Animation First Festival 2025: YUKU AND THE HIMALAYAN FLOWER, THE TWELVE TASKS OF ASTERIX, HARMONY, and René Laloux
by Tessa Swehla, Associate Editor
Here are some of the best films I was able to catch at this year’s Animation First Festival.
A Primer for STAR TREK's Section 31 and its long, dark history
by Tessa Swehla, Associate Editor
Section 31 sits within an interesting place in the Star Trek universe. With the new film coming out, we take a look at its history within the existing franchise, and what the film might represent.
Animation First Festival 2025 Preview
by Tessa Swehla, Associate Editor
This year will mark the eighth anniversary of Animation First, one of the biggest film festivals dedicated to animation in the US and certainly the biggest dedicated to French language animation filmmaking.
ONE OF THEM DAYS is a buddy comedy about the grind of living paycheck to paycheck
by Tessa Swehla, Associate Editor
One of Them Days fits in the buddy comedy tradition nicely, with the basic plot points being predictable and comforting, but it cleverly brings in themes that are unusual in a buddy comedy.
Best of 2024: The 15 best science fiction movies of the year
by Tessa Swehla, Associate Editor
2024 has been a rich year for science fiction, both in film and in print.
THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO brings an almost two-century-old story to vivid life
by Tessa Swehla, Associate Editor
The latest French adaptation of The Count of Monte Cristo, directed by Matthieu Delaporte and Alexandre de La Patelliere, leans into the historical epic aspects of the story, condensing some of the more labyrinthian plot details and characters in order to emphasize the action.
WALLACE AND GROMIT: VENGEANCE MOST FOWL is a handcrafted joy–with the thumbprints to prove it
by Tessa Swehla, Associate Editor
There’s lots here that’s familiar to fans of the duo: wacky inventions, cheese, tea, Wallace getting in over his head and Gromit having to save him.
THE WAR OF THE ROHIRRIM brings Middle Earth back to movie theaters
by Tessa Swehla, Associate Editor
The War of the Rohirrim is one of the darker tales of Middle Earth, with the scope of an Homeric epic and the emotional heft of a Shakespearean tragedy.
Lackluster execution makes ELEVATION feel extra derivative
by Tessa Swehla, Associate Editor
Elevation feels like a TV movie made in the early 2000s.
Goth Week: Ruined Houses, Ruined Families
by Tessa Swehla, Associate Editor
Why do we find these old houses in books and film creepy? It’s because they are externalizations of their inhabitants, a physical intrusion of abstract ideas like secrets, trauma, lies, and violence.
YOUR MONSTER is a horror rom com about why we love monsters
by Tessa Swehla, Associate Editor
Writer-director Caroline Lindy expertly weaves in horror elements into the film to challenge both Laura and the audience’s perception of themselves.
Goth Week: 100 Years of Dracula: Small Screen Edition
by Tessa Swehla, Associate Editor
Tessa is back to talk about Dracula, but this time she turns her attention to the small screen!
GOODRICH can't hold its central character accountable or let him grow
by Tessa Swehla, Associate Editor
Goodrich doesn’t seem that interested in interrogating traditional gender labor distribution or in holding its protagonist accountable for his choices.
THE WILD ROBOT offers a beautiful escape into nature
by Tessa Swehla, Associate Editor
It’s a difficult line for many children’s films to walk—entertaining both children and adults—but The Wild Robot walks it well, most likely due to the fact that its middle grade source material allows it to be more nuanced than your average children’s film.
OMNI LOOP takes the time loop idea in a new direction
by Tessa Swehla, Associate Editor
I’ve watched many, many, many time loop films. And some time loop episodes of TV (it seems like most sci-fi or magical shows that go on for any length of time have at least one). But none of them are quite like Omni Loop, a quietly ambitious entry into a staple genre.
THE SECRET ART OF HUMAN FLIGHT never quite takes off
by Tessa Swehla, Associate Editor
The grief that comes from the loss of a partner is especially difficult, and that is the kind of grief that is at the center of The Secret Art of Human Flight.
Action Movie Countdown #8: ALIENS turns a horror sequel into a "roller coaster"
by Tessa Swehla, Associate Editor
While Alien is a masterwork in slow tension building, Aliens is bombastic.
Action Movie Countdown #11: MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FALLOUT is the peak of an all-time action franchise
by Tessa Swehla, Associate Editor
Truly a modern action classic, Mission: Impossible – Fallout is a stand-out in the franchise and in a genre that that franchise helped to create.
Artificial Bodies, Artificial Lives: A Panther Woman and a Raccoon
by Tessa Swehla, Staff Writer
Science fiction–particularly sci-fi horror–has been fascinated by the idea of hybridization, of combining different species via technology.
HEROES SHED NO TEARS is an early John Woo film about the aftermath of the Vietnam War
by Tessa Swehla, Staff Writer
Heroes Shed No Tears is an unpolished but charming piece of Woo filmography that I would recommend to anyone who wants to see an early example of the action master at work.