Search Results

The Taste of Things October 29, 2023 By: Button Hunter Friesen The Taste of Things screened at the 2023 Twin Cities Film Fest. IFC Films will release it for an Oscar-qualifying run in December, followed by a limited release on February 09, 2024. Is there a more perfect way to wake up in the morning than to the smell of sizzling eggs, crackling bacon, and onions soaked in butter? It’s what Dodin (Benoît Magimel) has awoken to every day over the past twenty years, the aroma of the fresh ingredients crawling its way from the kitchen all the way to his grand bedroom within the vast manor. “This is the best moment of the day,” he thinks as he flies down the stairs, ready to be embraced by the food and woman that he loves. Eugénie (Juliette Binoche) has always been the head of her kitchen domain, crafting famous meals with quiet determination. She too is in love with Dodin, yet she always refuses his proposals for marriage on the grounds that matrimony will only complicate the good thing they have going for them. He’s always disappointed in her rejections, and yet he also slightly agrees with her. Together they are unstoppable; him the mastermind of intricate recipes and menus, and her the hands-on artist who brings those ideas to life. If you were to eliminate all the scenes of cooking within The Taste of Things , you would be left with maybe thirty minutes of “plot.” I put that last word in quotations because those extended sequences of cooking tell just as much, if not more, of the story as the scenes filled with dialogue. Cooking is an intimate process for the central pair, a time when they communicate without saying a word. A scene early on sees Dodin entertaining guests with Eugénie preparing all the courses downstairs. Once it is over, all the men congratulate Eugénie and ask her to dine with them next time. She happily says that would be redundant as “what I say is already in the food.” Writer/director Tran Anh Hung (winner of the Best Director prize at this year’s Cannes Film Festival) entrances you in this process of creation. There’s a sweet harmony in witnessing the journey of the garden to the plate. The camera swerves around the kitchen, capturing the in-process cookery with sumptuous detail. Meat sizzles, water boils, spoons clank against the brass pots, the doors of the woodfire oven creak open, and the bread cracks when cut open. It’s a total ASMR experience, one that fully earns the simplistic description of “food porn” that has lovingly been bestowed upon it. There’s little drama or stakes within The Taste of Things , which is one of its best features. There are plenty of movies ( Burnt ) and television shows ( The Bear ) that showcase the anxiety-inducing highwire act that cooking can be. There is great skill under pressure here, but Anh Hung is more interested in the slowly drawn method and how it all comes together when you are comfortable in your element. Time seems to stand still, your body and mind totally connected as one. It’s like a conductor guiding a symphony, every note being hit perfectly with reassuring calmness. The scenes outside the kitchen are just as sumptuous as the food itself. The warm cinematography makes the gardens and fields feel like Eden. The seasons are picturesque in their beauty, leaves turning from vibrant green to bright orange, replaced by a freckling of snow. Binoche and Magimel are an electric pair within their surroundings. They project a consistent feeling of serenity, both of them aware that their love for each other is intertwined with their craft. You know what they say, the quickest way to a person’s heart is through their stomach. There continues to be a need for stories that reflect the increasing bleakness of this world. But that means there’s more room for projects that remind us of the beauty in the timeless things we all experience and often take for granted. The Taste of Things is one of those films as it illustrates both the simplicity and complexity of sustaining ourselves through food. Just make sure to plan your meals carefully before and after seeing it. You owe your stomach (and other senses) that much. More Reviews One Battle After Another September 24, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen A Christmas Party September 23, 2025 By: Tyler Banark Him September 18, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Swiped September 19, 2025 By: Tyler Banark Hunter Friesen

A Different Man October 9, 2024 By: Button Tyler Banark A24’s latest black comedy, A Different Man, is an intriguing psychological drama that takes viewers on a thought-provoking journey through themes of identity, transformation, and obsession, with Sebastian Stan, Renate Reinsve, and Adam Pearson leading the way. Directed by Aaron Schimberg, the film follows the story of Edward (Stan), a man grappling with his appearance and sense of self after undergoing facial reconstructive surgery. He then becomes fixated on an actor (Pearson) portraying him in a stage play based on his life, setting the stage for a tense exploration of how outward changes can impact one’s internal world. At its heart, A Different Man is about the fragility of identity and the fact that everyone should know any one thing doesn’t define their worth. Edward’s surgery is intended to offer him a fresh start, a way to shed the physical features that have made him feel ostracized and alienated. However, instead of finding peace or comfort in his new appearance, he spirals into a dangerous obsession. This core premise taps into something universally human—the desire to be seen and accepted and how external perceptions shape our sense of who we are. Yet, the film twists that premise into something unsettling, as Edward’s fixation on the actor blurs the lines between admiration, envy, and self-loathing. Stan delivers a layered performance by portraying a character who undergoes not just a physical transformation but an emotional and psychological unraveling. His ability to convey Edward's internal turmoil without falling into melodramatic traps is commendable. Much of Stan’s performance relies on subtle facial expressions and body language, especially given the fact that Edward, post-surgery, is someone who is literally and figuratively hiding behind a new face. His restraint in portraying Edward’s growing obsession feels measured and controlled, making it all the more unsettling to watch his character descend into a darker state of mind. Supporting Stan are Reinsve and Pearson. While the former is minor to the plot, her role adds a layer of emotional complexity to the film. Much like her breakout role in 2021’s The Worst Person in the World , Reinsve’s character is drawn into Edward’s world, and her interactions with him reflect his internal struggles. There’s an awkwardness and tension in their exchanges as she, too, becomes entangled in the surreal situation. The chemistry between the actors is notable, though the film is less interested in romantic entanglements and more focused on the psychological dynamics at play. Then there’s Pearson, who has neurofibromatosis, playing both Oswald and a version of Edward’s former self in the play. This duality is fascinating, as it forces Edward to confront his physical past and the psychological baggage that comes with it. Pearson’s performance is captivating in its own right—he adds a rawness and authenticity that grounds the film’s more surreal elements. Visually, A Different Man creates an unsettling, almost claustrophobic atmosphere. The strange cinematography is critical in this as it uses shadows, muted colors, zooms, and close-up shots to evoke a sense of unease. The film is not overtly a horror film, but it borrows many elements from the genre, particularly in how it builds tension and atmosphere. The way Edward is often framed—isolated, detached from his surroundings—reflects his emotional and psychological state. The more he ponders why Oswald isn’t shunned by society because of his appearance, the more he becomes the monster he thinks people thought of him pre-surgery. The film’s pacing, however, may prove divisive for viewers. Schimberg deliberately takes his time unraveling the plot, and the film’s slow-burn approach can either work as a meditative exploration of identity or feel too sluggish for those looking for more immediate thrills. While the slow pacing helps to build a sense of dread and inevitability, it also means that certain plot points feel stretched or repetitive. Furthermore, the film raises many intriguing questions about