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The Cinema Dispatch is your one-stop-shop film review website that also offers lists, awards updates, and essays relating to the world of cinema. Reviews Masters of the Universe June 2, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Pressure May 29, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Power Ballad May 27, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Obsession May 13, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Awards Button Button Final 2026 Academy Award Predictions March 12, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen 2026 Oscar Nominations - Winners & Losers January 22, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen 1 One Battle After Another 2 Sinners 3 Hamnet 4 Sentimental Value 5 Marty Supreme 6 Frankenstein 7 Bugonia 8 The Secret Agent 9 Train Dreams 10 F1: The Movie Oscar Nomination Predictions - Best Picture Hunter Friesen Lists MSPIFF 2026 Preview April 6, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Top 50 Films of the 2020s February 23, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen

Dive into our expert Oscar predictions and analysis, staying ahead of the curve on the films and performers destined for Hollywood glory. Awards Button Button Final 2026 Academy Award Predictions March 12, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen 2026 Oscar Nominations - Winners & Losers January 22, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen Oscar Nomination Predictions Last Updated: 03/12/2026 Next Update: N/A 1 One Battle After Another 2 Sinners 3 Hamnet 4 Sentimental Value 5 Marty Supreme 6 Frankenstein 7 Bugonia 8 The Secret Agent 9 Train Dreams 10 F1: The Movie Best Picture 1 Paul Thomas Anderson (One Battle After Another) 2 Ryan Coogler (Sinners) 3 Joachim Trier (Sentimental Value) 4 Chloé Zhao (Hamnet) 5 Josh Safdie (Marty Supreme) Best Director 1 Sinners 2 Sentimental Value 3 Marty Supreme 4 Blue Moon 5 It Was Just an Accident Best Original Screenplay 1 One Battle After Another 2 Hamnet 3 Train Dreams 4 Bugonia 5 Frankenstein Best Adapted Screenplay 1 Michael B. Jordan (Sinners) 2 Timothée Chalamet (Marty Supreme) 3 Wagner Moura (The Secret Agent) 4 Leonardo DiCaprio (One Battle After Another) 5 Ethan Hawke (Blue Moon) Best Lead Actor 1 Jessie Buckley (Hamnet) 2 Renate Reinsve (Sentimental Value) 3 Rose Byrne (If I Had Legs I'd Kick You) 4 Kate Hudson (Song Sung Blue) 5 Emma Stone (Bugonia) Best Lead Actress 1 Sean Penn (One Battle After Another) 2 Stellan Skarsgård (Sentimental Value) 3 Delroy Lindo (Sinners) 4 Jacob Elordi (Frankenstein) 5 Benicio del Toro (One Battle After Another) Best Supporting Actor 1 Amy Madigan (Weapons) 2 Teyana Taylor (One Battle After Another) 3 Wunmi Mosaku (Sinners) 4 Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas (Sentimental Value) 5 Elle Fanning (Sentimental Value) Best Supporting Actress 1 Sinners 2 One Battle After Another 3 Marty Supreme 4 Hamnet 5 The Secret Agent Best Casting 1 One Battle After Another 2 Train Dreams 3 Sinners 4 Marty Supreme 5 Frankenstein Best Cinematography 1 Sinners 2 One Battle After Another 3 Frankenstein 4 Hamnet 5 Bugonia Best Original Score 1 Golden (KPop Demon Hunters) 2 I Lied to You (Sinners) 3 Train Dreams (Train Dreams) 4 Dear Me (Diane Warren: Relentless) 5 Sweet Dreams of Joy (Viva Verdri!) Best Original Song 1 One Battle After Another 2 F1: The Movie 3 Sinners 4 Marty Supreme 5 Sentimental Value Best Film Editing 1 F1: The Movie 2 Sinners 3 Sirât 4 One Battle After Another 5 Frankenstein Best Sound 1 Frankenstein 2 Sinners 3 Marty Supreme 4 Hamnet 5 One Battle After Another Best Production Design 1 Frankenstein 2 Sinners 3 Hamnet 4 Marty Supreme 5 Avatar: Fire and Ash Best Costume Design 1 Frankenstein 2 Sinners 3 The Smashing Machine 4 Kokuho 5 The Ugly Stepsister Best Makeup & Hairstyling 1 Avatar: Fire and Ash 2 F1: The Movie 3 Sinners 4 The Lost Bus 5 Jurassic World: Rebirth Best Visual Effects 1 KPop Demon Hunters 2 Zootopia 2 3 Arco 4 Little Amélie or the Character of Rain 5 Elio Best Animated Feature 1 Sentimental Value (Norway) 2 The Secret Agent (Brazil) 3 It Was Just an Accident (France) 4 Sirât (Spain) 5 The Voice of Hind Rajab (Tunisia) Best International Feature 1 The Perfect Neighbor 2 Mr. Nobody Against Putin 3 The Alabama Solution 4 Come See Me in the Good Light 5 Cutting Through Rocks Best Documentary Feature

Discover a new dimension of storytelling as we delve into the world of cinema, sharing our perspectives and sparking conversations about the latest and greatest movies. Reviews Masters of the Universe June 2, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Pressure May 29, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Power Ballad May 27, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Obsession May 13, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Reviews by Hunter Friesen Reviews by Tyler Banark Button Button A Christmas Party Button Button Button Eden Button Button Button Friendship Button Button Button In a Violent Nature Button Button Button Kung Fu Panda 4 Button Button Button Pinocchio Button Button Button Saturday Night Button Button Button TIFF24 Dispatch #2 Button Button Button TIFF25 Dispatch - Cannes Catchup Button Button Button The Wild Robot Button Button Button We Live in Time Button Button Button Boy Kills World Button Button Button Eileen Button Button Button Immaculate Button Button Button Inside Out 2 Button Button Button Late Night with the Devil Button Button Button Robot Dreams Button Button Button Snack Shack Button Button Button TIFF24 Dispatch #4 Button Button Button The Last Showgirl Button Button Button We Grown Now Button

