Movies
[BD Review] Dutch Thriller ‘App’ Is A Fun, Interactive Experience
I’m happy to report that App is a kick ass thriller on its own and becomes more engrossing at times when the “second screen” tech is used. Of course there are some drawbacks and pointless moments of the experience. And I really hope the tech doesn’t catch on for major releases because it would be frustrating beyond belief to be in a theater of people constantly checking their cellphones. But for some home watching, this “second screen” stuff is pretty damn fun.
App stars Hannah Hoekstra as Anna, a young college student who one night shirks her studies to go to a new tenant’s welcoming party in her building. There she runs into her ex-boyfriend Tim (Robert de Hoog) and proceeds to get shitfaced on memory lane and copious amounts of tequila. But the hangover that greets her the following morning is the least of her problems.
Someone at the party downloaded a mysterious app on her phone: IRIS. At first it performs simple tasks, like searches and intuitively setting alarms for Anna. It’s like Siri, but with an eerie face that pops up onscreen during use. But soon IRIS starts tormenting Anna and those close to her in progressively more damaging ways. IRIS becomes a straight up app anarchist – one that won’t bow down when sim cards are changed out. As Anna struggles to stop IRIS’ reign of smartphone terrorism, she finds herself at the heart of a deadly conspiracy.
The plot is pretty straightforward and most viewers will see the twists coming a mile away. Still, App is a really solid thriller anchored by Hannah Hoekstra’s engaging performance as the hard-nosed, but vulnerable, Anna. The entire cast is really strong, including Isis Cabolet as Anna’s best friend and Alex Hendrickx as her brother. App is a sharp looking film too, with keen directing from Bobby Boermans. The man knows how to construct a thriller without having to over stylize – a crime lots of techno-thrillers are guilty of nowadays.
Does the “second screen technology” actually make the film more entertaining? In some regards it definitely adds weight to the suspense. There are a few moments when off-screen characters text each other and that works really well. Their text conversation comes up on your phone, which raises the tension as you see them scheme in real time. The text messages were definitely the best part of the “second” experience, but the video messages and real time recording of certain events work pretty well too.
Other times the tech is completely superfluous. Alternate angles are the best example of the experience at its worst. These extra shots add nothing to the narrative and felt like they served only to fluff out periods when the tech couldn’t be used for something more interesting. Wisely, Boermans matches up the “second screen” parts to shots in the film that aren’t crucial, so you won’t feel cheated when you look away. An alternate angle on your phone might appear during a long shot of Anna riding her motorcycle, for instance. The “second screen” doesn’t add anything to the narrative, but you won’t miss anything if you peek at it.
For better or worse, App is a big leap forward in the continuing merging of film and technology. Thankfully the filmmakers didn’t sacrifice a good film for the sake of a cheap gimmick. The “second screen technology” isn’t necessary to enjoy the film, but if you’re just kicking it a home, you might as well utilize it. I was genuinely surprised with how much fun I had with it.
App drops on May 9 on all digital platforms (and in select theaters, I think). To download the IRIS app for your iPhone or Android, text “IRIS” to 97000. It reacts to the film’s soundtrack, so make sure you’re not wearing headphones. The IRIS app also includes exclusive character bios and film stills.
Movies
Popcorn Frights 2026 First Wave Includes ‘Colony’, ‘Train to Busan’, Interactive Screenings, and More
Get ready for one of summer’s bloodiest events when the 12th annual Popcorn Frights Film Festival returns August 6-16 for 11-day of horror fun in South Florida.
The feat has unveiled its first wave of programming, kicking off with an opening double feature from master filmmaker Yeon Sang-ho, who will present the premiere of Colony, and the 10th anniversary of Train to Busan, in a breathtaking new 4K restoration.
Popcorn Frights is rolling out the red carpet for some special guests, too. Stephen Lang will be in attendance for a trio of screenings, including Don’t Breathe and Remains, the latest film from his son, Noah Lang. Actor Michael Ironside will be in attendance for the 45th anniversary screening of Scanners and the 4K restoration screening of Total Recall.
Also keep your eyes peeled for interactive screenings, new premieres, and the return of Popcorn Frights’ virtual offerings.
A second wave of Popcorn Frights 2026 titles with more than two dozen additional feature film premieres for in-theater and virtual programming will be announced next week.
In the meantime, read on for the packed first wave of Popcorn Frights 2026 programming:
IN-THEATER FEATURE FILM LINEUP
OPENING NIGHT DOUBLE-BILL
Colony
Florida Premiere
South Korea | 2026 | 122 Min. | Dir. Yeon Sang-ho
A professor attends a biotech conference, only to witness it spiral into catastrophe when a rapidly mutating virus is unleashed. As the outbreak spreads and the infected begin to transform, authorities seal off the entire facility.
OPENING NIGHT DOUBLE-BILL
Train to Busan
10th Anniversary Presentation
South Korea | 2016 | 118 Min. | Dir. Yeon Sang-ho
While a zombie virus breaks out in South Korea, passengers struggle to survive on the train from Seoul to Busan.
Best Served Cold: How a Revenge Film Was Buried for Decades
World Premiere
United States | 2026 | 106 Min. | Dir. Eric Zaldivar
A documentary tracing the stranger-than-fiction saga of THE FARMER (1977), a forgotten independent revenge thriller that vanished into obscurity only to become one of the most sought-after cult films of the 21st century.