identity, self-perception, and the nature of obsession, but it doesn’t always provide satisfying answers. There is a deliberate ambiguity in how Schimberg handles the themes, which some may appreciate as a way to leave the film open to interpretation. However, the lack of a clear resolution may be a missed opportunity for others. A Different Man excels at creating a world that feels almost dreamlike in its disorientation. The blend of psychological drama with subtle horror elements allows the film to hover in a unique space, even if it doesn’t fully commit to one genre. The film’s use of the stage play as a central device is also practical, as it mirrors Edward’s internal journey. Watching someone else portray him on stage becomes a metaphor for the way Edward is distanced from his own identity. Schimberg’s previous work often centers around characters on the fringes of society, and A Different Man continues that trend by offering a protagonist who feels out of place in his own skin. Edward’s journey is one of isolation and alienation, and the film’s depiction of his struggle to reclaim his sense of self is haunting and poignant. A provocative look at identity and worth, A Different Man sees Sebastian Stan at his best while Adam Pearson gives a statement performance that should resonate in today's industry loudly. While it does ponder a bit and makes the audience question its intentions, it never ceases to commit to its goal. Schimberg’s direction shows a clear vision, even if the film doesn’t always reach its full potential. It’s a haunting and unsettling piece of cinema that, despite its flaws, leaves a lasting impression. You can follow Tyler and hear more of his thoughts on Twitter , Instagram , and Letterboxd . More Reviews One Battle After Another September 24, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen A Christmas Party September 23, 2025 By: Tyler Banark Him September 18, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Swiped September 19, 2025 By: Tyler Banark Hunter Friesen

The Iron Claw December 18, 2023 By: Button Hunter Friesen One of the most surprising things about The Iron Claw is how unbelievable this true story feels. Six brothers were born from Fritz and Doris Von Erich: Jack Jr., Kevin, David, Kerry, Mike, and Chris. Five of them would die before their 35th birthday, with Kevin being the only surviving member of that generation. Each of them was relentlessly driven to dominate the wrestling scene in the 1980s, and almost all of them did. They were a force to be reckoned with, just as fortunate in the ring as they were unfortunate outside of it. All of this starts with Fritz (real name Jack Barton Adkisson Sr.) as he’s greeted by his wife and two young sons outside the wrestling arena he just performed at. He tells his kids that nothing will ever stop them if they are fully dedicated to their craft, and tells his wife that winning the world championship will solve everything for them. It’s immediately clear that this will never be the case; as winning the belt won’t quench his undeniable thirst for more, and never getting it will send him into a downward spiral of self-destruction. But everyone believes what he says, especially Kevin (Zac Efron), who sees himself as the family’s best opportunity to rise to the top of wrestling history. But while Fritz is all pent-up rage and overt masculinity, Kevin and his brothers are more open and caring thanks to their ability to lean on each other. Efron, Jeremy Allen White (Kerry), Harris Dickinson (David), and Stanley Simons (Mike) produce one of the best ensembles of the year. Even though their dad openly admits which sons are his favorite and always expects them to compete for his favor, the brothers are always there to lend a hand and play off each other. Efron is a golden god, an almost dead ringer for Alexander the Great as he struts around the ring with his perfectly bronzed muscles and bleach-blonde hair. Dickinson is the more outgoing brother, the one who serves as the mouthpiece during the more theatrical moments of the bouts. White is probably the most athletically gifted of the group, while Simons’ brother is the least qualified and interested for the ring. Writer/director Sean Durkin finds both the light and (incredible) darkness in this tale of an American dynasty. Any and all semblances of happiness have been a foreign concept to Durkin throughout his first two features of Martha Marcy May Marlene and The Nest . Even a scene such as the wedding between Kevin and Pam (Lily James) is tinged with the haunting seeds of what’s to come. And once the gates open, there’s no stopping the flood waters. The guide to this story is Kevin as he often unfairly finds himself sidelined to his brother’s successes, and has to endure the unimaginable pain of seeing them go away one by one. But that isn't to say this story is solely a one-way trip of depression. There are intermittent stops to bask in the glory of this era for wrestling. Cinematographer Mátyás Erdély keeps things tight and unbroken as he and Durkin show off the physicality needed by these gladiators. It might all be for show but nothing about what is required is fake, with intermittent moments of unbearable pain and agony. Almost everyone knows that achieving your dreams isn’t just based on being the toughest, fastest, or strongest. There is such a thing as luck, or a curse in the case of the Von Erichs. Fritz was blind to that fact, which Durkin taps to uncover this tragic story of nature and nurture. At the end of the day, the Von Erich name has been etched in the history books, but not fully the way they intended. More Reviews One Battle After Another September 24, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen A Christmas Party September 23, 2025 By: Tyler Banark Him September 18, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Swiped September 19, 2025 By: Tyler Banark Hunter Friesen

Stars at Noon June 1, 2022 By: Button Hunter Friesen Stars at Noon had its World Premiere at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival. A24 will release it in theaters on October 14. Despite being one of France’s leading auteurs, Claire Denis's best works have ventured away from her native country. From her directorial debut, Chocolat , to Beau Travail to White Material , Denis has infused her material with her experiences from her upbringing as a West African colonist as a young girl. Because of that life, Denis has always found herself an outsider in French cinema, which bleeds into her characters, and the circumstances they find themselves in. Who else would come up with the idea of the “Fuck box” in High Life ? And while still emulating that same feeling of otherness as she transplants two white people into Central America for Stars at Noon , Denis’ English-language feature is a poorly made and uninteresting story of love in the wrong place and time. Set in either the 1980s or modern-day depending on what logline you’re given (even though the presence of smartphones and COVID-19 kind of makes the 1980s setting a bit of a stretch), Stars at Noon is an adaptation of Denis Johnson’s novel of the same name. While the timeline of the events is different, the plot remains the same, which also inspires several questions. If the events have been changed to the modern-day, why has the ultra-80s plot of the CIA meddling with Central American politics in fear of communism remained unchanged? Maybe Denis is trying to infuse her trademarked otherworldliness into this story, even if it backfires completely and strips away any of her usual political and cultural bite? That same tactic seems to have inspired the editing, which, according to reports, was rushed in order to be submitted in time for the festival. Just based on the eye test, those reports seem to have been true, with scenes being so fragmented they might as well have been transported out of a Terrence Malick film. Margate Qualley plays Trish, a failed journalist stuck in Nicaragua. To make ends meet, she enters into sexually charged relationships with influential figures. Her dead-end way of life soon gets turned around by the sudden appearance of Daniel (Joe Alwyn), another journalist. Daniel’s exact line of journalism is a complete mystery, but he’s got enough money and good looks to become Trish’s next fling. Despite the story saying that the two characters immediately hit it off and fall madly in love, it’s impossible to see that on the screen due to the serious lack of chemistry between the two stars. Reportedly, Alwyn was Denis’ third choice