Masters of the Universe June 2, 2026 By: Button Hunter Friesen Is there anything more quintessentially representative of the 1980s than He-Man and the Masters of the Universe ? The hand-drawn animated show came during a resurgence of sci-fi and fantasy storytelling, especially stories that primarily featured characters and props that could be easily converted to toys and other merchandise. He-Man and his famous catchphrase were plastered on lunchboxes, posters, and other knick-knacks alongside Optimus Prime and the G.I. Joes. But while those latter franchises were brought to the silver screen on multiple occasions during the wave of 1980s nostalgia in the 2000s/2010s, the inherent silliness of He-Man forced him to stay dormant. It’s unlikely to be a coincidence that franchise owners Mattel have recruited director Travis Knight, who took over from Michael Bay and briefly pivoted the Transformers movie franchise towards a boldly more mentally and emotionally intelligent direction with Bumblebee , to kickstart this property. Knight also brings his immense animated talent as president and CEO of Laika, the stop-motion studio behind Coraline , Kubo and the Two String s, and Missing Link . Later this year, they’ll release Wildwood , which recently dropped a dazzling trailer. After seeing Masters of the Universe , I can already guarantee that Wildwood will be the far superior film that Knight will release this year. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X21JsHLHnY8 Much of the problem with this film is that it falls in a long line of nostalgic reboots, remakes, and sequels that believe that being ironic automatically makes them cool again. Unfortunately for all the imitators, Greta Gerwig made it look too easy with Barbie . Now Mattel sees dollar signs everywhere along their toy lines, with movies for Matchbox, Barney, Bob the Builder, Hot Wheels, Magic 8 Ball, and Polly Pocket all somewhere in development. These are all absurd and uncool products to revolve a feature film around. But as long as the films themselves point out that fact, then the company is one step ahead of us. Except that strategy has been done to death so many times that I can’t care anymore. Star Nicholas Galitzine gives off a joke-y, “can you believe the words that are coming out of my mouth!?!” kind of energy when giving the opening prologue. As the main character, Prince Adam / He-Man, he explains that Eternia is a beautiful planet full of life, all of it sustained by the power of Grayskull. That power can be transferred to Adam when holding the Sword of Power and proclaiming, "By the Power of Grayskull! I have the power!" But after the evil forces of Skeletor attack his world, Adam is transported to Earth, specifically Oklahoma City, and separated from the sword. Thankfully, this fish-out-of-water storyline doesn’t last long. All respect to Oklahoma City, but Eternia is a much more interesting place, even if Skeletor’s conquest essentially burned and salted the earth. I guess his victory shouldn’t come as a surprise since his army has guns, and the good guys almost exclusively have swords. The action set pieces are nothing special, with lots of circular camerawork and editing that cuts away from the blows to maintain the PG-13 rating. This is also a surprisingly pro-violence movie, with lots of painfully unfunny moments dedicated to the absurdity of Adam trying to proclaim the benefits of talking about our feelings instead of using our fists. He’s ridiculed each time, eventually just punching and slashing the bad guys who can’t be reasoned with. There are even entire scenes centered around the absurdity of the human resources department, all of them so excruciatingly tiresome. At least Jared Leto gleefully cackles his way through his role as Skeletor, his voice and appearance fully transformed by fairly impressive visual effects. Certainly, much of the nearly $200 million budget went there, as other shots look quite inferior. The whole thing feels extremely market-tested from the get-go, even down to Galitzine’s charmingly goofy performance. It’s not his fault that he’s appearing in a 132-minute film that never knows when to speed things up or trim out the fat. There isn’t an ounce of fat on his body, which bulges with muscles and abs the moment he grabs the sword. At the very least, he provides some inspiration for the men in the audience as summer starts to get into full swing. Amazon MGM Studios will release Masters of the Universe in theaters nationwide on June 05th. More Reviews Masters of the Universe June 2, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Pressure May 29, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Power Ballad May 27, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Obsession May 13, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

Power Ballad May 27, 2026 By: Button Hunter Friesen Martin Scorsese has his gangsters, Steven Spielberg has his aliens, Guillermo del Toro has his monsters, Paul Schrader has his lonely men, Woody Allen has his neurotics, and Michael Mann has his criminals. They say to write what you know, a piece of instruction that many filmmakers have taken to heart throughout their careers. Of course, detours can always occur, but the road always leads back home sooner or later. And as much as we might decry their unoriginality, we wouldn’t have it any other way. Who else to tell these stories than those who know them best? Added to that list is Irish writer/director John Carney, the filmmaker who holds the title of being the world’s biggest folk music lover. He entered the scene with Once in 2007, a love story about two struggling musicians in Dublin. While a tiny production, the film won the Oscar for Best Original Song for “Falling Slowly.” 