Gator Face
World Premiere
United States | 2026 | 80 Min. | Dir. Padraig Reynolds
A Florida vacation becomes a blood-soaked fight for survival when a group of friends are hunted through the swamps by a savage cult that feeds its victims to ravenous alligators in the name of an ancient reptilian god.
Hallowarrior
Florida Premiere
United States | 2026 | 80 Min. | Dir. Ben Sottak
Desperate for companionship on a post-apocalyptic Halloween night, the Last Girl on Earth gets more than she bargained for when something far more sinister arrives on her doorstep.
Imposters
Southeast US Premiere
United States | 2026 | 102 Min. | Dir. Caleb Phillips
After a couple’s baby is taken, the desperate mother learns of a way to get their baby back. However, her husband begins to suspect that what she brought back isn’t their son.
Marrow
World Premiere
United States | 2026 | 96 Min. | Dir. Mitch McLeod
A true crime Vodcast host declining in popularity receives the career opportunity of a lifetime when a mysterious stranger invites her into its dangerous world.
Sender
South Florida Premiere
United States | 2026 | 94 Min. | Dir. Russell Goldman
After receiving a series of packages containing unnervingly personal items, a woman tumbles down a paranoid rabbit hole to find her mysterious sender.
VIRTUAL FEATURE FILM LINEUP
Armageddon Road
US Premiere
Canada | 2026 | 85 Min. | Dir. Karen Lam
A hopeless romantic with big dreams is hired to chauffeur a mob boss’ girlfriend for a night. He’s blissfully unaware that his passenger has died and is now possessed by one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
Broken Beak
Southeast US Premiere
New Zealand-USA | 2026 | 90 Min. | Dir. Christian Carroll
After the murder of her uncle, an activist Maori photographer returns to New Zealand to claim her inheritance. There she has visions of a monster called Broken Beak, and as more family members die, she is compelled to vengeful action.
If It Bleeds
Florida Premiere
USA | 2026 | 97 Min. | Dir. Matthew Hersh
A young and ambitious news reporter and her skilled cameraman delve into a series of gruesome murders that unfold throughout a chaotic and violent day.
Incubation
Florida Premiere
USA | 2026 | 91 Min. | Dirs. Victor Fink & Joshua Land
A teenager raised in pandemic isolation must fight to save his family when a violent stranger invades their cabin.
Mary Kwon Mary Kwon
Southeast US Premiere
United States | 2026 | 94 Min. | Dir. Josh Park
A poet travels to her childhood home in the woods, hoping to uncover the cause of her mother’s disappearance in the same house. Two visitors unexpectedly drop by.
Variations of Violence
Florida Premiere
United States | 2026 | 71 Min. | Dir. Zachary Nichols
Consumed by the distant violence he witnesses daily, a military drone pilot drifts toward self-destruction, leaving his sister to face the intimate cost of war fought far away.
Woozy
Southeast US Premiere
United States | 2026 | 89 Min. | Dir. Joey Bicicchi
A man’s structured life to cope with mental health issues unravels when a horrifying apparition called Woozy starts tormenting him, forcing him to confront his fears.
IN-THEATER RETRO LINEUP
Band of the Hand
40th Anniversary Presentation
United States | 1986 | 109 Min. | Dir. Paul Michael Glaser
Five juvenile lost causes are sent to the Florida Everglades where a war veteran tries to reform them using survival tactics. Their new skills and resolve are tested when a Miami drug lord targets them for trying to clean up their neighborhood.
Don’t Breathe
10th Anniversary Presentation
United States | 2016 | 88 Min. | Dir. Fede Alvarez
Three delinquents break into the house of a war veteran who is blind to steal his money. However, they discover that the man is not as defenseless as he seems.
Little Shop of Horrors
40th Anniversary Presentation with Live Shadowcast
United States | 1986 | 103 Min. | Dir. Frank Oz
A nerdy florist finds his chance for success and romance with the help of a giant man-eating plant who demands to be fed.
Polyester
45th Anniversary Presentation in Odorama, 4K Restoration
United States | 1981 | 86 Min. | Dir. John Waters
A suburban homemaker’s world falls apart when she finds that her pornographer husband is serially unfaithful to her, her daughter is pregnant, and her son is suspected of being the foot-fetishist who’s been breaking local women’s feet.
Scanners
45th Anniversary Presentation, 4K Restoration
Canada | 1981 | 103 Min. | Dir. David Cronenberg
A scientist trains a man with an advanced telepathic ability called “scanning” to stop a dangerous Scanner with extraordinary psychic powers from waging war against non-Scanners.
Total Recall
4K Restoration
USA | 1990 | 90 Min. | Dir. Paul Verhoeven
When a man goes in to have virtual vacation memories of the planet Mars implanted in his mind, an unexpected and harrowing series of events forces him to go to the planet for real–or is he?
Individual tickets and All-Access Badges for the in-theater experience—hosted at Savor Cinema Fort Lauderdale and Classic Gateway Theater—are now available. Virtual All-Access Passes can also be purchased for streaming access to the full digital lineup. To order an In-Theater All-Access VIP Badge, click here, to order a Virtual All-Access Pass, click here.
You must be logged in to post a comment.