The Flash June 5, 2023 By: Button Hunter Friesen One of the first things you’ll notice about The Flash is how much of a lighter affair it is compared to Zack Snyder’s vision. I mean that on both a metaphorical and literal level, as director Andy Muschietti opens his film with the titular hero in such a ludicrously stupid situation, it almost has to be interpreted as a middle finger to Snyder’s doom and gloom. Carrying over from that dark place is Ben Affleck’s Batman, who looks a little ridiculous in the full daylight (almost as if his entire aesthetic was created with a different visual style in mind…) and still doesn’t have the time to put up with Flash’s personality (you and me both). But even if the tone and colors have been lifted from the shadows, the stakes are still as high as ever. Zack Snyder’s Justice League gave us a glimpse of Flash’s ability to enter the Speed Force and reverse the flow of time, which he did to save the entire world from Darkseid’s Mother Boxes. Being a jittery and perpetually inquisitive person, Barry extends that logic into the implication that he could go back far enough in time to save his mother from being murdered, for which his father was falsely blamed. It’s an extremely dangerous gamble, as even the slightest alteration could have unforeseen consequences on not just his own timeline, but innumerable timelines spread across the space-time continuum (the new industry-approved term is “multiverse,” which I’m sure you're very familiar with by now). To Barry, the risk is worth the reward. But instead of going back in time to make a paradise, he makes a new hell on earth. Because of his actions, the world has been rendered without metahumans, meaning no Superman, Wonder Woman, or Aquaman. But it does have a General Zod, who now stands unopposed in his destruction of Earth. Thankfully, the exclusion of metahumans doesn’t apply to Batman, who’s now in the form of Michael Keaton. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hebWYacbdvc Every comic-book franchise, whether live-action or animated, has dabbled in the multiverse at this point. There are some that haven’t gone far enough with it ( Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness ), and some that have done it just right ( Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse ). The Flash takes its concept and gives way to its worst impulses. The opportunity for endless possibilities is mostly spent on jingling car keys in front of your face in the form of cameos, line readings, and music stings that you recognize, many of which dramatically undercut the physical and emotional stakes of the situation. This is The Rise of Skywalker all over again, so desperate in its attempt for you to like it by flashing as many pleasure-inducing sights as possible that you don’t have time to think about what’s going on behind the scenes. It’s not like what’s on the surface; hiding that rotten core isn’t good either. Ezra Miller continues to be the kid in high school who tried way too hard to be the class clown, devolving every “humorous” moment into an eye-rolling groan fest. I understand how it’s nearly impossible to look at them and not think about his heinous off-screen persona, but it’s also nearly impossible to like them on-screen. What’s their appeal? Being annoying? And now there are two of them! It also can’t be understated how undercooked several visual-effect-heavy sequences look. Characters move around weightlessly, CGI doubles look as natural as the actors from Tom Hooper’s Cats , and some “unbroken takes” might as well qualify for the Best Animated Short Film category at the Oscars (although I would harshly refrain from using the term “best”). Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania still takes the cake for the worst-looking blockbuster in recent memory, but this gives it a run for its money. To give Muschietti a smidge of credit, he does come up with some inventive ways to show off Flash’s powers without just ripping off the Quicksilver scenes from the X-Men movies. The distortions of time and physics may put physicists in a coma, but it’s mildly interesting to see how bad guys can be dispatched within the blink of an eye. The Flash is the straw (a heavy one, nonetheless) that breaks the camel’s back when it comes to multiverses in blockbuster franchises. Instead of using its unlimited potential to deliver something unique, it sinks to the lowest form of pandering by just waving around what you already know. What’s the point of boasting about the oceanfront view if you’re only ever going to swim in the kiddie pool? Warner Bros. Pictures will release The Flash in theaters nationwide on June 16th. More Reviews Primetime September 22, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Unabomber September 24, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Look Back September 16, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Elsinore September 14, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

The Influence of Howard Hawks in 'Assault on Precinct 13' April 5, 2023 By: Hunter Friesen Bridging over the changes of New Sentimentality in the late 1960s, the early 1970s was a time of seismic cinematic change. It was a time when a new batch of filmmakers was looking to create something new while also honoring those that came before them. This new group, better known as The Film School Generation, consisted of names like George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, Brian De Palma, Francis Ford Coppola, and Martin Scorsese. They were heralded around for making films such as The Godfather, Carrie, Taxi Driver , and Star Wars . Each of these films took clear inspiration from its predecessors. Lucas mentioned the influence of Akira Kurosawa’s samurai films, Spielberg was indebted to David Lean and John Cassavetes, and Scorsese revered Federico Fellini. This same period also saw the rise of the career of John Carpenter, who broke onto the scene with his action crime-thriller, Assault on Precinct 13 . Like those in The Film School Generation, Carpenter lovingly borrowed several elements from those that influenced him to be a filmmaker. But he also wanted to be an auteur, reimaging and adding new aspects to classic stories. Carpenter’s film took inspiration from a few different sources, most notably the works of Howard Hawks. Hawks was one of the most prolific filmmakers of the 40s and 50s, churning out top-notch John Wayne westerns and a few comedies. Carpenter took particular interest in Hawks’ Rio Bravo when finding inspiration for his film. Hawks’ Westerns were always known for how they branded their heroes through a rite of passage. The good guys had to prove to the other characters, and the audience, that they were good. Dean Martin’s character in Rio Bravo isthe central character who goes through this arc. Carpenter directly uses this within his film, having his characters prove their heroicness through acts of valor against the odds. We as the audience identify and lift these characters who are good at their job and do it in the name of honor. Physically, Carpenter also uses Hawks’ model of staging his film within a limited number of locations. A fact that can be