TIFF26 Recap September 23, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen To participate in the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) is to simultaneously run both a sprint and a marathon. Over the eleven-day festival, 293 films were screened an average of four times each at the Princess of Wales Theatre, Roy Thomson Hall, the Royal Alexandra Theatre, the TIFF Lightbox, and Scotiabank Theatre Toronto. That’s over one thousand screenings, starting daily as early as 8:00 a.m. and ending as late as 2:00 a.m. Fervent festivalgoer Eric Tisch set a Guinness World Record last year by watching 78 feature films. As impressive and mind-boggling as that number may be, it still means he missed roughly 90% of all screenings, each one unique in the experience it offers. Therein lies the biggest asset of TIFF, as well as its biggest drawback for completionists such as myself. Spread over a dozen sections, the programmers seek to pack in as much as they can, seemingly paying homage to the festival's founding aim of being a collection of the best films from other festivals around the world, such as the closely held Venice International Film Festival and Telluride Film Festival. That goal has been expanded to include several star-studded world premieres, making every night a birth or rebirth for a film’s presence in the culture. But before a film can stick within the greater culture, it has to land within an audience’s mind, which can be difficult if they’re watching multiple films every day. Even though I attended only seven days this year instead of the full eleven, I was able to cram in thirty films. Simple math tells you I watched at least four movies a day, a few of them with runtimes eclipsing three hours. Aggressive note-taking is required to file each movie in my brain, and physical stamina is required to stay awake. But great movies always make the effort worthwhile, just like crossing the finish line after a grueling race. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a movie this year that made me levitate out of the theater like The Fabelmans , The Beast , or Hamnet did in previous years. That could be a symptom of distributors growing increasingly wary of film festivals, and my personal opinion that this year has been one of the weakest in recent memory. Still, while the ceiling was lowered, many films were closer to that than the floor. Taking the coveted People's Choice Award, as well as the top spot in my personal rankings, was the Spanish-language wartime drama La Bola Negra . The film came into the festival with a head of steam from its rapturous premiere in Cannes a few months back, and that sentiment was repeated here with standing ovations and sold-out screenings. Threading three timelines together into one epic narrative, writer/directors Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi deliver sumptuous visuals and bold editing. It's a throwback to the prestige Oscar vehicles of the '90s, with a modern twist through its homosexual subject matter. Netflix will begin rolling out the film in theaters in October, with prominent local placements at the MSP Cine Latino Film Festival and Twin Cities Film Fest. Be sure to catch it there, as it will be one of the most talked about and rewarded films of the year. The crowdpleasers I Play Rocky and Being Heumann placed second and third in the People's Choice Awards, respectively. While it could be accused of being overly simplistic and relying too much on the beats of its source material, the former is a winning retelling of Sylvester Stallone's underdog journey to becoming Rocky Balboa. Star Anthony Ippolito perfectly recreates the voice and mannerisms of Stallone, sometimes making it impossible to tell the two apart. Being Heumann goes for that same energy, albeit with more importance, as it dramatizes the 1977 Judith Heumann-led occupation of a federal building to secure accessibility laws and equal rights. The film has clear affection for its characters, many played by real-life disabled actors. It's a predictable heartwarmer, available for the whole family on Apple TV just before Thanksgiving. Undeservedly walking away empty-handed from the festival was the A24 duo of The Debut and Club Kid . Starring in the former, Julianne Moore seems like a lock to win her second Oscar for her performance as a timid housewife who loses herself in a small role as part of a local musical theater production. She earned a round of applause midway through the film for a hilarious vocal sparring session with co-star Paul Giamatti, who will also be vying for an Oscar. The latter film is Jordan Firstman's debut feature as writer/director/star, which played through the roof at my later screening. It is Big Daddy for a new generation, with Firstman taking over Adam Sandler's role as an unadjusted party promoter forced to grow up once it's revealed that he has a child. Speaking of Oscars, star Andrew Scott will surely be a contender in the crowded field of Best Lead Actor for his larger-than-life performance in Elsinore . He cries, laughs, and slowly dies from AIDS as he delivers Shakespeare. He'll be competing with John Malkovich for Wild Horse Nine , the newest film from In Bruges and The Banshees of Inisherin writer/director Martin McDonagh. This newest film doesn't break that darkly comedic mold, but it's still one of the funniest films of the year, with impressive performances from its relatively small cast. It'll be Searchlight Pictures' prized pony, releasing it starting in November. It's not always sunshine and rainbows in terms of Oscar prospects, with plenty of films being dead on arrival. Wicked star Cynthia Erivo bought the film rights and replaced Jodie Comer in the adaptation of the one-woman play Prima Facie . But by expanding the scope to include more characters, the film is stodgy and on-the-nose at every turn. It still lacks US distribution, so it's unclear when general audiences will even get to see it. A24 did suffer a small blow with Misty Green , writer/director Chris Rock's tonally confused take on the Hollywood hustle. And then Florian Zeller's Bunker turned out to be significantly worse than his previous feature The Son , which was already considered a massive disappointment. The talented Javier Bardem and Penélope Cruz are wasted in a preachy story about love that is way too easy to hate. I wouldn't be surprised if Sony Pictures Classics saves face and locks this film in a bunker. This is an international film festival after all, with plenty of great work outside of the English-speaking world. Asia arrived with the densely intellectual and lengthy features Possible Love and All of a Sudden . While rigorously rewarding in the moment, both will require lots of time afterwards to deconstruct their full messages. The frontlines of World War I were seen through an unprecedented tender lens in Coward , as was a modern-day high school field trip in La Gradiva . And while having a runtime of nearly 150 minutes kind of defeats the point of being labeled as a thriller, Andrey Zvyagintsev's Minotaur intercuts a personal tragedy with the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine. I'd like to give a special shout-out to Gabby's King West bar and the Sunset Grill, two of the only places open late and/or early enough to save me from solely subsisting on a diet of Tim Hortons donuts and movie theater popcorn. Of course, I could have just prioritized my diet a little more and skipped a movie every once in a while. But while my stomach would have been rewarded, my mind would have been starved of great artistic works, the likes of which will be carried with me infinitely longer than any piece of food. TIFF is a buffet, and I always leave a happy customer. More Reviews The Social Reckoning October 7, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Tenzing October 12, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Animals October 8, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Digger September 29, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

Verity September 30, 2026 By: Button Hunter Friesen In film, it never feels like an accident for two beautiful people to meet. They can’t just happen to walk by each other on the street or be at a coffee shop at the same time. Of course, they can, but there’s always a reason for it to happen, either intentionally by one character or by the universe. If it’s the latter, then it’s probably a sign of what’s to come, something that should be heeded before jumping off the deep end. So, when Lowen Ashleigh (Dakota Johnson) first meets Jeremy Crawford (Josh Hartnett) on a street corner because she gets sprayed with blood after a cyclist gets hit and instantly killed by a car, she probably should have taken that as a warning to stay far away from him. But how could she, when he’s standing there with his dark brown eyes and hair? That’s how these stories always start, with a jaded and reluctant protagonist at their worst. For Lowen, it’s immediately after her mother died of cancer in her own apartment. The only thing left of her is her pills, which Lowen washes down with freezer vodka and a dash of pity for her stalled career as a novelist. A lifeline appears in the form of an offer to be a ghostwriter for a bestselling thriller series by Verity Crawford (Anne Hathaway), Jeremy’s wife, who has secretly become catatonic after a recent car accident. Not more than twenty minutes after they both witnessed manslaughter, Jeremy and Lowen are discussing having her come to the Crawfords’ Vermont house to make sense of Verity’s copious notes and begin writing the new novel. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdPMKhjMSFs As nice as the house is, Lowen can’t help but feel a darkness permeating the air. Death had already taken over the place when one of Jeremy and Verity’s twins accidentally drowned in the nearby lake. Now Verity is essentially dead, sitting motionless in her wheelchair as the years go by. Stumbling around, Lowen discovers a secret manuscript by Verity, one that serves as both an autobiography and a confession. It reveals Verity’s deepest and darkest thoughts and actions, revealing that nothing about her has been what others have said. If the basic beats of this story all sound a little too similar to last year’s The Housemaid , then you’re not alone. A lonely protagonist with a dark and troubled past? Check. A palace-like house that features lots of dark hallways and rooms? Check. A husband who is extremely handsome and dutiful to his fraught wife? Check. Parts of the story are revealed through the wife’s account of the past? Check. Sexual chemistry begins to bud between the protagonist and the husband? Check. It’s neither Verity author Colleen Hoover nor The Housemaid author Freida McFadden’s fault for this large overlap. These are the types of stories that sell, ones filled with sex, death, and dark secrets. Hoover has become a cinematic goldmine for it over the years, with churned-out adaptations of It Ends with Us , Regretting You , and Reminders of Him . Each has its own twisted sense of romance, with this one at least being smart enough to put it within the shell of a dark thriller. But it does always feel like a shell of itself, going through the motions without much fanfare. Director Michael Showalter, who has become quite the journeyman over the past few years, makes us wait an awfully long time for something good to happen. And when the secrets finally get spilled, they’re without a biting edge. Johnson’s character says that she has a resting bored face, which is also what I had for the majority of the runtime. As expected, the leads are incredibly attractive. By nature of her having to sit in a wheelchair in the present timeline, Hathaway’s involvement is strictly limited to recreations of past events in her writing, as well as plugs for the Call Her Daddy and Hot Ones podcasts. A little bit of her goes a long way, an oasis in a desert filled with monthly book club filler. Amazon MGM Studios will release Verity in theaters nationwide on October 02nd. More Reviews The Social Reckoning October 7, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Tenzing October 12, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Animals October 8, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Digger September 29, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

Primetime September 22, 2026 By: Button Hunter Friesen Despite being one of the defining shows of its era, largely thanks to my generation's memory of it solely through an ironic lens of memes and YouTube clips, it's surprising to find out that To Catch a Predator only aired twenty episodes, presented as specials from 2004 to 2007. During that time, the show framed itself as being part of the larger corporate television news magazine program Dateline NBC. By placing itself under that umbrella, it made it serious journalism, something that host Chris Hansen vehemently claimed it was. But as seen through the lens of the new film Primetime , the show acted more like a privatized sting operation than a news outlet, favoring ratings over reporting. By taking us behind the scenes of the show's production, Primetime reveals just how much of it was made up. The online conversations with suspected sexual predators were done by Xavier Von Erck (Matthew Maher), founder of the watchdog group Perverted-Justice. An adult actor, known as a "decoy" because of their physical resemblance to that of a prepubescent teenager, played the child on the phone and in person. The house for the meeting was rented out, with hidden cameras in every room. It has all the makings of a Hollywood production, with producer Andie Bender (Merritt Wever) steering the ship from the video village. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fHXyqQOKL8 In theory, cutting through all that artificiality and lending some integrity should be the hosting duties of Chris Hansen (Robert Pattinson), already a winner of multiple News & Documentary Emmy Awards throughout his tenure at Dateline NBC. But when we first meet Hansen, he's performing vocal exercises while reading a prepared script. Possibly sensing how much audiences would be fascinated by Pattonson’s voice work, director Lance Oppenheim lets the actor extensively riff during this preparation phase, and later places him in a recording booth for a commercial spot. Once the predator hits their mark on the metaphorical stage, Chris reveals himself from behind a curtain, a grand entrance fit for a superhero crime fighter. The audience can then cheer as the predator is berated for his misdeeds and physically assaulted by arresting police officers. “What would have happened if I wasn't there?” is the supposed bulletproof defense that Chris flings at any skeptics of his work. To him, these predators are part of an ancient evil that cannot be tamed or fully understood, just exposed for the world to see. After all, the more light shed on darkness, the less dark it is. But can journalistic integrity be maintained when you’re making the news instead of solely reporting it? Is all this chatroom sleuthing and acting a form of entrapment, meant to parade around the prey in a humiliation ritual? When asked by a (seemingly deranged) fan why Chris doesn’t just kill the predators on the spot, he says that what he does is probably a fate worse than death. These ethical dilemmas have surrounded the show since it first aired, so screenwriter Ajon Singh isn’t exactly breaking much new ground here. Fortunately, he finds a fresher vantage point through the eyes of Dan Plumb (Skyler Gisondo), a twenty-something aspiring actor hired to become the new decoy of a thirteen-year-old boy. Without preparation or knowledge of what exactly is going on, he’s thrust into a scene with a predator, given stage instructions on how to get them over to the kitchen for Chris. It’s only after the fact that he grasps that he was performing a “scene” with a real sexual predator. If these people are as dangerous as Chris claims, was Dan unknowingly put in extreme danger? For as much as Dan is conflicted by all of this, he’s paid quite well and can be easily convinced that there is some form of justice being served. That’s exactly the attitude the NBC executives and audiences take as well, all of it presented with the least amount of professionalism needed to assuage guilt. The age of polished, scripted television is over, replaced by the grungy muck of “reality” television. A documentary filmmaker, Oppenheim takes those aesthetics and applies them to his film. The cinematography is presented with a garish videotape quality, the static so exposed you could feel it coming off the screen if you placed your hand there. Dial-up internet sounds and an unnervingly hilarious placement of Jared Fogle capture the era’s Wild West feel. Bathed in all that grotesquerie is Pattinson, adding another nutcase character to his ever-expanding collection. He is simultaneously a predator and prey to himself, relentlessly driven to gain bigger ratings than Lost once he’s promoted to a primetime slot. As much of a fool’s errand as that is, it’s something he commits his damnedest to achieve. That means no more small fish, just white whales, which any knowledgeable viewer of To Catch a Predator knows is what sunk the ship. It’s proof that Batman can only exist in comic books, as our world’s view of justice has more in common with that of The Joker. A24 will release Primetime in theaters nationwide on September 25th. More Reviews The Social Reckoning October 7, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Animals October 8, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Digger September 29, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Verity September 30, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

Unabomber September 24, 2026 By: Button Hunter Friesen In 2023, Shailene Woodley starred in the film To Catch a Killer . In it, she played a law enforcement officer working with the FBI to investigate a string of murders. The suspected killer is assumed to be highly intelligent, with a clear strategy for enacting and covering up their deadly deeds. Despite some reluctance from her colleagues, Woodley's out-of-the-box thinking is what cracks open the case. It is eventually revealed that the killer is hiding out in a rural area, where officers descend, preparing for a standoff. In 2026, Shailene Woodley stars in the film Unabomber . In it, she plays a law enforcement officer working with the FBI to investigate a string of murders. The suspected killer is assumed to be highly intelligent, with a clear strategy for enacting and covering up their deadly deeds. Despite some reluctance from her colleagues, Woodley's out-of-the-box thinking is what cracks open the case. It is eventually revealed that the killer is hiding out in a rural area, where officers descend, preparing for a standoff. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3tR6qQjbgI Save for the fact that the total number of people who have seen To Catch a Killer probably doesn't eclipse four digits, an ambitious lawyer (probably also in desperate need of work) could look for a copyright case against Unabomber screenwriters Sam Chalsen and Nelson Greaves. Then again, the Unabomber killer and extensive FBI manhunt for him is one of the most documented cases in American history, so the finger could be pointed back at the writers of To Catch a Killer for copying real life. In the end, it doesn't really matter, as neither movie has or will instill any passion within an audience likely watching because it was the first thing that appeared on their streaming service home screen. At the very least, Unabomber passes the Netflix test of staging a major action sequence within the first five minutes. Menacingly, the film opens inside a mailbox, with a random person receiving a mysterious package. The package explodes upon being opened, killing them instantly. They are another victim of the Unabomber, later revealed to be Ted Kaczynski, who killed 3 and injured 23 with this method from 1978-1995. The FBI was clueless about his identity and whereabouts, with their only tip being the killer's 35,000-word manifesto published in several national newspapers. Titled "Industrial Society and Its Future" and free of a single grammatical mistake, Kaczynski illustrated his twisted ideology in this cruel world where machines have become more important than individual autonomy. In an effort to dig up the root of this mode of thinking, a second timeline set in 1958 is introduced, going back to Ted's years as a sixteen-year-old prodigy at Harvard. Played by Jacob Tremblay, Ted is skinny and awkward, never adjusting to his classes or his peers. Happiness is only achieved when he's under the tutelage of philosophy Professor Henry Murray (Russell Crowe, returning to the Ivy League a few decades after A Beautiful Mind ). Ted agrees to participate in a series of mental tests centered around philosophical debates. For as prepared as Ted is, he's instantly ragebaited by a graduate student who treats the debate as a roast session. Already emotionally unstable, Ted decides to fight fire with fire. His anger does most of the talking, exasperating his views on the weakening value of ideas in the modern world. It's an interesting angle for Chlasen and Graves to take, one that could easily be interpreted as a warning in our increasingly fractured times. Chaos can only breed more chaos, a chain reaction that can lead a generation to believe the only way to silence your enemy is to kill them. However, those potent ideas don’t fully come alive in this film, buried under so-so acting and/or Janus Metz's direction. A digital sheen robs the richness of both time periods, and the crosscutting between them never feels purposeful. A few chase scenes are horribly staged and edited, coming off as perfunctory excuses for action in this dialogue-heavy story. Excise the later timeline, and those problems are fully solved. We’ve already got several television shows and documentaries about the manhunt for Kaczynski, so it feels like a waste of an opportunity to make only half a commitment to doing something different. Netflix will release Unabomber on its streaming service on September 25th. More Reviews The Social Reckoning October 7, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Digger September 29, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Verity September 30, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Primetime September 22, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

Elsinore September 14, 2026 By: Button Hunter Friesen For me, there isn’t a smoother way to start a film than by listening to the hum of the studio logo for Focus Features. The gentle strings take me back to when I first dove deeper into movies. My lexicon was the Oscars, and I'd dig into each year’s Wikipedia page to see the nominees and winners. Naturally, my gaze shifted towards the 2000s, the period when I would recognize the names of famous movie stars who appeared in some of my favorite blockbusters. With big award hits like The Pianist , Brokeback Mountain , and Atonement , Focus Features was prominently featured in those Wikipedia pages, placing itself as the preeminent distributor for serious-minded cinephiles. Of course, that’s a bit of a hoity-toity way to see things. But I was a teenager who wanted to take movies seriously, and to seem serious to other people. Who didn’t back then? Many of those films became some of my favorites, relics of a different era that I fondly look back on. Trying its hardest to recapture that unashamed sense of Oscar earnestness (“bait” is the pejorative word used sometimes) this year is Focus Features’ Elsinore , proudly splashing its emotional gamut across the screen for all to see, inviting tears, laughter, and catharsis. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzopCeFAWF0 Much of the laughter comes from the predicament actor Ian Charleson (Andrew Scott) has put himself in by starring in the 1981 Best Picture-winning film Chariots of Fire . Myself included, it’s a film people only remember for its opening scene: young men racing barefoot along the beach, accompanied by the famous piano anthem by Vangelis. You’ve definitely heard it before, even if you didn’t know that it originated from that film. Charleson never got the career boost one would expect from leading such a major motion picture, continuing the decade as a working actor in less-than-ideal parts for television and film. In every audition, someone reminds him of that film, a curse he has to politely laugh off. Not a laughing matter was the secret of Charleson’s homosexuality, as well as his HIV/AIDS diagnosis. The marks on his skin from the disease make him a professional liability; the stigma permeates throughout both casting halls and doctors’ offices. Luckily, he has an ally in National Theatre artistic director Richard Eyre (Johnny Flynn), who’s been put in a tough spot after Daniel Day-Lewis abruptly walked out halfway through a performance of Hamlet and refused to ever come back (true story). Eyre gives Charleson the role he’s always dreamed of, establishing a new sense of life for a man on a death sentence. While few remember Charleson’s performance in Chariots of Fire , everyone will remember Andrew Scott’s portrayal of him during this period. It is acting in all capital letters, offering a raw look into someone grappling with their own mortality as they take on an immortal role. He is witty with a joke, especially to the disapproving Dr. Margaret Johnson (Olivia Colman, coming full circle after playing a theater owner who hosted the regional premiere of Chariots of Fire in Empire of Light ). She grants years when other doctors can only muster weeks; her stern methods eventually pioneer practices for medical research. Of course, a steely doctor always warms up to their most rascally patient. It’s not hard for her to do that when Scott/Charleson is lighting up every room he walks into with his sincerity. It’s why he’s such a good actor, somehow never telling a lie as he makes you believe he’s the Prince of Denmark. Director Simon Stone keeps the depth of field shallow and the palette cool, allowing Scott’s face to be our north star throughout this largely weepy story. As a famous performer of Hamlet himself, it’s endlessly fascinating to watch him channel the role within another role, adding new layers of context to material that has spanned almost half of a millennium. This is a film that bluntly wants you to feel exactly what it wants, when it wants. It can be a bit aggravating at times to be steered so hard in each direction, with screenwriter Stephen Beresford underlining and bolding each point with a dark felt pen. Stefan Gregory’s orchestra and piano score share the same strategy, grabbing hold of our ears as editor Valerio Bonelli cuts montages of the rehearsals and performances. This is Shakespeare after all, so a little melodrama is par for the course. Elsinore had its Canadian premiere at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival. Focus Features will release the film in select theaters on November 20th. More Reviews Digger September 29, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Verity September 30, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Primetime September 22, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Double click the dataset icon to add your own content. 1/1/2035 By: Author Name Hunter Friesen

Look Back September 16, 2026 By: Button Hunter Friesen By shepherding a live-action adaptation of the 2021 manga sensation Look Back , which already got an anime adaptation in 2024, writer/director Hirokazu Kore-eda could have easily faltered and made a copy of a copy of a copy. After all, once those boxed frames from the pages have been granted motion through animation, how much more can a live-action version hope to achieve? It’s a valid question, especially in an age when Disney has self-imposed the stigma of sloppification on its greatest animated works by mass-producing exponentially inferior live-action versions. They may each make hundreds of millions to almost a billion dollars (well, except for the latest version of Moana , thank goodness), but I doubt anyone felt the realism added an ounce of new context to the emotional power of these stories. Of course, what separates those Disney films from this version of Look Back is a world-class filmmaker like Kore-eda. Having a nearly flawless thirty-year filmography filled with emotional richness and deeply humanistic values, the revered Japanese auteur is the perfect person for this job of adapting such a touching story of youthful creativity. At the very least, his involvement makes this inherently needless version fully satisfactory for both die-hard fans and newcomers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNQJAIgYRwE Despite being beholden to Tatsuki Fujimoto’s illustrations and Kiyotaka Oshiyama’s animations, Kore-eda and cinematographer Senzo Ueno imbue them with lush warmth. Captured in 35mm with a boxier 1.66:1 aspect ratio across each of the four seasons, the Japanese countryside is presented in its most breathtakingly beautiful form. Swans float on a calm lake as light snow falls, the wind blows across a spring meadow, and the trees begin to obtain their autumnal glow. Witnessing those seasons through her window is Fujino, a grade school girl whose popular in her class because of her whimsical manga drawings. They’re published each week in the class newspaper, usually about some silly situation she’s imagined for her classmates or teacher. The praise is motivation for her to commit to her craft all day and night, destined to be a professional when she’s older. Except that all turns around when she’s made to share her column with Kyomoto, who attends school remotely. In contrast to Fujino’s, Kyomoto's drawings are like an architect's; filled with straight lines, highly realistic settings, and perfect shading. It’s enough for Fujino to quit drawing altogether, as there’s no point in pursuing this dream when people like Kyomoto are so far ahead. More seasons pass, with the children eventually crossing paths. To Fujino’s surprise, Kyomoto is her biggest fan, her awkward enthusiasm likely coming from her being on the spectrum. And so, the two decide to create a manga together, forming a deep friendship through the power of creativity. Tenderly, Kore-eda captures their creative process, which seemingly spans multiple years. Each subsequent scene takes place in a different season than the last, and the actresses change as they grow into the next phase. Each transition into a new pairing is seamless, carrying forward the sweet notes of innocence. There really aren’t any stakes or drama, just heartwarming fulfillment. That charm is eventually lost once the pair reach young adulthood. A tragedy ignites the third act, one that feels totally out of place and a little excessive for this story. As a newcomer to this story, blame should first go on Tatsuki Fujimoto for its origination, and also on Kore-eda for its depiction here. There are still fleeting moments of brilliance, but they are clouded by a disappointing feeling over this sudden pivot. Even with that bitter taste, the whole is still very nutritious for the heart and soul. This is a perfect film for Sunday afternoons in all seasons, best complemented by a blanket and some tea. Shed a tear, have a laugh, and feel a smile on your face during and long after. Look Back had its North American premiere at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival. GKIDS will release it in theaters at a later date. More Reviews Digger September 29, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Primetime September 22, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Unabomber September 24, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Elsinore September 14, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

The Monkey February 17, 2025 By: Button Hunter Friesen The tagline for The Monkey , the new film by writer/director Oz Perkins, says that "everybody dies, and that's fucked up." You know what else is fucked up? Watching a filmmaker you've admired over the years torch all that goodwill with the same hellbent rage that Adam Scott has for the titular toy monkey during the film's cold open. This is not Longlegs , both in terms of the tone and overall quality. How and why Scott came to hate this monkey is a bit of a mystery. Even he's not exactly sure what it does, only that bad things happen whenever you turn the key on its back and let it bang its drum. And the definition of "bad" here isn't just a stubbed toe or missing the bus. It's the kind of bad that results in an extremely gruesome death in a series of events that would even make Rube Goldberg blush. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=husMGbXEIho The simplicity and inevitability of the threat that this primate possesses is where Perkins - adapting from the 1980 short story of the same name by Stephen King - finds his kernel of truth about the balance between life and death. Any of us could die at any time by any combination of causes. "It's like life," reads the box that the monkey comes nicely wrapped in, a sentiment echoed by the mother (Tatiana Maslany) of twin brothers Hal and Bill (played by Christian Convery as kids, and Theo James as adults). The boys learn firsthand on several instances the cruel power that life has to give and take away from you at any moment. Like me, just being aware of the concept of the Final Destination and Dumb Ways to Die franchises gives you more than enough familiarity with this concept. Perkins doesn't offer much of anything beyond the surface-level observations, opting for the comedy-horror tonal balance to do much of the heavy lifting. But between several horribly unfunny and/or funnily unscary sequences, the only facial expression you'll be making is one of annoyance. That weightless unpleasantness also applies to the deaths that litter the runtime. While everything that is happening to the people around the boys is horrifying, Perkins always dons a dastardly smile. A falling shotgun here, a slippery kitchen knife there, it's all supposed to make you simultaneously wince and howl with laughter. The suspense of the unknown in Longlegs has been replaced with the suspense of the inevitable. Granted, that is the point. It just makes everything feel so tedious, with a filmmaker taking us on several extra laps around a track that wasn't that good the first time. What is good is James' dual performance. Most of his time is spent as Hal, the smaller of the twins, who constantly gets bullied and belittled. His ruggedly good looks and tall frame are submerged under glasses and a sheepish demeanor. Between him, the physical monkey doll, and the frames concocted by Nico Aguilar, The Monkey does at least have some visual splendors to enjoy. But the occasional treats for my eyes do not make up for the wretched experience that the rest of my body and soul were put through. Neon will release The Monkey in theaters nationwide on Feb. 21st. 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

Eileen December 7, 2023 By: Button Tyler Banark More than any year in recent memory, 2023 has been a time for the great debate of when a long movie becomes too long. With three-hour feats like Oppenheimer , Killers of the Flower Moon , and Beau is Afraid taking up the big screen, runtimes and pacing have been common topics for dissection and discussion. On paper, Eileen should have nothing to do with those already mentioned on account of its 100-minute runtime and tiny cast. And yet, it feels even longer than those, seemingly a three-hour movie stuck in the body of a ninety-minute one. Based on the 2015 crime novel of the same name, Eileen follows the titular character (Thomasin McKenzie) as she works at a juvenile detention center in 1960s Boston. She’s a quiet young woman who isn’t in love with her job (or much of anything for that matter), but it does provide an escape from her miserable home life, where she takes care of her widowed, deadbeat alcoholic father (Shea Whigham). Her life becomes anything but quiet when she meets a new co-worker at the prison, Rebecca (Anne Hathaway), the free-spirited doctor who takes Eileen under her wing. Things are good at first, flirty even. But the more time they spend together, the more Eileen becomes roped into something that Rebecca is hiding under the surface. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otDHCJcdN34 Again, on paper, that’s a simple synopsis I can enjoy rather quickly. The result ends up being the exact opposite, as everything that unfolds either feels out of place or is an attempt at a mind-blowing plot twist. Take a scene where Eileen and Rebecca are approached by a couple of men while at a bar. Rebecca turns to Eileen and asks her if she wants to dance, calling Eileen by her name instead as an act of seeming playfulness. It’s a moment that doesn’t get brought up afterward, nor does the movie care to explain why this happened. Pacing is another one of the biggest reasons Eileen doesn’t work. Scenes are rushed or cut down right as things are about to go somewhere, while others test patience. The first half hour features a moment when Eileen fantasizes about an encounter with a young correctional officer. But right as the temperature starts to climb, it cuts to the next scene. Fast forward to the last half hour, and you’ve got Eileen and Rebecca getting involved in a lethargically paced dark situation. Although McKenzie and Hathaway are the prominent stars, their performances feel shallow. McKenzie, in particular, has left me confused these past few years. She’s previously given standout performances, most notably in 2019’s Jojo Rabbit and 2021’s Last Night in Soho . At the same time, there’s stuff like M. Night Shyamalan’s Old, where she’s out of place with her American accent and line deliveries that seem to come off a cue card. Eileen falls similarly to Old , leaving her unable to adapt to the environment while donning an unconvincing Boston accent. Hathaway isn’t unlocking anything new or exciting, with Rebecca feeling somewhat familiar to her previous showy roles. It’s a shame that she and McKenzie do have chemistry and play it up, yet it’s never satisfyingly explored beyond the titillating surface. The same treatment goes to Whigham, whose character’s inherent complexity from alcoholism and dejection is reduced to just a string of drunken mumbles. Adding insult to injury for these dull characters are dull visuals. Ari Wegner’s cinematography displays poor lighting and uninspired camera work, with the kaleidoscopic shots prominently sold in the trailer left either underutilized to the point of total absence. Also featured is a weighted score by Richard Reed Parry, most notably known as a core member of Arcade Fire. There’s a tonal imbalance between gritty noir and modern thriller, something reflected in director William Oldroyd’s handling of the material. With its bothersome pacing and unfulfilling performances from its talented cast, Eileen is undoubtedly one of the worst of the year. I don’t think McKenzie or Hathaway have been in a movie as bad as this, one that has its sights set on undermining their talent at every turn until they have nothing left. That’s all Eileen really is: a whole lot of nothing. Neon will release Eileen in select theaters on December 01st. 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

Smile 2 October 16, 2024 By: Button Hunter Friesen It’s crazy that Smile 2 so casually assumes that you haven’t seen Smile , the $200 million smash hit and global marketing sensation. How else could one explain the gumption that writer/director Parker Finn has to repeat all of the beats of his previous film, even down to the exact same twists and explanations for what is going on? There could be a slight excuse if this was released several years later and given a semicolon title like Smile: Rebirth or Smile: A New Chapter . But no, this is literally Smile 2, and it’s only been two years (or one day for someone like me who watched the first film in preparation), so we’re all left to experience déjà vu. Finn is a talented craftsman, engineering some decent setpieces through brilliant camerawork and sound design. His use of creeping camera pans is commendable, stirring up the tension as he allows our minds to create temporarily unseen terror. The opening sequence exemplifies all of this, taking place almost immediately after the ending of the first film. Joel (Kyle Gallner) is afflicted with the curse that besieged Rose, needing to rid himself of it through either murder or suicide. He attempts one of those options in an extended long take that traverses in and out of a drug house, capped with the other option. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HY6QFlBzUY Time goes by, and the location changes, but the circumstances remain the same. Skye Riley (Naomi Scott) is your average pop star attempting to make a comeback world tour after a falling out with drugs and alcohol. She still has a drug dealer, but only for Vicodin to help with her back pain caused by a car accident that killed her then-boyfriend. What begins as a suspected bad drug trip turns into something much more sinister once the dealer sports an eerie smile and bashes his face in with a barbell plate. The chain of haunting ensues, ranging from terrible visions to… well, pretty much just visions. If you were to list all of the terrible things that happened to Skye in this film, the majority of them didn’t actually happen. The stakes get increasingly lowered each time something gets interrupted by Skye jolting awake, only to realize it was all just a dream. It’s no different than the age-old complaint of the Marvel movies undercutting every emotional moment with a joke. But even in those dreams, the scares aren’t conveyed as effectively as they were the first time. For as much as Finn knows how to set something up, he opts for the balloon-popping jumpscare nearly every time. If you listen for the silencing audio cue, you can guess when it’s going to come without fail. It takes a lot of skill to scare people, and a whole lot less to startle them. Finn has what it takes to truly scare you, and there were several moments here where I could almost taste it. There are inklings of other themes outside of the well-worn topic of trauma that the first film embraced so enthusiastically. The pressures of fame compress Skye at every moment, with hundreds of people depending on her at every moment. She never smiles outside of performing, hoping that faking it will eventually lead her to making it. The increased production budget, most likely supplied through the blatant product placement of Voss Water, allows for some of those intricately choreographed stage shows to highlight the physical and mental demands placed on those just looking to entertain us. Of course, if you want to see the total unraveling of a popstar due to the metaphysical darkness that lurks behind every corner, you’re better off with Vox Lux , which should be all the rage now with the director’s new film, The Brutalist , making waves on the festival circuit. Smile 2 saves its best idea and single shot for the absolute end, presenting a unique idea for what could be in store for Smile 3 . If only Finn had decided to expedite that process and save us the two tedious hours to get there. Paramount Pictures will release Smile 2 in theaters nationwide on October 18th. 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

After Yang March 7, 2022 By: Button Hunter Friesen What does it mean to be human? It’s a question that has baffled the greatest minds for thousands of years. There is no single answer, and just about every possible answer produces another exponential round of questions. But despite the daunting task set upon by any sedulous searcher, 2021 and 2022 have seen several filmmakers offer their own opinion on the matter. Revered master Apichatpong Weerasethakul gave us Memoria , a film with a meditative atmosphere that not so much answers questions, but leads the viewer down their path of contemplation. Through the process of human cloning, Benjamin Cleary’s Swan Song begged the question, can human identity be passed on and perfectly emulated by inorganic beings? Through the use of two brilliant Mahershala Ali performances, Cleary’s delicate parable of lost love showed the power of interconnectedness. And now, debuting before and after the previously mentioned films with its early Cannes world premiere and its U.S. premiere at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival, comes After Yang , a mixture of reality and poetry that breathes through its slow-brew atmosphere. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kwp32zLc08c The second half of the title comes from the name of the perfectly human-like android within the multi-racial household of father Jake (Colin Farrell), mother Kyra (Jodie Turner-Smith), and child Mika (Malea Emma Tjandrawidjaja). Yang was brought into the fold at the same time as Mika was adopted from China as a way to connect her to her ancestral roots. For years, life has gone by as planned with Jake overseeing his tea shop, and Yang acting as Mika’s main point of contact for her identity crises. One day, that peaceful cycle breaks down when Yang enters a catatonic state. As they attempt to bring him back, Jake and Kyra learn more about Yang’s deeper connection to their daughter and the memories he harbored in a life outside his family. Writer/director Kogonada started out in video essays examining the themes of some of cinema's greatest auteurs, such as Alfred Hitchcock, Yasujirō Ozu, and Ingmar Bergman. And now, with only two films to his name, Kogonada is already entering the conversation as one of the best humanistic directors of the modern era. His previous feature, Columbus , made use of precise visuals that synchronized with the gentle storytelling. It was a high-wire act of writing and directing made to look remarkably simple. After Yang maintains that same level of stillness as it transplants its setting from modern Indiana to the distant future, where all of humanity has melded into a semi-perfect homogenous society. Production designer Alexandra Schaller takes an East Asian inspiration for the architecture, complete with straight lines, tranquil gardens, and minimalist spaces. The stillness transfers to the performances as well, with Farrell at his most introspective and compelling. It harkens back a bit to his work with Yorgos Lanthimos in The Lobster and The Killing of a Sacred Deer , with the dialed-back emotions and an everyman disposition. He serves as a perfect gateway into this strange, new world. The parts where the film reaches its peak are the sequences where Jake accesses Yang’s memories. In those moments, everything within the film seemingly comes together, as Kogonada (also serving as his own editor) leans into the humanistic side of Alexander Weinstein’s 2016 short story. From his memories, Jake sees the empathy and compassion that Yang experienced and shared over time, and how he passed them on to Mika through everyday lessons. The string-filled music of ASKA brings overwhelming emotional power when it gets paired with heartbreaking visuals. After Yang is full of grace and compassion, with a touch of melancholy to make it a truly reflective experience of the human soul. It merges American sci-fi with the softer side of independent cinema, which makes it a perfect project to be under the A24 umbrella. An official release date has yet to be announced, which has justifiably angered cinephiles who have been left out in the cold. But when the day comes that this gem is opened for all to see, that patience will be greatly rewarded. A24 and Showtime will release After Yang simultaneously in select theaters and on streaming on March 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

The Holdovers September 12, 2023 By: Button Hunter Friesen Between its retro production titles, popping sound, dissolved editing, and grainy cinematography, Alexander Payne’s The Holdovers is not just a film that is set in 1970; it looks and feels like it was made during that time. The Omaha-born writer/director (only directing in this outing) returns from a six-year hiatus after the disappointing Downsizing , delivering one of his best films through a great story and equally great characters. The titular band of misfits at Barton Academy are those who have been left behind during the two-week holiday break. They’re the ones who can’t go home to their families, either because they don’t have one or they’re not welcome. The curmudgeonly history teacher Paul Hunham (Paul Giamatti) presides over them. He’s been handed this shit detail because none of the other teachers like him (the students share that sentiment), and because he’s also all alone. The worst of his troublemaking leftovers is Angus Tully (Dominic Sessa). He has a supernatural talent for getting into trouble and pushing Paul’s buttons. But he’s also a very gifted student, consistently getting the top score in class, a nearly impossible feat due to the rigors of the course and Paul’s torturous teaching style. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhKLpJmHhIg Also left with Paul and Angus is the school’s cook Mary. She’s decided to stay put to be with the memory of her son, as he was enrolled in the school before being drafted and killed in Vietnam a few months back. These three unlikely companions form a holiday family, going on misadventures together and learning something about each other and themselves. Nothing about writer David Hemingson’s past indicated that he would make such a bitingly funny and introspective script, let alone on the first try, at least in the realm of feature films. He’s written for a couple of television shows, none too noteworthy except for the short-lived Kitchen Confidential starring pre-fame Bradley Cooper. Paul’s insulting Latin phrases and general disregard for his students’ confidence put up a tough exterior, one that will take a large tool and persistence to crack. Giamatti is masterful with his barbs, getting under your skin with ease as you consistently plead, “Why can’t you just be nice?” Yet he’s always likable, with the later sections of the movie interestingly pulling back the layers of his past. Much of that later warmth also comes from Sessa and Randolph’s performances. Sessa delivers an astounding debut performance, overcoming many of the rookie tropes. The pain of Randolph’s character is felt in every scene, but she refuses to make it her whole personality. She’s hilarious when she checks Giamatti’s callousness and provides the warmth Angus needs at this difficult time. I expect and fully support Oscar campaigns for each of these performers. Through his directorial choices, Payne makes The Holdovers into a Christmas classic for adults. The cinematography glows like a warm fire and the relaxed pacing allows these characters to breathe. This is a melancholic film, with Payne knowing that the holidays are not full of yuletide cheer for everyone. But there are still seasons' greetings to be had, just enough to make you want to be a better person and stay close to those that matter most. What more could you ask for in times like these? This review was originally published from the international premiere at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival. Focus Features will release The Holdovers in select theaters on October 27th, followed by a nationwide expansion on November 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

Sometimes I Think About Dying January 26, 2023 By: Button Hunter Friesen Those who have worked in an office setting will find plenty to admire and shudder about in Sometimes I Think About Dying , director Rachel Lambert’s adaptation of the 2019 short film of the same name. Lambert essentially sticks a camera within a small office on the Oregon coast, acting as a fly on the wall as a group of strangers fills their ho-hum days with small talk and routine socializing. Except there’s one person in the office who seems incapable of engaging in that sort of mindless thing. Fran (Daisy Ridley), always dressed in plain clothes and found sitting at her desk adjusting spreadsheets, can go for days without talking to anyone. This prolonged silence isn’t because she dislikes her coworkers, but more of a defense mechanism to keep people from finding out what’s underneath. Things change suddenly when a new employee, Robert, comes to town. He seems to be a translator between Fran and the rest of the world, slowly pulling her out of her shell. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idtCErzXixE One of the things revealed early on comes from the name of the film, which is that Fran sometimes drifts off into space during the day. But she doesn’t fantasize about romantic endeavors or if they forget to turn the stove off. No, she thinks about all the different ways she could die, such as hanging from the large crane outside her office window or being consumed by insects in the nearby forest. Lambert, collaborating with cinematographer Dustin Lane and production designer Robert Brekco, stages these fantasies with surreal beauty. They may only be brief glimpses, but they stick with you long after. Lane’s camera never moves, often keeping the background out of focus as Fran eavesdrops on her coworkers. These moments can go on for extended periods, acting as a way to slowly enter the world of Fran. But it also feels like there’s not a ton on the page like it needs to be stretched in order to fit within the required feature runtime. Ridley does deliver one of her best performances as Fran, ditching the movie star swagger of the Star Wars films in favor of an extremely stripped-down inhabitation of a character. She speaks maybe five lines within the first thirty minutes, yet you’re endlessly fascinated with learning more about her. It is unfortunate that later on, those simple questions aren’t answered, leaving you just as unsatisfied as when you started. Sometimes I Think About Dying is a small movie with a small scope, buoyed by some intriguing visuals and a standout performance from an actress who looks ready to take on this new side of her career. As a twelve-minute short film, it’s a bit too short. And as a ninety-minute feature film, it's a bit too long. Somewhere out there is a perfect 45-60 minute version of this story. But it’s not here right now, which is a shame. This review was originally published from the world premiere at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. Oscilloscope will release Sometimes I Think About Dying in select theaters on January 26th. 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