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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 2025 Oscar Predictions February 28, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen 2025 Oscar Nominations - Winners & Losers January 23, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen Oscar Nomination Predictions Last Updated: 01/25/2025 Next Update: 02/28/2025 1 Anora 2 Conclave 3 The Brutalist 4 Emilia Pérez 5 A Complete Unknown 6 Wicked 7 I'm Still Here 8 The Substance 9 Nickel Boys 10 Dune: Part Two Best Picture 1 Sean Baker (Anora) 2 Brady Corbet (The Brutalist) 3 Jacques Audiard (Emilia Pérez) 4 Coralie Fargeat (The Substance) 5 James Mangold (A Complete Unknown) Best Director 1 Anora 2 A Real Pain 3 The Substance 4 The Brutalist 5 September 5 Best Original Screenplay 1 Conclave 2 Nickel Boys 3 A Complete Unknown 4 Emilia Pérez 5 Sing Sing Best Adapted Screenplay 1 Adrien Brody (The Brutalist) 2 Timothée Chalamet (A Complete Unknown) 3 Ralph Fiennes (Conclave) 4 Colman Domingo (Sing Sing) 5 Sebastian Stan (The Apprentice) Best Lead Actor 1 Demi Moore (The Substance) 2 Mikey Madison (Anora) 3 Fernanda Torres (I'm Still Here) 4 Cynthia Erivo (Wicked) 5 Karla Sofía Gascón (Emilia Perez) Best Lead Actress 1 Kieran Culkin (A Real Pain) 2 Yura Borisov (Anora) 3 Edward Norton (A Complete Unknown) 4 Guy Pearce (The Brutalist) 5 Jeremy Strong (The Apprentice) Best Supporting Actor 1 Zoe Saldaña (Emilia Perez) 2 Ariana Grande (Wicked) 3 Isabella Rossellini (Conclave) 4 Felicity Jones (The Brutalist) 5 Monica Barbaro (A Complete Unknown) Best Supporting Actress 1 The Brutalist 2 Nosferatu 3 Maria 4 Dune: Part Two 5 Emilia Pérez Best Cinematography 1 Conclave 2 Anora 3 Emilia Pérez 4 The Brutalist 5 Wicked Best Film Editing 1 The Brutalist 2 Conclave 3 Emilia Pérez 4 The Wild Robot 5 Wicked Best Original Score 1 El Mal (Emilia Pérez) 2 The Journey (The Six Triple Eight) 3 Mi Camino (Emilia Pérez) 4 Never Too Late (Elton John: Never Too Late) 5 Like a Bird (Sing Sing) Best Original Song 1 Dune: Part Two 2 Wicked 3 A Complete Unknown 4 Emilia Pérez 5 The Wild Robot Best Sound 1 Wicked 2 The Brutalist 3 Nosferatu 4 Conclave 5 Dune: Part Two Best Production Design 1 Wicked 2 Conclave 3 Nosferatu 4 A Complete Unknown 5 Gladiator II Best Costume Design 1 The Substance 2 Wicked 3 Nosferatu 4 Emilia Pérez 5 A Different Man Best Makeup & Hairstyling 1 Dune: Part Two 2 Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes 3 Wicked 4 Better Man 5 Alien: Romulus Best Visual Effects 1 The Wild Robot 2 Flow 3 Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl 4 Inside Out 2 5 Memoir of a Snail Best Animated Feature 1 Emilia Pérez (France) 2 I'm Still Here (Brazil) 3 Flow (Latvia) 4 The Seed of the Sacred Fig (Germany) 5 The Girl with the Needle (Denmark) Best International Feature 1 No Other Land 2 Porcelain War 3 Sugarcane 4 Black Box Diaries 5 Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat Best Documentary Feature

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 M:I - The Final Reckoning May 14, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Thunderbolts* April 30, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Friendship September 14, 2024 By: Tyler Banark Another Simple Favor May 1, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Awards Button Button Final 2025 Oscar Predictions February 28, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen 2025 Oscar Nominations - Winners & Losers January 23, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen 1 Anora 2 Conclave 3 The Brutalist 4 Emilia Pérez 5 A Complete Unknown 6 Wicked 7 I'm Still Here 8 The Substance 9 Nickel Boys 10 Dune: Part Two Oscar Nomination Predictions - Best Picture Hunter Friesen Lists MSPIFF 2025 Recap April 16, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Cannes 2025 Lineup Predictions April 3, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Essays Button Button Tyler's Takes: Bassett's Undeserved Oscar Buzz for 'Wakanda Forever' April 22, 2025 By: Tyler Banark Tyler's Takes: Rapunzel is the Best Disney Princess March 20, 2025 By: Tyler Banark

M:I - The Final Reckoning May 14, 2025 By: Button Hunter Friesen Although the title would give you that impression, everything and everyone connected to Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning has been extremely coy about this eighth installment in the franchise being the capper. Even the opening to the film - a hall-of-fame induction montage of all highlights across the previous seven films - provides yet another mythological introduction for what we infer to be the final mission (should he choose to accept it…) for Ethan Hunt. How long can one man continually double down at the blackjack table until he inevitably gambles away everything? And by extension, how long can the sixty-two-year-old Tom Cruise expect to perform these death-defying stunts until he inevitably fails to defy their definition? Of course, going out in a blaze of glory for our entertainment is probably Cruise’s preferred way to go out, just as long as it’s caught on camera. Those lines of questioning propel the strategy behind The Final Reckoning , which is to go big or go home. Even the opening studio logos fly by at an unusually accelerated pace. That sense of urgency never ceases across the nearly three-hour runtime, with every loose end needing to be tied up. It makes the creation of a few more loose ends all the more puzzling, with the earlier mostly standalone entries now being connected to the events of this film through some convenient retconning. Jason Bourne may share his initials, but Ethan Hunt is the American James Bond. And just like the Daniel Craig era of 007, the sum of every previous adventure has led to this moment for Hunt. The story jumps immediately from the end of Dead Reckoning Part One (the “ Part One ” has more or less been dropped at this point), with Ethan and his team in a race against time to find the downed Russian submarine that contains the kill switch source code for the supervillain articial intelligence known as The Entity. It’s already taken command of most of the world’s nuclear warheads, and has beaten Twitter at its own game by fully dismantling the line between fact and fiction by altering what everyone sees online. The world has been plunged into anarchy, with a common enemy that can’t be dealt with through traditional means. To complete this mission, Ethan will need the full cooperation of the US government, a body that’s put a bounty on his head more times than someone can count on one hand. This leads to the introduction or return of several cast members, such as Angela Bassett as President Sloane, her cabinet (Nick Offerman, Holt McCallany, Charles Parnell, Mark Gatiss, Janet McTeer), Hannah Waddingham as a US Navy ship commander, and Tramell Tillman as a submarine captain. Of course, there’s also the more notable characters played by Simon Pegg, Hayley Atwell, Pom Klementieff, Ving Rhames, Shea Whigham, and Esai Morales. To accommodate a cast like this that would make Wes Anderson blush, co-writer/director Christopher McQuarrie doles out the exposition like a dealer at a poker table. Thankfully for them, there’s plenty to go around, as each hopscotch to a new location means a plan has to be devised, broken, and improvised. Everyone sits in a circle and waits their turn, one sentence at a time. It’s an amusing, overdramatic cheat to get around the “boring” parts, although it gets quite distractingly repetitive the more time goes on. McQuarrie and Cruise also