North Carolina Film Critics Association

13 hours ago

Review: "Lucky" from member Hunter Heilman.

A lot of critics like to proclaim that women filmmakers are “on the rise” in Hollywood, but I find that wording to often feel degrading and lack accountability in the system. It’s not that women are suddenly deciding to become filmmakers en masse, it’s that women filmmakers are actually being taken seriously by the overwhelmingly straight, white, male gatekeepers of Hollywood, and, for once, are starting to inch their way up through the ranks of Hollywood to create things that aren’t just immediately and sexistly deemed “chick flicks,” as if Nancy Meyers doesn’t have more gravitas as a filmmaker than Woody Allen, which at this point, should be obvious. What’s most exciting about Hollywood finally getting their shit together and treating women like people for once (groundbreaking, I know) is that all genres are getting the love across the board with (comparatively) new, fresh viewpoints that are opening up the genre to tell stories in ways that mainstream horror has never been able to do before. At the forefront of the indie horror facet is Brea Grant, who, with her sophomore directorial feature, "12 Hour Shift," released to critical acclaim last year, is beginning to carve out a place as a burgeoning horror filmmaker (as well as a very accomplished actress). With "Lucky," Grant works her magic both on the page and in front of the camera to create a surprisingly fun blend of visceral thriller and empowering tale of finding one’s inner strength.

Available on Shudder March 4 2021. #Lucky #Shudder ...

North Carolina Film Critics Association

16 hours ago

Review: "The Questionable Video" from member James Rosario.

There has never been a piece of media before or since that has had a greater impact on my life than that of “The Questionable Video.” To say that these 58-minutes have influenced me more than any movie, record, TV show, or book is not something I take lightly, but here I am, saying it anyway. It’s hard for me to express just how much I internalized every minute of this fuzzy skate video, and watching it all these years later, I now realize that everything has more or less stuck. I still know every sound and action by heart, and watching it is like a time machine in the best way possible. ...

North Carolina Film Critics Association

19 hours ago

Recommendation: Arty Chick’s Seven Picks: Week 10 from member Jill Boniske.

This week is heavy on movies about couples. They include rom-coms and complicated relationship stories, and the characters range from criminals to musicians to politicians, from kings to bakers. The genres include classic dramas, and film noir, and brilliant satire. And there’s a good dollop of sex, for good measure.

They’re mostly from the 80s and 90s, though one is from the 60s. And something they all (except one) have in common is that they were nominated for a lot of Oscars, and won quite a few. ...

North Carolina Film Critics Association

7 days ago

Review: "The Father" from member James Rosario.

Movies about dementia tend to be told from the perspective of those watching a loved one succumb to their disease rather than from that of those suffering from it. While this viewpoint is certainly understandable (dementia patients rarely write screenplays), it is rather one-sided. Feelings of anger, guilt, fear, and helplessness are easily recognizable on the faces of actors portraying distraught family members, but too often, their ailing counterparts simply stare listlessly into space and occasionally get lost or hurt themselves. Screenwriters and directors time and again forget that dementia patients are suffering too – that their feelings of fear and confusion are just as real as anyone’s, and that their pain also comes with a terrifying inability to adequately express or advocate for themselves. ...

North Carolina Film Critics Association

1 week ago

Watch: What To Expect From "The Snyder Cut"'s Knightmare Scene from member Sean O'Connell.

Zack Snyder recently revealed new details about the Knightmare sequence that features Jared Leto’s Joker and Ben Affleck’s Batman in his ‘Snyder Cut’ of “Justice League.” In this video, “Release The Snyder Cut” author/CinemaBlend Managing Editor Sean O’Connell and CinemaBlend Head of Video, Hannah Saulic, explain the Knightmare timeline and discuss what we can expect to see from the sequence when Zack Snyder’s Justice League hits HBO Max on March 18. ...