Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities is a much needed supernatural horror anthology series of eight short films on Netflix with frequent Lovecraftian elements, even (loosely) adapting two of his stories and another two being based on short stories written by del Toro. Suffice it to say, anticipation was high, and I knew he would deliver something with uniqueness and a commitment to the weird and otherworldly with the involvement of quality directors and writers, a much more successful endeavor…

Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio is a beautiful, glorious work of art that exudes how special the movies can be when they’re made with true craftsmanship and without cynicism. It’s clear this project was a real labor of love from all involved, and del Toro’s earnest way of storytelling and sense of childlike wonder is on full display. Pinocchio manages to explore themes of mortality and darkness of the world the way classic fairy tales did, and achieves real emotional resonance…

Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror was made more than 100 years ago, being a hazy, German Expressionist retelling of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, with most of the copies destroyed after a legal case where it was still deemed too similar to Dracula. In the past 100 years, Nosferatu has curiously become a franchise in its own right, with numerous retellings and new versions due to its groundbreaking nature, timeless visuals, and establishing many elements of vampires for the first time. The…

Anora is the latest gritty dramedy from excellent independent American writer-director Sean Baker, who explores the lives of scrappy, marginalized people trying to get by in the world with his authentic films known for utilizing and encouraging first time actors and some guerrilla filmmaking techniques. Mikey Madison from Scream V and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood breathes life into the title character, Anora (or Ani, as she often prefers to be called) with one of the best performances of…