overplay their hand at the sentimentality of this adventure, cramming several reminders of how much Ethan cares for his friends. More is more is obviously the mantra of this franchise, but less would have been more in this case. The more you insist upon something, the less genuine it becomes, especially when it’s coming from someone like Cruise. He’s not a normal person with normal emotions, which makes him both an incredible movie star and unable to be fully empathized with. Words and emotions are not the weapon of choice for this franchise, with its visual arsenal being just as stocked here as it has been in the previous few entries. Each setpiece would be considered the showstopping climax in any other action franchise. Here, they’re just one piece to this extremely kinetic puzzle. A clear highlight would be Ethan’s solo descent into the submarine to retrieve the source code. It’s an almost wordless extended sequence, with panicky editing and heightened sound design playing on our fears of being at the bottom of the ocean. Oh, and there’s also a moment Ethan/Cruise dangles from a biplane thousands of feet from the ground. It’s astounding that within the context of this franchise, that statement seems pretty tame. But it’s anything but in practice, the wind whipping as one finger separates Ethan from the plane and the ground. The Final Reckoning will play significantly better later once you’re able to watch like a kid again and skip all the talking bits. Then again, this movie should also never be seen on anything less than an IMAX screen. Anything less would deserve the same level of vitriol that David Lynch has for telephones. My cynicism leads me to believe that this isn’t the end of this franchise, and that Ethan Hunt will return one day. But, for the sake of argument, let’s say this is the end. In that case, mission accomplished. More Reviews M:I - The Final Reckoning May 14, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Thunderbolts* April 30, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Friendship September 14, 2024 By: Tyler Banark Another Simple Favor May 1, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

Gladiator II November 11, 2024 By: Button Hunter Friesen One of the hottest TikTok trends of the year centered around raising the question of how often men think about the Roman Empire. Answers ranged from "a few times a month," "at least once a week," and "almost every day." As is usually the case with social media, everything surrounding this viral moment was performative. But if you were to glance at this year's crop of movies, there is evidence to support the modern popularity of Rome. Francis Ford Coppola's long-gestating Megalopolis found Rome in the new world, with Madison Square Garden transformed into a coliseum and everyone flashing their favorite togas and olive branch crowns. And now, Ridley Scott returns us to the epic world of his Best Picture-winning film. Similar to Coppola, Scott finds his version of Rome in an anarchic state. The legend of Marcus Aurelius has become all but forgotten by the commoners, replaced by the tyrannical rule of brothers Geta (Joseph Quinn) and Caracalla (Fred Hechinger). "They can eat war!" is their response to General Acacius' (Pedro Pascal) subtle plea that their bloodlust is starving the empire. He's just returned from conquering Numidia (modern-day Algeria), although there weren't many spoils to be had in the victory as the bodies of the slain men and women were burned right in front of their families. One of those victims was Arishat, the wife of Lucius (Paul Mescal) who only spoke in sentences that characters say before they die. Rage and bloodlust are the only currency that Lucius possesses while he's enslaved as a gladiator, two skills that make him worthy of the sponsorship of Macrinus (Denzel Washington). In the gladiator pits, Lucius faces off against some of the nastiest animals on the planet, including rabid baboons, sharks, and a man tall enough to be in the NBA riding an armored rhinoceros. It is entirely forgivable for anachronistic creatures to appear upon the sands of The Colosseum. Like the spectators lining the rows, we're sitting in the theater for thrills, and the sight of Paul Mescal taking a bite out of a howling monkey and a shark jumping out of the water to snatch a random gladiator off a boat is something to behold. What's less forgivable is the CGI used to render these creatures to life, specifically the primates. Quite a few snickers emerged from the rows behind me as the image of Mescal flailing on the ground pretending to fight a monkey formed in their heads. For Scott, age is still just a number, a fact that he can flaunt with even more swagger as he continuously eclipses the technical prowess of almost all his peers. While Gladiator II doesn't contain the unparalleled scale of Napoleon or the unforgettably brutal hand-to-hand combat of The Last Duel , it executes itself well enough to avoid faltering under the threat of comparison. The opening siege of Numidia follows a D-Day pattern as the Romans crash their vessels on the jagged shores. Arrows and catapults are exchanged at will, and bodies are returned to the sea in droves. Things never get much bigger than that, with subsequent violence being reserved for the circular walls of The Colosseum. Fueling the background for those skirmishes is backdoor politics between various parties looking to ascend to the throne. Lucius is Macrinus' instrument for gaining favor from the current emperors, while Lucilla (Connie Nielsen) tries to rally the old guard of senators and generals. Writer David Scarpa returns to Scott's side after collaborations on All the Money in the World and Napoleon . The sweep and authentic drama from the original isn't to be found here, with a majority of the nearly two-and-a-half-hour runtime spent wading water. It's Denzel Washington that breaks the movie out of that funk. He turns in a true movie star performance, twirling in his fine robes and chewing on every syllable. Nothing is more amusing than being in his presence, a feeling that will surely net him his tenth career Oscar nomination. While not necessarily miscast, Mescal never reaches the heights expected of him. The same goes for Pascal, who was caught in a functionary role. "Indulgent" wouldn't be a word I'd use to describe Ridley Scott, but that's just what Gladiator II is. It's the sequences and performances that lean into the schlock that fare the best, although that's what disassociates it from the superior original and will likely hinder its memorability. To answer Maximus’ famous question: I was entertained… kind of. More Reviews M:I - The Final Reckoning May 14, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Thunderbolts* April 30, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Friendship September 14, 2024 By: Tyler Banark Another Simple Favor May 1, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

