Red Rocket July 16, 2021 By: Button Hunter Friesen American indie darling Sean Baker has always worked on the ground level when making his films. He often casts non-professional actors and plants his audience in the ironically unglamorous parts of America, such as the dingy Magic Castle motel located next to Walt Disney World. Baker’s budgets are small, with The Florida Project carrying a total cost of $2,000,000, which is roughly the amount spent to have Arnold Schwarzenegger speak one hundred words in T2: Judgement Day . Now in 2021, Baker is back to shine a light on lower America with Red Rocket , which debuted in competition at the Cannes Film Festival. Opening with the catchy rhythms of NSYNC’s “Bye Bye Bye”, former pornstar Mikey Saber has returned to the deadbeat town of Texas City. Mikey had been at the top of the porn scene for several years, but eventually found his way out the door with some questionable career moves. With nowhere else to go, he begs and pleads his way into crashing with his former pornstar ex-wife Lexi, who, like him, was a shining star that has fallen back to the ground and lives with her poverty-stricken mother in the middle of nowhere. Mikey is a guy who always has a plan, but never a way to execute it. He does have a plan to get back to Los Angeles and revitalize his career, but it requires him to reconnect with some characters from his past who hate his guts. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wfndmy-6e28 Both literally and metaphorically, Red Rocket is a ballsy movie. Baker has always found a fascination with the seedier side of America, which is the side that is often unauthentically portrayed in Hollywood (I’m looking at you, Hillbilly Elegy ). His characters are often complicated and morally ambiguous, such as Halley from The Florida Project . But Baker doesn’t wallow in their pain and use it as a ploy for sympathy (again, looking at you, Hillbilly Elegy ). Instead, he wants us to understand their desperation and see how so many people in this situation can rationalize their actions. Red Rocket doesn’t break from that developmental mold when it comes to his supporting characters. In Mikey’s journey back to the top, he rekindles with a weed queen who sees her business as a safety net for her family. Lexi and her mother are both addicted to opiates due to her mother’s medical condition and the distracting peace that the drugs bring from the painful world. With these characters on the brink of society, Baker uses their situation to subtly explain the unforeseen popularity of Donald Trump in the run-up to the 2016 election. Characters are often seen slumped at home in their couches with the television set to Fox News and its never-ending coverage of the Republican candidate and his “mass appeal”. Baker’s illustration about the allure of Trump doesn’t try to be a grand statement for America itself, which turns out to be a good thing, as the message comes together cleaner than the hamfisted ones found in mainstream media. But while Baker respects his supporting cast, his relationship with Mikey is more complicated. Mikey is the cinematic combination of Dirk Diggler and Howard Ratner. He’s a person that you love that you hate and hate that you love. You find yourself intrinsically drawn to him because of his drive and charm. But as the film progresses and Mikey’s grand plan comes closer into view, your attitude towards him starts to waver. Much of that emotional response comes from Simon Rex’s brilliant performance, whose most prominent role up until now has been a recurring supporting part in the Scary Movie franchise and some pornographic solo scenes in a series of straight-to-video gay porn releases. Almost as if he has lived the life of Mikey throughout stretches of his career, Rex seems to instinctively know how to play this type of sleazy charmer. While it does contain perfect casting, Red Rocket is not a perfect movie as a whole. With a runtime of 124 minutes, the film contains enough material for a tighter 90-minute story. The middle hour is the victim of this bloatedness, with long stretches given for light material. Still, the overly fatty meat on this movie’s bones does give Rex and the cast more than enough to chew on, resulting in an emotional rollercoaster that couldn’t be replicated by bigger productions. Slotting in nicely with Baker’s filmography and that of distributor A24, Red Rocket is one hell of a ride from beginning to end. There may be some potholes along the way, but they’re not enough to stop this film from reaching its satisfying destination. This review was originally published from the world premiere at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival. A24 will release Red Rocket in select theaters on December 03rd. More Reviews Primetime September 22, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Unabomber September 24, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Look Back September 16, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Elsinore September 14, 2026 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 the 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. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVeH5T4wxkE For once, I was going into a biopic having not already known the complete story of the titular subject. You can only do 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 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. Paramount Pictures will release Better Man in select theaters on December 25th, followed by a nationwide expansion on January 10th. More Reviews Primetime September 22, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Unabomber September 24, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Look Back September 16, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Elsinore September 14, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