for the role of Daniel after originally casting Robert Pattinson and Taron Egerton. Having either of those two in the role would have spiced things up, but it’s doubtful they could have saved this mess. None of this is to say Denis doesn’t try to make the sparks fly between her two love birds. Approximately eight sex scenes are peppered throughout, each one seemingly being used as a life preserver to sustain waning audience interest. To Qualley and Alwyn’s benefit, no one could make bricks from straw with the dialogue handed to them. During sex scene #5 , Alwyn’s passionless reading of the line “Suck me” seemed to have broken the minds of the uninterested Cannes audience, with unintentional laughter spreading like wildfire throughout the crowd. There’s also the embarrassing Zoom cameo by John C. Reilly, who’s clearly talking to a screen in his backyard, and the odd introduction and relationship of Benny Safdie as a CIA agent tasked with uncovering Daniel’s work, which is never truly revealed. It’s a rare instance of nothing working as well as it should. Because of its down-to-the-wire production timeline, all non-Cannes viewers may benefit from the film being possibly re-worked before general release. But until then, Denis’ return to Cannes after all these years has resulted in a hugely disappointing, and slightly embarrassing, work that wastes a wonderful opportunity to combine the talents of all those involved. More Reviews One Battle After Another September 24, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen A Christmas Party September 23, 2025 By: Tyler Banark Him September 18, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Swiped September 19, 2025 By: Tyler Banark Hunter Friesen

Bones and All November 13, 2022 By: Button Hunter Friesen At this point, I have to ask, “What can’t Luca Guadagnino do?” For as much his signature brand of visual poetry seems to stay consistent throughout his films, the genres he chooses to instill them upon cannot be more wildly different. 2009’s I Am Love had Tilda Swinton speak Italian with a Russian accent in a story of romantic affairs. Swinton stayed with him for his next film, A Bigger Splash , except this time her character, a rock star on vacation, doesn’t speak in order to save her vocal cords. The nastiness of that film would not be found in 2017’s Call Me By Your Name , with a vulnerable star-making performance by Timothée Chalamet grabbing headlines and awards attention. But then not even a year later came a wild pivot in the form of his (excellent) remake of Dario Argento’s 1977 horror classic, Suspiria. Adding an extra hour to the runtime, Guadagnino’s take on the material was both depressingly realistic and batshit crazy, stripping the original of its distinct color palette while still maintaining its own sense of beauty. And now, after a brief detour into television with his 8-part HBO miniseries We Are Who We Are , Guadagnino seems to have finally found a project that takes elements from each of his past works and combines them into something extraordinarily original. Maren (Taylor Russell) has a problem. Apart from living on the fringes of Reagan-era American society, she also has an uncontrollable tendency to consume human flesh. She’s a full-blooded cannibal down to her DNA, thanks in part to her mother’s genes. She tries her best to suppress these urges, but every once in a while they get unleashed, leading someone to get hurt and Maren and her dad to skip town. After years of this tortuous cycle, Maren’s father decides that enough is enough, leaving her to fend for herself. He leaves behind her birth certificate, a clue she uses to track down her long-lost mother in order to understand this affliction. On the road, she comes across an assortment of crazy creatures, the first being Sully (Mark Rylance), a fellow “Eater” who talks to himself in the third person and drifts across the country fulfilling his thirst. A strange, yet also oddly educational, experience with him pushes Maren further down her path. She bumps into another Eater named Lee (Timothée Chalamet) who seems to be living by himself just as she is. From there, the two disillusioned youths trek across middle America, finding out more about themselves and their place in all this mess. Adapting Camille DeAngelis’ 2015 book of the same name, Guadagnino and writer David Kajganich drip feed information about the condition of Eaters. The first half hour, with much playing out during Maren’s encounter with Sully, dedicates itself to understanding the physical and mental pain of needing to consume human flesh. How can a person live with themselves knowing that they’ll always have an unsatisfying hunger, and the only way to temporarily cure it is to eat another human being? It’s a dangerous question, one that doesn’t have a perfect answer that keeps everyone from getting hurt. Lee thinks he has it figured out, so as long as he doesn’t think deeply about the repercussions of his actions. Chalamet’s performance is the serious version of his from Adam McKay’s Don’t Look Up , going mostly with the flow as he accepts his fate. Rylance, on the other hand, might as well still be playing his character from Don’t Look Up , with his awkwardly creepy demeanor and southern cadence hinting at the anguish he’s been through. Russell, who burst onto the scene with Trey Edward Shults’ 2017 family drama Waves , finds the perfect balance between youthful naivety and real-world ruggedness. And then there’s also the brief Call Me By Your Name reunion as Michael Stuhlbarg wreaks havoc on your nerves as a redneck Eater that may or may not have a taste for his own kind. Even with all the gruesome body horror, Guadagnino fills this story with rich emotional resonance. At the center of it all is a love story between two young adults who must come to terms with who they are individually and together. It just so happens that the film with the biggest heart this year also contains several sequences of actual human hearts being devoured. More Reviews One Battle After Another September 24, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen A Christmas Party September 23, 2025 By: Tyler Banark Him September 18, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Swiped September 19, 2025 By: Tyler Banark Hunter Friesen

Tyler's Takes: 'Terrifier' is a Terrifyingly Awful Franchise October 31, 2024 By: Tyler Banark With today being Halloween, some people may be out trick-or-treating, partying, or settling in to watch a movie that ought to give them a good spook. The Terrifier movies have recently sparked considerable debate in the horror genre and have made for must-watches leading up to the holiday. Created by Damien Leone, these films follow Art the Clown, a sadistic and mute killer with a penchant for gruesome murders, as he terrorizes his victims in ruthless and graphic ways. While these movies have gained a cult following, there is a solid case to be made for why the Terrifier films are fundamentally flawed, relying heavily on shock value over substance. Some fans praise their audacious gore and chilling antagonist. Still, they fall short due to several recurring issues: a lack of narrative depth, excessive reliance on graphic violence, shallow character development, and underwhelming storytelling. The Terrifer movies are distasteful to the point where I didn’t bother watching the third one, so this will focus on the first two movies, mindless terror that doesn’t care for their audience. One of the most prominent critiques of the Terrifier series is its reliance on gore and shock as its primary source of horror. While horror is a genre where blood and violence are often used to drive fear, Terrifier takes this to such an extreme that it loses effectiveness. The graphic, drawn-out torture scenes and relentless bloodshed feel gratuitous rather than serving any narrative purpose, overshadowing any plot that might add weight or substance to the horror. Horror movies often employ gore effectively to enhance fear, yet Terrifier appears to use it as the central element, leaving audiences feeling numb rather than scared. Terrifier 2 received notoriety for scenes so violent and extreme that they reportedly led to physical reactions from audiences, including fainting and vomiting. While this attention-grabbing tactic may appeal to some viewers looking for intense thrills, it reflects a shallow approach to horror. Many horror enthusiasts seek out intelligent, suspenseful, or psychologically imaginative films that engage on multiple levels; Terrifier , however, lacks this nuance. In classic horror, gore emphasizes stakes or builds atmosphere. Films like Halloween or The Texas Chain Saw Massacre use violence as a component of a larger story, moving the plot along and adding that fear factor that’ll resonate with fans over time. Another major criticism of the Terrifier films is their need for more substantial plot and character development. Both movies present bare-bones narratives with little complexity or depth. The premise of Terrifier follows Art the Clown as he terrorizes unsuspecting victims on Halloween night. There’s minimal context or background given to either Art or his victims, resulting in a superficial and uninspired story. The result is a narrative that feels cold and detached, with victims who are reduced to mere props in a series of violent set pieces rather than characters with agency or humanity. The lack of development makes Art feel like a one-dimensional antagonist without the psychology that makes other horror villains memorable. Some horror movies thrive on the simplicity of their villains, Art the Clown symbolizes the dangers of reducing a character to mere shock and brutality. Art is undoubtedly memorable with his unsettling appearance and mime-like mannerisms, but he lacks the layers that make other horror villains iconic. Characters like Freddy Krueger, Michael Myers, and even Leatherface are physically menacing, but they have a history or mythos that explain their descent into violence, making them not only terrifying but also intriguing. Art exists as a terrifying enigma without a clear backstory, purpose, or motivation. His violent actions are unprovoked and directionless. The horror genre is known for its inventiveness and ability to push boundaries. It often uses subtext, metaphors, and symbolic elements to explore real-world fears and anxieties. Classic horror movies like Psycho or The Shining , or even modern horror successes like Hereditary or Get Out , have been praised for engaging audiences on intellectual and emotional levels. However, Terrifier lacks such artistic ambition, opting for cheap thrills and extreme violence as its main draws, limiting its relevance within the horror genre. Leone’s films provide neither a fresh perspective nor any meaningful exploration of societal fears. The series feels dated by focusing on a purely visceral approach, evoking early slasher tropes without significant twists. It’s a simplistic throwback, devoid of creativity and artistry, and failing to elevate itself to the level of genre-defining horror. The ethical questions surrounding gratuitous violence are also a point of contention in the Terrifier movies. It takes this to another level by normalizing depictions of extreme torture and murder that border on exploitation. When violence is shown with such detail and with such little justification or context, it risks crossing into unethical territory. Horror filmmakers have long walked a fine line between terrifying audiences and respecting their limits. Movies like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre or Saw may have been graphic, but they often came with a purpose—social critique, commentary on survival, or explorations of morality. Terrifier , however, seems to revel in violence for its own sake, potentially desensitizing audiences to extreme images and blurring the line between entertainment and sadism. Effective horror often relies on psychological tension, suspense, and an atmosphere of dread that keeps viewers on edge. Movies like Halloween and The Silence of the Lambs masterfully build terror by cultivating anticipation and fear of the unknown. The Terrifier films largely abandon this approach, choosing shock over suspense. Rather than building tension through careful pacing and eerie setups, the movies jump into graphic scenes that feel disjointed from any broader, sustained narrative. The absence of subtlety is especially apparent in Terrifier ’s portrayal of Art’s murders, which are conducted in full view of the camera, leaving little room for suspense. This approach undermines the potential for psychological horror, making the movies feel less like an exploration of terror and more like a visual assault. The Terrifier movies represent a missed opportunity to offer something unique or relevant in horror. While they may attract viewers seeking extreme thrills, these movies fail to deliver the storytelling that defines excellent horror cinema. An over-reliance on gore, weak character development, an unengaging antagonist, pacing issues, and a lack of innovation kills these movies in the excessive fashion Leone gives audiences over and over again. You can follow Tyler and hear more of his thoughts on Twitter , Instagram , and Letterboxd . More Reviews One Battle After Another September 24, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen A Christmas Party September 23, 2025 By: Tyler Banark Him September 18, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Swiped September 19, 2025 By: Tyler Banark Hunter Friesen

West Side Story December 11, 2021 By: Button Hunter Friesen Leave it to Steven Spielberg to make his first outing into the musical genre one that completely crushes the competition. Like The Mad Titan Thanos, Spielberg has seemingly made it his mission to collect the stones of nearly every genre known to cinema. Throughout his nearly fifty-year feature film career, he’s already conquered monster movies ( Jaws ), science-fiction ( E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial ), adventure ( Indiana Jones ), war ( Saving Private Ryan ), and biopics ( Schindler’s List & Lincoln ). But before he takes on the Avengers-level threat of Netflix and other streaming services in the fight for the theatrical experience, Spielberg needs to claim the last stone that has eluded him: musicals. And after all these years (including a worldwide pandemic), The King of Entertainment can finally stake his claim with his remake of West Side Story . Spielberg and screenwriter Tony Kushner have made it clear that this West Side Story is not a remake of the 1961 film, which won ten Academy Awards, including Best Motion Picture. Rather, this is a new adaptation of the 1957 stage musical. Many might be confused as to why Spielberg felt the need to readapt such a timeless piece of entertainment, especially with the 1961 film being heralded as one of the great screen musicals. The answer to that argument can be broken down into three parts. First, Spielberg may be humble, but like all great directors, he has a bit of hubris and isn’t afraid to remake sacred material, as he’s already done with 2005’s War of the Worlds . Second, Spielberg has cited the musical as a foundational piece of his childhood, so much so that it was one of his key inspirations for becoming a director. And third, while the 1961 version may be a monumental feat, it is far from perfect. Arthur Laurents, who wrote the original Broadway production's book, spoke to the New York Times in 2008 about his feelings towards the film version, which he thought was very flawed due to “bogus accents, bogus dialect, bogus costumes.” Laurents’ argument against the costumes may be puzzling, but he’s right on target with how the film whitewashed much of the characters. Spielberg’s West Side Story looks to right the wrongs of the past, as nearly all of his Puerto Rican characters are played by Puerto Rican or Hispanic performers. And to do this, Spielberg hasn’t committed the sin of nearly every modern musical adaptation where big movie stars are cast instead of the performers who brought the characters to life on the stage. Apart from Ansel Elgort (who, while still being the film’s wet blanket, is not as bad as one would expect), all of the cast members come from some sort of theater background. Ariana DeBose, who played a featured part in Hamilton both off and on Broadway, takes over the role of Anita with a fiery passion. Playing her overprotective partner Bernardo is David Alvarez, one of the original Billys in Billy Elliot . Mike Faist, who originated the role of Connor Murphy in Dear Evan Hansen , harnesses a special jittery vulnerability as Riff. And then emerging as the star of this troupe is newcomer Rachel Zegler as María. The world may have already gotten a glimpse of Zegler’s singing talent through her YouTube channel, but this is a true showcase of what she has to offer. Since production wrapped in September 2019, Spielberg has claimed Zegler as the greatest María he’s witnessed. At the time, it sounded like the