Ranking the Films of James Cameron August 16, 2024 By: Tyler Banark Since his breakthrough in the 1980s, James Cameron has been dubbed one of the most innovative and bold filmmakers to work in Hollywood. He’s added classic entries to beloved franchises such as Alien , The Terminator , and his very own Avatar . Even in his non-franchise outings in The Abyss , True Lies , and Titanic , he never ceases to find new ways to push the boundaries of filmmaking. Always looking to make new ground for special effects and crafting some of the most brilliant blockbusters of all time, he’s made a knack for telling audiences one thing: never to doubt him, as he will prove you otherwise. Cameron is an unapologetic filmmaker and even though his career spans four decades, he has no plans to slow down. As he turns 70 years old today, it’s time to look back at the audacious filmography of Big Jim. 9. Piranha II: The Spawning (1982) Easily the most forgotten movie in his filmography, Piranha II: The Spawning sees Cameron helming the sequel to the 1978 cult classic. Not only is it an absolute mess in every corner, but Piranha II has a terrible ensemble, with no one doing anything special to avoid every cliché one would come to expect from a horror flick of this caliber. The effects on the piranhas are cheap and tacky, barely doing anything to bring any sort of life into this mess. I don’t blame Cameron, though, as he got fired during production and later disowned the movie. But just like David Fincher with his debut effort in Alien 3 , Cameron is still the credited director, so it unfortunately counts for this ranking. 8. The Abyss (1989) Surprisingly, one of Cameron’s most obscure works, The Abyss, sees him relying more on the technicals than a concrete narrative. Understand me, The Abyss ’ technicals are marvelous, especially the visual effects. Aside from that, the movie isn’t as strong despite Ed Harris and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio turning in noteworthy performances as the two leads. The plot isn’t memorable, even though the final act picks things up when the group discovers the aliens and returns to the surface. Alan Silvestri’s music helps tremendously in making a memorable impact on these moments, even the water tentacle scene. He captures the wonder and awe the characters experience when witnessing a spectacle such as the tentacle. With these moments, Cameron paved the way to build himself further as a filmmaker and innovator. 7. Aliens (1986) The fact that Cameron walked into the pitch meeting for Aliens , wrote the word out, and made the dollar sign just tells you how gutsy the man is. Aliens could’ve been a massive crash for him and Fox as it shifted tones from the all-out horror show of the original to a survival action flick. As a sequel to Ridley Scott's Alien , this film successfully expands the universe while maintaining its predecessor's intense, claustrophobic atmosphere. Sigourney Weaver delivers a powerhouse performance as Ellen Ripley, bringing depth and resilience to her character as she confronts the terrifying xenomorphs once again. The film excels in pacing, gradually building tension before unleashing relentless action sequences. The practical effects and creature designs are exceptional, creating a visceral sense of dread that excels alongside Weaver’s career-best line delivery. Unfortunately, Aliens has proven to be the last genuinely solid film in the franchise as every movie onward has been a divisive hit or miss. We’ll see if Alien: Romulus ends that streak. 6. True Lies (1994) True Lies is a wildly entertaining blend of action, comedy, and espionage. Arnold Schwarzenegger shines as Harry Tasker, a seemingly ordinary husband who leads a double life as a secret agent. All of the charisma that audiences have come to know from him is on full display, from the cheeky one-liners to thrilling action. Jamie Lee Curtis delivers a standout performance as Helen, Harry's unsuspecting wife, whose transformation from bored housewife to action heroine is hilarious and empowering. The chemistry between Schwarzenegger and Curtis adds a refreshing dynamic to the film, balancing the intense action with moments of genuine humor and warmth (take their whole “the bridge is out” exchange as an example). It's a testament to Cameron's ability to mix genres and deliver a blockbuster that's as charming as it is thrilling. 5. The Terminator (1984) Another Schwarzenegger starring movie and the one that put Cameron on the map, The Terminator is a groundbreaking sci-fi thriller. Schwarzenegger is unforgettable as the relentless, nearly indestructible cyborg sent from the future to assassinate Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton), whose survival is crucial to humanity's fate. With only $6.5 million at Cameron’s disposal, the film is a masterclass in low-budget filmmaking, using practical effects, tight pacing, and atmospheric tension to create a sense of unstoppable dread. Cameron ensures that every scene is packed with suspense, making the Terminator's pursuit feel genuinely terrifying. Hamilton's portrayal of Sarah Connor is both vulnerable and strong, setting the stage for her character's evolution in the sequel. 4. Avatar (2009) One of the biggest movies to ever grace the silver screen (for better or worse), Avatar sees Cameron boldly ringing in his first movie of the 21st century. Avatar is a visually stunning joint that redefined what was possible in cinematic technology. Set in the lush alien world of Pandora, the film immerses viewers in a breathtakingly detailed environment brought to life through groundbreaking 3D effects and motion capture technology. The vibrant landscapes, intricate ecosystems, and the Na'vi, the planet's indigenous people, create an immersive experience that feels both fantastical and real. While Avatar doesn’t break new ground in storytelling, its execution is so grand and visually compelling that it elevates the familiar narrative. 3. Avatar: The Way of Water (2022) Avatar: The Way of Water is a visually mesmerizing return to the world of Pandora, expanding on the original with even more breathtaking sequences and stunning visual effects. The film continues the story of Jake and Neytiri as they protect their family from new threats, this time focusing on the vast, mysterious oceans of Pandora. Cameron’s mastery of world-building is on full display, with the underwater environments being a standout feature, showcasing intricate details and vibrant marine life that are nothing short of awe-inspiring. The advancements in CGI and motion capture technology elevate the immersive experience, making every scene a visual feast. Contrary to the first movie, The Way of Water sees a standout performance from Britain Dalton as Jake and Neytiri’s second son Lo’ak. He’s the heart and soul of the movie as he breathes life into his character that the ensemble from the first film missed. 2. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) If Terminator 2 proved anything, it’s how to make a sequel and have it properly be a step up from its predecessor. The movie delivers a gripping mix of action, sci-fi, and emotional depth. Cameron elevates the franchise with groundbreaking special effects, particularly in the form of the liquid-metal T-1000, played menacingly by Robert Patrick. The visual effects, revolutionary for their time, still hold up today, making the T-1000 one of the most iconic villains in film history. Schwarzenegger returns as the reprogrammed Terminator, now tasked with protecting a young John Connor (Edward Furlong). His transformation from ruthless killing machine to protective guardian adds a compelling layer to his character, while Furlong gives one of the best child performances of the 90s. It’ll make you say nothing other than “hasta lavista, baby” when the credits roll. 1. Titanic (1997) There are few filmmakers who have made a movie about a specific historical event so good that no one else will ever attempt it again. James Cameron became one of those people in his Best Picture-winning epic Titanic , one of the most rewarded films by the Academy with 14 total nominations and 11 wins. Titanic is a testament to blockbuster filmmaking and awards season prestige, with some considering it to be the perfect date night movie. It also helps that Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet are the leads and have clockwork chemistry. As for Cameron, he made sure he was working with the best as Titanic makes for an impressive feat in not only the effects and acting, but in its design, music, and writing. Like Jack, Cameron rightfully cemented himself as the king of the film world with Titanic . You can follow Tyler and hear more of his thoughts on Twitter , Instagram , and Letterboxd . More Reviews M:I - The Final Reckoning May 14, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Thunderbolts* April 30, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Friendship September 14, 2024 By: Tyler Banark Another Simple Favor May 1, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

