutally unkind to its “heroes.” Jettisoning the turgid continuity of its 2016 predecessor, The Suicide Squad dispenses with edgelord theatrics and gets straight to the dangerous fun. Minor spoilers ahead…

Nerds of fantasy and Arthurian lore rejoice, David Lowery’s latest film is a sumptuous translation of the anonymous Pearl Poet’s chivalric romance into visual splendor. A medieval epic unlike any other, The Green Knight grapples with the tensions between Christian honor and primordial pagan magic amidst a hero’s journey. Deliberate, visceral, and cerebral, the film rises above its sword and sorcery as true poetry in motion. Minor spoilers ahead…

M. Night Shyamalan revisits the stylings of The Happening with his rapid-aging horror thriller, Old. A labored reach for existential poignancy undone by an absurd, awkward, and alien script, Shyamalan’s latest is a far cry from the halcyon days of The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, and The Village. Even with some great horror beats, your mileage will depend entirely on just how much you can stomach Shyamalan’s particular brand of unironically stilted messes. Minor spoilers ahead…

Gateway horror icon R.L. Stine’s marginally graduated Goosebumps predecessor is brought to bloody life in Netflix’s Fear Street trilogy. A series of three films -1994, 1978, and 1666 - Fear Street pulls an uneven potpourri of influences together with a familiar aesthetic, but the whole ends up being a surprisingly potent tapestry of terror, perfect for gorehounds and horror neophytes alike. Minor spoilers ahead…

Star power and the best street-level action this side of The Winter Soldier do a lot of the heavy lifting for the long-awaited, long-overdue Black Widow. Scarlett Johansson and Florence Pugh shine in Natasha Romanoff’s solo outing, but in the wake of Avengers: Endgame, it all feels a little inconsequential and oddly timed; what should be a moving swan song and a passing of the baton instead feels like a fleeting adventure straight out of the MCU’s early days. Nevertheless, Black Widow will delight fans of the character while simultaneously paving a bright future for the mantle. Minor spoilers ahead…

Taking a step back from swing-for-the-fences epics, Pixar’s Luca tells a tale about courage, acceptance, and friendship through a pasta-chomping triathlon. The Italian Riviera comes to rousing life in Disney’s newest animated adventure, celebrating the underdog with joyful performances and playful animation. Where Onward and Soul perhaps bit off a little more than they could chew, Luca lives comfortably in its charming, small-scale journey. Minor spoilers ahead…

Clever and imaginative, Disney Plus’ latest Marvel series - Loki - brings the beloved scoundrel back to life. This new story takes the God of Mischief out of his element on a rousing, time-hopping, sci-fi adventure, diving deeper into his mercurial psyche while also expanding the weirder corners of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Two episodes watched for review. Minor spoilers ahead…

Your mileage will vary wildly on the scares in The Conjuring 3, but its shift to chilling occult procedural is a refreshing change of pace. Even when the film disappointingly under-delivers on its promise of a fascinating courtroom angle, there’s plenty of heart to even out its wobbly narrative. And if the first two films weren't proof enough, The Devil Made Me Do It solidifies Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga as modern horror royalty. Minor spoilers below…

Taking a blood-soaked buzzsaw to his signature pretensions, Zack Snyder delivers his best film since 2004’s Dawn of the Dead. Yes, it’s bloated, and yes, it features the filmmaker’s penchant for stylized pop-video aesthetics, but Army of the Dead is clear and fun where it matters. Snyder’s construction of a new zombie mythos - coupled with bombastic action - is nothing short of delightful. Minor spoilers ahead…

A relentless exercise in nerve-shredding, high-wire tension, A Quiet Place Part II takes everything great about the first film and cranks it up to eleven, even if its horrifying monsters lose some of their mystique. Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds, and Noah Jupe return to their roles with visceral potency, and Cillian Murphy’s signature intensity makes a fine addition to the cast. Minor spoilers ahead...

Kicking the moral complexities of his bracing “Frontier Trilogy” to the curb, Taylor Sheridan’s Those Who Wish Me Dead is a by-the-numbers action thriller buoyed by its character work and unique setting. A properly subdued performance showcases Angelina Jolie’s quiet gravitas, revealing just how much her presence has been missed on the big screen. Its narrative may be thin, but Those Who Wish Me Dead’s dual threats of ruthless assassins and unforgiving elemental forces leave a lasting impression. Minor spoilers ahead…

Leaving behind a compoundingly absurd history of twists and an increasingly Byzantine web of continuity, Spiral: From the Book of Saw reboots the bloody franchise by splitting the difference between its gruesome notoriety and a fresh detective story. Spiral never comes close to the heights of its 2004 namesake, but it’s engaging enough to get to its kills, and it doesn’t overstay its welcome.

English filmmaker Guy Ritchie goes back to basics with the ruthless and bloody Wrath of Man. Stripping the film of his typical panache save for a few hallmark favorites, including Jason Statham in premium ass-kicking mode, Ritchie delivers a no-frills tale of revenge that’s just a little less than the sum of its parts. Minor spoilers ahead…