usual praise a director would heap on his own film. But now that the court of public opinion gets its say, it seems he was telling the truth. With so many stars in the making, Spielberg is able to harmonize the past and the present, making the remake feel like a Golden Age musical made with modern craftsmanship. Spielberg and his longtime cinematographer Janusz Kaminski keep the same desaturated, high-contrast look that they have maintained for nearly three decades. The camera swoons and cranes in extended takes, capturing the incredibly choreographed dance numbers conceived by famed ballet dancer and director Justin Peck. The “America” (which has been taken down to the streets instead of the rooftop) and “I Feel Pretty” set pieces contain some of Spielberg’s greatest directorial work, with Leonard Bernstein’s music and Stephen Sondheim’s lyrics proving once again why they have inspired so many. But all the technicals and performances mean nothing if the story doesn’t match their excellence. Thankfully, screenwriter Tony Kushner has taken the original material and given it a new life. For the most part, this is still the same Romeo and Juliet story of star-crossed lovers caught in a war between rival gangs. But then, every once in a while, something unexpected will happen, taking things in a different direction. The narrative about the immigrant experience has been made more profound, with the Spanish dialogue - accounting for nearly one-third of the total spoken lines - going unsubtitled in a move that Spielberg and Kushner described as an effort to respect the language. And the character of Doc has been reimagined as Valentina, allowing Rita Moreno (the 1961 Anita) to ground the film with a heartbreaking final number. All of these revisions don’t come off as gimmicks needed to justify the film’s existence, just different (and better) ways to tell a classic tale. With The Great Musical War of 2021 coming to a close, Steven Spielberg has emerged as the predictable winner. Perfectly melding the work of Bernstein and Sondheim with the newfound talents of DeBose, Faist, and Zegler, the new West Side Story makes the case for why some remakes should be allowed to happen. Because sometimes, they can meet or surpass the original, such as how this one does by bringing classic cinema into the modern world. More Reviews One Battle After Another September 24, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen A Christmas Party September 23, 2025 By: Tyler Banark Him September 18, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Swiped September 19, 2025 By: Tyler Banark Hunter Friesen

Mean Girls January 11, 2024 By: Button Hunter Friesen “This isn’t your mother’s Mean Girls ” is one of the taglines Paramount Pictures has used to promote their newest version of the Tina Fey-penned high school comedy. It’s a mantra that’s used beyond just the trailers and posters, as the film opens with a TikTok video. But then a character quips that “we’re Cloverfield -ing!,” alluding to a franchise that any TikToker would struggle to identify. That clash of old and new within the first thirty seconds carries over throughout the next two hours, almost as a constant question of why this 2024 version exists and who it was primarily made for. The former question isn’t a hard one to answer. 2024’s Mean Girls was developed for that sweet, sweet cash; specifically in the form of brand recognition of Paramount+, which was where this film was supposed to debut before the strategy was changed in September of last year. It was the right decision to make, as the popping musical numbers and one-liners play infinitely better in the theater than they would/will at home. You also have to factor in the fact that Paramount+ is known for CBS procedurals, Yellowstone , and Top Gun: Maverick , none of whom overlap in terms of this property's audience. The latter question is a bit harder to pin down. I guess you could claim this Mean Girls as a sort of soft remake, a version that provides easy nostalgia to Millenials and an introduction to this overall narrative to Gen-Z. But it’s not like the 2004 version is some ancient relic that needed to be translated for modern audiences. It’s a timeless member of its subgenre, with several quotes living on forever within pop culture. It doesn’t really matter how good a cover version is, as no one would (or, at the very least, “should”) choose to listen to that instead of the undeniable original. But for what this Mean Girls lacks in originality, it makes up for in energy. An interesting long take from a TikTok video, to Africa, and then to high school sets up the basic plot of Cady Heron (Angourie Rice) moving from Kenya to North Shore High. She’s an outsider almost immediately, just a little too much of everything to properly fit in with any of the cliques. Two of the other “weirdos” - Janis (Auli’i Cravalho) and Damian (Jaquel Spivey) - agree to take Cady under their wing. But “queen bee” Regina George (Reneé Rapp) has other ideas, inviting Cady to sit with “The Plastics,” comprised of Regina, Gretchen (Bebe Woods), and Karen (Avantika). Cady is now caught in the crosshairs of a good old-fashioned high school feud, playing both sides as she tries to find her place in all of this. While it would be daunting to replace such likable performers as Lindsey Lohan, Rachel McAdams, and Amanda Seyfried, the cast assembled here does enough to prevent this from being a total downgrade. Rice brings an overall level of likeability, which sometimes makes her “bad girl” heel-turn later on unconvincing. Reprising her role from Broadway, Rapp is the lioness that everyone gets out of the way for in the hallway. Most of our star names come from the adult cast members: Tina Fey, Tim Meadows, Jon Hamm, and Ashley Park. Apart from a few lines from Fey and Meadows, there’s not much there to warrant discussion. First-time directors Samantha Jayne and Arturo Perez Jr. provide several splashy moments of zippy musical interludes. The camera bobs and weaves around the hallways, with the aspect ratio and lighting matching a high-end poppy music video anytime someone breaks out into song. You’d be hard-pressed to remember the lyrics to the majority of the songs, but at least you’re eyes will be dazzled. 2024’s Mean Girls is a different flavor from 2004’s Mean Girls , although it’s about as drastic a change as shifting from Vanilla Bean to French Vanilla. It’s harmless, fun, and will probably be forgotten within due time… kind of like a piece of plastic. More Reviews One Battle After Another September 24, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen A Christmas Party September 23, 2025 By: Tyler Banark Him September 18, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Swiped September 19, 2025 By: Tyler Banark Hunter Friesen

TIFF24 Dispatch #1 September 14, 2024 By: Button Hunter Friesen All of the films were screened at the 2024 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. Better Man If you squint hard enough into this picture, you can identity the gimmick that director Michael Gracey and Robbie Williams were going for with a biopic on the pop star’s life. And if you can’t make it out, I’ll just spoil it for you (don’t worry, there’s no way Paramount will be able to avoid this revelation once they start marketing it): Williams is played by a CGI monkey using the same technology as the modern Planet of the Apes films. It’s a motif that never distracts from the proceeding action, yet never gets above its surface-level message (He feels different! Do you get it?!?). It’s also the only differentiating factor the film has from every other musical biopic. Gracey recaptures the physical magic of the set pieces from The Greatest Showman , inserting a peppy step into this 131-minute checklist. (3/5) Hard Truths Hard Truths may be Mike Leigh’s return to his trademarked genre of kitchen sink drama, but doesn’t mark his return to the levels that he was regularly clearing. There’s an honesty to this story of a London family dealing with pent-up anger and resentment, with Marianne Jean-Baptiste (reuniting with Leigh for the first time since Secrets & Lies) delivering a powerhouse performance filled with creatively side-splitting insults and pathos. But its message is also a double-edged sword, as it’s also overly familiar to audiences since the conclusion of the pandemic. Even in well-worn genres, such as period pieces and domestic dramas, Leigh has always found a way to provide his own stamp. The only time he starts to unlock a new angle for this