Freud's Last Session December 12, 2023 By: Button Hunter Friesen September 03, 1939 was an unlikely day that featured an unlikely meeting between two unlikely intellectual leaders. Dr. Sigmund Freud (Anthony Hopkins), famed psychoanalyst living out his sickly final days in London, is greeted at his door by C.S. Lewis (Matthew Goode), Christian literary scholar and eventual author of the The Chronicles of Narnia . The topic at hand is the existence of God, with the Austrian a staunch denier and the Brit a firm believer. The weight of that subject is paralleled with the events of the day: Nazi Germany has just invaded Poland and the British government is declaring war. It only took twenty years for “the war to end all wars” to be usurped by an even bigger global conflict. Adapted from Mark St. Germain’s 2009 off-Broadway play of the same name, Freud’s Last Session opens up the action from within the confines of Freud’s study. Director Matthew Brown ( The Man Who Knew Infinity ) , who also co-wrote the screenplay with St. Germain, has these two titans interacting with average Londoners as the panic of Nazi bombings starts to set in. It’s in a cramped bomb shelter that inklings of Lewis’ PTSD from World War I start to bubble up to the surface. But rather than allow Goode and Hopkins to tell their own character’s backstories, Brown rashly splices in flashbacks to their youths. None of them match the energy of the central duo, nor do they communicate anything interesting, both narratively and visually. Take for instance the perfunctory scene where Freud as a child is scolded by his father to “never pray for him,” or a scene where Lewis as a child sees God through the beauty of nature. Never would I think historical figures such as these would have the same broad origin stories as superheroes. There’s also the inclusion of a subplot involving Frued’s daughter Anna (Liv Lisa Fries), who would go on to become a highly respected child analyst in her own right. Sigmund’s inoperable jaw cancer causes him unbearable pain and bleeding from the mouth, which often causes him to lash out in anger. Despite the pleas of her partner Dorothy (Jodi Balfour), whom Sigmund disapproves of on the grounds of lesbianism being a symptom of a bad relationship with one’s father, Anna stays devout to her father. Fries is steadfast in her role, but she’s left on an island by Brown, only interacting with Hopkins and Goode briefly in the first act before being shunted off on a B-story. Hopkins and Goode make good (sorry, I couldn’t help myself with that pun) on the material, which is surprisingly more muted than one would expect a debate about God would be. Both of them are polite in their stances, obviously reverential of the work the other has done. The early stages take the form of a drawn out fencing match where one person takes a slight jab, analyzes the opponent’s reaction, and then retreats back. Hopkins (who played Lewis in the 1993 film Shadowlands ) is experiencing one of the highpoints of his career with roles in The Two Popes , HBO’s Westworld , The Father , and Armageddon Time . He’s exceptionally playful with his dialogue here, always prepped with an answer even when he knows he’s wrong. Goode never wavers in the face of confrontation, keeping his guard up through his charming wit and intelligence. The final, and fatal, blow to the movie comes in the postscript, which reveals that this meeting may never have happened. Its inclusion isn’t meant to be a plot twist as the play is very forward with this information and labels itself as a possible work of fiction. But in a film such as this that has lacked so much energy and memorability, it evokes the same feeling as a college professor that has given a tiring lecture and ends it by saying none of it will be on the test. It’s hard to care when you’re told you don’t have to. More Reviews M:I - The Final Reckoning May 14, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Thunderbolts* April 30, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Friendship September 14, 2024 By: Tyler Banark Another Simple Favor May 1, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

Hostiles February 21, 2018 By: Button Hunter Friesen Christian Bale is one of the best actors working today. He has the ability to do so much with so little, raising the bar each time he takes on a new character. But, Bale is only a mortal man. He alone cannot carry a film alone, which is exactly the task that is set upon him in Hostiles . Bale does an excellent job, but he doesn’t get much support and his performance becomes almost wasted in a film that is middle of the road at best. The story takes place in 1892, a time when Native and American tensions were at their highest. Revered army captain Joseph Blocker (Christian Bale) is close to retiring with a kill count well over one hundred. For his last mission, to his dismay, he must escort a dying native chief (Wes Studi) and his family so he may be buried in his homeland. Blocker and his section must saddle up to make the treacherous journey, which treks from New Mexico to Montana. They quickly meet up with Rosalie (Rosamund Pike), a country woman who recently lost her family to a native raid, leaving her in an elongated state of mental shock. Along with battling elements and the discontent within themselves, the troops must also fend off warring tribes that are out for blood. The film is a conventional western through and through, boasting gorgeous shots of the landscape and plenty of shootouts. It tries to call back to the times of John Wayne. While this film tries to harken back to the golden era of Westerns, it fails to incorporate one vital component; simplicity. Old Westerns were straightforward and to the point, this one isn’t. The film is slow and meandering, often taking breaks from the main plot in an effort to build up the epic scale. So much has happened by the end that it becomes impossible to connect at all to the characters or story. Also to the detriment of connectivity is the high body count. Tons of characters are either introduced or half-developed, and then killed off to try and force you into caring about them. What director Scott Cooper doesn’t understand is that if you don’t care about a character when they are living, then you are not going to care about them when they’re dead. Now with a couple of successful films under his belt, Cooper tries here to illustrate the brutality of Western life. He emphasizes the blood, sweat, and tears of each character and how they deal with their seemingly miserable lives. Unfortunately, Cooper overplays his hand as constantly watching 134 minutes of emotional