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It’s not often that we cover comedies here at Nightmare on Film Street, but when we do they are comedies where laughter is the only defense you have against a full-blown panic attack. And as a Canadian citizen, laughing through full-blown panic attacks is about all I know right now (see: any news story from any news outlet covering US/Can politics). Indie comedy $Positions, which recently celebrated its World Premiere at the 2025 SXSW Film Festival, is truly one of the most stressful movies I’ve watched since Uncut Gems. What starts out as a cringy crypto blunder takes a nosedive straight into the danger zone as a naive investor find himself in a blender of bankruptcy, bookies, dead bodies, and criminally insane drug addicts.

Written and directed by Brandon Daley, $Positions stars Michael Kunicki as Mike, a struggling crypto investor down on his luck, in over his head,...

In June 2023, a very specific list of films was added to Letterboxd, titled, "oh this guy is so f*cked. there’s absolutely no way he can get more f*cked. (the next scene happens) ohhhh my god." Movies like After Hours, Fargo, and Uncut Gems fill said gag list, and writer-director Brandon Daley's new "twitchy, hyper-contemporary comedy" $Positions would fit right in with the anxiety-inducing bunch.

Premiering at SXSW 2025, Daley's debut feature film follows the trials and tribulations of protagonist Mike Alvarado (Michael Kunicki), a blue-collar Midwesterner who may or may not have a cryptocurrency trading addiction. Spoiler: he totally does. The film begins with Mike in a trance, staring at his phone screen and watching his money deplete in real time on some crypto app featuring a menacing monkey. As Mike snaps out of his hypnotic state — while driving, mind you — the audience meets his passenger,...

What would you do if you wound up back at college? Many of us have wondered that over the years since graduating, but too many movies that think about that go broad and silly in their depiction. Not here, however, as I Used to Go Here finds a perfect angle and avoids the pratfalls that those other films fall into. This is a winning comedy that gives off a wholly pleasant vibe, while still telling a deep and affecting story. Anchored by Gillian Jacobs in a terrific turn, this flick is quite good and deserves to have a bit of a fuss made over it. The film is a comedy, centered on a writer in Kate Conklin (Jacobs) who has just had her first book published. Sadly, it’s not a hit and is not being met with universal acclaim. As she’s dealing with the first feelings of failure,...

This was the week when Kate’s (Gillian Jacobs) dreams were supposed to come true. Her debut novel was releasing, her wedding was on the horizon, and a nationwide book tour was about to commence. Everything she worked for since college had finally bore fruit and you couldn’t blame her if she smiled with relief at a job well done. Except she never gets that chance. She receives a call from her publisher weeks after her engagement was canceled to hear the tour has been too. Kate’s book proves a financial liability nobody is willing to defend and her last chance at a distraction from what now appears to be a complete professional and personal implosion was gone. A voicemail from a former professor therefore feels like a godsend.

Writer/director Kris Rey provides her lead character this beacon of hope at the start of I Used to...

Guillermo del Toro (The Devil's Backbone, Crimson Peak) has contributed two signed items, a copy of Pacific Rim and The Book of Life, to A Cause for Entertainment's auction to fight breast cancer. Also in today's Horror Highlights: Friday the 13th franchise enamel pins from Fright Rags, the list of short films at Fantastic Fest 2016, Dr. West: A Reanimated Parody sneak peek details, and info on the new poetry collection, As the Blade Cuts.

Guillermo del Toro-Signed Memorabilia at A Cause for Entertainment's Auction to Fight Breast Cancer: "Starting bid: $50.00

Oscar nominated Writer/Director Guillermo Del Toro, known for his work on Cronos, The Devil's Backbone, Hellboy, Pan's Labyrinth and Crimson Peak, has generously donated a signed copy of his film Pacific Rim and his book “The Book of Life” to support the fight against breast cancer.

Auction starts: October 17th, 2016 12:00 am

Auction ends: November 6th, 2016 7:30 pm...

Along with partners the American Cinematheque and Jumpcut Cafe, the Underground Film Journal is thrilled to be co-presenting the first ever Hollywood Underground Film Festival, which will be a one-night event at the Egyptian Theater on Saturday, February 21.

The festival will include two screenings. First, there will be a short film program at 7:30 p.m.; followed at 10:00 p.m. by the world premiere of the exciting new anthology film Betamax, which features new work by Los Angeles underground filmmaking legend Damon Packard.

The shorts lineup will include the U.S. premiere of the latest film by longtime Journal favorite Brian Lonano, Crow Hand!!!, which is bloody and fantastic; and Mike Olenick‘s visual epic Red Luck, which won the Best Looking award at the 2014 Chicago Underground Film Festival and the Best Experimental Film at the 2015 Slamdance.

Other shorts include a blazingly fun biopic of Hollywood icon Russ Meyer,...