We Bury the Dead

I’m a sucker for a zombie flick, but to be honest, usually if you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all. You’re just hoping for a little novelty that might separate it from the pack. A twist or an idea that shows the filmmakers weren’t just hoping to cash in on the genre and its dedicated following. So when Zak Hilditch’s “We Bury the Dead” showed up, I wanted to review it more to check out Daisy Ridley’s performance than anything else. I mean, it’s just another zombie flick, right?I’m happy to say...

Brute 1976

Marcel Walz’s “Brute 1976” is a blood-soaked homage to “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” and “The Hills Have Eyes” that’s a perfect blend of nostalgia and grindhouse grit. It’s a primal reminder of why the slasher formula will never die.“Brute 1976” is the tale of a group of creatives that head out to the desert with their All-Star photographer set to shoot a cover shot for a prominent magazine. Featured will be Roxy (Adriane McLean) and Raquel (GiGi Gustin). Everyone is in high spirits, especially...

A Hard Place

J. Horton is a director whose work I adore watching. His films pack a punch even with their minuscule budgets and I love a filmmaker who can pull that off time and time again. Not to mention his range - low-budget horror movies, documentaries, family-friendly flicks - Horton does it all.His latest, “A Hard Place,” is another winner. It’s a crazy story about a group of thieves who find themselves caught in the middle of a supernatural Hatfield and McCoy-style feud. It’s weird, it’s gory and it’s...

Hello, I'm Caine

I've spent over 20 years working with words as a journalist, film critic, and communications specialist.

For seven years, I was sports editor at a daily newspaper that published six days a week. I wrote features and daily sports coverage, edited sections, built pages on deadline, and managed freelancers. It was intense, fast-paced work that taught me how to write clean copy under pressure and make quick editorial calls.

I'm film critic and founding member of the Indiana Film Journalists Association. For The Film Yap, I write in-depth reviews and host the top-downloaded podcast on the site - conversations about cinema that try to be thoughtful without being pretentious, accessible to casual moviegoers and serious cinephiles alike.

I also work in communications for a manufacturing company, where I produce internal newsletters and content for our quarterly magazine, handle local PR and promotional content, coordinate all employee events, manage media relations, and shoot photography. It's about keeping people informed and connected, which turns out to be more creative than it sounds.

I'm good at making complicated things clear, meeting deadlines, and knowing what an audience needs. Whether it's a film review, a sports column, or an employee newsletter, I focus on writing that actually gets read.

I'm looking for remote opportunities in content creation, entertainment media, internal communications, or editorial work. If that sounds like a fit, let's connect!

Recent Articles

We Bury the Dead

I’m a sucker for a zombie flick, but to be honest, usually if you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all. You’re just hoping for a little novelty that might separate it from the pack. A twist or an idea that shows the filmmakers weren’t just hoping to cash in on the genre and its dedicated following. So when Zak Hilditch’s “We Bury the Dead” showed up, I wanted to review it more to check out Daisy Ridley’s performance than anything else. I mean, it’s just another zombie flick, right?I’m happy to say...

Brute 1976

Marcel Walz’s “Brute 1976” is a blood-soaked homage to “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” and “The Hills Have Eyes” that’s a perfect blend of nostalgia and grindhouse grit. It’s a primal reminder of why the slasher formula will never die.“Brute 1976” is the tale of a group of creatives that head out to the desert with their All-Star photographer set to shoot a cover shot for a prominent magazine. Featured will be Roxy (Adriane McLean) and Raquel (GiGi Gustin). Everyone is in high spirits, especially...

A Hard Place

J. Horton is a director whose work I adore watching. His films pack a punch even with their minuscule budgets and I love a filmmaker who can pull that off time and time again. Not to mention his range - low-budget horror movies, documentaries, family-friendly flicks - Horton does it all.His latest, “A Hard Place,” is another winner. It’s a crazy story about a group of thieves who find themselves caught in the middle of a supernatural Hatfield and McCoy-style feud. It’s weird, it’s gory and it’s...

The Rule of Jenny Pen

Anytime I get the chance to watch two acclaimed actors showcase their skills, I’m going to jump all over it. So, when I saw that Geoffrey Rush and John Lithgow were headlining “The Rule of Jenny Pen,” I knew I had to check it out. From the trailer alone, I could tell there was something special about this film - something that appealed to my sense of the macabre.I went into “The Rule of Jenny Pen” expecting it to lean heavily on horror, but instead, it didn’t lean at all - it came crashing down...

Everyone Is Going To Die

An isolated house. An estranged father and daughter are trying to mend their relationship, and people in masks appear. I bet you've heard that premise a time or two before. It's the epitome of paint-by-numbers storytelling and rarely works.Writer/Director Craig Tuohy took that paint-by-numbers premise, slammed his hands into the paint, attacked the canvas, and crafted a chaotic, macabre masterpiece that I loved. I saw where the film was going early on and went into cruise control. "Yep, there's...

Renner

"Renner" is a stylized sci-fi thriller that trips over its own cleverness. Instead of being a memorable entry to the genre, it proves to be little more than mediocre due to an ending that frankly was lame. The crazy thing is that I really liked this film, but the ending felt so anticlimactic that it put a blemish on the entire thing."Renner" is the story of a computer genius by the same name who's working on a state-of-the-art AI system that will become a live-in life coach for those needing hel...

Into the Deep

A great white shark and Richard Dreyfuss - sounds like the recipe for a cinematic classic, doesn’t it? If you were talking about “Jaws,” you’d be right. Unfortunately, we’re diving “Into the Deep,” which sinks far below those lofty waters. But what it lacks in quality, it makes up for in so much ridiculousness that it earns a place firmly inside The Schlock Vault.Most people get excited at the end of the year for award-seeking films that drift into theater, but for me, January is close to the to...

Get Away

Nothing blurs the line between sanity and insanity quite like reviewing a film after days of being stuck at home sick. Sometimes the wrong movie hits at just the right time; other times, the right movie finds you at the worst moment. I’ve experienced both — but rarely does a movie’s twist come so far out of left field that it forces me to rewatch it just to confirm it wasn’t a fever dream.Enter “Get Away,” a folk horror-comedy written by and starring British comedy icon Nick Frost (and yes, I’ll...

Heartland: Saturn

Very seldom does a film pull off a twist I didn’t see coming, but Saturn, playing at the Heartland Film Festival, did just that - and in a big way. This taut sci-fi thriller builds its tension around a threat literally looming on the horizon.James Lewis (Dominic Bogart) is a devoted father, husband, and professor, living an idyllic life in a small beachside community. Everything seems perfect until a mysterious planet appears ominously in the sky, and things begin to unravel as James' true ident...

Heartland: Tapawingo

For Heartland Film Festival schedule and tickets, please click here."Tapawingo" is an absolute treasure that everyone must see. It's a small movie with a big heart and big laughs that caught me off guard and could be my favorite film of 2024.Yes, I'm serious.Powered by a performance from Jon Heder that channels the quirkiness of one of his previous roles, the film is an oddball gem that pleases on every level. Director and co-writer Dylan K. Narang crafts a charming tale of a misfit waiting for...

My Penguin Friend

My gosh, I'm a sucker for a sentimental feel-good story. I just can't help myself. There's just something extraordinary about seeing people rise from tragedy, reclaim their past glory or glow and inspire those around them.So, when "My Penguin Friend" came knocking on my inbox door, I enthusiastically answered after reading the film's summary – "a triumphant tale of friendship between a lonely father and the little lost penguin." Sign me up!Even more fantastic is that the movie is based on a true...

Star Wars The Acolyte S1E8: The Acolyte

The one thing I will say about "The Acolyte" is that it’s been consistent. Unfortunately, that's consistently inconsistent, trying to showcase a story that nobody ever cared about and ultimately giving us the worst Star Wars series Disney+ has produced.I've struggled to write this review because the series genuinely frustrated me. It feels like I was promised something, only to have the rug pulled out from under me. Despite being heavily promoted as taking the saga in a new direction, the series...

Young Woman and the Sea

Disney’s “Young Woman and the Sea” is a nostalgic, heartwarming film that chronicles the incredible true story of Trudy Ederle, the first woman to swim the English Channel.I’m ashamed to say I’d never heard of Trudy Ederle prior to the film and her amazing accomplishments. From a childhood filled with sickness that for most people would have reserved them to a life more ordinary, Trudy’s grit helped her become a 29-time swimming record holder (both U.S. and World) as well as a gold and bronze me...

Star Wars The Acolyte: S1E7: Choice

I know it seems like week in and week out, but I’m bashing “The Acolyte” for one thing or another, and I wish that I could say that trend changed this week, but sadly, it has not. The latest installment, titled “Choice,” is from the Jedi’s certain point of view regarding the events on Brendok 16 years ago and is a second flashback episode that interplays with the events from the third episode of the series. It was nice to see the different perspective, but except for a few moments, the episode f...

Star Wars The Acolyte S1E6: Teach/Corrupt

Just as it looked like “The Acolyte” had begun to find its footing, the series offered up another disappointing episode with this week’s “Teach/Corrupt.” This episode once again showcases the failings that show why this series simply doesn’t work.To get straight to the point, “The Acolyte” falls short due to its erratic pacing and frustrating structure. Quick shifts between locations and characters make it feel disjointed, preventing the viewer from fully engaging in the story and leaving you un...

Star Wars The Acolyte: S1E5: Night

I considered not reviewing the fifth episode of "The Acolyte" this week as I am on the road and time is short. Then I watched "Night," and there was no chance I wouldn't toss some thoughts down because it was a terrific episode featuring some of the best Star Wars action Disney has produced since its acquisition of the saga.This episode is filled with the best lightsaber action since "Revenge of the Sith," hands down. It's fast, ferocious, and fun as hell, and it will leave you begging to see mo...

Star Wars The Acolyte: S1E4: Day

The good news is episode 4 of “The Acolyte” is better than the previous three episodes, but that isn’t saying much. “Day” is a step in the right direction, featuring better pacing and a slightly more cohesive story, but it falters as its lead struggles to their footing.The fourth episode is straightforward, with a small team of Jedi led by Master Sol (Lee Jung-Jae) and the baddie duo of Mae (Amandla Stenberg) and Qimir (Manny Jacinto) racing to get to the Wookiee Jedi Master Kelnacca (Joonas Suo...

Star Wars The Acolyte S1E3: Destiny

The third episode of “The Acolyte” might be the worst episode of any Star Wars show we've seen. Period. For a series that promised originality and a fresh take on the Star Wars universe, “The Acolyte” offers a lot of recycled ideas that fall flat.For those fearing this episode would ruin Star Wars, rest assured, the franchise is safe. Set 100 years before the Skywalker Saga, it won't drastically alter anything. One of my biggest complaints is that despite a reported $180 million budget and years...

Star Wars: The Acolyte S1E1: Lost/Found & S1E2: Revenge/Justice

I will cut to the chase—"The Acolyte" feels like a big swing and a miss. I was excited about exploring an era ripe for new Star Wars storytelling, but unfortunately, what we get is a dull, weirdly paced story that so far doesn't live up to the hype.The weird thing is, and I know it will sound contradictory, but I enjoyed it. It plays much like "The Rise of Skywalker "for me, where there are so many individual elements that I enjoyed and thought were very cool, but it just doesn't work overall. W...

The Bad Batch: S3E15: The Cavalry Has Arrived

I stated last week that the creative team behind “The Bad Batch” was saving the best for last, and they indeed saved the absolute best for last. The series finale, “The Cavalry Has Arrived,” is a perfect ending that ties up most loose ends and leaves the door wide open for more tales to be told. Be warned, there are spoilers ahead!This was the first time this season I sat back and watched the show without a notebook and pen. I wanted to soak it all in, and I’m glad I did. I’m sure I missed a thi...

The Bad Batch: S3E14: Flash Strike

The penultimate episode of "The Bad Batch" dropped Wednesday, and unless the finale is 90 minutes long, I fear the end of the series will feel rushed and not do Clone Force 99 justice.In "Flash Strike," Clone Force 99 is on approach to Mount Tantiss while Omega (Michelle Ang) is inside the secret science base plotting her second escape. But the Bad Batch's hope of secretly infiltrating the base is foiled as Dr. Hemlock (Jimmi Simpson) learns of their exploits on the Imperial Station above Corusc...

The Bad Batch: S3E13: Into the Breach

The end is near for 'The Bad Batch.” With just three more episodes left, beginning with “Into the Breach,” where Clone Force 99 continues their quest to find Mount Tantiss and free Omega from the clutches of Dr. Hemlock (Jimmi Simpson).Omega (Michelle Ang) wastes no time trying to find another way out of Mount Tantiss. As soon as she enters the Vault, her mind is set on escaping and she intends to take the other children with her. Meanwhile, the other members of The Bad Batch rendezvous with Ech...

Blood for Dust

Ron Blackhurst’s latest outing, “Blood for Dust,” is a slow-burning crime thriller that feels like it was pulled straight out of the mid-90s—ironically, the time frame in which the film is set. The story follows Cliff (Scoot McNairy), a man grappling with his past while striving to support his family, including his wife and a daughter battling cancer. His downward spiral stems from a failed money scheme, leaving him trying to make a legitimate living.After losing his job as a traveling defibrill...
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