suffering begins to bore quickly. Characters incomprehensibly mutter nonstop about how sad they are and how they wish they could just end it all. The cinematography is beautifully done by Masanobu Takayanagi, marking his third collaboration with Cooper. Takayanagi keeps the camera motionless most of the time and allows the characters to move within the frame. This technique gives the Western world a sense of stillness, almost like the people are the only thing inhabiting the cruel setting. But people are not the only physical inhabitants. Takayanagi has an eye for the surrounding scenery that makes the characters almost feel insignificant compared to the vastness of the land and wildlife. The film touts some great actors in both leading and supporting roles. Some meet and exceed the lofty demands, while others struggle to make a difference. Christian Bale is definitely the best part of the film as he carries most of the emotional weight. He has so much in his acting arsenal and is able to switch from gruff killer to stoic hero in the blink of an eye. Rosamund Pike does well with her conflicted character, who is forced into a new, harder life after the butchering of her family. Finally, Wes Studi and Jesse Plemons do respectable jobs with the limited time they get. For the most part, the actors that struggle to make an impact are the ones whose characters are underdeveloped. Ben Foster cameos as a soldier accused of murder, which is part of a side plot that serves no real purpose. Foster doesn’t do anything new as he plays the character that gives the same old “we’re not so different” speech a couple of times. Timothée Chalamet surprisingly turns up here, trying to add to his already fabulous 2017. His silly French accent and his four total lines of dialogue make him laughably bad. Fortunately for him, most people won’t bring this film up when talking to him. While it is ambitious, Hostiles can be slow and rambling as it hopelessly tries to keep your full engagement. No fingers or blame can be pointed, only wishes that there could have been something more. It’s not good, it’s not bad, it’s just alright. More Reviews M:I - The Final Reckoning May 14, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Thunderbolts* April 30, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Friendship September 14, 2024 By: Tyler Banark Another Simple Favor May 1, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

Anatomy of a Fall May 26, 2023 By: Button Hunter Friesen Anatomy of a Fall had its World Premiere at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival. Neon will release it in theaters on October 13. An 11-year-old boy named Daniel (Milo Machado Graner) decides to take his dog Snoop for a walk while his parent’s marriage is crumbling in real-time. The family is currently living near the top of the French Alps at the insistence of the husband, far away from anything or anyone. Daniel is legally blind but is still able to get by on his acute hearing and memory. At the end of the walk Snoop bolts for something on the ground, and as the ever-loyal companion that he is, barks to signal Daniel over to investigate. As Daniel feels around he begins to process the reality that the object between his hands and the snow is the lifeless body of his father Samuel (Samuel Theis). Blood begins to stain his hands, as his father’s fatal head wound continues to gush. The cause of death is quite apparent, but how it happened is still a mystery. A suicide by jumping out the top window? An accidental death because of the loose railing on the balcony? Or did the only other person in the house, the embittered wife Sandra (Sandra Hüller), murder her husband? A pile of clues, coincidences, and conjectures point to all three options being a possibility. “I’m innocent. You know that, right?” asks Sandra to Daniel as she’s just about to go on trial. Daniel wants to believe his mother, but at this point, there’s just enough evidence to push him beyond a reasonable doubt. Writer/director Justine Triet, proving that sophomore slump can work in reverse after the so-so response to her 2019 Cannes debut Sibyl , puts us in the same boat as Daniel. The whole puzzle is never revealed, nor are the pieces the same size for each character or audience member. Sometimes pieces change because of new information, and sometimes they change because people want them to, such as the lawyer assigned against Sandra who’s goal is to twist everything she has to stay into a conviction. Triet and co-writer Arthur Harari (also her partner) pack an HBO prestige miniseries into 150 minutes. The twists and turns come without the thrills one would usually expect from the procedural genre, and they can sometimes be a bit circular and used for runtime padding, but they still pack the emotional and physical effect that they should. While not as arty as other recent French courtroom dramas like Saint Omer and The Goldman Case (featuring Harari as a lawyer), the balance here between authentic and theatrical is a breath of fresh air when compared to the by-the-numbers conventions within American film and television. Similar to Park Chan-wook’s Decision to Leave , also birthed at Cannes and featuring an investigation surrounding a woman accused of pushing her husband to her death, Anatomy of a Fall is not just a trial over murder, it’s a trial over a relationship. Between the recordings Samuel had on his laptop of their arguments and the testimony of those who knew them, Sandra and Samuel’s entire history is placed upon the public for all to scrutinize. Sandra knows her truth about their time together, but it seems no one else shares her viewpoint. Hüller is astonishing in her calmness, commanding the English, French, and German language. She’s this year’s Cate Blanchett in Tár or Kristen Stewart in Spencer , a one-woman show that hedges all its bets on its star. Along with her radically different work in Jonathan Glazer’s The Zone of Interest , expect Hüller to be the critics’ pick in this year’s Oscar race. Even for all the goods it displays, Anatomy of a Fall still doesn’t have that je ne sais quoi that makes it the top-tier great movie it should be. No matter, as those current indescribable bugs may become features to me at a later date. Just as it does to Sandra, the ultimate truth that’s always been right in front of you may not reveal itself until you’re ready to face it. More Reviews M:I - The Final Reckoning May 14, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Thunderbolts* April 30, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Friendship September 14, 2024 By: Tyler Banark Another Simple Favor May 1, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

