REVIEW: Phantasm [1979]

“You think when you die, you go to heaven. You come to us!” Of course J.J. Abrams would initiate the process of remastering Don Coscarelli‘s seminal Phantasm. Anyone who’s seen “Lost” will quickly notice similarities in their worlds shrouded by mystery devoid of a need or desire to provide explanation. This is what makes them great: they’re intentionally left open to interpretation. We don’t need to watch as the Island is constructed (although subsequent seasons did delve into its history at the behest of fans). And we don’t need to…

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TIFF16 REVIEW: La Mujer del Animal [The Animal’s Wife] [2016]

“What am I paying for?” Colombia’s tourism department won’t be sanctioning Víctor Gaviria‘s La Mujer del Animal [The Animal’s Wife] anytime soon and I definitely will never be visiting to see how accurate a depiction of life there it proves. This film is two-hours of sadism at the hands of Tito Alexander Gómez Arias’ Libardo ‘Animal’ Ramírez. He rapes, maims, drinks, and rapes again while every village he inhabits turns a blind eye out of fear of repercussion. If I could jump through the screen, steal his Bowie blade, and…

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