Pillion February 13, 2026 By: Button Hunter Friesen Much has been written and discussed, often sensationally, about Pillion since its world premiere in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, where it went on to win the Screenplay Prize and the Palm Dog for its canine performers. Tales of whips, chains, assless chaps, and piercings in places that most people wouldn't pierce grabbed the headlines, selling potential audiences on the physical shock value of a BDSM romance. It wasn't a surprising turn of events, as this very specific subgenre has largely been packaged and sold with a hint of taboo, almost as if audiences are being naughty by watching this and shouldn't make it known to their friends and families. The Fifty Shades of Grey films are the worst perpetrators of this, followed by the endless parodies that further cheapened the whole concept. The biggest strength of Pillion is its refusal to use its BDSM elements as window dressing or sight gags. Granted, there are several instances shot and cut to incite laughter, such as Harry Melling and Alexander Skarsgård wrestling in skintight leotards without a bottom cover. But beneath all that humor lies a nuanced approach to this culture. Making his feature debut as both writer and director, Harry Lighton conducted research by spending time with Gay Bikers Motorcycle Club (GBMCC), the largest LGBT+ motorcycling club in the UK/Europe. Many of the members appear in the film, with no signs that their way of life has been sanded down for mainstream audiences or fetishized to grab attention. They are who they are, occupying the same space, going through the same ups and downs of life, and looking for the same amount of fulfillment as all human beings. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gl8n5I-IIHU A "pillion" is the passenger's spot on a motorcycle, either seated right behind the driver or in a sidecar. Colin (Melling) always seems to be in the pillion of his own life. He's an introverted gay man, living in the suburbs of London with his parents and working as a parking attendant at a local mall. Dating isn't a game he's suited for, as he has a considerable inability for adventure and decisiveness. After performing as part of his barbershop quartet at a pub, he notices a group of gay bikers. Each of the more muscular bikers has a skinnier biker on a leash next to them, almost like an owner with his dog. Colin's eyes widen with the realization of his desire. Opportunity quickly comes knocking as the impossibly tall and handsome Ray (Skarsgård) exercises his dominance, beckoning Colin into a relationship that grants power to the helplessness that has perpetually kept him alone. Throughout its initial and opening thirds, Lighton takes a refreshingly unique approach to the romantic drama. As opposed to Babygirl , another A24 film about sexual power dynamics, there isn't a sense of danger or something to hide about Colin and Ray's relationship. Colin's parents are very supportive of his orientation, even trying to set him up on dates with other boys in town. This is a story of two men discovering aspects of themselves that they would never reveal to themselves. It just also happens to include tastefully graphic sex scenes that have rarely been depicted outside of underground cinema. The middle portion is where the clichés start to pile up, as little differences spur arguments and character decisions that we've become numb to. To be fair to Lighton, the fact that he's placing his story within a different environment doesn't mean that he has to reinvent the wheel of cinematic storytelling. It's a similar plight that was unfairly burdened Bros a few years back, with its progression of gay representation in mainstream cinema being stalled because it was still just another romantic comedy. Even in their slight sameness, both Bros and Pillion are better than the majority of the competition, which is more than enough of a reason to applaud their existence. A24 will release Pillion in select theaters on February 06th. More Reviews Primetime September 22, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Unabomber September 24, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Look Back September 16, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Elsinore September 14, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

All Quiet on the Western Front October 15, 2022 By: Button Hunter Friesen French New Wave film critic and director François Truffaut ( The 400 Blows ) always lived by his statement that “there’s no such thing as an anti-war film.” Considering the films produced around this time, it’s easy to see why Truffaut would have that opinion. Henry Fonda and John Wayne starred in The Longest Day and The Green Berets , which depicted strong, strapping men leading their troops into heroic battles to topple tyranny. Those movies made kids want to be soldiers, as reality was replaced with spectacle. Unfortunately, Truffaut died in 1984, just before Oliver Stone had his one-two punch of Platoon and Born on the Fourth of July , and Steven Spielberg (one of his dear friends, who he starred for in Close Encounters of the Third Kind ) delivered the definitive American World War II film in Saving Private Ryan . Most audiences and critics would agree that those films are anti-war, even if the action in them is a sight to behold. And I feel confident in saying that Edward Berger’s All Quiet on the Western Front will be added to that venerable list. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hf8EYbVxtCY As a director, Berger combines many different elements from some of the best films within the genre. The large-scale and gruesomely detailed battles harken back to Saving Private Ryan . We see more mud than blood as the soldiers fight for nothing more than to survive another second. The major drawback of this being released by Netflix is that the large majority of viewers will not experience the film in a theater, where the distressing sound effects ring throughout the room as shells and bullets blow by. And Volker Bertelmann’s (aka Hauschka) masterful score plays a similar role to Hans Zimmer’s in Dunkirk , creating an anxiety-inducing and haunting experience even during peaceful moments. This is not a remake of the 1930 American film version, which was awarded Best Director for Lewis Milestone and Best Motion Picture at that year’s Academy Awards. Instead, this is a readaptation of the 1928 novel by Erich Maria Remarque about his experiences during The Great War. Our story begins and ends with 17-year-old Paul Bäumer (Felix Kammerer, exceptional in his first screen role). He joined the German army along with his friends in the name of patriotic duty. But dreams quickly turn to nightmares once they reach the Western Front in Northern France, where the promise of a brutal death is more of a guarantee than the sky is blue. As a slight departure from the source material, writers Berger, Lesley Paterson, and Ian Stokell juxtapose the scenes of carnage with those of the “fat pigs” that wield power. One is played by Daniel Brühl, who is on his way to