hinted from the title of the film, the majority of the action takes place within Precinct 13. The setting becomes familiar and we understand why the police are protecting it. The precinct almost becomes a castle that must be defended from invaders. Speaking of invaders, Carpenter directly took a page out of another filmmaker's book when he decided how to portray the gang members. While Hawks was the older teacher, Carpenter’s contemporary George Romero was the inspiration for that element. Only a few years earlier did Romero make waves with his independent horror film, Night of the Living Dead . Like how Romero dehumanized the zombies in his film, Carpenter adopted that style for his villains. By not giving them any dialogue and never showing their faces, Carpenter strips the gang oftheir humanity, creating them into a pack of remorseless killers. At the same time being indebted to Hawks and Romero, Carpenter was still able to add his spin. Hawks also had the trademark of the “Hawksian woman”, often a tough character who acts more like “one of the guys” rather than a pure damsel in distress. Most of the women in Hawks films were progressive for the time, but still often seen as weaker than the men and needed saving from time to time. Carpenter took that idea a step further, making his women characters equal to the men. In Precinct 13 , Leigh is an equal badass compared to her male co-stars. She shoots bad guys, takes charge of situations, and even takes a bullet for her troubles.She even gets her moment at the end of the film when she walks off without medical help. By honoring the past and blazing a trail for the future, John Carpenter's Assault on Precinct 13 is a timeless classic. Its handling of themes, setting, depiction of villains, and women stereotypes make it a perfect example of how movies can be inspired by the past and how they can inspire the future. 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

Mean Girls January 11, 2024 By: Button Hunter Friesen “This isn’t your mother’s Mean Girls ” is one of the taglines Paramount Pictures has used to promote their newest version of the Tina Fey-penned high school comedy. It’s a mantra that’s used beyond just the trailers and posters, as the film opens with a TikTok video. But then a character quips that “we’re Cloverfield -ing!,” alluding to a franchise that any TikToker would struggle to identify. That clash of old and new within the first thirty seconds carries over throughout the next two hours, almost as a constant question of why this 2024 version exists and who it was primarily made for. The former question isn’t a hard one to answer. 2024’s Mean Girls was developed for that sweet, sweet cash, specifically in the form of brand recognition of Paramount+, which was where this film was supposed to debut before the strategy was changed in September of last year. It was the right decision to make, as the popping musical numbers and one-liners play infinitely better in the theater than they would/will at home. You also have to factor in the fact that Paramount+ is known for CBS procedurals, Yellowstone, and Top Gun: Maverick , none of which overlap in terms of this property's audience. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFtdbEgnUOk The latter question is a bit harder to pin down. I guess you could claim this Mean Girls as a sort of soft remake, a version that provides easy nostalgia to Millennials and an introduction to this overall narrative to Gen-Z. But it’s not like the 2004 version is some ancient relic that needed to be translated for modern audiences. It’s a timeless member of its subgenre, with several quotes living on forever within pop culture. It doesn’t really matter how good a cover version is, as no one would (or, at the very least, “should”) choose to listen to that instead of the undeniable original. But for what this Mean Girls lacks in originality, it makes up for in energy. An interesting long take from a TikTok video, to Africa, and then to high school, sets up the basic plot of Cady Heron (Angourie Rice) moving from Kenya to North Shore High. She’s an outsider almost immediately, just a little too much of everything to properly fit in with any of the cliques. Two of the other “weirdos” - Janis (Auli’i Cravalho) and Damian (Jaquel Spivey) - agree to take Cady under their wing. But “queen bee” Regina George (Reneé Rapp) has other ideas, inviting Cady to sit with “The Plastics,” comprised of Regina, Gretchen (Bebe Woods), and Karen (Avantika). Cady is now caught in the crosshairs of a good old-fashioned high school feud, playing both sides as she tries to find her place in all of this. While it would be daunting to replace such likable performers as Lindsey Lohan, Rachel McAdams, and Amanda Seyfried, the cast assembled here does enough to prevent this from being a total downgrade. Rice brings an overall level of likability, which sometimes makes her “bad girl” heel-turn later on unconvincing. Reprising her role from Broadway, Rapp is the lioness that everyone gets out of the way of in the hallway. Most of our star names come from the adult cast members: Tina Fey, Tim Meadows, Jon Hamm, and Ashley Park. Apart from a few lines from Fey and Meadows, there’s not much there to warrant discussion. First-time directors Samantha Jayne and Arturo Perez Jr. provide several splashy moments of zippy musical interludes. The camera bobs and weaves around the hallways, with the aspect ratio and lighting matching a high-end poppy music video anytime someone breaks out into song. You’d be hard-pressed to remember the lyrics to the majority of the songs, but at least your eyes will be dazzled. 2024’s Mean Girls is a different flavor from 2004’s Mean Girls , although it’s about as drastic a change as shifting from Vanilla Bean to French Vanilla. It’s harmless, fun, and will probably be forgotten within due time… kind of like a piece of plastic. Paramount Pictures will release Mean Girls in theaters nationwide on January 12th. 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

TIFF24 Preview September 1, 2024 By: Hunter Friesen Between the pandemic, dual SAG-WGA strikes, and a downturn in the sponsorship market, the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) has had its fair share of problems over the years. Even with these obstacles, the festival has continued to make every edition of its star-studded festival a memorable one, always brimming with headliners and under-the-radar gems. Still, there has been an unspoken agreement amongst festival goers that TIFF hasn’t been able to replicate its peak form that occurred between 2014 and 2019. That nagging feeling has seemingly subsided with the finalization of this year’s lineup, which, on paper, might be the best one ever assembled by CEO Cameron Bailey and his programming team. Considering that all three take place within the same relative time frame, the competition between the Venice International Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, and TIFF has always been strong. With Venice beginning in late August, Telluride over Labor Day weekend, and TIFF the week after, the Canadian festival has always been at a disadvantage in obtaining world premieres. The festival