Movies
Excision
“It’s like a Shakespearean tragedy without the Shakespeare. In the end, all of the subconscious craziness in ‘Excision’ is just an unnecessary afterthought tacked onto an insightful coming-of-age story.”
Quirky coming-of-age comedies are the bread-and-butter of the Sundance Film Festival. They’re part of a storied tradition that includes titles like Tadpole, Welcome to the Dollhouse, Stolen Summer, and Son of Rambow, but where does an occasionally trippy and disturbing comedy like Excision fit into this storied tradition? Like the best coming-of-age comedies, it’s awkwardly funny and painfully relatable…when it’s not shocking you with Tarsem-like dream sequences featuring gouts of blood and midgets in diapers. But I’ll get to that in a minute. Like 2007’s Teeth, it’s a Sundance comedy that defies easy categorization.
18-year-old Pauline is the film’s juicy center of indie-film adolescent angst. With her hooded eyes and cro-magnon eyebrows, she’s definitely ugs. (The foxy AnnaLynne McCord wore a series of prosthetics for the role.) Bullied at school and ridiculed by a domineering mother (Traci Lords), Pauline is desperate for new friends, but her attempts at friendship are rejected at every turn. She’s just too goddam ugly.
As a parable of adolescence, Excision is very cleverly observed. It’s riddled with the staples of indie teen comedy: menstruation, virginity, a struggle for sense of self. In fact, Excision serves as the textbook depiction of cinematic teen anguish. So then why make the choice to inter-cut all the awesome melancholy with crazy-ass dream imagery? And why build such meticulous characters only to end it all in a screechy, bloody finale? It’s like a Shakespearean tragedy without the Shakespeare. In the end, all of the subconscious craziness in Excision is just an unnecessary afterthought tacked onto an insightful coming-of-age story.
Movies
Action Horror ‘Christmas at the Kringles’ from ‘Willy’s Wonderland’ Director Sets October Release
Santa is coming to slay early this year; Briarcliff Entertainment has set a Halloween release for action horror comedy Christmas at the Kringles.
The genre-bending holiday film is currently in production in Los Angeles, with a planned wide theatrical release on October 30, 2026.
Christmas at the Kringles follows “the Seversons, a family starting fresh in a quiet suburban neighborhood, whose next-door neighbors, the Kringles, celebrate Christmas year-round. What begins as charming quickly turns unsettling, as Mark and Julie grow concerned about their son’s growing attachment to the family.
“After a heated confrontation, Mark heads next door to bring his family home only to uncover the Kringles’ true intentions: to hypnotize and indoctrinate them. What follows is a life-or-death rescue mission, as Mark teams up with a rogue, badass Santa in a high-stakes, action-packed fight to save his family.”
Willy’s Wonderland and Pig Hill director Kevin Lewis helms from a script by Zack Imbrogno (Slayers, Fear, Inc.).
Ron Livingston (The Conjuring, Office Space) and Rachel Bilson (The O.C.) lead an ensemble cast featuring Rob Riggle, Arden Myrin, Beverly D’Angelo (Violent Night), and David Wain with Thomas Lennon and Donald Faison.
Director Kevin Lewis, “I have been looking to do another zany and bonkers genre film in the vein of ‘Willy’s Wonderland‘ and I found it in Zack Imbrogno’s unique and original screenplay. I feel so fortunate to be surrounded by such a talented cast and crew to bring this crazy train of a movie to life.”
Producer Andrew Ortenberg added, “Working with Kevin Lewis to bring his gloriously batshit and bonkers vision of Christmas to the big screen has been a total joy. That we were able to wrangle a cast that includes icons such as Ron Livingston, Rachel Bilson, Rob Riggle, Thomas Lennon, Arden Myrin, Donald Faison, and Beverly D’Angelo is a testament to Kevin and Zack’s original and unhinged vision of holiday spirit.”
The release date announcement also comes with a first look at the genre-bending holiday movie.
Arden Myrin, Rachel Bilson, Tom Lennon
Donald Faison
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