sign what would become the Armistice of 11 November 1918, which, along with the subsequent Treaty of Versailles, set such harsh terms on Germany that it’s believed to be one of the main causes for World War II. The French negotiators are not seen as heroes here, as they let their upper hand corrupt their morals. Going back and forth between this and Paul’s storyline, we get the sense that this war did not involve winners and losers. Everybody was a loser as they lost something mentally, emotionally, spiritually, or physically. And in the end, there was no point to any of it. In the film’s harrowing opening sequence, we follow a coat worn by a German soldier. The man dies in battle, and the coat is plucked off his corpse. It’s then shipped back to a factory to be washed of the blood, mended, and given to a recruit. It’s moments like this, of which there are many, where Berger masterfully illustrates the futile self-fulfilling cycle of death that war creates. All Quiet on the Western Front is not just the best film of the year; it’s one of the best of its genre. Netflix will release All Quiet on the Western Front in select theaters on October 14th, followed by its streaming premiere on October 28th. More Reviews Primetime September 22, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Unabomber September 24, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Look Back September 16, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Elsinore September 14, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple January 13, 2026 By: Button Hunter Friesen It’s devilishly and depressingly fitting that 2026 begins with a film set in an unstable wasteland. In those lost fields, the dead walk among the living. And yet, the living don’t seem to do much actual… living. They’re alone and afraid, with empty stomachs and hearts. At this point, everything is out to kill you, and the more pleasant opponent is the dead. Because for them, at least you know it’s strictly business, a primal instinct that the virus has made uncontrollable. For the other humans, you never know what you’re going to get. People want leadership, and in the absence of genuine leadership, they’ll listen to anyone who walks and talks the part. On this British isle, that’s Jimmy Crystal (Jack O’Connell, not doing a great job for Irish public relations between this and being the head vampire in last year’s Sinners ), the boy we briefly saw being inducted into this newfound hell through the devouring of his vicar father during the cold open of 28 Years Later . Now, as you guessed it, twenty-eight years later, he’s weaponized that trauma into a religious fervor to cleanse the land in the name of Satan. Following him are his “fingers,” wayward youth in desperate need of guidance, willing to also be called Jimmy and wear a blonde wig to fit in. There can only be seven fingers, so a person must kill their way into the club, which is what Spike (Alfie Williams) inadvertently does once he’s given the ultimatum. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOwTdTZA8D8 The human-induced grotesqueness within this franchise is a steady concept in the recent work by screenwriter Alex Garland. Beyond the script for the previous entry in this franchise, the most pertinent work he’s done has been the one-two punch of A24 military actioners, Civil War and Warfare . While I didn’t like the former film upon its release, I’ve slowly come to appreciate the shock that it sends down our nation’s system. Unfortunately, time is becoming its own asset, no longer needing to be rewatched in order to be experienced. But I digress. Zigging instead of zagging, Garland doesn’t continue to pile on, nor does he take the easy route of making the next installment bigger than the last one. The Bone Temple slides down a register, containing all events within a few days and only a couple of hundred yards. That titular location is where the good Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) still lives. Through a shared curiosity with local alpha, Samson (Chi Lewis-Parry), he’s inching closer to a cure for the virus. Morphine seems to help vaporize the clouds over the beast’s mind. ‘90s British pop also appears to have an alluring amount of power, everyone knowing that a little Radiohead goes a long way. There is still a place for Iron Maiden’s “The Number of The Beast,” with director Nia DaCosta shifting away from the iPhone scrappiness and towards something a little more traditionally cinematic. Everything is still visually washed out, and rushing zombies have the camera pushed in front of their snarling faces. This is hardly an action film, making every stroke of violence even more punishing. Hildur Guðnadóttir’s score transplants the breathy vocalizations from her work in Hedda (also directed by DaCosta), almost as if there’s an underworld chorus. Initially, 28 Weeks Later was my favorite in the franchise, thanks to its ability to pull back the lens and take a macroeconomic look at this epidemic. Now, The Bone Temple has ascended to the top by doing the exact opposite. Garland and Danny Boyle have coyly teased a third entry in this new series, something this film supports in its conclusion. Both the creatives and the audience deserve to see this through, not becoming a memento mori of what could have been. The ball is entirely in your court, Sony. Sony Pictures Releasing will release 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple in theaters nationwide on January 16th. More Reviews Primetime September 22, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Unabomber September 24, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Look Back September 16, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Elsinore September 14, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