Better Man December 26, 2024 By: Button Hunter Friesen You know what they say: when in doubt, add a monkey. The producers of Better Man , the new biopic on Robbie Williams, certainly took that often parodied advice to its most literal form, supplanting the famous British pop star with an anthropomorphized CGI ape. Yes, you read that correctly, for nearly 150 minutes, which includes his time as a little boy growing up in Stoke to his later days topping the charts, Williams ditches our flesh and blood for the fur of a primate. One may think that that's enough of a gimmick to differentiate this film from any of the multitude of musician biopics we've gotten over the years. Unfortunately, you'd be wrong, although I will say that the sight of an anthropomorphized monkey doing cocaine and getting a handjob at a club does go a long way in making this a unique experience. Blame it on my American DNA as to why I was fully unfamiliar with Robbie Williams before Paramount Pictures scheduled this for a Christmas Day release. "Don't you have to be famous to get a $100 million biopic made about you?" I asked as I read the headlines. It turns out that level of blindness is something that almost all North Americans suffer from, something we might need a university study on considering that British stars have invaded the American music landscape on several occasions before. A quick scan of Williams' extensive Wikipedia page opened my eyes, and a few ventures down the Spotify rabbit hole attuned my ears. For once, I was going into a biopic having not already known the complete story of the titular subject. You can only so much engagement with a journey where you know every sight along the way, and exactly when you'll see them. So, what did I learn about Robbie Williams after sitting through Better Man ? Well, not much that the Wikipedia page couldn't have told me, or any other musician biopic has already given me the impression of. At some point, I have to ask: How special are these singers if they all have the same life story? Young Robbie is constantly picked on at school, always chosen last on the playground, and being told he's a freak. But it's not because he's a monkey, as no other character seems to notice that they're interacting with an extra out of the Planet of the Apes films. His life at home isn't much better, as his father has just left the family after determining that his wife and child were holding back his chances of being famous. Along with his mother and grandmother, Robbie still has his Sinatra records in his corner, and they're enough to help him realize his destiny as a singer. Fame comes quicker than he thought in the form of Take That, Britain's most sensational '90s boy band. From there it's the usual rapid rise and fall filled with sex, drugs, and pop music. Williams' explanation for his appearance as a monkey, which Paramount was pragmatic enough to use in the film's first trailer and create a whole featurette around, is that he's always seen himself as a little less evolved than everyone around him. He's been a trained monkey since his teenage years, both on the stage and in the tabloids. The effect isn't as jarring as you would expect, most likely due to the fact that we've become accustomed to seeing human and CGI apes sharing the screen in the recent Planet of the Apes films. The same WETA visual engineers from that series worked on this film, and the results are full of the same vibrancy and expressiveness. Jonno Davies dons the motion-capture suit for the majority of the runtime, with Williams voicing the role near the adult years. It's a concept that's all well and good on paper, and even a few times in execution. But as the central conceit that distances the project from being just another genre copycat, it's too thin. Every person who gets a biopic made about them feels that they're different than everyone else, so seeing it literalized is putting a hat on a hat. What often breaks this film free from its formulaic trappings is director Michael Gracey's desire to claim the titular title that he bestowed upon Hugh Jackman's P.T. Barnum in his directorial debut, The Greatest Showman . Just as you'll never see him in public without his trademarked beanie (seriously, see how long you have to scroll through Google Images until you see him without it), you'll also never catch one of his scenes lacking in energy. I can bemoan the problematic nature of The Greatest Showman all I want, but I'll never deny that it wasn't extremely entertaining to watch. That same vibe runs through every moment of Better Man , the doldrums of a cliched story perpetually being papered over by visual splendor. “Rock DJ” blasts from every window as Take That celebrates their success with a flash mob dance in the streets, the whole thing captured in one (very digital) take. And “She’s the One” serenades Williams and Nicole Appleton as they seal their love. As someone who didn’t know anything about Williams and was ready for another boring biopic, I walked away from Better Man with quite a few of his songs in my Spotify playlist and a higher-than-expected urge to see it again. More Reviews M:I - The Final Reckoning May 14, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Thunderbolts* April 30, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Friendship September 14, 2024 By: Tyler Banark Another Simple Favor May 1, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

TIFF24: Tyler's Time at the Festival September 23, 2024 By: Tyler Banark For the third consecutive year, I attended the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). My first two years were filled with joy, friendships, and little sleep. To the surprise of no one, I got that again, and a little more. I intended to see 27 movies in the span of 9 days. Although I fell slightly short of my goal, as I saw 25 in that same amount of time, TIFF was still a blast, and having a press pass to help with certain films was helpful. I saw screenings from every corner of the festival, from the world premieres showcased in the Princess of Wales Theatre and Roy Thomson Hall to the many compact auditoriums of the Scotiabank Theatre and TIFF Lightbox. I aimed to see various movies, not just the ones with big-name titles and star-studded casts. Here are my thoughts on everything I saw at the 49th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival. I kicked the festival off with a press screening of Bird , starring Barry Keoghan. One of the highlights of the Cannes Film Festival, Bird , contains a good start that unravels into some weird moments in the second half. Keoghan gives the second-best performance of his career (behind Saltburn ) while supporting star Franz Rogowski and newcomer Nykiya Adams compliment him. However, the use of Lo-Fi music was a bit off-putting, and the film's intentions didn't add up. Fast forward hours later, I attended the opening night of Midnight Madness with a screening of Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance . As a movie I had strong feelings that I was going to hate, The Substance surprisingly worked for me. Not only does the leading trio of Demi Moore, Margaret Qualley, and Dennis Quaid work wonders, but the movie also makes a powerful argument for women's beauty standards in today's society. It also helps that I saw it with a Midnight Madness crowd, one of the best crowds you could experience while seeing a movie at TIFF. On my first Friday, I started with Joshua Oppenheimer's narrative debut, The End . A sci-fi drama that also functions as a musical, it was an okay start to the day that was quickly forgotten. At least Tilda Swinton and Michael Shannon gave noteworthy (no pun intended) solo numbers, and George MacKay had a pleasant tenor voice. That night, I had a double feature of world premieres in Mike Flanagan's The Life of Chuck and John Crowley's We Live in Time . Although The Life of Chuck worked for many TIFF-goers to the point where it won the People's Choice Award, it was slightly underwhelming for me. I personally thought the movie was very schmaltzy to the point where Flanagan was doing his impression of Steven Spielberg. For We Live in Time , I was not a fan of even though I love both the stars: Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh. It is a very sappy movie that, without a doubt, was one of TIFF's biggest letdowns this year. I finally got my first dose of solid cinema