MOVIE REVIEW: FACES OF DEATH

 

A content moderator stumbles upon a series of violent videos that appear to re-enact death scenes from the infamous 1978 film "Faces of Death." In an online world where nothing can be trusted, she must determine whether the violence is fake or unfolding in real time.

Director: Daniel Goldhaber

Cast: Barbie Ferreira, Dacre Montgomery, Josie Totah, Aaron Holliday, Jermaine Fowler, Charli XCX

Release Date: April 10, 2026

Genre: Horror

Rated R for strong bloody violence and gore, sexual content, nudity, language and drug use.

Runtime: 1h 46m

Review:

Reviving the infamous pseudo-documentary, Faces of Death, into a feature is a tall order but this meta-approach about the current algorithm driven culture creating a serial killer is more insightful than expected.  Writer/Director Daniel Goldhaber shows a healthy amount of confidence behind the camera as he sets up the general premise and concepts which offer up plenty of intriguing about the original documentary and how the world has changed since it caused such a stir.  There are plenty of tantalizing ideas thrown about in the first half of the film especially reflecting on how horrors in our “post truth” world is little more than content with the film reflecting its gaze back at the audience for watching it all.  It’s a fascinating approach which sadly starts to lose a bit of its shine in the second half of the film as Goldhaber continually beats you over the head with the message.  That latter half does start to feel more like a traditional serial killer film which is topped off with an appropriately gory finale.  There’s plenty of inspiration pulled from films like Silence of the Lambs and Michael Mann’s Manhunter for Dacre Montgomery’s serial killer who is using the original film as inspiration for his kills.  Montgomery goes full bore into the role with impressive gusto as he proves to be the most interesting performer on screen throughout.  Barbie Ferreira is solid as the content moderator that falls down a dangerous rabbit hole as she searches for the deranged killer.  Unfortunately, both characters are thinly written, which is a missed opportunity since both performers are begging for something meatier to bite into for their characters.  It’s not a fatal flaw but you are left feeling there was something more substantial that could have been explored.  Issues aside, Faces of Death proves to a pleasant surprise considering the random source material.  

B-

MOVIE REVIEW: THE MOMENT

 

A rising pop star navigates the complexities of fame and industry pressure while preparing for her arena tour debut.

Director: Aidan Zamiri

Cast: Charli XCX, Rosanna Arquette, Kate Berlant, Jamie Demetriou, Hailey Benton Gates, Isaac Powell, Alexander Skarsgård

Release Date: January 30, 2026 

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Thriller

Rated R for language throughout and some drug material

Runtime: 1h 43m

Review:

The Moment is a fun mockumentary that plays like a pop starlet’s Spinal Tap and functions as a sort of anxiety driven confessional about the instant massive fame hits.  Aidan Zamiri does a solid job behind the camera in his debut film and there’s clear sense that Charli XCX trust him implicitly which shouldn’t be a surprise since he’s directed a handful of her recent videos.  The film opens with an aggressive barrage of strobe and images that might induce A Clockwork Orange style seizure in more than a few people before settling into its more vérité documentary approach.  Once the film moves into the meat of its story Charli XCX takes center stage and brings her magnetic personality to the screen with impressive ease.  The real treat is that she’s more than willing to make fun of herself and is more than willing to make herself look incredibly unglamourous and uncool.  The corporate label head, played by Rosanna Arquette, and cheese ball director, played with inspired gusto by Alexander Skarsgard, serves as her primary antagonist as they continually try to monetize and bottle her zeitgeist capturing moment.  It makes for a series of hilarious situations that are outlandish on the surface but not terribly detached from reality either, especially if you’ve ever watched the evolution of a pop star.  Charli XCX has been a well-established niche artist for the last decade before her explosion onto the mainstream last summer.  It’s an impressive bit of foresight to take hold of the moment and create a faux version of her experience that’s peppered with threads of truth and vulnerability that shines through in two singular moments where you feel she’s speaking from the heart.  It’s something she’s broached in the past during her real documentary, Charli XCX: Alone Together from 2021, which only hardcore fans saw but carries similar themes.  The Moment may become a nice time capsule for those same hardcore fans later down the road but for the general public there is still plenty to appreciate here thanks to Charli XCX’s honest self-reflection on display.  

B+