Conclave September 9, 2024 By: Button Hunter Friesen Saints and sinners live among us, even in the holiest of places. As the old saying goes, it can be impossible to discern between a sheep and a wolf. And as a cardinal puts it within Conclave , no sane man would desire the papacy, and no man that seeks it should deserve it. Now that the pope is unexpectedly dead, several candidates are vying for the most powerful position in the world, one that will wield the lives of billions and thousands of years of precedent. Cardinal Bellini asks if he can keep the pope’s chessboard as a memento, a bold signifier of the game that’s about to be played. The term that the film gets its title from refers to the process of electing a new pope. Over one hundred cardinals from all over the world converge in the holy home of the Catholic church, each with their own agenda of how the church should be steered. For Cardinal Tedesco (Sergio Castellitto), the church needs to bring back the conservative views of the past. Cardinal Bellini (Stanley Tucci), while reluctant to even be considered for the position, sees an opportunity for a more progressive church that fits with the times. Somewhere along that ideological spectrum sit Cardinal Tremblay (John Lithgow) and Cardinal Adeyemi (Lucian Msamati), both of whom have gathered enough support to be viable candidates. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JX9jasdi3ic Appointed to oversee this transitional period is Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes), who must balance egos, ambitions, and media scrutiny just as much as his faith that the man most fit to serve God will prevail. He’s practically the producer for an awards show, scurrying around marble corridors as his assistants feed him every bit of news, and each cardinal tries to get a peek behind the curtain. Much of the cast and crew behind this production will likely find themselves attending awards shows through the winter. Director Edward Berger, wildly hot off the success of his adaptation of All Quiet on the Western Front , once again shows a great command of the literary material he inherited. He and editor Nick Emerson keep a slow-burning, yet propulsive energy to the proceedings. Sequences of backdoor politics and revelations of long-buried secrets cumulate into the multiple rounds of official voting. The tension is wound tight enough to cut through steel, with the score from Volker Bertelmann, aka Hauschka, providing the booming layer of intrigue. Peter Straughan, previously Oscar-nominated for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (its director, Tomas Alfredson, serves as a producer on this project), keeps the balance between thrills and social critique just as pristine as it was in Robert Harris’ novel. It doesn’t take a politically inundated American such as myself to see the real-world parallels between parties filled with brash conservatives and reluctant progressives. There are also hints of humor within this deadly serious debate, such as a Cardinal being accused of misconduct, denying all wrongdoing while struggling to operate a Keurig machine. Longstanding acting royalty fill the cast, with the highest laurels going to Fiennes. He maintains a quiet dignity as a web of lies and deceit begins to unspool right in front of him. His faith in the church as an organization is also shaken, largely because of what the eyes and ears of Sister Agnes (Isabella Rossellini) pick up as she remains hidden in plain sight. A little more time devoted to her and Tucci would have been much appreciated, mostly because they make such a meal out of the small portions doled out to them. For someone who seemed to appear out of nowhere with All Quiet on the Western Front , Berger has quickly strung together two of the finer films of the past few years. Conclave is a soap opera with as much page-turning substance as it has a prestige-like style, perfect for both the faithful and skeptics alike. This review was originally published from the international premiere at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival. Focus Features will release Conclave in theaters nationwide on October 25th. More Reviews Primetime September 22, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Unabomber September 24, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Look Back September 16, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Elsinore September 14, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

Joker October 10, 2019 By: Button Hunter Friesen After the catastrophic failure of the DC Extended Universe (DCEU), which had yet to produce a quality film, Warner Bros switched its game plan in favor of establishing single characters rather than a whole cinematic universe. The first of this new character-driven model is Joker , Todd Phillips and Joaquin Phoenix’s portrayal of how one man can go so far down the rabbit hole. The story follows Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix), a man placed on this earth “to spread joy and laughter.” The downtrodden citizens of Gotham have it bad right now, but Arthur seems to have it the worst. He’s a social outcast with mental health issues that cause uncontrollable fits of laughter, and he lives with his mother in a disgusting apartment. With the world getting crazier by the day, Arthur’s attempts to keep sane become more and more futile, leading him to the point of no return. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t433PEQGErc Directed by Todd Phillips, Joker supplants itself into its grungy setting of 1980s Gotham (very much modeled after New York City), complete with overflowing garbage and “super rats.” The swooping cinematography by Lawrence Sher highlights the grimy claustrophobia, and the unrelenting score by Hildur Guðnadóttir never allows for a moment of levity. You’re fully immersed in the cesspool that the city has become. Besides brilliantly setting the scene, the technicals also lend their hand to the creation of suspenseful and terrifying sequences of shocking violence. These acts are incredibly tough to watch — even more so when you factor in Phoenix’s no-holds-barred performance. Phillips very blatantly takes some influence (that’s the polite way of saying it) from Martin Scorsese’s great works of Taxi Driver and The King of Comedy . The structure of the story and a few key scenes look and feel ripped right out of those classics. While Scorsese is the master to take after, the whole thing here feels like a self-indulgent exercise by Phillips to make himself out to be a real auteur and not just the guy who made The Hangover trilogy. There’s an aura of artiness that is coated to imitate the feeling of thematic depth while offering little substance under the surface. Despite being about the most famous comic book villain of all time, Joker doesn’t follow the usual narrative track. There are some winks and nods that keep it connected to the Batman universe, but the story is solely focused on our central character and his mad descent. Phillips and co-writer Scott Silver stray away from the previous model that never allowed comic book movies to address societal issues. They plunge headfirst into