2013’s Begin Again shifted that story to America, with Keira Knightley playing a singer and Mark Ruffalo as a down-on-his-luck record executive. Another Oscar nomination would be earned for the song “Lost Stars.” He moved back to Dublin for Sing Street in 2016, which rode the indie circuit to enthusiastic reviews for its youthful exuberance. The two lands finally came together in 2023 with Flora and Son , starring American Joseph Gordon-Levitt alongside Eve Hewson in a Dublin-set story about a mother and musician coming together through song. His latest film, Power Ballad , more or less repeats that formula with a heavy “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” sort of attitude. American transplant Rick (Paul Rudd) earns his keep as a wedding singer for a cover band in Dublin (the boxes are already being checked). He came to the island over a decade ago as part of an up-and-coming band. Then he met Rachel, fell in love, and has remained across the pond ever since. For as much as the wedding guests love his renditions of the classics, Rick always feels like he’s going through the motions, never fully expressing himself as an artist. Every time he sneaks an original song into the playlist, the audience flatlines. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Um_WWbB8Tm0 During one of his performances, the bride and groom turn out to be best friends with the former boy band star Danny Wilson (Nick Jonas). Per their request, he performs alongside Rick, the pair instantly hitting it off to classic songs that inspired them to grab the microphone. Over some beers, Rick shares with Danny his song titled “How to Write a Song (Without You)," the titular ballad he wrote for his daughter years back and is most proud of. In this initial act, Carney displays his affection for the creative process, as well as the dogged pursuit it requires. When Rick is performing one of his songs for the wedding guests, the dozens of tuxedos and dresses quickly become tens of thousands of screaming fans packing a stadium. The camera swirls around him as he belts his heart out. It doesn’t matter that Rudd isn’t a particularly gifted singer; the emotional high he displays tells us all we need to know. As with all things, money eventually gets in the way. Stuck in a creative rut that hasn’t allowed his solo career to flourish, Danny decides to pass off Rick’s song as his own. It soon becomes a chart-topping hit, with Rick eventually hearing it over the loudspeaker in a store. His contentment with being a perpetually struggling musician is quickly replaced with anger and jealousy. Deep down, he always knew that his song was worth something. And now he’s hearing it, yet the credit is nowhere to be found. For as much as his act is clearly portrayed as wrong, Danny isn’t some malicious figure trying to scheme his way to the top. He respects the legends and puts pressure on himself to branch out creatively. But with money and large record labels behind him comes expectations, and the fact that any slip up could spell the end of his career. He needs to produce certified hits and be on magazine covers. Similar to Rudd’s singing ability, Jonas isn’t the strongest actor. But through smart casting and Carney’s direction, he fulfills the presence required of his character. There’s a tiny bit of tedium as the debate over the authorship of the song consumes the entire second half. Rick wrote the song, but Danny is the one who turned it into a hit. None of this is new ground for Carney, and there’s nothing too special about the filmmaking. It’s a lot of heart-to-heart conversations about the power of music, everything wrapped in a feel-good coating that will likely have you driving with the windows down on these nice summer nights. Lionsgate will release Power Ballad in select theaters on May 29th, followed by a nationwide expansion on June 05th. More Reviews Masters of the Universe June 2, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Pressure May 29, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Power Ballad May 27, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Obsession May 13, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

Pressure May 29, 2026 By: Button Hunter Friesen At this point in cinematic history, making a film about D-Day should be considered a fool’s errand. As everyone knows, the opening combat sequence of the invasion of Omaha Beach within Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan established a landmark for depicting war on screen. The Golden Age spectacle is replaced with grim carnage, with faceless soldiers falling by the hundreds as body parts mix with the water and waves of the beach. Almost twenty minutes later, we’re finally allowed to breathe again, and our fists begin to unclench. No one has and likely never will try to reproduce that moment on that scale ever again, as Spielberg and his crew set the bar at an unassailable height. This is all to say that it was extremely smart of director/co-writer Anthony Maras to set his D-Day film, Pressure , away from the beaches and into the sky. The film still starts with its own view of carnage, this time a bird’s-eye view of Exercise Tiger in April 1944, one of the Allied rehearsals for the eventual invasion of Normandy. “It was a catastrophe,” reads the opening titles, with the result being the death of nearly a thousand troops, plummeting Allied morale as to whether they would be able to establish a foothold on the Northern European front. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdM4tdLQBg0 Only a few weeks removed from that embarrassment, the Allied forces are already pushing headstrong into their planned invasion. Monday, June 5th, is the penciled-in date, with nearly 5,000 ships and 200,000 troops set to descend upon the Nazi war machine. All that's needed now to turn that pencil into a pen is a forecast, which has been personally tasked to the Scottish meteorologist James Stagg (Andrew Scott) by General Dwight Eisenhower (Brendan Fraser). The readings Stagg produces will directly influence Eisenhower’s decision to order the invasion, essentially placing the fate of the free world in his hands (and maps). That last sentence about the weight that the 72 hours before the fateful day will carry throughout history is heavily bolded, underlined, and repeated throughout Maras and co-writer David Haig’s screenplay. Several speeches are given about how history will remember this moment, and that millions of lives hang in the balance. It’s all true, but it’s also a lot of preaching to the choir, just as the first opening title states that “this is a true story.” Duh. Fraser isn’t always the best actor to deliver these lines; his sensitive voice and big eyes oversell everything into schmaltz. Those same features prevent him from carrying the gruffness required of a military authority, which he sometimes has to do as he wrestles with Stagg’s inability to agree with his meteorological coworker, Irving Krick (Chris Messina). A symptom of this film being based on Haig’s 2014 play of the same name is that a lot of it takes place in a central location as army men argue about the weather. Jet streams, upper atmosphere pressure, surface air temperature, cloud shapes, and wave depths are just a few of the terms thrown around as Krick maintains his position that June 5th will be calm and sunny, and Stagg adamantly believes that the day will be ruled by heavy storms that will guarantee an Allied defeat. Messina’s cavalier Americanism butts against Scott’s stiffness. Stagg prefers facts over feelings; the latter he quashes repeatedly as he orders his staff to collect mountains of data from all over the world. Krick’s use of past precedent to predict future results is labeled moronic by Stagg in a scene that would normally burn much hotter if we didn’t already know who the right side of this argument was. For as much as this inherently nerdy scenario punches way above its weight class in terms of dramatic tension, there is always the hanging feeling of knowing how this all turns out. Luckily, Maras’ placement of the Omaha Beach landings at the end of the film offers a new layer of context. Our eyes are no longer solely fixated on the ground as men lay dying; they also look to the sky in gratitude for the tolerable weather that was afforded to them. Produced by Working Title Films and distributed by Focus Features, the makers of such prestige fare like Darkest Hour , The Danish Girl , and Mary Queen of Scots , Pressure looks and sounds just as commanding as its subject. Volker Bertelmann’s charging score is mightily similar to Conclave , which is almost exactly what I said about A House of Dyanmite just last fall. Hey, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Focus Features will release Pressure in theaters nationwide on May 29th. More Reviews Masters of the Universe June 2, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Pressure May 29, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Power Ballad May 27, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Obsession May 13, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

I Love Boosters May 22, 2026 By: Button Hunter Friesen Is it possible for a movie to suffer from too much creativity? That sounds like a silly question, like asking if a field can suffer from having too many flowers, or if a painting can have too many colors. Creativity is where cinema is born, the driving force that shapes an idea into moving images and sound. Without it, all our screens would be blank, their lack of intrinsic value exposed as they cast our listless expressions back at us. With only one previous feature film to his name, 2018's Sorry to Bother You , multi-hyphenate Boots Riley certainly has a boundless amount of creativity. Its absurdist plot featured no less than African-American telemarketers using their "white voice" to make better sales, human-horse hybrids, and a revolution centered around workers' rights. Only one of those three things returns in Riley's newest feature, I Love Boosters , and it's not the things that require you to change your voice or grow hooves. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1xZegSgN8w A revolution is much needed in this surrealist, yet all too real version of the Bay Area. Everyone is severely overworked and underpaid, especially aspiring designer Corvette (Keke Palmer) and her friends Mariah (Taylour Paige) and Sade (Naomi Ackie). To make ends meet, the trio is "boosters," shoplifting clothes from expensive fashion stores and selling them cheaply on the street to everyday people. It's all done under the guise of leveling the playing field, as if stealing the clothes is an act of reclaiming the abuse of labor that went into their making. This reasoning is glaringly thin when Riley is introducing us to these characters, testing our ability to align with their morals despite their repeated speeches about bringing power to the people. "Now is not the time for nuance" is a line repeated several times throughout the film, each subsequent utterance being done with increased force. There's a sense of frustration within Riley's material, convincing himself that he needs to double down on the plight of the proletariat since we obviously didn't get the message in his previous feature. Granted, things have gotten much worse since 2018, so his penchant for rage isn’t unwarranted. Corporate greed has become even more naked in the years since, and Riley approaches that reality with the fury of someone tired of asking politely for change. The problem is that fury alone can only sustain a film for so long before it begins to feel repetitive, especially when every scene is pitched at the same level of manic intensity (see Alina Kanin’s kazoo and recorder soundtrack). That intensity is where I Love Boosters both thrives and collapses. Riley throws ideas at the screen with reckless abandon, constructing a cinematic world where advertisements feel like threats, fashion becomes a weaponized symbol of class warfare, and every side character seems to exist on the verge of either a nervous breakdown or an uprising. There are moments of brilliance scattered throughout the chaos, flashes of inspired satire that remind you why Riley became such an exciting voice in the first place. Yet the film rarely slows down long enough to let those ideas fully land. Riley's dialogue can be wickedly funny, but it also has a tendency to flatten his characters into mouthpieces for larger political arguments. Corvette, Mariah, and Sade are charismatic enough to keep the film watchable, largely thanks to the performances from Palmer, Paige, and Ackie, but they never entirely escape the gravitational pull of Riley's messaging. Their humanity is frequently overshadowed by the director's desire to make sure every theme is underlined, circled, and screamed directly into the audience's face. Perhaps that brings us back to the original question. Can a movie suffer from too much creativity? Maybe the answer is yes, but only when creativity exists without restraint, when every idea is treated as equally important, and every moment demands maximum volume. I Love Boosters is overflowing with imagination, anger, humor, and ambition, often all at once. Sometimes that combination is exhilarating. Other times it's exhausting. But even at its messiest, Riley's work never feels lifeless, and in today's cinematic landscape, that alone carries a certain value. Neon will release I Love Boosters in theaters nationwide on May 22nd. More Reviews Masters of the Universe June 2, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Pressure May 29, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Power Ballad May 27, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Obsession May 13, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

The Sheep Detectives May 6, 2026 By: Button Hunter Friesen In director David Fincher's flashy 1930s-set Hollywood period drama Mank , famed Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studio founder and boss Louis B. Mayer proudly declares that, despite all of its stars in its lineup, the studio only had one true star: Leo the Lion. For over a century, the lion has been the studio's mascot, his signature look and roar being the first sight and sound for each film. For Mayer and many cinephiles, Leo was a reassuring stamp of quality upon the brand. Along with the fact that his famed studio is now owned by the corporate overlord that is Amazon, Mr. Mayer might have rolled over in his grave at the sight of the king of the jungle's roar being replaced with a cartoonish sheep's baa for the opening of The Sheep Detectives . His loss is our gain, as that visual and audio dichotomy elicited smiles and chuckles throughout the audience, a mood that was pleasantly maintained for the entire runtime. Despite popular belief perpetuating the stereotype that they are dumb, sheep are actually just as mentally and emotionally intelligent as most farm animals. They can solve simple puzzles, pick up on emotions, and remember a person's face. One thing they haven't been proven to be capable of doing is solving murder cases, which is exactly what George Hardy's (Hugh Jackman) flock must do when their beloved shepherd suspiciously meets his demise. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pyZI5oM6hWk Who could have committed the crime? Several citizens of this seemingly quaint English village had the means, motive, and opportunity to do the unspeakable deed. The list includes Ham (Conleth Hill), the local butcher who always lambasted George's strict vegetarian diet and refusal to sell his sheep for meat; Caleb (Tosin Cole), a rival shepherd; innkeeper Beth Pennock (Hong Chau), George's jealous secret admirer; and Reverend Hillcoate (Kobna Holdbrook-Smith), whom George viewed as a bad shepherd to the village's flock of religious congregators. Also mysteriously introduced are Elliot Matthews (Nicholas Galitzine), a junior reporter who happens to stumble upon this story, and Rebecca Hampstead (Molly Gordon), George's estranged daughter, who finally reconnected with him on the day of his death. Unfortunately, the town's sole police officer (Nicholas Braun) is a bumbling fool, which means the responsibility of catching the killer and restoring justice falls upon the hooves of the sheep. It's a task they coincidentally have been trained for their whole lives, as George's nightly ritual was to read his flock a bedtime story from the endless line of murder mystery novels. Unbeknownst to him (and everyone), they understood every word and developed the skills to solve the case. Taking some inspiration from modern whodunnits like the Knives Out films, and the English whimsy of Paddington , screenwriter Craig Mazin (returning to feature comedies after spearheading prestige HBO dramas like Chernobyl and The Last of Us ) spins a yarn that is both simple enough to keep straight, yet complex enough so that it doesn't immediately reveal itself. Rated PG, this is entertainment for the whole family that respects the intelligence of each member. Kids will be entertained by the talking animals and slapstick humor, while parents will be surprised by how invested they are in the plot and emotions. For as much as things are often (and successfully) played for laughs, there are more than a few moments tinged with melancholy and fear. George’s untimely death is met with sadness, and a scene where the sheep discover dark secrets about Caleb’s pasture is particularly scary, with the reality about the purpose of a farm animal’s life starkly observed. The combination of all these emotions makes each one feel earned, rather than just a pile of desserts. Although humans can’t understand them, the sheep all talk to each other, meaning there are plenty of opportunities for celebrity voice roles. Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Chris O’Dowd, and Bryan Cranston voice the main trio quite well, the latter being particularly strong as the black sheep of the flock. There’s also Patrick Stewart, Regina Hall, Rhys Darby, and Brett Goldstein. Their voices are aided by the top-notch special effects that provide a healthy mixture of realism and expression. In the realm of talking animal movies, I’d seriously consider putting The Sheep Detectives at least near the top alongside Babe . It’s not every day that you can find a film that can be funny without being juvenile, heartwarming without being cloying, and intelligent without being overly complicated. It’s a perfect day at the farm, luckily without the usual smells. Amazon MGM Studios will release The Sheep Detectives in theaters nationwide on May 08th. More Reviews Pressure May 29, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Power Ballad May 27, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen I Love Boosters May 22, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Obsession May 13, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

Obsession May 13, 2026 By: Button Hunter Friesen It’s an age-old adage that you should always be careful what you wish for, because you never know exactly what you’re going to get. It’s something Minnesotans have to deal with every year with the weather, as the person who simply wishes for warmer or colder temperatures hardly takes into account the extreme ends of that spectrum. Wishing for a white Christmas will often be met with upwards of a foot of snow, the potential hazards now outweighing the beauty. In writer/director Curry Barker’s debut feature, Obsession , now landing in theaters after successfully taking over the town as part of the Midnight Madness lineup at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival, that warning has been taken to its most extreme literalization. As is often the case with desperate thinking, it starts with someone scrolling on social media in the dark. A lonely young man named Bear (Michael Johnston) sits in his room, looking at Nikki's Instagram page, his childhood friend and long-held crush. Mostly due to fear, he’s never told her how he feels, and that door is about to be fully closed as she tells him she’s moving away to pursue other interests. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaaDkbG3I7g After struggling to pick out a gift for her, Bear ironically buys the "One Wish Willow" candy stick, which allegedly promises to grant one wish to whoever breaks it. Bear wishes that Nikki would love him more than anyone in the entire world. Immediately, Nikki takes a much greater interest in Bear, constantly inviting him over and expressing her adoration. It all seems a little too good to be true for Bear, but he definitely doesn’t want this to stop, so it’s best not to question it. Produced for just under $1 million, Barker’s film looks and feels much wealthier. The cinematography by Taylor Clemons is both shrouded in darkness and yet lit well enough that we never struggle to see what we need to. I realize that sounds like faint praise, but the bar has been set so low over these past few years with features that make it nearly impossible to see what’s going on. Some of us have bad eyes, you know! Occupying those increasingly sleepless nights are two excellent performers in Michael Johnston and Inde Navarrette as Bear and Nikki, respectively. The former is a ball of jittery nerves, his eyes darting and voice rising a few octaves as he’s never sure of his current situation. Does Nikki actually love him? If not naturally, is it wrong for them to enjoy themselves under this spell? The latter actor essentially has to play a split personality, with the real Nikki buried underneath a creepy, obsessive demeanor. She screams, pleads, and commits increasingly unhinged acts to stay as close to Bear as possible. There’s always a smile on her face when she gets what she wants, but it’s always laced with pain. Logically, this kind of fable makes no sense. If the One Wish Willow actually does work, then why hasn’t it been reported on? Certainly, other people have wished for stuff a lot grander than Bear. Everyone will know that my wish came true once a professional Minnesota sports team finally wins a championship. Nevertheless, the atmosphere and performances paper over that pretty glaring crack. You’ll be gritting your teeth as you wish for this film to go down a happier path (hint: it doesn’t). This review was originally published from a screening at the 2026 Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival. Focus Features will release Obsession in theaters nationwide on May 15th. More Reviews Pressure May 29, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Power Ballad May 27, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen I Love Boosters May 22, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Obsession May 13, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

The Wizard of the Kremlin September 5, 2025 By: Button Hunter Friesen Zigging and zagging between an international remake of Les Vampires in Irma Vep , the exploits of the most wanted man in the world, Carlos the Jackal, in Carlos , and a Cuban espionage ring in Wasp Network , writer/director Olivier Assayas’ fascination with the theme of globalization knows no bounds. After taking some time off from the subject during the COVID-19 pandemic to look inward with Suspended Time , Assayas has saddled himself with his biggest subject yet in The Wizard of the Kremlin , a decades-spanning look at the rise of modern Russia and Vladimir Putin. However, Putin is not the central or most important figure in this tale, which comes with a forewarning about how none of this should be misconstrued as pure fact. Our titular “hero” in this story is Vadim Baranov (Paul Dano), a soft-spoken and unassuming spin doctor who secretly held the world in his grasp. He’s now retired to his wintry chalet, giving him plenty of time to host and recount his career to an American foreign correspondent named Rowland (Jeffrey Wright). Their initial meeting is spurred by a mutual admiration for Bolshevik writer Yevgeny Zamyatin, who laid the groundwork for George Orwell’s 1984 . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7ctYp3zQVA Baranov’s tale starts in the early 1990s when counter-culturalists ran amok, the Soviet Union was dismantled, and Moscow citizens were able to breathe a little easier. But politics and cultural movements hang by a pendulum. Time has allowed some people to look back on Stalin’s tenure through rosier glasses, a time when Russia was at the forefront of geopolitics and thought of as a superpower on par with the United States. Jude Law appears halfway through the 156-minute mini-slog as Putin, the iron fist to Dano’s reserved wit. As exciting as the revitalization of a modern empire might sound (at least to me), Assayas’ film lacks the energy required to keep this engaging and memorable. The central structure of Baranov’s monologue to Rowland lacks any sense of discovery, mostly because Rowland seems to already know all of this. They chat for a while in one room, and then walk to another place on the estate to talk some more. Dano’s narration is long and laborious, taking us through thinly defined episodes that have as much dramatic weight and insight as the chapters in a high school history textbook. The cast sometimes brings up the energy, such as Tom Sturridge as the flashy Dmitri Sidorov, who steals Baranov’s first love, Ksenia (a woefully underused Alicia Vikander), with promises of endless revelry. The weight and presence that Law instills within his portrayal of Putin is just as impressively convincing as the makeup. We may never get to see him bare-chested like the real Russian president, but he does go water skiing and prepares a delectable barbecue dinner. None of the famous faces speaks with a Russian accent, with a vague British tone being used as shorthand. Baranov is persuaded to join Putin’s rising regime when he’s told to “stop making up stories, and start inventing reality.” Assayas clearly sees a link between Putin’s rise to power and Donald Trump’s, with Baranov being his Roy Cohn. Unfortunately, The Wizard of the Kremlin doesn’t have the same level of entertainment and enlightenment as last year’s The Apprentice , leaving its credible points of comparison to land with a thud. This review was originally published from the North American premiere at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival. Vertical will release The Wizard of the Kremlin in theaters nationwide on May 15th. More Reviews Power Ballad May 27, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Obsession May 13, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen I Love Boosters May 22, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen The Sheep Detectives May 6, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

Mortal Kombat II May 6, 2026 By: Button Hunter Friesen With the opening studio logos presented almost identically to those in the games, Mortal Kombat II immediately announces itself as a film purely for the fans. It's not like they don't deserve it, as this franchise infamously became the poster child of scorn during the multi-decade period where Hollywood failed to adapt video games for the silver screen. With its entirely incoherent story and laughably bad special effects, the only purpose that 1997's Mortal Kombat: Annihilation will ever serve is as inspiration for anyone to make a better movie. That eventually became a reality with the 2021 reboot Mortal Kombat , although the exponential improvement in competence didn't lend itself to any memorable moments. Five years and an explosion of video game adaptations later, Mortal Kombat II continues on that same path, pitching everything so far down the middle that it's nearly impossible to find anything worth discussing, both for better and for worse. One thing that is for the better is that, after next to nothing happened in the previous film, everything happens here. But that's also for the worse, because the complete lack of setup makes this seemingly simple concept seem more complicated than it has any right to be. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdC5mFHPldg In this universe, world domination isn't determined by sheer military strength. Instead, realms are represented by a handful of their strongest warriors. These warriors compete in a one-on-one fighting tournament, each fight being to the death. Once a realm reaches ten consecutive victories over another, they are granted the right to conquer (and I thought the best-of-seven series in most American league playoffs went on too long...). Equipped with an amulet of immortality and dark magic, Shao Khan has already enslaved several realms, and now he's set his sights on Earthrealm. It might be from the fact that we live in an age of increased militarization and the constant threat of everything being blown up in the blink of an eye at the hands of bumbling fools, but there is a strange sense of honor in seeing disputes being settled face-to-face. Then again, having billions of lives hanging in the balance on one fight isn't exactly a wager I'd feel comfortable with. But it's not like director Simon McQuoid or screenwriter Jeremy Slater ever really let our minds dwell on that fact, as this film is glaringly devoid of any sense of scale or scope. Background actors are kept to an absolute minimum, the sets are mostly just bland CGI backdrops, and most characters just stand around in one location between fight scenes. Smartly introduced as a shot of adrenaline after Lewis Tan's protagonist, Cole Young, sucked up all the energy in the previous film, is Johnny Cage (Karl Urban), a Jean-Claude Van Damme-inspired martial arts movie star. We're introduced to him through his most famous role in Citizen Cage , one of those '80s movies where every fight had to occur in an abandoned warehouse, and the hero always has a witty one-liner prepared. Having been passed over by influencers and YouTubers, the narcissistic and arrogant Cage gets a shot at redemption after the gods deem him worthy to defend Earthrealm from Shao Khan's challenge. He's joined by returning good guys Sonya Blade, Liu Kang, Jax, and Lord Raiden. Once past this initial setup, the rest of the film is a relentless combination of fights between characters on each side of good and evil. It's not exactly filmed well, with quick cutting and tame choreography keeping it all passable enough to watch. As every gamer knows, the real showstopper