tried to leverage its enormous Oscar influence to sway some Venice and Telluride-bound projects over to TIFF, but that tended to backfire and keep projects out of the lineup. In several interviews, Bailey has stated that the programming team has loosened their restrictions on premiere statuses over the years, saying that, although a North American/International/Canadian premiere wasn’t as juicy, it was better than holding firm on world premieres and missing out on stuff altogether. This year’s lineup vividly illustrates that mindset, with almost every glitzy premiere at Venice and Telluride making their way over to TIFF immediately afterward, a welcome strategy shift for someone like me. Why spend thousands of dollars to fly to Italy or the Colorado mountains to get just an appetizer for the fall festival assortment when you can have the whole buffet in Toronto a few days later? Venice titles that will be making their North American premieres at TIFF include Pedro Almodóvar’s English-language debut, The Room Next Door , Luca Guadagnino’s Queer , Brady Corbet’s The Brutalist , Justin Kurzel’s The Order , Walter Salles’ I’m Still Here , and Halina Reijn’s Babygirl . Each of these films has a firm place on my schedule, especially The Brutalist , which I had little faith that TIFF would include considering its 215-minute runtime and dour subject matter. Thankfully, I won’t be seeing either of the Opening Night premieres ( Nutcrackers and The Cut ), so I can go to bed early and be energized for that 9:00 am press screening. Immediately after that screening, I’ll be hitting a trio of world premieres within the famed Visa Screening Toom at the Princess of Wales Theatre. First up will be Gia Coppola’s The Last Showgirl , starring Pamela Anderson. Then there will be a double bill consisting of Mike Flanagan’s starry The Life of Chuck and John Crowley’s We Live in Time from A24, featuring Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh as star-crossed lovers. The next morning will feature two of the biggest titans of world cinema over the last few decades: Pedro Almodóvar and Mike Leigh ( Hard Truths ). Ron Howard’s Eden , the film with the starriest cast of the festival, will premiere that evening in Roy Thomson Hall, followed by Marielle Heller’s gonzo Nightbitch . It’ll be a double Ralph Fiennes day on Sunday as I catch Conclave and The Return . The former is the highly anticipated follow-up from director Edward Berger after the wild success of All Quiet on the Western Front , and the latter is an adaptation of the myth of Odysseus that marks the reunification of Fiennes and his The English Patient co-star Juliette Binoche. Sandwiched between those screenings is The Order , a film I’ve had my eye on for quite some time as Justin Kurzel has produced some of my favorite films of the past decades ( Macbeth , Nitram ). The next few days follow that same cadence, with the remainder of the Venice and Telluride holdovers making their northern premieres. While everyone else will be experiencing the madness of Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis in Roy Thomson Hall on Monday night, I’ll be across the street seeing Queer . Then, the next night, I’ll see The Piano Lesson and Babygirl , with Wednesday’s headliners being Saturday Night and The End . Also on Wednesday are two under-the-radar Venice titles that I’m extremely intrigued by: Harvest and April . From there, my schedule will become more fluid throughout. There’ll still be plenty of screening opportunities for stuff like The Fire Inside , Unstoppable , Without Blood , The Shadow Strays , and The Friend , as well as other titles not on my watchlist that receive great buzz. Woman of the Hour was one of those films last year, as I didn’t secure a ticket for it until after many of my friends raved about it. All in all, I plan to see around 30-35 films throughout the ten-day festival, with a few of them likely to become some of my favorites of the year. There’s nothing like indulging in so much good cinema in such a short amount of time, all while mingling with friends and colleagues from around the world. I’ll be publishing full reviews for select titles, with others being condensed into dispatches and my post-festival recap. You can take a look at the full slate of festival titles on the TIFF website . 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

Dumb Money September 9, 2023 By: Button Hunter Friesen The Big Short , Vice , and Don’t Look Up writer/director Adam McKay has been accused by his detractors of thinking his audience is stupid, talking down to them through flashy celebrity cameos and on-the-nose dialogue. It’s not an incorrect opinion, but McKay has still always provided a compelling argument within his thesis, with The Big Short offering a sobering retelling of the housing crisis. Craig Gillespie’s Dumb Money , premiering at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival, REALLY wants to be The Big Short for Gen-Z, taking down the 1%ers who run Wall Street and rig it against the little guy. But this David vs. Goliath story doesn’t have the necessary charm or smarts to be as deadly as it thinks it is. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmr8YmwnZ3w “Hold the line!,” “Diamond hands!,” “Apes together strong,” and “I just like the stock,” were phrases that became popularized during the pandemic as the GameStop short squeeze rocked not just the financial industry, but the psyche of the American public. It all started on r/wallstreetbets, an internet forum famous for its memes and overly passionate members. Their prophet was Keith Gill (Paul Dano), a mild-mannered Massachusetts financial advisor who goes by “Roaring Kitty” because of his penchant for using cats in his live streams. He’s bullish on the GameStop (GME) stock, thinking that it is undervalued and that all the hedge fund managers are fools to be in a short position. He seems crazy, but he has the numbers and quirkiness to attract other followers, including debt-ridden nurse Jenny (America Ferrera), GameStop employee Marcus (Anthony Ramos), and college students Riri (Myha'la Herrold) and Harmony (Talia Ryder). “If he’s in, I’m in” is what they all say, creating a surge in the stock price as more and more people jump on. Most of these traders were referred to as “dumb money” by the hedge funds and media. They’re just retail traders who always think they can beat the market but end up giving their money away to the big fish. Writers Lauren Schuker Blum and Rebecca Angelo, adapting the novel “The Antisocial Network” by Ben Mezrich, have compassion for these small fries. They’ve all been pushed down their whole lives, and the time is now to stand together. Unfortunately, none of these characters is that compelling outside of Keith, which largely stems from Dano’s charismatic commitment to playing the intellectual fool. They end up being a generic group, with little to separate themselves. The same goes for the villainous billionaires played by Seth Roge, Vincent D’Onofrio, and Nick Offerman. They’re caricatures of unearned wealth, another in a quickly tiring line found in Triangle of Sadness and Glass Onion last year. Gillespie continues his high-energy