in Sean Baker’s Palme d’Or winner, Anora . Although I wasn’t a fan of The Florida Project , Anora worked for me as it contained a strong lead performance in Mikey Madison and a whirlwind of a script reminisced of the Safdie brothers’ Good Time and Uncut Gems . The euphoria I felt with that movie ended when I followed it up with Gia Coppola’s The Last Showgirl . A film with a heart and lead performance in the right place, The Last Showgirl didn’t have much going for it other than acting as a hopeful career resurgence for Pamela Anderson. Luckily, my neutrality washed away with Ron Howard’s Eden . Dubbed his darkest movie to date, Eden sees a strong cast bringing out the worst in humanity in a true story thriller about a group of Germans living on a South American isle. Ana de Armas became the talk of the town here as her role paints her in a villainous light that we haven’t seen before. Capping off the opening weekend were a couple of religion-infused thrillers in Edward Berger’s drama Conclave , followed by the Canadian premiere of Justin Kurzel’s action piece The Order , and the world premiere of A24’s new horror flick Heretic . Conclave was a rich drama featuring a solid cast led by Ralph Fiennes, John Lithgow, and Stanley Tucci. The Order dethroned Anora as the best of the fest up until that point, as Kurzel made a gritty action thriller that met my expectations to a tee. Jude Law and Nicholas Hoult led the movie with two mesmerizing performances that shouldn’t go unnoticed by moviegoers. Not only were the action and the acting the prominent points on display in The Order , but the subject matter focusing on a neo-nazi militant group that ran rampant in the Pacific Northwest made the movie more eye-opening. Heretic failed to keep the streak going, as it was an okay horror flick that featured a chilling Hugh Grant turn. It did showcase how much of a double-edged sword religion can be, but it doesn’t break the mold of other A24 horror outings. As the latter half of the festival continued, my thoughts on the other movies I saw were vast and ever-changing. I got some awful outings in Relay , Queer , Nightbitch , and Oh, Canada , where the most vital thing they had going for them was the people working on them. Just because the cast and crew were of respected talent didn’t mean they were the saving graces. Lily James and Amy Adams played sour characters and gave unamusing turns in Relay and Nightbitch , respectively. Daniel Craig provides a good performance as an eccentric traveler in Queer , an otherwise dull film. My disappointment for it was immeasurable as Luca Guadagnino had this as his follow-up to Challengers , which is my favorite movie of the year thus far. Meanwhile, Oh, Canada sees Paul Schrader craft a drama about a man recalling his flees from the US to Canada during the Vietnam War as an unreliable narrator. Films like Megalopolis and On Swift Horses fell towards the middle of the rating scale. Although vastly different, both had strong talent, like the aforementioned movies, but they were closer to being my cup of tea. Experiencing Megalopolis in and of itself was a fever dream, with an interview scene being precisely what I imagined it to be and performances that were all over the place in the best and worst ways imaginable. As for On Swift Horses , the cast of Jacob Elordi, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Will Poulter, and Diego Calva do what they can with a story that has no substance. A step above these two were The Assessment , Harbin , and Friendship , three more drastically different movies that worked slightly for me but weren’t enough to blow me away. Then there were the movies that worked for me: Saturday Night , Babygirl , The Piano Lesson , The Brutalist , and The Wild Robot . Saturday Night was the best of TIFF 2024 with its star-studded cast that fit into their roles like a glove, layered with impeccable writing from Gil Kenan and director Jason Reitman. The energy was in the air at the TIFF premiere, and the audience ate it up. Babygirl and The Brutalist were also conversation starters at the fest as they were hot off successful world premieres at the Venice Film Festival and were immediately picked up by A24. I intend to see them again once they roll out in theaters because they demand the audience's attention and will get even more people talking about them. The Piano Lesson was a drama that had no business suddenly turning into a horror film in its climax, yet it worked masterfully. Lastly, The Wild Robot will be a major animated film this awards season. Those nine days were a whirlwind for me, but it was the best kind. While I may have recovered my brain, eyes, and circadian rhythm from the ever-changing week, the movies and memories I made at TIFF 2024 will stick with me for a long time. The filmmakers who brought something to the Toronto table this year cooked a divine feast, and I honestly wished it didn’t end. If good things lasted forever, they wouldn’t be as precious. So thank you Toronto for another wonderful year, and I look forward to returning very soon! FULL RANKING 1. Saturday Night(4.5/5) 2. The Order (4.5/5) 3. Anora (4/5) 4. The Wild Robot (4/5) 5. The Substance (4/5) 6. Eden (4/5) 7. The Piano Lesson (4/5) 8. Babygirl (4/5) 9. The Brutalist (3.5/5) 10. Conclave (3.5/5) 11. Bird (3.5/5) 12. Friendship (3/5) 13. The Assessment (3/5) 14. The Life of Chuck (3/5) 15. Harbin (3/5) 16. The Last Showgirl (2.5/5) 17. Megalopolis (2.5/5) 18. Heretic (2.5/5) 19. The End (2.5/5) 20. On Swift Horses (2.5/5) 21. We Live in Time (2/5) 22. Relay (2/5) 23. Oh Canada (2/5) 24. Nightbitch (1.5/5) 25. Queer (1.5/5) You can follow Tyler and hear more of his thoughts on Twitter , Instagram , and Letterboxd . More Reviews M:I - The Final Reckoning May 14, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Thunderbolts* April 30, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Friendship September 14, 2024 By: Tyler Banark Another Simple Favor May 1, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

TIFF23 Dispatch - Part 3 September 18, 2023 By: Button Hunter Friesen All of the films were screened at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). Click here for additional full reviews and dispatches. Select films below will receive separate full-length reviews at a later date, most likely in connection to their public releases. North Star Maybe not every actor should be allowed to make their directorial debut. Kristen Scott Thomas' first foray behind the camera (while still being in front in a supporting role) is littered with choppy editing, poor pacing, and a scattershot script that has way too much on its plate. Emily Beecham is the only shining star (pun intended) in a cast that includes Scarlett Johansson fumbling a British accent and Sienna Miller being fine, I guess. This is surely bound for VOD/streaming way down the line. (2/5) His Three Daughters Azazel Jacobs’ follow up to French Exit (remember that during the pandemic?) starts incredibly rough as our three lead characters act as if they’re aliens who are trying to replicate drought emotions. This bug may be a feature to some, but it ends up feeling like a grating mashup of Yorgos Lanthimos and Wes Anderson. Things do settle down later, allowing for the actresses to flourish. Natashya Lyonne stands out as the slacker of the three sisters, and yet she seems to have the firmest grasp on the mysteries of life. (2.5/5) Seven Veils It wouldn’t be a normal TIFF if it didn’t feature the newest film by hometown hero Atom Egoyan. Amanda