dissecting the issues of mental health and class warfare. The pair deserves some praise for their efforts, but these attempts at making statements are handled with too little originality and nuance. Throughout the film, the only message that sticks out is that society and people are terrible and capable of bringing us down despite our best efforts. It’s a grand statement, but one that’s so over-simplistic and devoid of depth that it ends up meaning nothing. It’s merely a statement of fact that everyone has figured out throughout their life and seen in better movies before. T aking over the role following the character’s worst rendition by Jared Leto in Suicide Squad , Joaquin Phoenix is brilliant and downright terrifying as the clown prince of crime. From his maniacal laugh, contorted body movements, and rubbery facial expressions, Phoenix commands each scene and elevates some of the film’s follies. It reminds one of his equally brilliant performance as Freddy Quell in The Master , only this time, the crazy dial has been turned up to the max. You can never look away from him as he fills the entire frame. And you also never want to look away as he keeps you on the edge of your seat. In the reverse role from what he played in The King of Comedy , Robert De Niro does solid work as the comic - insulting late-night show host. It’s a role tailor-made for De Niro as he can poke fun and unintentionally spur Gotham’s societal struggles. Loud and abrasive, Joker is a film that makes a lot of noise but doesn’t say much of anything. But even with its mixed message falling flat, it still deserves praise for its boldness to go where others daren’t. Plus, it’s leagues better than anything the DCEU has and will ever offer, so there is some hope that DC characters will soon get their proper time in the spotlight. Warner Bros. Pictures will release Joker in theaters nationwide on October 04th. More Reviews Primetime September 22, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Unabomber September 24, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Look Back September 16, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Elsinore September 14, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 May 4, 2023 By: Button Hunter Friesen Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is a James Gunn film through and through, which is what automatically makes it the best MCU film since Avengers: Endgame (I know that’s an overused statement, but it’s completely true in this case, even if the bar has been continually lowered since 2019). With this supposed swan song, Gunn joins the “illustrious” ranks of Jon Watts ( Spider-Man ) and Peyton Reed (Ant-Man ) as the only directors to see their respective trilogies through to till the end (the Russo brothers are also unofficial members for their continuation of the Captain America storyline into the latter Avengers movies). Gunn sits above those mentioned simply because he also solely fulfills the role of writer, allowing a sense of a distinct personality into these overwielding blockbusters. The Guardians have settled on Knowhere after the events of Endgame , with Peter Quill / Star-Lord still being heartbroken over his breakup with Gamora after she was resurrected after being killed by Thanos (there are a lot more details, but we don’t have enough margin space for all that). Continuing their streak of the worst luck in the universe, the peaceful times are immediately interrupted by Adam Warlock, a shinier version of Superman with the mind of a child. But his brawn overpowers his mental deficiency, as he mortally injures Rocket. The raccoon’s altered anatomy prevents him from being operated on, forcing the Guardians to track down his creator, the all-powerful High Evolutionary. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3V5KDHRQvk Because Gunn has spent the two initial entries in this trilogy building a sense of camaraderie and a deep emotional connection within this makeshift family, he’s partly excused from the sin of having this movie essentially a series of fetch quests. We go to a place to grab a thing, only for that plan to fail, meaning we have to go to another place for another thing. But unlike the other MCU movies, the stakes here center around just one person we dearly care about, which grossly trounces a universe filled with nobodies. Hell, I would gladly let Arishem from Eternals consume the Earth (with me included) if it meant Rocket would immediately recover from his wounds. That deep affection for Rocket also fuels the horror and sadness of his backstory, which includes cruel experimentation upon hapless animals (Gunn cheats a bit by giving these furry creatures the wettest and cutest eyes he possibly could). The unsettling imagery heavily leans upon Gunn’s horror roots, a refreshing sight in this clean-cut universe. Another nice sight is proper visual effects and production values. There’s a night and day difference between this and Quantumania , with Rocket rivaling the work of the recent Planet of the Apes trilogy in terms of giving expressiveness to a fully visual character. While he’s never once been on-screen in person, Bradley Cooper has been the MVP of this group thanks to his impressive voice work. Gunn made the right choice, focusing a substantial portion of the story on Rocket. Still, there’s a bit too much restraint in allowing this story to go further down the route it seems to want to explore. Whether it be because of super-producer Kevin Feige’s demands or Gunn’s inability to push himself, the swings are never followed through, resulting in a respectable double instead of a home run. It also doesn’t help that the High Evolutionary is a highly watered-down version of Kang, complete with Shakespearean soliloquies about death and a generic purpose for his villainy. He’ll likely place near the lower end of the middle in all future MCU villain rankings. With Gunn now off to run DC Studios (maybe he’ll be the first person to make a good Superman movie?) and Marvel shifting focus to their newer/younger characters, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is a welcome and proper sendoff for the cast and crew of this successful franchise. It’s a distillation of what the MCU aims to deliver: heart, humor, and an all-around entertaining time. Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures will release Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 in theaters nationwide on May 05th. More Reviews Primetime September 22, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Unabomber September 24, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Look Back September 16, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Elsinore September 14, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