antics from I, Tonya (also premiering in Toronto in 2017) and Cruella , zipping the editing around this overstuffed cast. It keeps the film on its toes and the 100-minute runtime breezy, but it also keeps the details to a minimum. The exact (or even simplified) machinations of the short squeeze are given little attention, replaced by bright lights and a flurry of newsreel clips. Just like the memes that inspired the movement, Dumb Money is fun in the moment, but has little to no substance underneath the surface. If you’re looking for entertainment, you get just enough of it to make this worthwhile. If you’re looking to be educated on this event, I’d recommend literally anything else. This review was originally published from the world premiere at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival. Sony Pictures Releasing will release Dumb Money in select theaters on September 15th, followed by a nationwide expansion on October 06th. More Reviews Primetime September 22, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Unabomber September 24, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Look Back September 16, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Elsinore September 14, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

Onslaught September 2, 2026 By: Button Hunter Friesen A little war never hurt anyone, right? Historian Victor Davis Hanson described the United States of America as having been “born through war, reunited by war, and saved from destruction by war.” Yes, we seem to be at our very best when there’s someone in our sights, the full might of militaristic capitalism unleashed in a fit of rage. We get bored of peacetime, creating conflicts around the globe to keep ourselves preoccupied with blaming someone else for our woes instead of looking inward. This cycle of violence stops for no one, not even the person with their hand on the wheel. In an effort to get a head start on the Cold War and collect the best secrets for ourselves, America conducted Operation Paperclip, a covert extraction program that brought over one thousand German scientists - many of whom were former Nazis - to the mainland after the fall of Berlin. Unbeknownst to the populace, this virus became part of our country’s DNA, steering our space and military programs to the present day. They built our space shuttles, developed new missiles, and anything else we needed to satisfy our unquenchable thirst for world domination. In the American Southwest, a third-generation paperclip by the name of Hans Kammler (Dan Stevens) is secretly developing the perfect super soldier. Resurrected from the corpses of the worst of the worst, these soldiers don’t have an off switch, being unstable and unstoppable as they kill anything that crosses their path. The initial three test subjects are each essentially Michael Myers, masked and mute, withstanding all that comes their way. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L24CYVpQ-LI Of course, things don’t go as planned, with these flesh-covered heat-seeking missiles breaking free from containment and being unleashed on local civilians. One of those people is Celeste (Adria Arjona), a veteran who’s buried herself and her past in the desert. But the world comes knocking as her young daughter gets dropped off on her. Her parenting skills are severely lacking compared to her skills with a weapon, and her desolate trailer home is littered with the alcohol and basic canned food of someone who’s given up on life. Before taking an extended detour into the world of skyscraper-sized gorillas and lizards in Godzilla vs. Kong and Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire , director Adam Wingard got down and dirty with low-budget features like You’re Next and The Guest . They were filled with trashy violence, overpumped with blood, and winking at their ludicrousness. Onslaught attempts to return to that mode, with a heavy dosage of ‘80s VHS sleaze for good measure. The desert air is filled with smoke-like dust, and the full moon illuminates the hunter’s eyes as they descend on their prey. Dan Stevens sports the smoothest bald cap money can buy, with the brightest overhead lamps shining directly onto it and his white lab coat pulled directly from Star Wars . These stylizations offer a lot of flavor, both for the eyes and ears. It all looks and sounds the part of a video store bargain bin find. Twisted visuals are matched with a thumping soundscape that rings every gunshot throughout the theater, organs splattering on impact. Except those movies were also never that good, containing paper-thin characters and plot beats functioning mostly as loose stitching between scenes of pulpy violence. Onslaught mostly has that problem too, with Celeste being just another wounded lone wolf who has to protect her cub, and the perfect killing machines miss their shots anytime they aim at the main character. There is also an unavoidable sickness that’s felt when witnessing civilians being gunned down by their own government. A scene of a gas station being turned into a bloodbath becomes a little too raw and real for comfort. On its own, that kind of visceral reaction should net points for Wingard as a filmmaker. But when assessed against the cheap thrills of the rest of the film, that moment feels like crass exploitation. Also exploited in this cast are Drew Starkey and Rebecca Hall, two talented performers given absolutely nothing to do. Starkey is introduced as a swaggering government mercenary, his nice suit implying he’s more than just your average soldier. Yet his only order is to stand down, staying two steps behind the killers as Celeste takes them on. Hall smokes a few cigarettes and speaks a few lines of German, offering no substance as a character. It’s those puzzling choices that make Onslaught an overall mildly frustrating experience. Making an homage to past works does not grant immunity from making the same mistakes. It seems forty years of separation wasn’t enough for Wingard to figure out how to improve on telling this generic story. Actions speak louder than words, but that doesn’t mean they also speak with intelligence. A24 will release Onslaught in theaters nationwide on September 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