story is right as it’s about to end, which is too little, too late. (3/5) I'm Still Here Not to be confused with the Casey Affleck-directed “documentary” on Joaquin Phoenix, Walter Salles examines his crumbling native Brazil, both on the macroeconomic level and within the microcosm of a family. Fernanda Torres, daughter of Fernanda Montenegro, who reunites here with Salles with a small supporting role after 1998’s Central Station , delivers an award-worthy performance as the matriarch of a family caught in the vice that is Brazil’s brutalist regime circa 1971. Salles finds the heart and soul of this family and their house, with love found in every nook and cranny. True heartbreak is felt once everything begins to decay, with the family being left to pick up the pieces and slowly glue them back together in the years to come. (4/5) The Return Director Uberto Pasolini delivers an extremely classical piece of filmmaking, which is both a blessing and a curse. The old-school feel of the production provides an inherent sense of sweep, while the chintzy technicals keep everything outside of believability. Of course, myths aren’t supposed to be real, but this retelling of Odysseus lacks the stamina needed to be special. The two leads, Ralph Fiennes as the title character and Juliette Binoche as Queen Penelope, are unexpectedly fantastic, retaining that romantic touch they shared decades ago in The English Patient . They are stranded, both literally and metaphorically, on an island as the supporting cast ranges from mediocre to embarrassing. Pasolini stated that very few filmmakers have attempted to adapt Homer’s works because it would be impossible to surpass a story with thousands of years of importance placed upon it. It was brave of him to take the leap, but he would have been better off hedging heeding his own warning. (3/5) More Reviews One Battle After Another September 24, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen A Christmas Party September 23, 2025 By: Tyler Banark Him September 18, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Swiped September 19, 2025 By: Tyler Banark Hunter Friesen

Top 10 Films of 2023 (So-Far) July 1, 2023 By: Hunter Friesen Half of 2023 has come and gone in the blink of an eye. Before I knew it, I had seen 67 new releases in six months. I can’t say that there’s been a bountiful amount of great work to bask in, but there’s always a small amount of stuff that deserves to be cherished. So, to give credit where it’s due, here’s my list of the ten best films I’ve seen in 2023 (so far). *Because some of the films I’ve seen so far were at film festivals, I will only be ranking the films that have received a general release in theaters or on streaming* 10. R.M.N. Featuring five different spoken languages (Romanian, Hungarian, German, French, and English) and characters from all different walks of life, Cristian Mungiu’s newest visual essay tells a universal story within one specific Transylvanian village. As is tradition for Mungiu, each scene is realized in unbroken takes, with the climactic town-hall meeting unfolding across 17 minutes and featuring dozens of characters. The naturalism is abruptly broken by the ambiguous final shot, leaving you with a disquieting outlook on this specific village, as well as the entire world. 9. Tori and Lokita The newest film from the Belgian brotherly duo of Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne finds them once again examining the miscarriages of social justice within their native country. Their handheld long takes and lack of score capture the harsh reality of society. There’s also a propulsive energy to the film, with the semi-criminal elements keeping the 85-minute feature (a staple length for the brothers) moving at a brisk pace. 8. Air Air is the cinematic equivalent of the final moments of an NBA game. Not every play goes as perfectly as it was drawn up, and there are a lot of mistakes that could have been ironed out in practice. But the sheer athleticism of the players/actors is something to marvel at. And when they take their shots, they make them count. Because both they and we know that when the ball goes through the hoop, and those feelings of victory come striding to the surface, everything that came before that ceases to matter. Full Review 7. BlackBerry Time has not been an ally for the BlackBerry phone, but I believe it will be for this movie. While the other movies in this growing subgenre built themselves largely around the iconography of the brand, Johnson always has his sights set on the people behind the machine, which is what makes this specific story that much more compelling and rewatchable. Full Review 6. Cairo Conspiracy Corruption runs rampant in the holiest of places within Cairo Conspiracy , as faith is used to broker further advances of power. Writer/director Tarik Saleh tells an overlapping story of politics and religion, molding his message within the old-fashioned espionage thriller genre to fantastic results. It’s both entertaining and enlightening, leaving you with something to ponder long after the credits roll. 5. John Wick: Chapter 4 Although I said the character of John Wick has drastically changed over time, the John Wick series has maintained that underdog energy since its initial entry, even though the budgets have increased nearly sixfold. Each sequel tries its hardest to outdo the previous one, offering an improvement on what’s already been done and creating something entirely new. I know it will be done, but I don't know how they’re going to top this in John Wick: Chapter 5 . Full Review 4. Enys Men Mark Jenkin’s Enys Men is the kind of film you stumble upon late at night as a kid where you have no idea what you’re watching and if it was any good, but you couldn’t help but be endlessly transfixed by it. Just as Ari Aster and Robert Eggers have amassed cult followings for their new-wave style of horror, Jenkin deserves the same for his now-signature trips down the psychological rabbit hole. The beckoning of Hollywood doesn’t seem to be having much effect on him, promising more distinctly singular work from this up-and-coming artist. Full Review 3. Chevalier Stuffy, overly serious, slow, and pretentious are all words most often used to describe period pieces. And yet, none of those words can be applied to Stephen Williams' Chevalier , which would have been one of the best movies of 2022 had Searchlight chosen to release it within the bloodbath that is Oscar season. Thankfully, they're smarter than me and waited until 2023, where it now sits firmly on this list among the greats. Full Review 2. Past Lives Perspective and perception are the keys to writer/director Celine Song’s screenplay, which uses a vast amount of space and time to tell an epically intimate story. Nora (Greta Lee) explains in-yun to Arthur (John Magaro) midway through the film. It’s the Korean concept of fate, suggesting that people are destined to meet if their past lives overlapped. Nora shrugs off the idea by saying it’s just “something Korean people say to seduce someone.” While Nora may not take that concept to heart, Song’s use of it within her film had me seduced in the moment, and will likely have me for the rest of time. Full Review 1. Asteroid City At this point in his filmography, you’ve probably made up your mind about Wes Anderson. I’m somewhat of an apologist, with those instantly recognizable production qualities and whimsical tones being music to my ears (and eyes). Asteroid City is another healthy dose of what I’m come to love, with the bonus of seeing an auteur continue to find new ways to channel what they do best. Full Review More Reviews One Battle After Another September 24, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen A Christmas Party September 23, 2025 By: Tyler Banark Him September 18, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Swiped September 19, 2025 By: Tyler Banark Hunter Friesen