is the finishing fatalities inflicted upon the defeated opponent, their over-the-top gruesomeness being the subject of controversy and the need for a video game rating system. Some of the most iconic ones have been replicated here, such as a razor-brimmed hat being used like a chainsaw, and a character's head being smashed like a watermelon by a giant hammer. It's the kind of sickening violence that makes you feel morally gross, but you can't help but be entertained by it. Of course, you could get all that and much more by playing the games. But that would require more money than a movie ticket, and hours of dedication to learn the exact button combinations, something I have never been able to motivate myself to do beyond crouch kicks and the occasional projectile spam. This is a fully passable extension or mild introduction to the franchise, which almost automatically makes it the best cinematic rendition of it. Warner Bros. Pictures will release Mortal Kombat II in theaters nationwide on May 08th. More Reviews Obsession May 13, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen I Love Boosters May 22, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen The Sheep Detectives May 6, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen The Wizard of the Kremlin September 5, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

Michael April 21, 2026 By: Button Hunter Friesen To make a movie about Michael Jackson is to make a movie about the second coming of Jesus Christ. Not since the son of God has a man been so beloved throughout the world, his fans endlessly devoted and transcended by his presence. His talent was proclaimed to be God-given, as there was no scientific explanation for how a mortal could possess such skill and grace. And like the messiah, he was taken away from us too quickly, his message still thriving long after his physical body. If that all sounds a little too preachy, then you probably won’t vibe with the new biopic on the King of Pop. Michael makes that messianic connection with its full chest, combining blockbuster entertainment with those highlight reel documentaries that constantly loop in the lobbies at a famous person’s museum. Jesus healed the blind; Michael donated millions to children’s hospitals. Jesus fed thousands with only five loaves of bread and two fish; Michael started the Heal the World Foundation. Jesus resurrected the dead; Michael ended gang warfare through the power of music. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQtI0u1Vx2w Granted, that list of Michael’s kind gestures is true. But even Jesus had his flawed elements, and Tom Hanks’ version of Fred Rogers in A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood subtly investigated the beauty of imperfection. Here, Michael Jackson is the most perfect person ever to exist, with his only potential flaw being his over dedication to his family, specifically his domineering father, Joseph. Colman Domingo’s performance invites you to debate the pitfalls and merits of his browbeating. It’s clear that Michael was born with his talent, but would he and his brothers have ever gotten out of Gary, Indiana, if not for their father’s relentless pressure? A more interesting movie would have better grappled with that question. As written by John Logan (screenwriter for the Howard Hughes biopic, The Aviator ) and paid for by the estate of Michael Jackson, this film would rather take the easy way out at every turn. Genius is nearly impossible to explain, which is why young Michael merely speaks and behaves in plot points. He reads Peter Pan to himself while on tour with the Jackson 5, wishing that he could someday rebuild Neverland. He constantly talks about his love for animals, how they’re family, not pets. The irony only gets thicker as Michael grows up. His boundless creativity and exuberance are stymied by those who want to control him, with his fear of confrontation weaponized against him. Bohemian Rhapsody producer Graham King and director Antoine Fuqua exert a similar amount of control over Michael’s story, keeping things flying at a breakneck pace within the 127-minute runtime. Every song is conveniently used to cue a montage, the years flying by as “Billie Jean,” “Beat it,” “Don’t Stop ’til You Get Enough” boom over the loudspeakers. Except that it takes nearly eighty minutes to get to “Thriller,” which confirmed my suspicion that this biopic was going to need another canvas. King and Fuqua have just as much of a fear of confrontation as Michael, opting to placate audiences at every turn with showstopping numbers and by-the-numbers plotting. With four credited editors, including Bohemian Rhapsody Oscar-winner John Ottman, each set piece is cut with frenticism and flash. While shooting “Thriller,” Michael talks about the importance of wide shots to highlight the dance moves, citing Fred Astaire as an influence. It never seemed like Fuqua was interested in replicating that, leaving Jaafar Jackson’s considerable physical talents to feel limited. The musician’s nephew nails the physical aspects of the role, singing and dancing with an uncanny resemblance. Like all biopics, the recreation aspects are never the most important part, especially when you can easily look up the source material. What’s important is finding the emotional truth, the feelings that can’t be transferred through the written or spoken word. Michael doesn’t have that level of ambition, which, to its credit, could be reserved for the next chapter. But based on the strategy implemented here, I expect another serving of just desserts. Lionsgate will release Michael in theaters nationwide on April 24th. More Reviews Obsession May 13, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen The Sheep Detectives May 6, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Double click the dataset icon to add your own content. 1/1/2035 By: Author Name Double click the dataset icon to add your own content. 1/1/2035 By: Author Name Hunter Friesen