Masters of the Universe June 2, 2026 By: Button Hunter Friesen Is there anything more quintessentially representative of the 1980s than He-Man and the Masters of the Universe ? The hand-drawn animated show came during a resurgence of sci-fi and fantasy storytelling, especially stories that primarily featured characters and props that could be easily converted to toys and other merchandise. He-Man and his famous catchphrase were plastered on lunchboxes, posters, and other knick-knacks alongside Optimus Prime and the G.I. Joes. But while those latter franchises were brought to the silver screen on multiple occasions during the wave of 1980s nostalgia in the 2000s/2010s, the inherent silliness of He-Man forced him to stay dormant. It’s unlikely to be a coincidence that franchise owners Mattel have recruited director Travis Knight, who took over from Michael Bay and briefly pivoted the Transformers movie franchise towards a boldly more mentally and emotionally intelligent direction with Bumblebee , to kickstart this property. Knight also brings his immense animated talent as president and CEO of Laika, the stop-motion studio behind Coraline , Kubo and the Two String s, and Missing Link . Later this year, they’ll release Wildwood , which recently dropped a dazzling trailer. After seeing Masters of the Universe , I can already guarantee that Wildwood will be the far superior film that Knight will release this year. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X21JsHLHnY8 Much of the problem with this film is that it falls in a long line of nostalgic reboots, remakes, and sequels that believe that being ironic automatically makes them cool again. Unfortunately for all the imitators, Greta Gerwig made it look too easy with Barbie . Now Mattel sees dollar signs everywhere along their toy lines, with movies for Matchbox, Barney, Bob the Builder, Hot Wheels, Magic 8 Ball, and Polly Pocket all somewhere in development. These are all absurd and uncool products to revolve a feature film around. But as long as the films themselves point out that fact, then the company is one step ahead of us. Except that strategy has been done to death so many times that I can’t care anymore. Star Nicholas Galitzine gives off a joke-y, “can you believe the words that are coming out of my mouth!?!” kind of energy when giving the opening prologue. As the main character, Prince Adam / He-Man, he explains that Eternia is a beautiful planet full of life, all of it sustained by the power of Grayskull. That power can be transferred to Adam when holding the Sword of Power and proclaiming, "By the Power of Grayskull! I have the power!" But after the evil forces of Skeletor attack his world, Adam is transported to Earth, specifically Oklahoma City, and separated from the sword. Thankfully, this fish-out-of-water storyline doesn’t last long. All respect to Oklahoma City, but Eternia is a much more interesting place, even if Skeletor’s conquest essentially burned and salted the earth. I guess his victory shouldn’t come as a surprise since his army has guns, and the good guys almost exclusively have swords. The action set pieces are nothing special, with lots of circular camerawork and editing that cuts away from the blows to maintain the PG-13 rating. This is also a surprisingly pro-violence movie, with lots of painfully unfunny moments dedicated to the absurdity of Adam trying to proclaim the benefits of talking about our feelings instead of using our fists. He’s ridiculed each time, eventually just punching and slashing the bad guys who can’t be reasoned with. There are even entire scenes centered around the absurdity of the human resources department, all of them so excruciatingly tiresome. At least Jared Leto gleefully cackles his way through his role as Skeletor, his voice and appearance fully transformed by fairly impressive visual effects. Certainly, much of the nearly $200 million budget went there, as other shots look quite inferior. The whole thing feels extremely market-tested from the get-go, even down to Galitzine’s charmingly goofy performance. It’s not his fault that he’s appearing in a 132-minute film that never knows when to speed things up or trim out the fat. There isn’t an ounce of fat on his body, which bulges with muscles and abs the moment he grabs the sword. At the very least, he provides some inspiration for the men in the audience as summer starts to get into full swing. Amazon MGM Studios will release Masters of the Universe in theaters nationwide on June 05th. More Reviews Primetime September 22, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Unabomber September 24, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Look Back September 16, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Elsinore September 14, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

TIFF25: Tyler's Time at the Festival September 20, 2025 By: Tyler Banark The most wonderful time of the year has come and gone with the 50th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival. What TIFF and the city of Toronto never fail to do is be welcoming. It’s the time of year when the city comes to life, welcoming film lovers like myself from around the world to see some of the biggest upcoming releases. I’ve always found it wonderful that TIFF offers a variety of movies, both good and bad. Regardless, the various trips to the theatres of King Street provided for some memorable adventures. Without further ado, here’s a look back at what I saw at TIFF50! Richard Linklater’s Blue Moon opened the first day, with Ethan Hawke delivering one of the year’s standout performances as lyricist Lorenz Hart navigating his fractured partnership with Richard Rodgers. Hawke’s flamboyant yet restrained turn anchors this brisk, 100-minute chamber piece, with Linklater keeping the pacing tight enough to avoid the lulls typical in similar films. The rest of the day was devoted to Cannes catch-ups: Sirāt , The Secret Agent , and Palme d’Or winner It Was Just an Accident . Sirāt emerged as the best foreign entry of the festival, cleverly twisting the road-trip formula with a shocking second half. It Was Just an Accident is impressively portrayed as a dark comedy with an unexpected bite. The weakest of the trio, The Secret Agent , still offered value by showcasing Wagner Moura’s growing stature as one of Latin America’s most compelling rising talents. Day two featured Oliver Assayas’ The Wizard of the Kremlin , a political thriller that traces Vladimir Putin’s 15-year rise through the eyes of an associate, played by Paul Dano. Despite its ambition, the film lacks the intrigue of stronger political dramas, and the unconvincing Russian accents from Dano and Jude Law don’t help. Park Chan-Wook followed with No Other Choice , a biting satire about an unemployed man plotting revenge on his job rivals. Dark, shocking, and hilarious, it sparked endless debate and was a strong contender (and eventual winner) for the inaugural TIFF International People’s Choice Award. Closing the day was Paul Greengrass’ The Lost Bus , starring Matthew McConaughey and America Ferrera. Based on the 2018 Paradise wildfires, it delivered an emotional, crowd-pleasing finale that earned thunderous applause. While weakened by clunky dialogue and uneven writing, its powerful climax and heartfelt performances kept it engaging. The weekend brought a mix of highs and lows at the festival. David Mackenzie’s Fuze , Mark Jenkin’s Rose of Nevada , and Romain Gavras’ Sacrifice ranked among the weakest. Fuze squandered a strong premise and cast on thin writing and a pointless ending. Rose of Nevada , a sluggish drama with a failed mystery thread, disappointed despite George MacKay’s billing—he didn’t even appear at my screening, though Callum Turner and Jenkin did. Sacrifice strained to be a biting satire but only came off as a hollow imitation of 2022’s The Menu . In the middle sat David Michôd’s Christy , buoyed solely by Sydney Sweeney’s committed turn. Gus Van Sant’s Dead Man’s Wire fared better, a gripping crime thriller powered by Bill Skarsgård’s continued momentum and Dacre Montgomery’s sharp presence. Fortunately, the festival’s best stood out among these: Maude Apatow’s assured directorial debut in the comedy Poetic License , and David Freyne’s fantastical romantic dramedy Eternity . Chloé Zhao’s Hamnet proved a gut-punch of a drama. For most of its runtime, it’s a meditative, steady work, but the final 15 minutes, paired with Max Richter’s haunting “On the Nature of Daylight,” elevate it into something unforgettable. Rarely have I heard so many sniffles at a 9 a.m. screening—it’s an experience I’ll carry into my next watch of it. Next came Peter Ho-Sun Chan’s She Has No Name . Like last year’s Harbin , I sought it out for its intriguing synopsis, but it ultimately left little impression despite its potential. I closed the day with Dwayne Johnson, first at his In Conversation With… panel, then with the North American premiere of The Smashing Machine . The film marks a bold pivot for Johnson, an attempt to move beyond his The Rock persona. While his performance shows promise, the script’s uneven writing keeps it from fully landing. My final day at TIFF was a Netflix marathon with Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery , Frankenstein , and Ballad of a Small Player . Rian Johnson’s third Benoit Blanc outing remains enjoyable, though it lacks the sharpness of Knives Out and Glass Onion . Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein stood out as a faithful, fascinating retelling of Mary Shelley’s novel. Oscar Isaac brings gravitas as the scientist, but Jacob Elordi steals the film with one of the year’s finest performances as the creature. While Del Toro’s artistry is undeniable, his films remain hit-or-miss for me personally. Unfortunately, the festival ended on a sour note with Edward Berger’s Ballad of a Small Player . Despite Colin Farrell and Tilda Swinton being attached, the film’s bombastic style and grating score made it feel like a chaotic blend of Uncut Gems and Casino —a frustrating finale to an otherwise memorable TIFF. At the end of the day, it won’t matter how I ended things because TIFF always makes for a wonderful time, regardless of the quality of certain movies. This year was a buffet as the 20 movies I saw in six days ranged from everything and came from everywhere. The people of TIFF know how to cater to everyone, although I wish I had found a Midnight Madness screening to attend, as those are usually a highlight. That being said, happy 50 years to Cameron Bailey and company! Here’s to 50 more!! FULL RANKING 1. Eternity (4.5/5) 2. Poetic License (4.5/5) 3. Hamnet (4.5/5) 4. Sirāt (4/5) 5. Blue Moon (4/5) 6. Frankenstein (4/5) 7. No Other Choice (4/5) 8. Dead Man's Wire (3.5/5) 9. The Smashing Machine (3.5/5) 10. It Was Just an Accident (3.5/5) 11. Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (3.5/5) 12. The Lost Bus (3.5/5) 13. Christy (3/5) 14. The Wizard of the Kremlin (2.5/5) 15. The Secret Agent (2.5/5) 16. Fuze (2/5) 17. She Has No Name (2/5) 18. Sacrifice (2/5) 19. Rose of Nevada (1.5/5) 20. Ballad of a Small Player (1/5) 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 Super Mario Galaxy Movie March 31, 2026 By: Button Hunter Friesen As much as I surprisingly enjoyed 2023’s The Super Mario Bros. Movie , there was a feeling that it was the most corporatized version of itself. That’s not much of a surprise, as the corporate rights holder, Nintendo, is notorious for holding onto its intellectual property with an iron grip. It’s a lesson they initially had to learn the hard way, with 1993’s live-action Super Mario Bros. being an unmitigated disaster, a disrespectful piece of adaptation equally hated by the creators and fans. In shame, the company halted any attempts for big-budget theatrical adaptations, finally opening the vault decades later with Pokémon: Detective Pikachu and The Super Mario Bros. Movie . Bowling with the guard rails up isn’t sexy, but it got the job done to the tune of $1.3 billion in box office earnings for the return of Mario to the silver screen, this time in a more appropriate animated form. Now that the job of launching this rocket ship of a cinematic franchise has been completed, it’s finally time for it to set its sights on new galaxies. True to its title, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie does just that, opening itself up to the limitless possibilities that the forty-year game franchise has unlocked. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdL2GorGdKc The opening credits guide us through the cosmos, settling on the faraway Comet Observatory. There resides Princess Rosalina (voiced by Brie Larson), the protector of the Lumas, star-shaped creatures who sound and behave like children. As she reads them a bedtime story, an intruder appears. It’s Bowser Jr. (Benny Safdie, whose work as an actor/writer/director has hopped between Oppenheimer , Happy Gilmore 2 , The Smashing Machine , and this, within the past few years), seeking to make his father proud by kidnapping a princess of his own. He emerges victorious, sending the Lumas into the unknown reaches of space to find a hero who can save Rosalina. Lucky for them, Mario and Luigi (Chris Pratt and Charlie Day, respectively) have upped their game since the first film. They’ve been bestowed with the status of heroes to all who need them, adapting their powers to the right situations. A fun montage occurs as they solve problems around the Mushroom Kingdom, the map taking a strong resemblance to those in the games. Once the Lumas reach the brothers and Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy), they’re off on a galaxy-wide adventure to stop Bowser Jr. and restore order. There’s an assuredness to this film that the first one didn’t have. A little more respect is given to the audience as the franchise lore is broadened. Easter eggs appear in every frame, either a character from one of the many games or a collectible item that only true fans would recognize. I do not possess an encyclopedic knowledge of the games, and I was still overwhelmed by all that was being crammed in. Brian Tyler’s score is allowed more prominence, no longer burdened with having to share space with overdone tracks like “Holding Out for a Hero.” He instills many classic beats, each with a certain grandeur. The visuals are more robust, and the camera quickly follows along with the characters as they leap from one point to another. Also introduced is the trusty sidekick Yoshi, voiced by Donald Glover, who, because the character only communicates by saying his own name, now has the easiest gig in Hollywood since Vin Diesel ended his reign as Groot in the Guardians of the Galaxy films. Other notable additions are made, but the surprise is best left preserved for the theater. This is a children’s film that can equally appeal to adults. It is based on the generation-defining Wii game Super Mario Galaxy , which was released almost twenty years ago (that makes me feel old). Mario has been many things to many different people, and there’s a little bit of everything here. I can sense that grand machinations are in place at Nintendo and Illumination, and I’d kind of like to see it all come together. Universal Pictures will release The Super Mario Galaxy Movie in theaters nationwide on April 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

Havoc April 24, 2025 By: Button Hunter Friesen A generic petty drug deal goes wrong in a generic city run by a generically corrupt mayor who was just saved from generic charges brought by the district attorney. The generic Christmas lights glisten in the night as the generically crooked cops chase after them. The apex is reached once the criminals reach the lair of the generic Chinese triad, only to find themselves involved in a shootout that frames them for the murder of everyone inside. The generically gruff police detective with a generically dark past named Walker (Tom Hardy) gets roped into the case, his past being used as blackmail by the mayor to sweep this whole thing under the rug due to his son being one of the criminals. This dime-a-dozen cops-and-robbers story has been a VOD and Redbox staple for decades, but the technological advancements of our time have shifted its importance to streaming. It's the kind where the detectives - one a grizzled veteran, the other a fresh face looking to do things by the book - roll up to the crime scene saying "What'd ya got for me today?" Walker's troubled past is given the generic summation line of "You live in this world, you make choices," right off the bat. His choice caused the fracturing of his relationship with his wife and young daughter. The former repeats the specifics of their breakup as if recapping the previous episode of a long-running television series, and the latter exists as a prop to be reminisced about from a distance as she colors in her book or plays tea with stuffed animals. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6txjTWLoSc8 All these valid complaints make it seem as if Havoc is one of the worst movies of the year, just another streaming exclusive designed to appear momentarily on the most-watched of the weekend list and then fade into the overpopulated land of obscurity. No, Havoc never threatens to plunge to those levels. But with a script that might as well be from the stack of rejected episodes within the CSI writer's room, it's damn near impossible to muster any emotional or intellectual reaction. Welsh filmmaker Gareth Evans directs from his own script. He's the creator behind the formerly cult classic, now insanely popular, Indonesian action films of The Raid: Redemption and its sequel, The Raid 2 . Both spawned a new wave of intricately choreographed, hyper-violent crime films (see Headshot , The Night Comes for Us , and The Shadow Strays ) that placed Indonesia at the forefront of modern action. Plot is merely a formality for these projects, a boilerplate connector for the bone-crunching action setpieces. Viewing Havoc through those lenses, the final product starts to look a little rosier. American action films have never been as brutal as things are here. Sure, the John Wick series may pile bodies for a mile in each direction, but there's a pristine sharpness injected into the choreography and set decorations. No such luxuries exist here, with the nicest location being the initial few minutes within an underground EDM dance club before it gets bathed in bullets and blood. Every character is just as grimy as the spaces they inhabit, with their only penance being the edge of a blade or the last bullet from a seemingly bottomless gun. In one of his few non-Venom lead roles since he took over the character in 2018, Hardy dives headfirst into the sweatiness. He still carries a lot of Eddie Brock-isms with him, likely from the fact that this film was shot in 2021, right between the first and second Venom films. He may not be as physically gifted as Iko Uwais or have a contract that allows him to get as bruised up, but he carries himself like a bulldozer. And, like every American, he always carries a bigger gun than his foe. For Evans, this is still a slight disappointment. Perhaps it's because the American studio system doesn't allow for as much freedom to innovate, or because its comparatively boundless riches make it too tempting to take the easy way out. The opening car chase is infested with snow and debris to hide the extensive visual effects, the camera swirling around at impossible speeds. The theatrical realism Evans has been known for was immediately stripped away, with a few glimpses throughout the rest of the film. Something is still better than nothing, which is what we usually get in this subgenre. Netflix will release Havoc on its streaming service on April 25th. More Reviews Primetime September 22, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Unabomber September 24, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Look Back September 16, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Elsinore September 14, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

2022 Winners January 1, 2023 By: Hunter Friesen While it definitely wasn’t as bad as 2020 or 2021, 2022 could still be considered a rough year for most people. But there were a few that rose above the challenges set before them and came out victorious. In this list, I’ll be going through nine of the biggest winners of 2022, whichever way you want to define the term “success.” Of course, plenty more could have been included here, but margin space is tight so some tough decisions had to be made. Make sure to come back tomorrow to see the unveiling of the 2022 Losers list. A24 Just as they always do, the independent distributor offered several genre-drying outings from our best present and future filmmakers. Their presence was felt at every film festival, with Everything Everywhere All at Once (SXSW), Close (Cannes), and The Whale (Venice) grabbing headlines from all over the globe. And with the box office potential for arthouse films falling by the wayside at alarming rates, A24 has continued to position itself as a strong brand geared towards younger demographics, so its future looks as bright as its present. Colin Farrell In terms of both quality and quantity, the Irish actor knocked it out of the park, starring in several productions in varying genres and scales. He started off the year with After Yang at Sundance, reintroducing Kogonada’s film after its 2021 Cannes bow. He then went big, both literally and metaphorically, for The Batman , which has netted him his own future spinoff show. Then there was Ron Howard’s Thirteen Lives , where he and Viggo Mortensen aptly led the inspiring true story of the Thailand cave rescue. And, finally, he returned to his native home country to work again with Martin McDonagh on The Banshees of Inisherin , receiving the best reviews of his career. He’s already picked up a number of critics' prizes and looks to be a prime contender for the Best Lead Actor Oscar. Jenna Ortega No one had a bigger rise to fame in 2022 than Jenna Ortega. She had the one-two punch of The Fallout and Scream in January, proving that she was both able to carry heavy dramatic material and be a box office star. She kept the horror streak going with a supporting performance in Ti West’s X , followed by the titular role in Wednesday , which has already become one of Netflix’s most popular shows of all time. She’ll reprise her role in the upcoming Scream 6 , meaning we may have a new scream queen for this generation. Legacy Sequels Who says a sequel needs to come right away? If 2022 taught us anything, it’s that no movie is too old to get a follow-up. Top Gun: Maverick demolished box office expectations despite thirty-six years between entries, and Avatar: The Way of Water will look to repeat the success of its thirteen-year-old predecessor. Jackass Forever brought back the usual gang of numbskulls after a dozen years apart, resulting in even more hilarious brain trauma. Finally, there was Scream , blending both fan-favorites such as Neve Campbell and Courtney Cox with a fresh-faced group of potential Ghostface victims. Claire Denis The revered French auteur released two movies in 2022, both netting her positive critical remarks and some hardware for her trophy shelf. The first was Both Sides of the Blade , premiering at the Berlin Film Festival and reuniting her with Juliette Binoche and Vincent Lindon. Denis would pick up the festival prize for her direction just as she was racing around the clock to put the finishing touches on Stars at Noon for it to be submitted for the Cannes Film Festival, her first time there in competition in over thirty years. Her hard work paid off, as the film was jointly awarded the Grand Prize of the Festival (second-place prize) along with Lukas Dhont’s Close . Brian Tyree Henry Between both movies and television, and comedy and drama, Henry reached new heights in his career. He stole the spotlight from both Brad Pitt with his Thomas the Tank Engine-obsessed character in Bullet Train , and Jennifer Lawrence as a grief-stricken car mechanic in Causeway , which might earn him an Oscar nomination. He also concluded his run on Atlanta with the final two seasons, putting him in a prime position for next year’s Emmy awards. Horror Movies While other genres saw dwindling box office numbers, horror movies kept theaters afloat, both in wide and limited releases. Smile was the big winner with over $100 million both domestically and internationally, with Barbarian and The Menu close behind. Damien Leone’s Terrifier 2 proved to be a great investment at a budget of only $250,000, grossing over $10 million despite staying in a small number of theaters. X and Pearl gave arthouse horror fans a surprise treat, Prey reimagined the Predator franchise, and Bones and All told a story filled with both literal and metaphorical heart. Cate Blanchett Considering the high bar Blanchett has set for herself throughout her career, it’s hard to imagine how she would be able to raise it again. But just as she’s always done, she doubted the naysayers, turning in one of best performances of her career in TÁR , writer/director Todd Field’s return to feature filmmaking after a sixteen-year absence. She’ll be a top contender for her third acting Oscar. She also provided monkey noises for Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio , and her narration for The School for Good and Evil was the only positive thing critics had to say about that movie. Ethan Hawke The only thing consistent about Hawke’s output this past year was the excellence of its quality. He made his MCU debut, and probably made some good money, as the main antagonist in Moon Knight . He then did three wildly different roles, both in terms of size and range, on the silver screen: Leading The Black Phone , supporting in The Northman , and providing a cameo in Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery . But Hawke wasn’t just satisfied with appearing in front of the camera, as he also directed the six-part HBO Max documentary series on the relationship between Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward. 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

Shazam: Fury of the Gods March 19, 2023 By: Button Hunter Friesen With all the recent news about the future potential for James Gunn and Peter Safran’s new and revitalized DCU, it almost seems pointless to spend time, money, and energy on a grandfathered-in property from the old guard like Shazam: Fury of the Gods . It is an increasingly bad product of the modern studio landscape that giant blockbusters such as this can be rendered irrelevant by politics even before they’ve come out. We don’t have to look that much deeper within Warner Bros. to find the indefinitely shelved Batgirl as a much harsher example. But then again, it’s hard for me to feel sympathy for Fury of the Gods (and the entire old DCU regime) when it doesn’t provide any compelling reasons for its own existence. It’s an ultra-corporate tentpole telling a been-there-done-that story, with the only thing it excels at being annoying. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zi88i4CpHe4 Where the first Shazam was lighter on its feet and told a pretty straightforward story, Fury of the Gods muddies the waters as we dig deeper into the mediocre lore of the titular character. The three sisters of Atlas: Hespera (Helen Mirren), Kalypso (Lucy Liu), and Anthea (Rachel Zegler) have come to our mortal realm to claim their father’s staff, which can give and take the god-like powers from any person. Shazam (who doesn’t go by that name for “hilarious” reasons) and his superhuman foster family are their natural obstacles, although they have in-house troubles of their own as each member wants something a little different. Shazam doesn’t really know his place as a superhero, with Freddy (Jack Dylan Grazer) being overconfident with his abilities. The rest of the family fulfills their single character trait, so 75% of their interactions go exactly as expected. Shazam’s identity crisis extends to the movie at large, as the edges of personality from the first film have been sanded off in favor of much more generic plotting and action. The stakes are again centered around the world being destroyed, with a MacGuffin about an item with limitless power. It even creates a sky beam (sort of), something we definitely haven’t gotten tired of! There’s also still the problem of Zachary Levi and Asher Angel being the same character, despite the former having too much personality and the latter not enough. Director David F. Sandberg and writers Henry Gayden and Chris Morgan seemed to have sided with Levi, with Angel reduced to a much smaller supporting role. Grazer is grating as well as he overdoes everything. But there is talent evident within him, which he showed tremendously with Luca Guadagnino’s We Are Who We Are , so I still look forward to what he can do outside of franchises. It’s hilarious that Dwayne Johnson didn’t want anything to do with Shazam when he was building his Black Adam movie, despite the two characters having a decades-long relationship in the comics. Now with both Black Adam and Shazam: Fury of the Gods being beacons of generic studio fodder, it seems only right for the two of them to finally get together and make something that finally kills the DCU. I wouldn’t mind if their power were also strong enough to suspend the MCU for a while, because the slope toward the gutter is getting increasingly slippier with each new entry. Warner Bros. Pictures will release Shazam! Fury of the Gods in theaters nationwide on March 17th. 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