Learn how we use cookies to enhance your browsing experience. Discover the perfect blend of movie magic and online privacy. Cookie Policy Last updated January 01, 2025 This Cookie Policy explains how The Cinema Dispatch ("Company ," "we ," "us ," and "our ") uses cookies and similar technologies to recognize you when you visit our website at https://www.cinemadispatch.com ("Website "). It explains what these technologies are and why we use them, as well as your rights to control our use of them. In some cases, we may use cookies to collect personal information, or that becomes personal information if we combine it with other information. What are cookies? Cookies are small data files that are placed on your computer or mobile device when you visit a website. Cookies are widely used by website owners to make their websites work or to work more efficiently, as well as to provide reporting information. Cookies set by the website owner (in this case, The Cinema Dispatch) are called "first-party cookies." Cookies set by parties other than the website owner are called "third-party cookies." Third-party cookies enable third-party features or functionality to be provided on or through the website (e.g., advertising, interactive content, and analytics). The parties that set these third-party cookies can recognize your computer both when it visits the website in question and also when it visits certain other websites. Why do we use cookies? We use first- and third-party cookies for several reasons. Some cookies are required for technical reasons for our Website to operate, and we refer to these as "essential" or "strictly necessary" cookies. Other cookies also enable us to track and target the interests of our users to enhance the experience on our Online Properties. Third parties serve cookies through our Website for advertising, analytics, and other purposes. This is described in more detail below. How can I control cookies? You have the right to decide whether to accept or reject cookies. You can exercise your cookie rights by setting your preferences in the Cookie Consent Manager. The Cookie Consent Manager allows you to select which categories of cookies you accept or reject. Essential cookies cannot be rejected as they are strictly necessary to provide you with services. The Cookie Consent Manager can be found in the notification banner and on our website. If you choose to reject cookies, you may still use our website though your access to some functionality and areas of our website may be restricted. You may also set or amend your web browser controls to accept or refuse cookies. The specific types of first- and third-party cookies served through our Website and the purposes they perform are described in the table below (please note that the specific cookies served may vary depending on the specific Online Properties you visit): Essential website cookies: These cookies are strictly necessary to provide you with services available through our Website and to use some of its features, such as access to secure areas. Name: hs Purpose: Used for security reasons Provider:.www.cinemadispatch.com Service: Wix View Service Privacy Policy Country: United States Type:server_cookie Expires in: Session Name: session Purpose: Used in connection with user login Provider:.www.cinemadispatch.com Service: Wix View Service Privacy Policy Country: United States Type:server_cookie Expires in:2 years Performance and functionality cookies: These cookies are used to enhance the performance and functionality of our Website but are non-essential to their use. However, without these cookies, certain functionality (like videos) may become unavailable. Name: TS# Purpose: Increases website security. It is also a session cookie. Provider:.wix.com Service: Typescript View Service Privacy Policy Country: United States Type:server_cookie Expires in: Session Name: XSRF-TOKEN Purpose: This cookie is written to help with site security in preventing Cross-Site Request Forgery attacks. Provider:.www.cinemadispatch.com Service: Advertiser's website domain View Service Privacy Policy Country: United States Type:server_cookie Expires in: Session Name: TS# Purpose: Increases website security. It is also a session cookie. Provider:.www.cinemadispatch.com Service: Typescript View Service Privacy Policy Country: United States Type:server_cookie Expires in: Session Name: flops. logger.default overrides Purpose: Used for stability/effectiveness measurement Provider:www.cinemadispatch.com Service: Wix View Service Privacy Policy Country: United States Type:server_cookie Expires in:1 minute Name:ytidb::LAST_RESULT_ENTRY_KEY Purpose: Stores the last result entry key used by YouTube Provider:www.youtube.com Service: YouTube View Service Privacy Policy Country: United States Type:html_local_storage Expires in: persistent Name:yt-remote-device-id Purpose: Stores a unique ID for the user's device for YouTube Provider:www.youtube.com Service: YouTube View Service Privacy Policy Country: United States Type:html_local_storage Expires in: persistent Name: TS# Purpose: Increases website security. It is also a session cookie. Provider:www.cinemadispatch.com Service: Typescript View Service Privacy Policy Country: United States Type:server_cookie Expires in: Session Name: flops. logger.sessionId Purpose: Used for stability/effectiveness measurement Provider:www.cinemadispatch.com Service: Wix View Service Privacy Policy Country: United States Type:html_local_storage Expires in: persistent Name:yt-remote-connected-devices Purpose: Stores a list of connected devices for YouTube Provider:www.youtube.com Service: YouTube View Service Privacy Policy Country: United States Type:html_local_storage Expires in: persistent Name: XSRF-TOKEN Purpose: This cookie is written to help with site security in preventing Cross-Site Request Forgery attacks. Provider:.wix.com Service: Advertiser's website domain View Service Privacy Policy Country: United States Type:server_cookie Expires in: Session Analytics and customization cookies: These cookies collect information that is used either in aggregate form to help us understand how our Website is being used or how effective our marketing campaigns are, or to help us customize our Website for you. Name: NID Purpose: Set by Google set a unique user ID to remember user preferences. Persistent cookie that stays for 182 days Provider:.google.com Service: Google View Service Privacy Policy Country: United States Type:server_cookie Expires in:6 months Advertising cookies: These cookies ar e used to make advertising messages more relevant to you. They perform functions like preventing the same ad from continuously reappearing, ensuring that ads are p roperly displayed for advertisers, and in some cases selecting advertisements that are based on your interests. Name: YSC Purpose: YouTube is a Google-owned platform for hosting and sharing videos. YouTube collects user data through videos embedded in websites, which is aggregated with profile data from other Google services to display targeted advertising to web visitors across a broad range of their own and other websites. Used by Google in combination with SID to verify Google user account and most recent login time. Provider:.youtube.com Service: YouTube View Service Privacy Policy Country: United States Type:server_cookie Expires in: Session Name: VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE Purpose: YouTube is a Google-owned platform for hosting and sharing videos. YouTube collects user data through videos embedded in websites, which is aggregated with profile data from other Google services to display targeted advertising to web visitors across a broad range of their own and other websites. Used by Google in combination with SID to verify Google user account and most recent login time. Provider:.youtube.com Service: YouTube View Service Privacy Policy Country: United States Type:server_cookie Expires in:5 months 27 days Unclassified cookies: These are cookies that have not yet been categorized. We are in the process of classifying these cookies with the help of their providers. Name:_wixAB3 Purpose:__________ Provider:.wix.com Service:__________ Country: United States Type:server_cookie Expires in:5 months 27 days Name:ssr-caching Purpose:__________ Provider:www.cinemadispatch.com Service:__________ Country: United States Type:server_cookie Expires in: less than 1 minute Name: session Purpose:__________ Provider:.www.cinemadispatch.com Service:__________ Country: United States Type:http_cookie Expires in:30 minutes How can I control cookies on my browser? As how you can refuse cookies through your web browser controls vary from browser to browser, you should visit your browser's help menu for more information. The following is information about how to manage cookies on the most popular browsers: Chrome Internet Explorer Firefox Safari Edge Opera In addition, most advertising networks offer you a way to opt out of targeted advertising. If you would like to find out more information, please visit: Digital Advertising Alliance Digital Advertising Alliance of Canada European Interactive Digital Advertising Alliance What about