Seyfried plunges headfirst into her role as the new director of a revival of Salome at the Canadian Opera Company, a production Egoyan himself helmed while making this film. There’s a lot of big swings, with more than half of them not connecting. But the ones that do connect are really special, such as the audacious staging of the material. The bar may be low, but this is Egoyan's best work in decades. (3/5) Woman of the Hour Anna Kendrick dominated the actor-turned-director battle at this year’s TIFF, with her film, Woman of the Hour , being quite the impressive statement on her skills behind the camera. Now all she needs to do is find a good script, because the one here doesn’t give her enough to work with. While well staged, much of the “action” of the film by the serial killer feels like filler, and the main ideas are spelled out as if they're competing at a spelling bee. Netflix opened the market with an $11 acquisition, giving this true crime film the perfect home. (3/5) Knox Goes Away Between the other hitman focused movies at the fall festivals and how much it seriously fumbles the great concept of a hitman battling rapidly developing dementia, Michael Keaton’s sophomore directorial outing fails to be anything more than a depressing shrug. Luckily for the actor/director, he’s slightly exonerated from blame as Gregory Poirier’s CSI-level script is what sinks this ship. Al Pacino gives his most comfortable performance sitting in some luxurious recliners, and Marcia gay Harden does Keaton a favor by showing up for one half-decent scene. (2.5/5) More Reviews M:I - The Final Reckoning May 14, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Thunderbolts* April 30, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Friendship September 14, 2024 By: Tyler Banark Another Simple Favor May 1, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

2023 Losers January 2, 2024 By: Hunter Friesen We’ve crowned our winners for the year, so now it’s time to perform the autopsies on some of this past year’s biggest victims. No one should want to see pain inflicted on others, but some of these parties got what was coming to them, and may have deserved worse. The best-case scenario is that they all use their failures as motivation for 2024, or take it as a sign to pack it up and change course. Disney In true monkey’s paw fashion, the Mouse House grabbed a ton of headlines during their 100th-anniversary celebration as almost all of their blockbusters went belly up. After producing 7 $1 billion hits in 2019, the studio wasn’t able to churn out a single one in 2023. Their losses may have reached as high as $1 billion between the lackluster results of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny , The Marvels , and Wish . A string of delays and reworkings means Inside 2, Deadpool 3 , and Mufasa: The Lion King will be their only offerings in 2024. The Future of the MCU 2023 turned out to be the straw that broke the camel’s back for the MCU, with silver screen projects like Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and The Marvels falling well below expectations, both creatively and financially. Even the one shining light that was Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 can’t be touted too heavily as that was a franchise conclusion. Interest and optimism are at an all-time low, with no direction or clear finish line in sight. Whether it was out of necessity or fear (or a bit of both), the delaying of almost all their future projects leaves Deadpool 3 as the lone property in 2024. Here’s hoping Kevin Feige can use the time he bought himself. WB's Reptuation (If They Had Any) Each year it seems that WB is trying to one-up itself as the most hated studio to both creatives and fans. Between elongating the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, significantly reducing the HBO Max catalog, shelving the already completed Coyote vs. Acme , and cutting funding for TCM, this year turned out to be their best at producing hatred. The world isn’t prepared for the witchcraft CEO David Zaslav is cooking up in 2024. The AMPTP Corporations didn’t earn much credibility in 2023, and the AMPTP did everything in its power to destroy whatever minuscule amount they had. No one was ever going to be on its side during the WGA and SAG strikes, but its tone-deaf messaging and bully tactics made it impossible for anyone to see their side of the argument. They’ve shown their hand when it comes to AI, with the future not looking too bright for creatives. Belated Sequels Top Gun: Maverick and Avatar: The Way of Water proved that long-in-development sequels can make just as much, if not more, money than their predecessors. Studios took that lesson to heart in 2023, except they forgot the part where you have to make a good movie. Magic Mike's Last Dance , Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny , Expend4bles , My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 , and The Exorcist: Believer were just some of the warmed-over leftovers studios thought would pass for full course meals. Audiences rejected them, and will hopefully do the same in 2024. Fan Screenings Studios are already having a tough time getting audiences in seats, so it seemed like a brain-dead idea to confuse people as to when a movie would be available to them. Sony originally announced wide releases for Gran Turismo and Dumb Money before changing course to platform releases with later wide expansions. All audience interest vanished by the time of wide release, leaving these bombs hanging out to dry. None of those compared to the debacle that was The Flash , with over a dozen fan screenings taking place weeks before the general release. All of that work amounted to one of the biggest bombs in history. Comedians Going to Film Nothing’s worse than a comedy that isn’t funny, which is what these comedians delivered this year on the silver screen. Bill Burr and Charlie Day unsuccessfully tried their hand at directing with Old Dads and Fool’s Paradise , respectively. Sebastian Maniscalco ( About My Father ), Brett Kreischer ( The Machine ), and Please Don’t Destroy ( The Treasure of Foggy Mountain ) also missed the mark. There’s nothing funny about failure, although that might have been the best joke each of them wrote this year. Streaming Action Movies Let’s get one thing straight: Extraction 2 was pretty good. But it was made to look like Citizen Kane when compared to everything else that was available. Netflix may have scored decent viewership with The Mother and Heart of Stone , although I’d bet an unseemly amount of money that almost all those viewers couldn’t remember a single thing that happened. But at least those titles got eyeballs, as Apple’s Ghosted and Amazon’s Shotgun Wedding may as well have never existed. Movie Posters Were poster artists given the year off? From terrible photoshopping to uninspired designs (anyone up for the millionth floating head layout?), no one was flocking to see some of these movies based on their artwork. My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 easily took the cake as none of the actors’ heads were connected to their bodies. But even big-name projects like Oppenheimer and Killers of the Flower Moon were left with boring layouts. More Reviews M:I - The Final Reckoning May 14, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Thunderbolts* April 30, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Friendship September 14, 2024 By: Tyler Banark Another Simple Favor May 1, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen