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Babylon December 16, 2022 By: Button Hunter Friesen With dashes of Singin’ in the Rain, Boogie Nights, The Wolf of Wall Street, Uncut Gems , and Mulholland Drive , Damien Chazelle’s Babylon is a true auteurist epic in every sense of the word. It’s a 188-minute deconstruction of Old Hollywood mythology, complete with cocaine, fast cars, projectile vomit, glitzy actors, underground sex dungeons, and buckets of style. There isn’t anything like it this year, or any year for that matter. Things kick off with a bang in 1926 at a house party in Bel-Air. Inside is a who’s who of Hollywood royalty and up-and-comers. Busting down the door and attracting all the eyes is Jack Conrad (Brad Pitt), a Jack Nicholson-esque star who only seems to exude charm. Literally crashing through the gate is Nellie LaRoy (Margot Robbie), barely clothed and ready to get people’s attention. “You don’t become a star, you either are one or you aren’t, and I am,” she says as she struts to the dance floor where dozens of naked men and women perform acts of debauchery on par with Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom . Returning from his elephant (yes, the one you would find in the jungle or the zoo) delivery is Manny Torres (Diego Calva), a dreamer wanting to be part of something bigger, something that lasts. Providing the musical entertainment for the evening is Sidney Palmer (Jovan Adepo) on the trumpet and Lady Fay Zhu (Li Jun Li) with her sexually charged ballads. From this night on, these five characters will have their stories cross paths on several occasions. They’ll star be featured in some of the biggest moments of the Silent Era, and also find themselves hurtling during its downfall. The rise of talkies will bring about a new style of filmmaking, one that’ll benefit some, and destroy others. But through it all, they’ll find a way to create a legacy that lives beyond their mortal lives. This house party, with all its moral depravity and excessiveness, is only the tip of the iceberg of the messed up stuff Chazelle has jam-packed within his rapid-fire screenplay. After the goodness of La La Land and the conventionalism of First Man (and I mean both of those in the best way possible), this film feels as if Chazelle has reached the teenage portion of his career, where curse words and sexual promiscuity flow as if he’s just discovered fire. Thankfully, Chazelle shows no signs of immaturity as a director. As a way to remind all of us why he became the youngest person to be awarded the Best Director Oscar, he adopts a wildly infectious form of controlled chaos, with simultaneous scenes crashing into each other to the beat of Justin Hurwitz’s blaring jazz score. It’s incredibly showy work, but something that perfectly fits within the unhinged glory often found in this period. The train does come off the rails from time to time, particularly in the closing five minutes where Chazelle’s thesis statement becomes a bit too heavy-handed. And some characters get lost in the shuffle for extended periods, begging the question of if some material was left on the cutting room floor. But I love messy films that aren’t afraid to swing for grand slams when there’s only one out, rather than go for the practical approach of a sacrifice fly ball. Chazelle has more than earned himself this exercise in self-indulgence and outrageousness, and we’re all better for witnessing it. And it also doesn’t hurt to have career-best performances from Pitt and Robbie, starring in their third movie together and finally being allowed to share scenes. Calva doesn’t get blinded by the star power around him as he acts as our guide through this deranged world. He eventually carves a spot for himself, influencing film history on a more profound level than he could ever imagine. Also along for the ride are supporting/cameo performances by Jean Smart, Olivia Wilde, Katherine Waterston, Max Minghella, Spike Jonze, and Tobey Maguire as a weasel-like sociopath. My biggest fear is that Chazelle may have inadvertently made his generation’s Heaven’s Gate : An overly ambitious auteur epic that proves to be too much for audiences and critics, leading to a decline in filmmaker power within the Hollywood studio system. Of course, I don’t believe this film will lead to something that dramatic, but I also can’t imagine casual moviegoers John and Jane Doe coming out of this film with their heads still on straight, nor Paramount recouping the $100+ million they've spent. So, if my worst fears become a reality, I only have one thing to say. To paraphrase Danny Boyle’s Steve Jobs : If Babylon causes the downfall of auteurs in Hollywood, it will have been well worth it for those that watched the movie (and survived). More Reviews One Battle After Another September 24, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen A Christmas Party September 23, 2025 By: Tyler Banark Him September 18, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Swiped September 19, 2025 By: Tyler Banark Hunter Friesen

Eden September 10, 2024 By: Button Tyler Banark Eden had its World Premiere at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival. Vertical Entertainment will release it in theaters on August 22, 2025. Ron Howard’s recent track record has been met with absolute inconsistency. It seems as though since his Best Picture-winning film A Beautiful Mind , he hasn’t hit a home run or at least gotten more than a double. He’s known to be a “safe” director, which is the case as many of his movies, especially recent ones, don’t shoot for the moon or offer any new substance. The worriers should be pleased that Eden looks to end this streak, as it’s Howard’s best movie in years, as well as his darkest one ever. It is a gritty thriller that sees a stacked cast consisting of Jude Law, Vanessa Kirby, Sydney Sweeney, Daniel Brühl, and Ana de Armas play a game of survival of the fittest that is sure to be jaw-dropping for all viewers. Set in the late 1920s, Eden follows three groups of Germans who fled their country to the island of Floreana in the Galápagos Islands. Law and Kirby play a doctor and his handicapped wife, looking to find solace on the island as the first to do so in an attempt to escape from society. Sweeney and Brühl are a couple with a young son looking for a new start, while de Armas is an enigmatic socialite looking to build the nicest hotel in the southern hemisphere. The three groups find themselves at odds when looking to establish dominance and power amongst each other. Everything that happens from there is sheer bedlam as each group plays mind games to try and turn certain characters against each other. To say things get dark for a Howard movie would be a gross understatement, but it’s best to leave audiences knowing as little about it as possible beforehand. Right out of the gate, the cast delivers strong performances, from the subtle Kirby and Law to the loud and expressive Brühl and Sweeney. However, de Armas is the MVP of it all, taking on a character far from what we’ve previously seen from her. The Baroness is an evil, manipulative woman whose welcoming demeanor comes off as fittingly reckless and untrustworthy. When we first meet her, she’s being carried off the boat by two servants who are to help her build the hotel. The way de Armas toys with the other island residents and her helpers is devious, and she executes the character’s intentions phenomenally. She’s always been able to adapt to different accents, as she dons an unmistakable German one mixed with other parts of Europe. Sweeney is another contending standout as she gives another fierce performance (similar to her recent horror flick Immaculate ). Howard’s direction and translation of his and Noah Pink’s script are impeccable. Throughout the plot, audiences can never tell whether the characters are playing chess or checkers, with motivations constantly fluctuating. The plot is well-planned and thought out, and the production value fits tremendously. There are some speed bumps in its cinematography and score. DP Mathias Herndl has difficulties shooting this movie, with the coloring giving a grainy color scheme, and the camerawork takes time to find its footing. Hans Zimmer’s score is routine, which unfortunately falls in line with the majority of his work as of late (the Dune films serving as the exception) Of everything Howard has made thus far, Eden is one of his boldest films, not simply because of its haunted qualities. It speaks volumes and provides a resonant tale, as his best works do. Eden is no different by showcasing how ugly humanity can be in the face of fight-or-die situations. The cast he assembled is one of the year’s best, and it will surely be a conversation topic once it’s picked up for distribution and seen by audiences everywhere. You can follow Tyler and hear more of his thoughts on Twitter , Instagram , and Letterboxd . More Reviews One Battle After Another September 24, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen A Christmas Party September 23, 2025 By: Tyler Banark Him September 18, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Swiped September 19, 2025 By: Tyler Banark Hunter Friesen

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

Titane July 15, 2021 By: Button Hunter Friesen Titane had its World Premiere at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival. Neon will release it in theaters on October 01. Containing some of the most disgusting and in-your-face grisliness that has ever graced the silver screen, Julia Ducournau’s Titane holds you like a vice grip from minute one, refusing to let you go no matter how much you squirm. The experience of watching the film can borderline on torture, as violent punishment is enacted in ways that can only be seen to believe. The screening of the film at the Cannes Film Festival resulted in several walkouts within the first fifteen minutes, of which I do not blame certain viewers who are squeamish. Those that can stomach the film will be rewarded with an exhilarating story about acceptance and companionship told by one of the most original emerging filmmakers. A newcomer to the film scene, the French auteur (a status she has achieved in my books) Julia Ducournau is the complete opposite of the stereotype of the woman director. She made her debut feature in 2016 with Raw , a story about womanhood and repression that just so happened to contain the element of cannibalism. Like David Lynch and David Cronenberg, Ducournau confidently confounded her audiences with her bold take on a story as old as cinema itself. Titane is proof that Raw was not a stroke of beginner’s luck and that she is the real deal. Translated from the French word for titanium, Titane follows the life of Alexia, who immediately causes a severe car crash within her first few minutes on screen. This leaves the girl with a metal plate implanted within her head (which is gruesomely illustrated) and a twisted attraction to the vehicle involved in the accident. Like the characters within Cronenberg’s Crash , Alexia can’t seem to help herself from being allured by vehicular and sexual violence. After physically recovering from her injuries over the years, Alexia (now played by the self-assured newcomer Agathe Rousselle) now works as an exotic dancer at a car show (very fitting). Through a nearly seven-minute long take, Ducournau traverses the show filled with neon lighting and an electric score. Cinematographer Ruben Impens, reteaming with Ducournau after Raw , shoots the film in harshly contrasting light, often blinding the viewer with lens flares. From this car show, Alexia quickly succumbs to her violent tendencies, forcing her to go on the run, but not without horrifically mangling her face so it would be harder to identify her. This brings her in contact with the local fire chief (a steroid-infused Vincent Lindon), who later turns out to be just as demented as she is, making them a match made in hell. Throughout several instances within Titane , audiences have to give themselves over to Ducournau’s vision and accept the logical fallacies, which nitpickers could have a field day with. To be fair, a literal Cadillac becomes sexually involved with a human in the first fifteen minutes, so the laws of reality (and anatomy) were thrown out the window from the get-go. Like Raw , Ducournau is able to relay a positive message that sticks with you just as much as the gore. Through their interactions, Alexia and the chief find a common emotional ground that brings them together through both lies and deceit. However, a problem that occasionally appears is what exactly Ducournau wants you to feel as too many elements come crashing together at odd times. The film wants you to focus on several different storylines at the same time, some of which don't amount to much and could be classified as red herrings. Still, once you cut through the clutter, there’s enough treasure to reward your patience. Titane requires a lot from the viewer, such as mental fortitude and an iron gut. It’s an uncompromising vision that bites off more than it can chew from time to time but still sticks the landing due to the duo performances from Rousselle and Lindon, and the boldness by Ducournau to go where no one would dare. Just make sure to watch it on an empty stomach. More Reviews One Battle After Another September 24, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen A Christmas Party September 23, 2025 By: Tyler Banark Him September 18, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Swiped September 19, 2025 By: Tyler Banark Hunter Friesen

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs December 6, 2018 By: Button Hunter Friesen Joel and Ethan Coen are two directors that can always be depended on to make a wildly original film. Their films contain an offbeat nature mixed with highbrow comedy that either ends up making a splash with audiences ( Fargo ) or landing with a thud ( The Ladykillers ). The Ballad of Buster Scruggs , the newest Netflix film by the brothers, lands somewhere in the grey area between splash and thud. Set in the Old West, the film is split up into chapters and tells six mutually exclusive stories. Ranging from wacky slapstick to grim realism, the Coens offer their own unique take on the Western genre as they experiment with a revolving door of distinct plots and characters. The Coens have always been able to grab the attention of viewers with their blend of violence and sharp storytelling. Those two attributes show up in Buster Scruggs , but not as much as they should. The first story, starring Tim Blake Nelson as the titular character, is a joyous romp that starts the film off on the right foot through its use of comedic gunplay and witty banter. Unfortunately, having such a fine chapter at the beginning sets the rest of the film up to be a disappointment in comparison. A few of the subsequent stories just kind of come and go without much fanfare. Clocking in at 130 minutes, the film can test your patience from time to time. The length of each story ranges between fifteen and forty minutes. A major problem arises from this as all the good ones end up being too short and the lackluster ones too long. This creates an unsatisfying feeling at the end of each story as they never feel just right in terms of length. One area that should be applauded is the absolutely stunning cinematography by Bruno Delbonnel. Each wide shot of the great plains is more beautiful than the last as each one is used to masterfully build a living world around the stories. Just like their directing, the writing by the Coens can best be described as a crapshoot. Filling their stories with insights concerning the ideas of existentialism and human morality, the brothers sometimes overplay their hands and start to lull the audience from boredom. The final story is the most guilty of this as five characters endlessly drone on about different philosophical topics such as the nature of God and the morality of bounty hunting. One thing that the Coens have always been great at doing is filling their films with compelling characters. The characters in this film more than live up to expectations as almost every one of them light up the screen with their eccentric personalities. However, not all characters get to shine as some of their traits wear thin quickly and by the end, they become repetitive parodies. With an A-list cast of different character actors, the quality of the acting as a whole is in line with the directing and writing. Tim Blake Nelson as the cartoony gunslinger Buster Scruggs is easily the highlight of the film. His infectious energy and fourth-wall-breaking wisecracks give levity to some of the film’s most brutal moments. James Franco and Liam Neeson appear in the second and third stories, respectively, as men trying to make a living through questionable methods. The plot of each story gives the actors little to work with and they each end up turning in average performances. Famous singer Tom Waits single-handedly stars as a prospector searching for a gold deposit in the fourth story. Waits’ grizzled demeanor along with his reactionary mutterings keep us engaged throughout and connected to the welfare of his character. Lastly, Zoe Kazan stars in the penultimate story as a woman trying to make her way to Oregon while enduring a series of tragedies. Kazan’s shy and innocent personality gives her character a good amount of emotional depth that comes close to making up for the dull plot. The Ballad of Buster Scruggs is a reminder of what the Coens do so well and what they have always struggled with. Despite their limitations, the brothers are miles ahead of many others that try and fail to match their style. If you have a Netflix account or know someone who does (which is about everyone), this film could prove to be an entertaining time and a great gateway into the filmography of two of the most influential filmmakers of the past quarter century. More Reviews One Battle After Another September 24, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen A Christmas Party September 23, 2025 By: Tyler Banark Him September 18, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Swiped September 19, 2025 By: Tyler Banark Hunter Friesen

Better Man December 26, 2024 By: Button Hunter Friesen You know what they say: when in doubt, add a monkey. The producers of Better Man , the new biopic on Robbie Williams, certainly took that often parodied advice to its most literal form, supplanting the famous British pop star with an anthropomorphized CGI ape. Yes, you read that correctly, for nearly 150 minutes, which includes his time as a little boy growing up in Stoke to his later days topping the charts, Williams ditches our flesh and blood for the fur of a primate. One may think that that's enough of a gimmick to differentiate this film from any of the multitude of musician biopics we've gotten over the years. Unfortunately, you'd be wrong, although I will say that the sight of an anthropomorphized monkey doing cocaine and getting a handjob at a club does go a long way in making this a unique experience. Blame it on my American DNA as to why I was fully unfamiliar with Robbie Williams before Paramount Pictures scheduled this for a Christmas Day release. "Don't you have to be famous to get a $100 million biopic made about you?" I asked as I read the headlines. It turns out that level of blindness is something that almost all North Americans suffer from, something we might need a university study on considering that British stars have invaded the American music landscape on several occasions before. A quick scan of Williams' extensive Wikipedia page opened my eyes, and a few ventures down the Spotify rabbit hole attuned my ears. For once, I was going into a biopic having not already known the complete story of the titular subject. You can only so much engagement with a journey where you know every sight along the way, and exactly when you'll see them. So, what did I learn about Robbie Williams after sitting through Better Man ? Well, not much that the Wikipedia page couldn't have told me, or any other musician biopic has already given me the impression of. At some point, I have to ask: How special are these singers if they all have the same life story? Young Robbie is constantly picked on at school, always chosen last on the playground, and being told he's a freak. But it's not because he's a monkey, as no other character seems to notice that they're interacting with an extra out of the Planet of the Apes films. His life at home isn't much better, as his father has just left the family after determining that his wife and child were holding back his chances of being famous. Along with his mother and grandmother, Robbie still has his Sinatra records in his corner, and they're enough to help him realize his destiny as a singer. Fame comes quicker than he thought in the form of Take That, Britain's most sensational '90s boy band. From there it's the usual rapid rise and fall filled with sex, drugs, and pop music. Williams' explanation for his appearance as a monkey, which Paramount was pragmatic enough to use in the film's first trailer and create a whole featurette around, is that he's always seen himself as a little less evolved than everyone around him. He's been a trained monkey since his teenage years, both on the stage and in the tabloids. The effect isn't as jarring as you would expect, most likely due to the fact that we've become accustomed to seeing human and CGI apes sharing the screen in the recent Planet of the Apes films. The same WETA visual engineers from that series worked on this film, and the results are full of the same vibrancy and expressiveness. Jonno Davies dons the motion-capture suit for the majority of the runtime, with Williams voicing the role near the adult years. It's a concept that's all well and good on paper, and even a few times in execution. But as the central conceit that distances the project from being just another genre copycat, it's too thin. Every person who gets a biopic made about them feels that they're different than everyone else, so seeing it literalized is putting a hat on a hat. What often breaks this film free from its formulaic trappings is director Michael Gracey's desire to claim the titular title that he bestowed upon Hugh Jackman's P.T. Barnum in his directorial debut, The Greatest Showman . Just as you'll never see him in public without his trademarked beanie (seriously, see how long you have to scroll through Google Images until you see him without it), you'll also never catch one of his scenes lacking in energy. I can bemoan the problematic nature of The Greatest Showman all I want, but I'll never deny that it wasn't extremely entertaining to watch. That same vibe runs through every moment of Better Man , the doldrums of a cliched story perpetually being papered over by visual splendor. “Rock DJ” blasts from every window as Take That celebrates their success with a flash mob dance in the streets, the whole thing captured in one (very digital) take. And “She’s the One” serenades Williams and Nicole Appleton as they seal their love. As someone who didn’t know anything about Williams and was ready for another boring biopic, I walked away from Better Man with quite a few of his songs in my Spotify playlist and a higher-than-expected urge to see it again. More Reviews One Battle After Another September 24, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen A Christmas Party September 23, 2025 By: Tyler Banark Him September 18, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Swiped September 19, 2025 By: Tyler Banark Hunter Friesen

25 Most Anticipated Films of 2025 January 27, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen The book of 2024 has been closed, and the first few pages for 2025 have already been written. But there’s still so much blank space left to discover, and lots of potential storylines to fill it. For the first time in half a decade, there isn’t an industry-altering pandemic or strike to disrupt the normal flow of business. With that comes a vast amount of optimism. Before we get too ahead of ourselves, let's lay down some ground rules. First, there must be some sort of verifiable evidence that a film is going to be released this year. It either must be in production, post-production, completed, or even mentioned in a reputable article that it’s on its way. I also won’t count any films that I’ve already seen, such as April and Eden , both of which I caught at the Toronto International Film Festival back in September. But enough of all that, let’s commence the fun. Here are twenty-five of my most anticipated movies of 2025! Honorable Mentions A Big Bold Beautiful Journey (dir. Kogonada) Árva (dir. László Nemes) Eddington (dir. Ari Aster) F1 (dir. Joseph Kosinski) Jupiter (dir. Andrey Zvyagintsev) Mother Brother Sister Mother (dir. Jim Jarmusch) The Bride (dir. Maggie Gyllenhaal) The Drama (dir. Kristofer Borgli) The Rivals of the Amziah King (dir. Andrew Patterson) The Silent Friend (dir. Ildiko Enyedi) 25. The Smashing Machine A24 has already excelled at the wrestling/fighting genre once with The Iron Claw , so it stands to reason that they should be able to do it again with The Smashing Machine . Dwayne Johnson has finally found a quality filmmaker in the form of Benny Safdie, flying solo for the first time since his split with Josh (also at A24 this year with Marty Supreme ). The sky is the limit for what the director and star can achieve with this endeavor, with Emily Blunt helping out in her first post- Oppenheimer role. 24. Hand of Dante With a cast composed of Oscar Isaac, Jason Momoa, Gerard Butler, Gal Gadot, Al Pacino, John Malkovich, and Martin Scorsese, Julian Schnabel’s crime drama will surely grab headlines wherever it debuts. Given that the former painter-turned-director has mostly had his sights set on stories within the artistic world, the antithetical nature of this project pleasantly raises my eyebrow. 23. Alpha Now that Coralie Fargeat just stormed Cannes with The Substance , the ball is back in Titane writer/director Julia Ducournau's court to unleash a tale of biological horror. Neon is once again backing her, with Tahar Rahim and Golshifteh Farahani starring. The rumored plot follows a teenager who is mistreated by classmates once they believe she carries an infectious disease. As with Titane and Raw , that information will likely be just the tip of the iceberg. 22. Die, My Love It's been seven years since Lynne Ramsay last graced the silver screen with You Were Never Really Here . That length of absence isn't unusual for her, which makes the prospect of potentially having two new films from her in 2025 all the more tantalizing. Die, My Love stars Jennifer Lawrence as a mother struggling to keep her sanity, and Polaris has real-life married couple Joaquin Phoenix and Rooney Mara in a story about an ice photographer coming face-to-face with the devil. Given that the former project recently released images and specific plot details, it stands to reason that it'll be due this year and the latter will stay on the shelf for just a bit longer. 21. Mother Mary Working across several genres and production scales, writer/director David Lowery has yet to miss. His latest will follow a relationship between a fictional musician (Anne Hathaway) and a famous fashion designer (Micaela Coel). Described as an "epic pop melodrama" with original songs by Jack Antonoff and Charli XCX, this sounds like the project that could bring Hathaway back to her peak and harness the untapped potential Coel illustrated in I May Destroy You . 20. Caught Stealing As much as the internet didn't want it to be true, The Whale was a massive success for director Darren Aronofsky. Now he's out of that drabby apartment living room and into the underbelly of New York City for his new film. Austin Butler is the man who must navigate those streets after he gets himself mixed up with a whole host of seedy characters. 19. Hope South Korean auteur Na Hong-jin hasn't been seen since he unleashed the horrifying The Wailing back in 2016. He's supposedly back with the first part of a new trilogy about a small village being invaded by aliens. Alicia Vikander and Michael Fassbender are a piece of this still secret puzzle that supposedly has a budget that could be the highest in the country's history. 18. Highest 2 Lowest Spike Lee is already 0/1 on English-language remakes of famous Asian films, his version of Oldboy was so terrible that 99% of filmmakers would steer very clear of that territory ever again. But Lee isn't like anybody else, and he's enlisted his most trusted accomplice, Denzel Washington, to pull off this remake of Akira Kurosawa's 1963 crime thriller. A24 and Apple TV+ are backing the project, a partnership that worked well when Joel Coen made his remake of The Tragedy of Macbeth in 2021. 17. Young Mother The brothers of Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne have been one of Belgium's finest exports for the past forty years. Their trademarked slices of social realism have netted them two Palme d'Ors and several other prizes at their beloved Cannes Film Festival. They'll likely be back again on the French Riviera with a story about five migrant mothers who must band together to build a better life for their children. 16. Sentimental Value The Norwegian band that brought you 2021's The Worst Person in the World is back together! Joachim Trier is in the director's chair, Eskil Vogt is in the writer's room with him, and Renate Reinsve is in front of the camera. Brought into the fold is Stellen Skarsgård as Reinsve's film director father, who offers her the lead role in his next film. Neon preemptively acquired North American rights to the project, signaling confidence in its worldwide prospects. 15. Frankenstein It makes sense that Guillermo del Toro, the filmmaker most in love with monsters, is finally getting the chance to adapt the story of the most famous one of all. He's recruited an A-list cast (Oscar Isaac as the mad doctor, Jacob Elordi as the monster) and crew to back up his vision, which Netflix is sparing no expense to bring to life. Expect this to be their big Oscar player going into the next awards season. 14. Marty Supreme Even with only one Safdie brother at the helm, A24 had enough confidence in this project to make it their biggest production to date (budget of $70-90 million) and give it a prime Christmas day release. Star Timothée Chalamet has dominated the holidays over the past two years with Wonka and A Complete Unknown , respectively. He'll have a stacked cast and an exciting writer/director to back him up for the threepeat. 13. Havoc Writer/director Gareth Evans is the mastermind behind the two The Raid films, both of which have a legitimate claim to be the best action movie of the past decade. Shot in 2021 and supposedly set to come this year, his latest action feature stars Tom Hardy as a “bruised detective who must fight his way through the criminal underworld to rescue a politician's estranged son, unraveling a deep web of corruption and conspiracy that ensnares his entire city.” Evans’ latest film was 2018’s Apostle from Netflix, and he’ll team up with the streamer again for distribution. 12. After the Hunt As cinema's premier workaholic, Luca Guadagnino doesn't know when to stop. Julia Roberts will lead first-time writer Nora Garrett's fiery script as a college professor who must handle an accusation made by one of her students (Ayo Edebiri) against a colleague (Andrew Garfield). Expect plenty of twists and turns in this timely tale of power. 11. Wake Up Dead Man With both Knives Out and Glass Onion premiering on the first Saturday of the Toronto International Film Festival, we can confidently pencil in September 06 as the date that Rian Johnson will unveil the conclusion to his whodunnit trilogy. He outdid himself with the sequel, so we're in for something truly special as he goes for broke with a stacked supporting cast around Daniel Craig. 10. Nouvelle Vague / Blue Moon While several international filmmakers have transferred to the English language, few Westerners trek in the opposite direction. Richard Linklater will be doing just that with his French-language production centered around the creation of Jean-Luc Godard's Breathless , one of the most influential films ever made. Linklater will be staying in the performing art world with his other film in the pipeline, which tells the story of how Lorenz Hart created and opened the famous play "Oklahoma!" Frequent collaborator Ethan Hawke will play Hart, with Andrew Scott as his famous creative partner Oscar Hammerstein II. 9. The Ballad of a Small Player For someone who seemed to appear out of nowhere with All Quiet on the Western Front and Conclave , director Edward Berger has quickly strung together two of the finest films of the past few years. He's returning to Netflix to retain that hot streak, casting Colin Farrell, one of the hottest (both literally and figuratively) actors working today. Farrell will play a high-stakes gambler who must flee to Macau after he gets in over his head. With Conclave editor Nick Emerson and All Quiet on the Western Front cinematographer James Friend as part of the crew, the cards are looking well stacked for this project. 8. Jay Kelly True fans of Adam Sandler know that his most impressive performance to date was not in Punch-Drunk Love or Uncut Gems but in Noah Baumbach's 2017 film The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected) . The actor and director have reunited for a "funny and emotional coming-of-age story about adults." Emily Mortimer co-wrote the screenplay with Baumbach and appears in the cast, which boasts no less than George Clooney, Laura Dern, Jim Broadbent, Billy Crudup, Greta Gerwig, and Isla Fisher. 7. Untitled Kathyrn Bigelow White House Thriller It's been eight years since Kathryn Bigelow made a feature film, the financial failure of Detroit being the main cause. Before that, she was the preeminent filmmaker for dissecting American foreign policy, netting acclaim and awards for The Hurt Locker and Zero Dark Thirty . Netflix has brought her back to the spotlight with a real-time thriller about how the White House responds to a ballistic missile threat. Jackie writer Noah Oppenheim wrote the script, with Idris Elba, Rebecca Ferguson, Jason Clarke, and Greta Lee lining up the cast list. 6. Bugonia Emma Stone and Yorgos Lanthimos have forged one of the most prosperous actor-director pairings with their three feature films of The Favourite , Poor Things , and Kinds of Kindness . As expected, they're reuniting again, this time bringing previous Lanthimos collaborators Jesse Plemons and Alicia Silverstone back into the fold for an English-language adaptation of the popular South Korean film Save the Green Planet . Succession and The Menu writer Will Tracy penned the script, which will combine well with Lanthimos’ bitingly deadpan satirism. 5. Untitled Paul Thomas Anderson Film With a rumored budget of somewhere between $140 and $175 million, Paul Thomas Anderson's latest venture will drastically be the biggest tableau he's worked on. But those large sacks of money haven't prevented PTA from shrouding himself in his trademark levels of secrecy. All we know is that Leonardo DiCaprio leads a starry ensemble. Everything else, including the title to the premise, is a complete mystery. You know you're a master filmmaker when you can give your audience nothing and still have them lining up around the block months in advance. 4. Black Bag It wouldn't be a normal year in the movie world without another Steven Soderbergh offering. 2025 is an extra special year in that we get a double serving, the first being the theatrical release of Presence , which debuted back at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. The latter entry will be an espionage thriller starring two of my favorite actors (Michael Fassbender and Cate Blanchett) as a married spy couple who must figure out if the other has double-crossed them. It'll mark the third collaboration between Soderbergh and screenwriter David Koepp, who previously wrote Kimi and Presence . 3. No Other Choice 2022's Decision to Leave was one of director Park Chan-wook's most commercially successful films. It was also a critical success, nabbing him the coveted Best Director prize at the Cannes Film Festival. He'll likely return to that festival this year for his fifth appearance in competition with a Korean adaptation of the 1997 horror thriller novel The Ax . Lee Byung-hun will star as an unemployed man who, in an act of desperation, starts to kill all the other applicants for the new job he needs. 2. The Way of the Wind Now making its sixth consecutive appearance on this list, I've run out of different ways to describe my excitement for this film. They shot this movie in 2019, for Christ’s sake! I'm just going to get back to praying that my patience will be rewarded 1. The Phoenician Scheme Wes Anderson's latest production was initially announced as a smaller-scale dark espionage tale centered on a father-daughter relationship. But it seems the whimsical auteur couldn't help himself, with the bulk of his A-list troupe of actors being revealed as part of the full cast once filming finished. With T he French Dispatch being my favorite film ever, The Grand Budapest Hotel not far behind, and Asteroid City being one of the best films of 2023, I'm obviously a fan of Anderson working with a large ensemble. Whatever the size and scale will ultimately be, I'll be seated with a beaming smile. More Reviews One Battle After Another September 24, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen A Christmas Party September 23, 2025 By: Tyler Banark Him September 18, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Swiped September 19, 2025 By: Tyler Banark Hunter Friesen

Ranking the Mad Max Franchise May 19, 2024 By: Tyler Banark In 1979, George Miller crafted a micro-budgeted action film that would eventually spur three more iterations, each evolving in terms of scale and iconism. Always leaving more to discover, even if some of the ideas on display can be absurd, the franchise refuses to back down on the chaos factor from technical and writing standpoints. With the upcoming Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga , the franchise looks to shift gears by focusing on the titular origin of one of the best-written heroines. Here’s a look back on the previous four entries in this ever-changing franchise. 4. Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985) If there’s one thing viewers mustn't do when venturing through this franchise, it’s watching them on a screen smaller than a television. We all know the arguments for the “theatrical experience,” but there is a very palpable sense of loss regarding the sound design and cinematography when you’re not being engulfed by the darkness of the cinema. I digress, though, as Beyond Thunderdome turned out to be a misfire not for its technicals, but for its feelings of having too many cooks in the kitchen with Miller co-directing with George Ogilvie. The movie starts with Max coming face-to-face with another ragtag village led by Tina Turner’s Aunty Entity. Only this time, they have an extreme gladiator arena that acts as the primary source of entertainment, in which Max gets himself involved in its festivities. After the first act, the movie takes a 180-degree turn by incorporating a Lord of the Flies -esque plot that had no business happening. The idea of this second act felt like Miller and co-writer Terry Hayes going for broke at the end of their trilogy. Fortunately, the 25-minute chase climax recaptures the energy of the first two outings, so the franchise seemingly ended on a miniature high note. 3. Mad Max (1979) The fact that this franchise started so well is a minor miracle once you consider that it also served as Miller’s directorial debut and he had little money (AUD 400,000) at his disposal. Mel Gibson’s brooding performance as Max Rockatansky is what anchors the film. We watch him become a tormented lawman pushed to the edge as his new surroundings defy all the rules he’s accustomed to. He now seeks revenge against a gang of vicious outlaws who killed his family. Despite its modest production values, the film’s set pieces hold up considerably well thanks to the well-choreographed and shot car chases. The high-octane energy of the action is juxtaposed with the bleakness of the motivations, with Max perpetually torn between his desire for justice and the need to stay away from the madness. The film’s worldwide gross of over $100 million made it the most profitable independent film ever, a title it held until The Blair Witch Project . 2. Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981) Renamed The Road Warrior for its North American release, Mad Max 2 catapults viewers into an even more savage and lawless world than its predecessor. Miller elevates the post-apocalyptic saga to new heights of intensity and spectacle, delivering a relentless barrage of jaw-dropping action sequences and iconic imagery. There’s also a capitalization on the foundation of the original film, with more makeshift vehicles adding to the sense of a collapsed society. But still at the film's heart is Gibson’s Max, who only speaks a little more than a dozen lines. There’s also Emil Minty as Max’s mute boomerang-wielding child sidekick, a staple of the era alongside Ke Huy Quan in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom . It all comes together to show that bigger is sometimes better. 1. Max Max: Fury Road (2015) Mad Max: Fury Road is a relentless symphony of chaos and adrenaline that grips you from the first frame and never lets go. Tom Hardy takes over the role of the titular hero, holding his own with the torch. However, it’s Charlize Theron as Imperator Furiosa who dominated the headlines as she crafted one of the most fascinating original characters of the genre. Both Furiosa and Max want to be in a better place both mentally and physically, but the land they inhabit prevents that from being a simple task. Of course, there was copious amounts of CGI used throughout the film, but John Seale’s crisp photography and Margaret Sixel’s visceral editing bathe everything in a sea of meticulous passion and analog craftsmanship. It’s Miller’s magnum opus as a filmmaker and one of the greatest action films of all time. You can follow Tyler and hear more of his thoughts on Twitter , Instagram , and Letterboxd . More Reviews One Battle After Another September 24, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen A Christmas Party September 23, 2025 By: Tyler Banark Him September 18, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Swiped September 19, 2025 By: Tyler Banark Hunter Friesen

Darkest Hour January 12, 2018 By: Button Hunter Friesen Every year there is bound to be a biopic that is released in the middle of awards season. Films like The Social Network, The King’s Speech , and A Beautiful Mind have come along and won major awards telling the story of famous men. Darkest Hour perfectly fits this description and will certainly be an active member of this year's awards race. An outstanding and unrecognizable performance from Gary Oldman along with great direction from Joe Wright. While it falls into some conventional trappings, the overall quality is still good and makes for an interesting character of one of history’s greatest leaders. The setting of the film is during the month of May 1940. We witness Churchill at his most vulnerable as he has just been given a huge amount of power in a time of looming terror. He has enemies on the opposing side of the war, but also enemies within Parliament as they take problems with his leadership. A large part of the film covers Churchill's decision on how to deal with the battle of Dunkirk, which, like the title, was one of Britain's darkest hours. From here we follow Churchill along as tries to find a solution to a momentous problem that could spell disaster for England and the rest of Europe. The film can get slow and repetitive at some points since it carries a 125-minute runtime and is mainly about Churchill’s decision over Dunkirk and the Nazis. Specific arguments and facts are over-explained to the point where the film becomes somewhat predictable as to what the characters are going to say. There is a small storyline about Churchill’s objectors within Parliament, led by the ousted Neville Chamberlain, but that plot wears thin quickly and doesn’t come to a very satisfactory end. There are also some overly cinematic moments that are distractingly over the top and take away from smaller scenes that carry more weight to the story. Apart from its small problems, Darkest Hour has a very good script that gives Oldman many opportunities to shine. The dialogue between Churchill and other politicians is almost Sorkin-like in its way to move at a very quick pace but also gives you the information you need. The moments between Churchill and his wife are also touchingly done, as both find solace in each other's company in troubled times. Darkest Hour is a perfect companion piece to Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk , the other brilliant film that came out this year featuring the titular battle. While Dunkirk showcases the real fight on the beaches, Darkest Hour lets the audience witness how Britain’s leaders reacted to such a major battle. Seeing both together allows the viewer to see both a first and secondhand account of one of the biggest points of conflict in human history. With experience in period-piece films such as Atonement and Pride & Prejudice , director Joe Wright expertly knows how to stage and execute a film with lots of dialogue and grand sets. Most times we are literally following behind Churchill as the camera travels with him. We see his journey from his home, Parliament, and Buckingham Palace. It is all impressively done and superbly showcases the grandness of London in such dreary times. There is also a wonderful score from Dario Marianelli that mixes both booming and soft orchestral music. The music usually hides in the background until just the right moment to grab your attention. A highlight is at the very end of the film when Churchill makes his famous speech. Even though he is in practically every scene of the film, Gary Oldman as Winston Churchill is so good I wish there was more of him. He perfectly captures Churchill's brutish tone and attitude but also shows his softer side when he is away from the public. Oldman also plays excellently off all his supporting cast members, most notably Kristin Scott Thomas as his wife and Ben Mendelsohn as King George VI. We also get a larger supporting role from Lily James as Churchill's assistant. When we are not following Churchill we are focused on her character and the journey she went through being a witness t to one of history's most powerful figures. While Oldman takes command and gives us an inside look at Churchill, James holds her own by letting us see how others saw him on the outside. Any actor who wishes to play Churchill in the future will now have to live up to the unrealistically high bar Oldman has just raised. Awards will surely, and deservedly, go to him, but also should go to Bruno Delbonnel for his cinematography and Marianelli for his score. Not since Lincoln has a film done such an incredible job examining a historical figure and making us feel like we are right in the middle of history. More Reviews One Battle After Another September 24, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen A Christmas Party September 23, 2025 By: Tyler Banark Him September 18, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Swiped September 19, 2025 By: Tyler Banark Hunter Friesen

Killers of the Flower Moon October 18, 2023 By: Button Hunter Friesen The question that has perpetually hanged over director Martin Scorsese’s long-awaited Western Killers of the Flower Moon is the justification for the history-making 206-minute runtime. It’s a question of excess that has doggedly followed Scorsese for over five decades now, a curse that besieges anyone who pushes conventions past their preconceived limits. Did the climactic shootout in Taxi Driver have to be so graphic? Did Jesus and Mary Magdalene have to consummate their marriage in The Last Temptation of Christ ? Did Joe Pesci have to pop a rival mobster's eye out of its socket with a vice grip in Casino ? Did the characters have to swear so much in The Wolf of Wall Street ? Time and time again Scorsese has proved us wrong about what should and shouldn’t be in film. Killers of the Flower Moon is no different as several scenes would have been trimmed or fully excised in 99.9% of productions. And yet, none of those scenes felt superfluous, and there wasn’t a single one I wasn't fully invested in. It’s the mark of a master, someone who pieces the puzzle together with perfection while still keeping the magic alive by masking how he did it. Similar to Ridley Scott, Scorsese shows no signs of slowing down as reaches octogenarian status. Just as there was little surprise surrounding the length of the film (the man literally hasn’t released a film under 120 minutes in almost 40 years), nothing is shocking about Scorsese’s ability to fill the frame with operatic grandeur. The camera charges in, Robbie Robertson’s beating score resembles rock music as much as it can within the period, and the streets are bustling with lively characters. There’s a distinctly rowdy energy to everything, something that Scorsese and his longtime editor Thelma Schoonmaker have honed and perfected throughout their decades-long partnership. What is surprising about Killers of the Flower Moon is Scorsese’s ability to bring in the qualities of his lesser-known films, which is the capacity to take a step back and observe a culture. There’s a delicate balance between getting in the thick of the action and letting it wash over from a distance. For every street race and moment of shocking violence, there’s a chance to witness a piece of this land and its people. There are key moments where an Osage wedding or ceremonial tradition is recreated, shedding light on what’s ultimately at stake. Unfortunately for the Osage people, funerals were a more common occurrence than weddings at the turn of the 20th century. There’s nothing more dangerous in America than a man’s greed, and that snake has taken hold of the original people of Oklahoma. White people are the immigrants in Osage County, all of them pouring in to get a piece of the oil deposit pie. Ernest Burkhart (Leonardo DiCaprio) is one of them. He’s a soldier returning home from Europe, settling in to live with his uncle William Hale (Robert De Niro), who prides himself on his great relations with the Osage people. They are an alpha and beta pair, William the scheming mastermind, and Enrest the slack-jawed underling. The prize in everyone’s eyes is the “headrights” that each Osage member has, essentially a legal claim to a portion of the oil money. If a white man marries an Osage woman and she dies later on, those rights are solely transferred to the husband. Mollie (Lily Gladstone) is moderately aware of William’s tactics when he encourages Ernest to take an interest in her. But she can’t deny her feelings for Ernest, who genuinely cares for her throughout all his misdeeds. Their doomed relationship is beautifully portrayed by each actor, Gladstone being the film’s (and Scorsese’s) emotionally richest character, and DiCaprio weaponizing his charm to sinister results. De Niro is the wolf in sheep’s clothing, casting a shadow of death on each of the Osage he touches. There is the introduction of the FBI a little before the film reaches its third hour, led by Tom White (Jesse Plemons). But the injustice never ends, something Scorsese highlights with his “swinging for the fences” ending that recontextualizes much of what has just been witnessed. Excess is the name of the game within Scorsese’s filmography, and Killers of the Flower Moon has that in spades. But it’s not the flashy kind of excess that we’re used to seeing, it’s an excess that overwhelms your soul just as much as your senses. As the debate over what is and isn’t cinema rages on (and I pray to God it ends soon), let this be a clear illustration of what it can be: something powerful enough to enrapture you in the present and pleasantly linger with you long into the future. More Reviews One Battle After Another September 24, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen A Christmas Party September 23, 2025 By: Tyler Banark Him September 18, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Swiped September 19, 2025 By: Tyler Banark Hunter Friesen

Inside Out 2 June 16, 2024 By: Button Tyler Banark Pixar’s newfound knack for unnecessary sequels rears its head once again with Inside Out 2 . When the inevitable news broke that a sequel to the 2015 hit was going into production, many people (including myself) hesitated to view things positively and pondered the need for its existence. On top of that, Pixar was currently on a losing streak in terms of critical and audience reactions, with the likes of Lightyear and Elemental coming and going without much fanfare. And even with those worrisome trailers, all those negative thoughts left my head once I sat down to watch the final product, which could (and hopefully will) be the start of the studio returning to form. Despite all the pageantry by Pixar to be returning to this property, some of the original key players in the cast and crew are missing. For the cast, only Amy Poehler, Phyllis Smith, and Lewis Black returned to voice Joy, Sadness, and Anger, respectively. Tony Hale and Liza Lapira took over for Bill Hader and Mindy Kaling as Fear and Disgust, an unfortunate downgrade as the replacements don’t rise to the occasion. But on a more positive note, Poehler once again knocks it out of the park as Joy, and she’s joined by a bevy of new emotions in Embarrassed, Ennui, Envy, and Anxiety. Ayo Edebiri and Maya Hawke stand out as Envy and Anxiety, respectively, with the latter giving the best voiceover performance of the year thus far, capturing the frenetic chaos and capitalizing on the inner struggle one can have when dealing with it. At the same time, Edebiri brings her bombastic charms to her adorable character. Regarding the crew, the most prominent absentees are previous co-writer/director (and overall Pixar legend) Pete Docter and composer Michael Giacchino. Although Docter is still attached to the project as an executive producer and his role as Chief Creative Officer at the studio, his absence is felt in the driver’s seat as veteran studio writer Kelsey Mann takes over. That isn’t to say Mann does a lousy job, there’s just that extra bit of creativity missing to make this all feel truly special. After Anxiety boots the original emotions from headquarters, they come across more concepts that operate the human mind, many of them not seen in the first movie. Riley’s secret vault, brainstorms, Sense of Self, and a sar-chasm are just as generously illustrated as the ones presented in the predecessor. The use of Riley’s beliefs as cords stringing from a pond underneath headquarters to a flower inside of it is terrific. The designs of the new emotions felt fitting given their natures - Embarrassment being big and Envy being small - each conveying how those feelings take over once expressed. There’s also a moment where Anxiety creates a tornado when she starts to take over, an apt metaphor that’s as fun to watch as it is relatable. In a more stunning turn of events, the film takes a stab at different animation styles in several scenes. When the original emotions are locked away in Riley’s secret vault, they meet Bloofy, a character from Riley’s favorite children’s show, and Lance Slashblade, a video game character that Riley once had a crush on. Bloofy and Lance are animated differently, with the former (along with his fanny pack sidekick Pouchy) being traditionally 2-D animated and the latter having the design of a late 2000s video game graphic. Although it’s not something I would have expected Pixar to do, it’s a pleasant surprise from their traditional formula. There may be some slight missteps in this sequel, but Inside Out 2 is still a delightful return to the world of emotions, bringing back the spark that we once consistently expected from Pixar. The kids will have fun watching it for its humor, while the grown-ups will find the concepts to be intriguing. How long will it take before Pixar is officially back? Who knows, but there’s no need for longtime fans and moviegoers to get anxious over it. You can follow Tyler and hear more of his thoughts on Twitter , Instagram , and Letterboxd . More Reviews One Battle After Another September 24, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen A Christmas Party September 23, 2025 By: Tyler Banark Him September 18, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Swiped September 19, 2025 By: Tyler Banark Hunter Friesen

The Banshees of Inisherin September 12, 2022 By: Button Hunter Friesen The Banshees of Inisherin had its North American Premiere at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival. Searchlight Pictures will release it in theaters on October 21. Fear not all you haters of Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (of which there are a lot more of you than I originally thought), writer/director Martin McDonagh has left the United States and is going back to Ireland for his newest film, The Banshees of Inisherin . And that’s not even the best part, which is that he’s reteaming with his In Bruges duo of Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson. Actually, that’s not the best part either. The best part is that this new dark comedy is hands-down the funniest film of the year and the finest work by McDonagh as both a writer and a director. Every afternoon when the hour hand hits two o’clock on the dot, the good-souled, yet a little dim, Pádraic (Farrell) leaves his cozy dairy farm to meet up with his best friend Colm (Gleeson), the more reserved and intellectually inclined one of the pair, down at the local pub. Colm has been tirelessly working on a new piece of music for his fiddle, one that he hopes will have him remembered long after he’s left this world. But on one fateful day, those formalities are interrupted by Colm’s sudden need to end their relationship. “I just don’t like you anymore” is what he gives as a reason, something Pádraic can’t comprehend. And to prove that he’s absolutely serious, Colm promises to cut off one of his fingers each time Pádraic attempts to speak to him. Will Colm actually go through with his threat? How can this friendship go on for decades ad then suddenly be declared over? And how will Pádraic respond after being dumped so brutally? McDonagh answers these questions with devilish honesty by giving you the results you expect, but not in the way you expect them to happen. He infuses a dark undercurrent into nearly every scene, with side-splitting banter leading to some brutal anecdotes on human relationships. As was alluded to in the plot description, Colm’s threat about his fingers leads to some squirm-inducing laughter down the road. That mixture of dark and light on the page is also evident in the direction. There’s some sumptuous cinematography (provided by go-to MCU DP Ben Davis, finally breaking free from CG-infested photography) of the titular island, with the green rolling hills cascading into the roaring sea. But not far on the other side of the water is the raging Irish Civil War, where friends turned on each other in a bloody conflict that didn’t accomplish much of anything. Sound familiar? Trying to keep the peace between the two warring (or “rowing” as it's said in the film) friends is Pádraic’s sister Siobhán (Kerry Condon, often stealing the show with her warmth), who seems to be the only sensible one who longs to be free from the doldrums of this community. Her task is made even more difficult with the presence of the town chaos agent, Dominic (Barry Keoghan, continuing his streak of playing freaky weirdos), who makes Pádraic look like Plato. With equally stunning turns in The Batman , After Yang , and Thirteen Lives , 2022 seems to be the year of Colin Farrell. For years his good looks have come with a monkey paw curse, as he was forced to star as boring leading men in cookie-cutter blockbusters (see The Recruit and S.W.A.T. ) Fortunately, a few directors, such as Yorgos Lanthimos and McDonagh, have been able to work his charm into something a little more unique. Farrell’s innocence as Pádraic is often heartbreaking as he deals with emotional torture. And even after fourteen years apart, his chemistry with Gleeson has never been better. Equally hilarious as it is disturbing, The Banshees of Inisherin finds Martin McDonagh, as well as his troupe of actors, in top form. There’s nothing quite like it, and it serves as another reminder that we should all be a little kinder to one another. More Reviews One Battle After Another September 24, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen A Christmas Party September 23, 2025 By: Tyler Banark Him September 18, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Swiped September 19, 2025 By: Tyler Banark Hunter Friesen