Den of Thieves 2: Pantera January 9, 2025 By: Button Hunter Friesen January has never been a month known for quality when it pertains to the yearly cinematic timeline. While everyone's eyeballs are trained on the artier Oscar contenders, the studios dump their unwanted offspring into the multiplexes (this time last year featured such "classics" as Nightswim, I.S.S., Founders Day , and Miller's Girl ). Every once in a while, you get a better-than-expected gem like my beloved The Beekeeper , an indulgent slice of junk food that hits the spot after months of vegetables. Den of Thieves 2: Pantera , the sequel to the 2018 crime film that has amassed a decent following over the years, aims to be that greasy burger you hate yourself for loving, although it leans a little too close to gas station quality rather than fast food. Donnie Wilson (O'Shea Jackson Jr.) has moved up in the world since we last saw him, graduating from the banks of Los Angeles to the diamond district of Europe. "It's the most secure building in continental Europe," says the concierge to Donnie as he goes undercover as a diamond seller to provide surveillance for his crew, a line that tells us all that we need to know about the outcome of this heist. 'Big Nick' O'Brien (Gerard Butler), on the other hand, is pissing his life away (both literally and figuratively) since Donnie outsmarted him. His divorce has been finalized, and his job security is hanging by a thread, giving him enough of a reason to embrace the "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" mantra and become part of Donnie's crew. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kmjAnvFw3I Sequels are about doing more than the original, which Pantera does in a literal sense. The locations are swankier, the stakes are higher, and the plan is more complicated. However, all the supporting details are less valuable than before. The cast is less interesting, and the plot is less comprehensible, leaving you yawning throughout the first half of this 148-minute beast. The only thing there's more of in those departments is the clichéd elements of previous heist films: people standing around the blueprint table explaining their roles, then later leaning over a balcony giving their backstory for why they got into this line of work. Those missteps can be slightly forgiven once the sun sets and the black ski masks are donned. Writer/director Christian Gudegast showed some remarkable chops as a first-time director of set pieces with the 2018 predecessor. He levels up his game here, trading in the loud bangs of gunfire for the silence of a job that goes according to plan. There's a great amount of tension as the crew shimmies across rooftops, moves through rooms undetected by security cameras, and places barriers at just the right angles to avoid motion detectors. Of course, things still go boom. Fast cars and machine guns become the weapons of choice, making this a gnarlier version of a Fast & Furious movie. Jackson Jr. and Butler match that brute explosiveness fairly well, although their chemistry works much better as antagonists as opposed to reluctant allies. All of this felt a little outdated in 2018, making it straight-up ancient in 2025. But that creakiness is part of the charm, flooding in rose-tinted memories of the heist movie of yesteryear. And as long as Michael Mann keeps taking his sweet time to deliver Heat 2 , these retrograde knockoffs are the best we're going to get, so we might as well be content with them. Lionsgate will release Den of Thieves 2: Pantera in theaters nationwide on January 10th. More Reviews Primetime September 22, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Unabomber September 24, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Look Back September 16, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Elsinore September 14, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

The Outrun October 4, 2024 By: Button Hunter Friesen You’re midway through your standard musician biopic. The lead singer, who was doing so well for themselves, has now been introduced to drugs. “I just need to take the edge off,” they say repeatedly, all while their friends and family plead for them to return to how they used to be. They crash out, literally and figuratively, lying in a puddle of their stench and failure. But that low valley eventually leads them to the highest mountain, with sobriety presenting an opportunity to return to their roots and rediscover their passion for life. Chances are that it didn’t take much mental strain for you to think of at least a half dozen films that fit that exact description. It’s not hard when the path has been trodden so often that there’s nothing left to admire about it. Now, let’s take that 15-30 minute sequence from all those movies and laboriously stretch it out to 120 minutes. By doing that, you’ve created The Outrun , an addiction drama in which I could have used a couple of drinks to help numb the boredom. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFv-v_wFsK8 Granted, there is a ceiling to how much a biography can be railed for being formulaic, as they all retell the events in a person’s life, something I have no right as an (uninformed) viewer to criticize as fact or fiction. Who am I to tell someone that their personal journey doesn't ring true, or isn’t unique enough to be worth adaptation? The novel that The Outrun is based on serves as a memoir for author Amy Liptrot, tracing her alcohol-fueled days in London to her rehabilitation back in her native Scotland. Liptrot, Daisy Lewis, and director Nora Fingscheidt adapt the story for the screen, crafting a nonlinear structure that leverages the grip that the past will always have on Liptrot’s stand-in, Rona (Saoirse Ronan). Weeks into her recovery period, she will face a sudden and almost unquenchable urge to drink, coupled with a flashback to the allure that alcohol had in her boozier days. Those crashes of the past and present serve as the biggest flourishes within Fingscheidt’s directorial arsenal, although the past never illuminates more than the simple fact that Rona was a volatile alcoholic who alienated her friends and family. It’s all a bit generic, from the early party days when everything was great, to the later years when she’s stumbling down the street, and everyone pleads with her to get help. Ronan dives headfirst into the material in the same way as someone like Gena Rowlands, grabbing the screen with their magnetic presence and never letting go for a second. She is the pulse that keeps this heart beating, albeit quite slowly for most of the runtime. One would have hoped that a stronger story would have supported her, as her performance, however strong it is, leaves little impression when compared to her previous work and the work of her genre contemporaries. Repetitive and labored are the traits most commonly found on the road to sobriety, although the authentic notion of translating them to the screen doesn’t favor the viewer. An addiction drama will be born, people will halfheartedly care about it, the performance will gain awards and attention, and the world will move on. It’s the circle of life, and we’re just living in between stages of it. Sony Pictures Classics will release The Outrun in select theaters on October 04th. More Reviews Primetime September 22, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Unabomber September 24, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Look Back September 16, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Elsinore September 14, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

Spider-Man: Brand New Day July 28, 2026 By: Button Hunter Friesen Although the facts don’t strictly support it, I’m feeling a sentiment that the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has rightly slowed down over the past few years, most likely out of an act of appeasement to the fans (me included) who checked out after Avengers: Endgame when the requisite three movies per year and an equal amount of eight-episode shows started to feel like Sisyphus’s punishment. But that doesn’t mean the machine stops churning, especially with the series’ biggest film yet, Avengers: Doomsday , arriving in theaters this Christmas. With fewer films available to build the blocks, more has to be stuffed in, using terms like “multiverse,” “incursion,” and “anchor beings.” I don’t know what most of it means, and I bet neither do many of you. Luckily, Marvel (and distribution partner Sony Pictures) doesn’t view their favorite web-slinger as a construction worker. As evidenced by the corporate opening logos being solely a showcase recap of Tom Holland’s now decade-spanning status as Spider-Man, this character is left to his own devices, steering the ship in whichever way suits him best. It’s good to be king, and it’s good to be us, as Brand New Day emerges as the strongest Spider-Man film in years. Partly a symptom of COVID-19 brain fog from its release during the flimsy time of 2021 and the cheap amusement park thrills (here’s looking at you, Martin Scorsese) of its multiversal crossover story that coalesced the cinematic history of the character, it’s hard to remember the lasting consequences of Spider-Man: No Way Home . As part of Doctor Strange’s spell to reset the broken multiverse, the memory of Peter Parker as Spider-Man is erased from everyone’s minds, including his love MJ and best friend Ned. This came at a time in the MCU when the concept of a multiverse was just getting started, with its unfathomable ripple illustrated with an incredibly personal consequence. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8TZMtslA3UY They say the night is darkest just before the day, but this brand new day never seems to lighten up for Peter. Opting to avoid rekindling a relationship with MJ and Ned in hopes of protecting them (and himself), Peter dives headfirst into his work, dedicating years to cleaning up New York City. The city loves him, and the villains are locked up at record speed, yet that sense of fulfillment always escapes him. It doesn’t help that his only real professional friend is Frank Castle / Punisher (Jon Bernthal), who thinks that every problem can be solved with a gun. That’s not exactly good company in a time of heavy emotional stress. A new threat emerges in the form of a telepath, moving between minds and taking control. They seem to know a lot more about Spider-Man and Peter Parker than they should, and have a vendetta against Damage Control, a sort-of local version of S.H.I.E.L.D. Compounded on that level of mistrust is Peter’s inability to trust his own body as it mutates further into arachnid form. The line between spider and human was always shifting on a metaphorical level; now it’s becoming quite literal. Taking over from Jon Watts, director Destin Daniel Cretton repositions the series in weightier territory, both tonally and in production. It’s something he supplied to Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings , at least until its fluid action and richly drawn characters were replaced with visual goop in the third act. That mistake is not replicated here, with Spidey’s web swinging accompanied by kinetic filmmaking that gets deeper inside the mask, while still attaining that cinematic whoosh thanks to Michael Giacchino’s score. There is still some visual backdrop nonsense, with Spider-Man having conversations with other characters in the street while no bystanders seem to care. Maybe that’s just a New York thing I’m too midwestern to understand. And most of the scenes involving specific characters are clearly shot entirely separately from the rest of the production, a side effect of the puzzle pieces likely still being molded until the very last minute. That intense level of intuitive cooking lends more credit to Holland’s uncanny ability to consistently string the emotional hook through each scene. His eternal boyish charm may have made him an odd fit for a few of the projects he’s done in these later adult years, but they naturally allow him to move with this character. He’s an abnormal person who wants the things all of us normal people have; the years of being deprived of it weighing him down even further. Zendaya and Jacob Batalon’s characters’ amnesia may give them a little less to do than the previous sequels, but it also means they get to revisit the charm of forming a relationship with Peter. It is a testament to the work of all those involved that Holland’s tenure has fully eclipsed his predecessors. A potent mixture of intimate drama and blockbuster entertainment is present in each entry, possibly the most (and best) in this one. In a rather directionless time for comic-book movies, here’s something that’s got heart and vision, indebted to its own story first and foremost. Better appreciate it now, because I’m afraid those qualities will become much harder to find once Doomsday comes around. Sony Pictures Releasing will release Spider-Man: Brand New Day in theaters nationwide on July 31st. More Reviews Primetime September 22, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Unabomber September 24, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Look Back September 16, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Elsinore September 14, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