other tracking technologies, like web beacons? Cookies are not the only way to recognize or track visitors to a website. We may use other, similar technologies from time to time, like web beacons (sometimes called "tracking pixels" or "clear gifs"). These are tiny graphics files that contain a unique identifier that enables us to recognize when someone has visited our Website or opened an email including them. This allows us, for example, to monitor the traffic patterns of users from one page within a website to another, to deliver or communicate with cookies, to understand whether you have come to the website from an online advertisement displayed on a third-party website, to improve site performance, and to measure the success of email marketing campaigns. In many instances, these technologies are reliant on cookies to function properly, and so declining cookies will impair their functioning. Do you use Flash cookies or Local Shared Objects? Websites may also use so-called "Flash Cookies" (also known as Local Shared Objects or "LSOs") to, among other things, collect and store information about your use of our services, fraud prevention, and other site operations. If you do not want Flash Cookies stored on your computer, you can adjust the settings of your Flash player to block Flash Cookies storage using the tools contained in the Website Storage Settings Panel . You can also control Flash Cookies by going to the Global Storage Settings Panel and following the instructions (which may include instructions that explain, for example, how to delete existing Flash Cookies (referred to as "information" on the Macromedia site), how to prevent Flash LSOs from being placed on your computer without your being asked, and (for Flash Player 8 and later) how to block Flash Cookies that are not being delivered by the operator of the page you are on at the time). Please note that setting the Flash Player to restrict or limit acceptance of Flash Cookies may reduce or impede the functionality of some Flash applications, including, potentially, Flash applications used in connection with our services or online content. Do you serve targeted advertising? Third parties may serve cookies on your computer or mobile device to serve advertising through our Website. These companies may use information about your visits to this and other websites to provide relevant advertisements about goods and services that you may be interested in. They may also employ technology that is used to measure the effectiveness of advertisements. They can accomplish this by using cookies or web beacons to collect information about your visits to this and other sites to provide relevant advertisements about goods and services of potential interest to you. The information collected through this process does not enable us or them to identify your name, contact details, or other details that directly identify you unless you choose to provide these. How often will you update th is Cookie Policy? We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time to reflect, for example, changes to the cookies we use or for other operational, legal, or regulatory reasons. Please, therefore, revisit this Cookie Policy regularly to stay info rmed about our use of cookies and related technologies. The date at the top of this Cookie Policy indicates when it was last updated. Where can I get further in formation? If you have any questions about our use of cookies or other technologies, please email us at hunter@cinemadispatch.com .

The Brutalist September 7, 2024 By: Button Hunter Friesen The Brutalist had its North American Premiere at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival. A24 will release it in theaters on December 20. The more that The Brutalist progresses along its 215-minute track, the more it becomes evident that co-writer/director Brady Corbet sees himself in his protagonist, László Toth (Adrien Brody), the overlooked genius who seeks to reform modern architecture away from its ugly preconceptions and must put himself through the wringer to prove the doubters. A later scene sees Toth introducing the design for his wildly ambitious project, a sort of shrine to a capitalist’s deceased mother. It’s going to house a worship center, gymnasium, library, auditorium, and several pathways lined with marble and concrete. There’s never been anything like it, which is why, while curious and attracted to the ambition, the investors are trepidatious about its feasibility. One could imagine Corbet employing the persuasiveness of Toth’s design and vision in the pitch meetings for the film as a whole. With a runtime eclipsing that of any American feature in decades, photography in VistaVision that is projected in some combination of 70mm (Note: The projection I saw at the press and industry screening at the Toronto International Film Festival was in 35mm), an overture, an intermission, and an epilogue, nothing about The Brutalist screams commerciality. But like Toth and his monument, every dollar that Corbet’s behemoth sacrifices at the box office will be used to better the art form. The only currency that matters in cinema is the experience you carry with you long after the viewing. Such a grandiose production must also house a grandiose story, with Corbet and his often co-writer and partner Mona Fastvold saddling themselves with nothing less than weaving a rich tapestry of the modern American experience. In a nearly identical vein to what has made Francis Ford Coppola’s Godfather films filled with eternal beauty, Corbet identifies that the truest Americans were those carried by steamship through Ellis Island. Toth snakes his way through the bowels of the ship, the foreboding score and canted angle of the Statue of Liberty signifying the joys and dangers of what’s to come in his new life. Loneliness is his most potent quality, as his wife (Felicity Jones) and niece (Raffey Cassidy) are still trapped in post-WWII Eastern Europe. The American Dream is more about the freedom to assimilate than the freedom to be yourself, which is why Toth’s successful Philadpehian cousin (Alessandro Nivola) has westernized his last name to Miller, married a Catholic girl, and reluctantly talks about their upbringing in the Old World. Toth can’t blend in so easily, with his features (an in-joke is made about Toth’s nose being broken) and accent too recognizable. Collaboration, conflict, and compromise are the tools to his success, each made all the more possible with the financial backing of Harrison Lee Van Buren (Guy Pearce). It doesn’t matter if his interest in Toth’s work is genuine or just a temporary distraction to amuse himself with. His money is very real , and so are his ambitions for Toth. He parades him around his socialite friends at his swanky gatherings, using Toth’s struggles as conversation starters. With his previous two features, Corbet has trained his sights on the costs of being someone and creating something. While the deal Toth makes is not as literally Faustian as it is in Vox Lux , he does have to tear pieces of himself away for the project. Brody is tremendous, reaching a new dramatic height after years of only gaining notice within the whimsically stacked casts of Wes Anderson. The comparisons to his work in The Pianist , both in terms of what’s on the screen and how it be rewarded, are appropriate. He buries himself within his work, with his creation destined to become his salvation. What Corbet is crafting is just as alluring, with Lol Crawley’s cinematography ranging from hauntingly claustrophobic to sweepingly beautiful. Even in the gloomy Pennsylvania countryside, a place where the frost tinges the corners of the frame, he and production designer Judy Becker make those slabs of steel and concrete pour out with Toth’s soul. With the added time, each scene flows with more freedom and weight, all of them simultaneously epic and intimate as the camera glacially passes through the years. This is a full-course cinema meal, requiring an afternoon to consume and much longer to digest. It’s easy to savor every moment of it in real-time because of its boundless beauty, and just as easy over time thanks to its long lingering themes on the ideals that modern America convinced itself it was built upon. More Reviews One Battle After Another September 24, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen A Christmas Party September 23, 2025 By: Tyler Banark Him September 18, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Swiped September 19, 2025 By: Tyler Banark Hunter Friesen