Predicting the Cannes Jury President February 6, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Next to winning an Oscar, presiding over the jury of the Cannes Film Festival is one of the highest honors an artist can receive. Names such as Steven Spielberg, David Lynch, Wong Kar-wai, Cate Blanchett, and Spike Lee have achieved this illustrious status, bestowing one of cinema's biggest prizes, the Palme d'Or, on one of the twenty films within the competition section. Last year's edition was headed by Juliette Binoche, who awarded the first-place prize to Jafar Panahi's It Was Just an Accident , which illustrated a strong creative spirit in the face of political repercussions. With this year's festival right around the corner, it's time we start speculating on who will be granted the presidency. Using a mixture of acclaim, popularity, and festival history, I've come up with a list of ten names that have a viable shot of being chosen. A few ideal candidates, like Christopher Nolan, Martin Scorsese, or Asghar Farhadi, were not predicted because they either would be too busy to dedicate the time, have previously filled the position, or are speculated to have a film in competition this year. Bong Joon-ho In his last two ventures to the Croisette, Bong Joon-ho has joined the very exlcusive clubs for people who have premiered a Netflix production ( Okja ) and won a unanimous Palme d'Or ( Parasite ). The South Korean auteur rivals Guillermo del Toro for the claim of being the most beloved filmmaker in the industry. He tirelessly shares his passion with audiences and his fellow artists, which would make him an ideal candidate for presiding over the jury. Sean Baker France only recently amneded their law stipulating that films must wait at least three years after its theatricla release before they can debut on a streaming service. That dogged rigidity aligns well with Sean Baker's recent statements that he will require his films to be given a 100-day theatrical window in the United States. His apex of four Academy Awards for Anora was consistently aided by Cannes, with that film, along with Red Rocket and The Florida Project , premiering at the Grand Theatre Lumiere. Penélope Cruz Winner of the festival's Best Actress prize for Volver and an Honorary César, Cruz has been one of this century's biggest stars of international cinema. Her frequent pairings with festival legend Pedro Almodóvar have made her a mainstay over the years, always the biggest presence on the buzzy red carpet. Now seems like the right time to have her graduate above being a competitor, with her impeccable taste for projects hinting at a strong case for being president. Jacques Audiard As conflicting as his status might be in America for Emilia Pérez , Jacques Audiard is France's most accomplished director, holding the record for most individual wins in the history of the César Awards with thirteen. He's also premiered six films in competition, winning Best Screenplay ( A Self-Made Hero ), Grand Prize of Jury ( A Prophet ), Jury Prize ( Emilia Pérez ), and Palme d'Or ( Dheepan ). With that many accomplishments over a lengthy career, it seems only right that he be given the keys to the kingdom. Richard Linklater Having returned to the Croisette last year with the ten-time César Award-nominated Nouvelle Vague - a story that fawns over the influence of Cannes and French Cinema - Richard Linklater's popularity within France is certainly at an all-time high. As the defining filmmaker of "hangout movies," he certainly would be a friendly and welcoming presence for the jury. Tilda Swinton Swinton has amassed one of the most impressive filmographies of any working actor, working on multiple occasions with Cannes royalty like Pedro Almodóvar, Joanna Hogg, Jim Jarmusch, Wes Anderson, and Apichatpong Weerasethakul. She's the kind of actor every actor dreams of being, even founded her own film festival in the Scottish Highlands. Alfonso Cuarón Cuarón served on the jury once before for the president Sean Penn in 2008. He was also a special guest for the 2022 award ceremony, receiving a strong round of applause. Roma was heavily tipped to have premiered at Cannes had Netflix not go in the way, showing that the festival and filmmaker would like to deepen their relationship. Viggo Mortensen Outside of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Mortensen has always shown an aversion to blockbuster filmmaking, preferring to work with the kinds of international auteurs that Cannes prides itself on. He's also written and directed his own projects, displaying a deft touch that would lend well to the wide range of films that fill the competition section. Plus, he's fluent in six languages (English, Danish, Spanish, French, German, and Norwegian), so he'd be able to form a deeper bond with nearly every jury member! Jodie Foster Not that Jodie Foster was ever in a slump, but she is definitely on a winning streak between her Oscar nomination for Nyad and Emmy award for the fourth season of True Detective . She was also awarded an Honorary Golden Palm by the festival in 2021, and displayed her fluency in French last year with A Private Life . The world could always use more Jodie Foster, so why not put her atop the biggest stage? Guillermo del Toro As much as he loves to campaign for his films, Guillermo del Toro equally loves to champion the works of others. That level of compassion makes him an ideal candidate, as do his ties to the festival, with Pan's Labyrinth still holding the record for the longest standing ovation at 22 minutes. More Reviews Primetime September 22, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Unabomber September 24, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Look Back September 16, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Elsinore September 14, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen