Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi December 18, 2017 By: Button Hunter Friesen Director Rian Johnson’s Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi is easily the grandest and most epic film to have come out in 2017. It boasts a balanced cast of series veterans and newcomers, along with outstanding production quality. However, what was supposed to be The Empire Strikes Back for the new trilogy has come up short in key areas, such as an exciting plot and engaging characters that limit the film from being anything above average. The Last Jedi picks up immediately after the closing events of Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens . We cross-cut between Princess Leia leading the Resistance in a desperate escape mission from the pursuing First Order, and Rey trying to recruit a weary Luke Skywalker on his secluded island. On the dark side of the force, Supreme Leader Snoke and Kylo Ren act out plans to try to bring Rey to the dark side. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0CbN8sfihY While the summary I gave makes the film sound simple, it really isn’t. There are many side plots and characters that muddy the water and make the overall story meander aimlessly until the final act. Each of the plots feels underdeveloped because of all the juggling, and some of them clearly should have been cut or greatly reduced, which would have helped resolve the overlong 152-minute runtime. The film is also unoriginal and doesn’t add anything new or meaningful to the saga. Most everything goes exactly as you would expect, and the things that are different aren’t done well. The characters endure many problems within the film, mostly because of their own incompetence to do things right. In the end, everything that happened was expected, and everything new wasn’t good. The biggest problem with the film is how it treats its characters. Rey is still a standout from the previous film and has grown even more since then. She is still trying to make sense of becoming a Jedi, but exhibits great bravery and a strong will to help her friends. Luke is hit or miss, depending on the scene, as he tries to deal with his failures as a Jedi master and Rey’s plea for his help in training her. Finn’s role is greatly reduced as he becomes part of the supporting cast, as he and Rose (a Resistance engineer) embark on a side quest to secure a safecracker. Their plot is totally pointless, and neither of them ends up as likable characters by the end of the film, as all they do is critique the bad guys and say how things are bad. Kylo Ren and Poe are adequate most of the time, but never good enough in their expanded roles. Characters such as Leia, Snoke, and Captain Phasma are either completely disrespected or wasted as Johnson can never seem to figure out what their role should be in the overarching story. The one thing you can always expect from a Star Wars film is great visuals and an epic lightsaber fight, and The Last Jedi is no exception to that rule. The main lightsaber battle is one of the best in the series and is expertly shot and choreographed for maximum intensity and realism. You can feel the danger and raw power within the characters as they fight for their lives against an unforgiving enemy. The space battle is really well done as it blends great visuals and sounds. There is one specific sequence in the latter part of the film that is one of the best-looking moments of the year. While their characters are overall pretty poor, most of the actors do a fine job when it comes to breathing life into the film. Highlights include Daisy Ridley as Rey and Carrie Fisher as Leia. Each of them balances their emotions really well and delivers their lines perfectly in the situation they are thrust into. Mark Hamill does a good job as well at bringing Luke Skywalker back to life after a thirty-year screen absence. He gives Luke the old man treatment, but also still reminds us of the headstrong kid we all fell in love with in the original trilogy. Adam Driver is pretty good as Kylo Ren, but he struggles to make his character anything different than what we have already seen. Some, however, don’t deserve praise for their work. Both John Boyega and Kelly Marie Tran as Finn and Rose, respectively, make for some pretty forgettable moments in the film that could have been a lot better. They also don’t share any chemistry together, which makes it hard to care about them the whole time. Overall, The Last Jedi is disappointing, but it is still an acceptable film in the ever-expanding Star Wars saga. While it isn’t the sequel fans were hoping for, it still delivers in getting the look and feel of what a Star Wars film should be. Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures will release Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi in theaters nationwide on December 15th. 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

Explore the captivating world of cinema through our insightful essay collection, containing thought-provoking analyses and interpretations of your favorite movies, shedding new light on their themes, characters, and artistic brilliance. Essays Button Button Tyler's Takes: In Defense of Pixar's 'Elemental' June 22, 2024 By: Tyler Banark The American New Wave of 1970s Hollywood May 4, 2023 By: Hunter Friesen Button Button The Influence of Howard Hawks in 'Assault on Precinct 13' April 5, 2023 By: Hunter Friesen 1967: A Dramatic Shift in American Film March 29, 2023 By: Hunter Friesen 'Bonnie & Clyde' and New Sentimentality Button 1967: A Dramatic Shift in American Film Button How 'The Godfather' Signaled Hollywood Change 50 Years Ago Button The American New Wave of 1970s Hollywood Button Tyler's Takes: In Defense of Pixar's 'Elemental' Button 'Night of the Living Dead': The First Liberal Horror Film Button Cassavetes & Newman: Hollywood Stars, Art Cinema Auteurs Button Poitier and Hoffman: The Dueling Kings of 1967 Hollywood Button The Influence of Howard Hawks in 'Assault on Precinct 13' Button

BlacKkKlansman August 27, 2018 By: Button Hunter Friesen Spike Lee has always been one of the most outspoken directors for African-American rights. His no-holds-barred mentality put him on the map in 1989 with Do the Right Thing and again in 1992 for his epic biopic Malcolm X . However, the last decade has been rough for Lee as his films have been of lower quality, and he has struggled to click with the mainstream crowd. Fortunately for Lee and moviegoers, his new film, BlacKkKlansman , is a return to form as he delivers a thrilling crowd-pleaser that also isn’t afraid to attack race in American society. Taking place in 1979, Colorado Springs, the film follows the real-life story of Ron Stallworth, who has just become the first black cop in town. His hiring is met with hostility among the white officers, mostly those who like to create trouble for the fun of it. As a hot-headed rookie looking to make his mark and bring a little change, Ron decides to go after the local Ku Klux Klan chapter. Luckily for him, the Klan runs full ads in the paper to draw in recruits. Ron picks up the phone and disguises his voice to sound like a white man to get information. His disguise works, and he sets up a meeting with a recruiter. Obviously, Ron himself won't be able to go, so he sends white officer Flip Zimmerman to play his white self. From this point on, the story follows Ron and Flip running a tag team operation as they try to bring down one of the most hateful groups in America. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFc6I0rgmgY Over the past decade, we’ve gotten so used to Lee being overly loud and thunderous that it now feels a bit weird to see him show a decent amount of restraint when it comes to the volume of the message. He also paces the film really well for its 135-minute runtime. Action, comedy, and drama are interspersed, allowing the film to flow with great energy and rhythm. Although Spike shows some restraint, he doesn’t fully commit. At times, he falls back into his old over-the-top habits. One moment of this is at the beginning, when we are shown a fictional Klan propaganda film that serves no real purpose other than to make you hear endless racial expletives. For a script that has four credited writers, one of whom is Lee, the writing never feels fragmented. Right off the bat, the biggest compliment to the script is that it never is too preachy with its message. We do hear a lot about racism in America, but it never feels overdone. One thing that the writers struggle to do is blend together two different plots. We have the main investigation plot with Ron and Flip, but we’re also given a smaller romantic subplot between Ron and Patrice, an activist leader for black rights. Even though their romance does serve the purpose of highlighting racial tension in America, at times it feels shoehorned in and out of place. Another minor thing that comes up periodically throughout is the writing for the Klan characters. Each one of them is one-note and is treated as cartoonishly evil. It makes them entertaining to watch, but it also makes it hard to take them seriously when real-life or death stakes are presented. The best part of the film is its characters and the actors who inhabit them. John David Washington, son of frequent Spike Lee collaborator Denzel Washington, gives one of the best leading performances of the year (so far). Just like his father, John carries a sort of charisma that makes his character feel authentic. He realizes his role is quite serious, but he also takes plenty of time to have fun with his character. It makes him very entertaining to watch, especially when he’s playing “White Ron” over the phone. Adam Driver does exceptional supporting work as Flip. Just like Washington, Driver takes things seriously but also partakes in the fun every once in a while. He also gives his character a lot of depth, who is a lapsed Jew that is now starting to wrestle with his religious identity. Lastly, Topher Grace of That ‘70s Show fame is great as infamous real-life Klan leader David Duke. Grace brings a weasel-like attitude to his demented character and shares great chemistry with Washington as they engage with each other over the phone from time to time. Just like last year’s breakout hit Get Out , BlacKkKlansman is one of the rare occurrences where a film is both entertaining and able to send a powerful message about racism in America. Whether it be Spike Lee’s powerful directing or the captivating performances, there’s a lot to like here. Focus Features will release BlacKkKlansman in theaters nationwide on August 18th. More Reviews Primetime September 22, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Unabomber September 24, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Look Back September 16, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Elsinore September 14, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

The Rip January 15, 2026 By: Button Hunter Friesen In the world of law enforcement, a “rip” is a seizure of criminal assets, typically money, weapons, or drugs. Like its namesake, it’s a fast-moving operation whose main objective is to get in and get out with as much stuff as possible before trouble explodes. Of course, criminals don’t find much humor in the irony of being robbed, so the job requires the toughest and bravest (“foohlhardy” would be the more correct word) from the police force. During those raids, adrenaline is pumping, and alluring substances are being grabbed. Add a ticking clock on top of that, and you never know what exactly is going to go down. Director Joe Carnahan’s The Rip boasts the tagline: “Count the money. Count it again. Count on no one.” The money is located in a stash house in Hialeah, a city just northwest of Miami, graced with bullet holes on each of its welcome signs. A tip came in to Lieutenant Dane Dumars (Matt Damon) about $150,000 being hidden for the cartel by a girl named Desi (Sasha Calle). But once Dane and his team - JD (Ben Affleck), Mike (Steven Yeun), Numa (Teyana Taylor), and Lolo (Catalina Sandino Moreno) - make their way through the house, they find out that $150,000 hasn’t been stashed, but $20 million. What was once a routine bust-up on a Friday afternoon before a well-earned weekend has become an all-night standoff. This unit is a family, but even a bond within a family can be tested by that amount of money. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeR5bcbRPak Carnahan got his start with seedy cops and criminals with 2002’s Narc , a theme that has continued in the two decades since with Smokin’ Aces and Copshop. He was also part of the screenwriting team for Bad Boys for Life , also a Miami-set story of cops getting in way over their heads. But instead of living the lives of Will Smith and Martin Lawrence as they exchange one-liners while cruising down Ocean Drive, Damon and Affleck are being pitted against each other under the guise of ulterior motives and opportunities. Aflfeck’s character was in a relationship with the police captain, whose unexpected murder left a vacant job opening that Damon took. Now with $20 million on the line, questions that were left unspoken are now being asked out loud. This is a story (loosely) inspired by true events, something that Carnahan and co-writer Michael McGrale use as an opportunity to highlight the moral complexities within police work. As part of the murder investigation over the captain’s murder, everyone is brought in for questioning. Feathers get ruffled as silent accusations are made as to how this was allowed to happen. Add in the fact that this job also requires a willingness to be shot at on a daily basis, and you could understand the temptation to want a little more. After all, is it illegal to steal from criminals? It’s not like they earned this money through honest work, and definitely won’t use it to pay for medical bills, mortgages, and everything else that makes life an everyday grind. With a cast full of Oscar-nominated talent (or soon to be in the case of Taylor) and a director who tends to lean into the grunge, it’s interesting to watch this whodunnit yarn unspool across the humid night. As expected, Damon and Affleck carry a natural ease with each other, a forty-year friendship that’s been through thick and thin. The former is sporting a bit more grey than usual, possibly a bit of foreshadowing for the journey he’s about to take for Christopher Nolan in this summer’s The Odyssey . The latter gets a brief moment to show off his chiseled torso, perhaps a leftover element from his time as The Caped Crusader. Everyone else feels a bit underserved, stock characters that move from one room to another. It all gets too big and silly for its own good, relying on “Gotcha!” reveals to piece every loose thread together. It probably won’t hold up to any sort of scrutiny, but that’s not the kind of thing Netflix wants to serve, even going so far as to replay portions of earlier scenes and repeat important details so that no viewer can be totally lost. All of the actors and characters made a lot of money for this, but I don’t feel much richer from the experience. Netflix will release The Rip on its streaming service on January 16th. More Reviews Primetime September 22, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Unabomber September 24, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Look Back September 16, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Elsinore September 14, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

Hokum April 29, 2026 By: Button Hunter Friesen It might just be his lengthy tenure on Parks and Recreation that’s skewing my perception, but I’ve forgotten just how good Adam Scott is at playing assholes. Then again, outside of television, his most important work to me is as Will Ferrell’s arrogant younger brother, Derek, in Step Brothers . His exchange with Ferrell about the Catalina Wine Mixer lives in my head rent-free to this day. Less memorably, he was equally smarmy in The Secret Life of Walter Mitty , The Aviator , Black Mass, and Big Little Lies . When we meet Scott’s character, Ohm Bauman, in Hokum , he’s writing his newest novel. It’s the final entry in his Conquistador Trilogy , a series of adventure books that never seem to end happily. We see him smile as his characters get increasingly lost in the desert, a swig of whiskey taken as they slowly die of thirst. There’s a sense of pleasure he gets from inflicting misery, an energy that initially anthropomorphizes itself into a ghoulish figure that stalks him from across the room in his darkly lit and perpetually rain-soaked house. However much he writes and profits from it, Ohm doesn’t believe in the supernatural; his response to the legends and myths is simply the titular word. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jP2nDyQWBOU A bout of writer’s block over the ending of the novel prompts Ohm to fulfill a task that he’s long put off. He travels to Ireland to scatter his parents' ashes, specifically at the Billberry Woods Hotel, where they honeymooned many years ago. One by one, the generally pleasant Irish hospitality clashes with his entitled, brutish Americanism. Each time one of the staff members finds out his identity, they regale him with stories about the hotel being haunted by a witch who drags people to the underworld. The hotel owner believes that she’s been trapped in the honeymoon suite, which has been locked for decades, so as not to let her out. For as much as it takes for Hokum to establish itself, writer/director Damian McCarthy successfully holds our attention through scintillating imagery and established plot points. While most lean a little too one-dimensionally, each supporting character has clear goals and motivations. Almost as if he’s on a video game quest, Ohm’s one-on-one conversations with them reveal the dark secrets of the hotel and offer hints for how the eventual proceedings will overlap. Eventually, the kindly bartender goes missing. The whole town and surrounding woods have been searched, with no clues to her whereabouts. The only place left to look is the honeymoon suite, which the owner all too adamantly declares has never been unlocked, and that there’s no way she could be up there. Ohm and a local loner who lives in the woods, who specializes in the paranormal, Jerry, have their doubts, so they decide to take matters into their own hands. On the night the hotel has been closed for the season, the pair steal the key and venture into the dark and dusty room. From here, Hokum becomes one of the creepiest films of recent memory. McCarthy yet again slows things way down, gradually upping the ante through impeccable craftsmanship. Our eyes are attracted to the few pools of light, with evil lurking in the space between them and the darkness. Was that a woman that Ohm saw, or just his nerves playing a trick? We ask ourselves the same question, that is, until McCarthy unravels what’s been going on. Unfortunately for Ohm and us, he’s a very slow walker who gets easily startled, which means there are plenty of opportunities for jump scares. I had no expectations that Hokum would reinvent the horror genre, specifically its occult and folk horror subgenres. I was correct in my assumption, yet this film still ranks as one of the best in its class. It’s old school terror delivered through assured filmmaking, anchored by a sturdy lead performance. I arrived home after the movie and dared not look into any dark room, as my imagination had been corrupted. A feeling like that is when you know you’ve seen a truly scary movie. This review was originally published from a screening at the 2026 Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival. Neon will release Hokum in theaters nationwide on May 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

Hunt November 27, 2022 By: Button Hunter Friesen Certain things within our mortal world have been proven to be impossible. You can’t travel faster than the speed of light, nor can you read someone’s mind (all the mutants reading this must feel so smug). There are also the less fun things humans can’t do, such as achieving world peace or not paying taxes. And now I think I’ve stumbled upon a new scientific impossibility: Understanding the plot of Hunt on a first watch. As the directorial debut of newly minted Emmy winner and Squid Game star Lee Jung-jae, Hunt is the most serious adaptation of Mad magazine’s Spy vs. Spy . The Cold War still rages on, with Russia and the United States shifting their political war out of Vietnam and over to Korea. The wounds of the Korean War still sting thirty years later, with both North and South battling each other in a war of paranoia and information. There’s a rumor going around that there is a North Korean mole, codenamed Donglim, within the Korean Central Intelligence Agency (KCIA). This mole has leaked the plans for several past failed operations and may have access to the itinerary and security details for the president’s upcoming trip around Asia. In order to get to the bottom of this mess, the newly appointed director covertly orders the chiefs of the foreign and domestic security units to investigate the other by any means necessary. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJUOIKg4Bic Foreign Unit chief Pyong-ho (Lee Jung-jae) and Domestic Uni chief Jung-do (Jung Woo-sung) have had their differences in the past, such as when Jung-do killed a suspect who had kidnapped Pyong-ho during an assassination attempt on the president. Each of them has a slight suspicion about the other’s loyalty, and this “no red tape” opportunity is just what they need to dig deep and uncover every dirty secret. Unless you have an eidetic memory or a Ph.D. in contemporary Korean history (two things I definitely don't have), making sense of Hunt in the moment is an impossibly difficult mental exercise. As many of us did with Christopher Nolan’s Tenet a few years back, you have to accept the convoluted nature of the whole thing. Double crosses become triple crosses, which then become quadruple crosses, which then become quintuple crosses (I’m not even joking with this). And deciphering the script, co-written by Jo Seung-Hee and Jung-jae, may not be worth the effort, as nearly every plot beat follows the standard spy thriller rulebook. Hunt can’t use the same “don't try to understand it, just feel it” excuse as Tenet , as there isn’t any emotional pull to feel (not that Tenet had a heart either). Fortunately, Jung-jae fills those emotional and logical gaps with enough bullets and bombs to equip a small army. Taking influence from Michael Mann (specifically the street shootout from Heat ) and his fellow countryman Park Chan-wook, Jung-jae plunges into the action set pieces headfirst with handheld camerawork and propulsive editing. There is not a single dull moment within this spider web, with the characters getting increasingly woven together to chaotic results. If you thought the intricately layered works of John le Carré ( Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Night Manager ) weren’t complex enough or didn’t have nearly enough frenzied shootouts, then Lee Jung-jae has something for you in Hunt . He treats his debut as if it's the bus in Speed , never letting it go under 55 mph in fear that the nitrate itself will instantaneously combust. Your two options are to accept that situation and ride this bus all the way to its fiery conclusion or jump off this speeding hunk of metal. You’re going to get hurt either way; it’s just up to you if you want it to be a good or bad type of pain. Magnolia Pictures will release Hunt in select theaters on December 02nd. 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

Ready or Not 2: Here I Come March 19, 2026 By: Button Hunter Friesen Innately, the success of a movie sequel hinges almost entirely on how much you liked the first film. If you liked it, then you probably want to see the story continued. If you didn’t like it, then the story stops there. It’s that simple. I didn’t care too much for 2019’s Ready or Not ; its sureness of being the next iconic thing quickly morphed into a sweaty try-hard stench. So, when the aptly titled sequel, Ready or Not 2: Here I Come , literally dons the tagline “double or nothing,” it didn’t exactly inspire much confidence from me. As we all know, doubling on zero is still zero. Okay, fine, zero is a bit of a cheap shot. Ready or Not 2: Here I Come is more like one-third of a good movie, with two-thirds being a pedantic recycling of what’s come before. One is the loneliest number, which is where Grace (Samara Weaving) found herself at the end of the first film. She was the only one left standing on the night of her wedding into the Le Domas family: wealthy elitists who obtained their power by making a literal deal with the devil. By surviving a deadly game of hide and seek, she banished them to hell, each exploding like blood-filled balloons (you better have thought that was hilarious, because it’s the most consistent punchline here). At the very end, Grace finally walks out of the burning mansion, sitting down to enjoy a cigarette. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFqGS7jDKVc Returning directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, collectively known as “Radio Silence,” were so sure of the cultural impact of that ending that they opened the sequel with it. We continue from where the screen went black, with Grace being rushed to the hospital. She wakes up handcuffed to her bed and quickly surmises that no one is going to believe that she killed all those people in self-defense. Before a season’s worth of television could have been wrung out of mounting her legal defense, she’s forced back into the same game, this time with even more rules and stakes. That’s what everyone wants when they’re having fun playing a game: more rules! Also returning for the sequel are screenwriters Guy Busick and R. Christopher Murphy. Here, they suffer from John Wick syndrome, where they must invent reasons for a sequel to exist after the simplistic original film didn’t naturally set it up. For some odd reason, killing the Le Domas clan has triggered a power vacuum for the highest seat on the High Council, populated by the families who literally run the world. David Cronenberg makes a cameo as Chester Danforth, making one call to enact an immediate ceasefire between two warring Middle Eastern nations. Each family gets one representative to be a hunter in the new hide-and-seek game, with the first person to kill Grace obtaining the high seat. Once again, we watch as Grace does battle with a bunch of elitists who will literally kill for power. This time, she’s a little more experienced, even re-wearing her bloody wedding dress as composer Sven Faulconer cues up triumphant “suit up” music. Weaving still holds claim to be the leading scream queen of her generation, matching the nastiness of the action with a fierce presence and a wicked sense of deadpan humor. Handcuffed both literally and emotionally to Grace is her estranged sister Faith (Kathryn Newton). The pair must overcome their past trauma if they want to survive the night, which they'll do several times by stopping mid-chase to hash out some conflicting memories. And then, when they are caught, the supposedly ruthless killers will play with their food, creating opportune moments where one sister makes a selfless act to save the other. At this point, having a bunch of rich, satan-worshipping asseholes get their comeuppance at the hands of the little guy(s) just isn't satisfying anymore. The real-world news cycle has continually confirmed our wildest conspiracies about the highest class, pretty much guaranteeing that this sort of thing probably does go on in plain sight. And this self-aggrandizing humor is just preaching to a choir that is being served progressively more reheated leftovers. I've lost my appetite, and I'm hoping the chefs are getting sick of serving it. Searchlight Pictures will release Ready or Not 2: Here I Come in theaters nationwide on March 20th. 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

Pain Hustlers October 24, 2023 By: Button Hunter Friesen GMP: “Grey Matters Productions, how may I help you?” N: “Hello, this is Netflix. We worked with you guys on The Laundromat and Yes Day a few years back, and wanted to see if you were interested in partnering up again?” GMP: “Oh, hi Netflix! I gotta say I’m a little surprised you called since… well, let’s be honest, those two movies didn’t exactly pan out the way we planned.” N: “I know, but we’re in the business of hitting quotas and churning out as much content as possible. Quality is a little lower on the hierarchy of needs. Plus, the third time is the charm, right?” GMP: “I guess you’re right when you put it that way. So, what do you have in mind?” N: “We’d like to make a movie about the opioid epidemic — a takedown of Big Pharma.” GMP: “Hasn’t that already been done to death over the past few years? Hulu had that show Dopesick that won a couple of Emmys a few years ago, and Laura Poitras’ All the Beauty and the Bloodshed just won the Golden Lion at Venice last year for her story about Nan Goldin and the downfall of the Sackler family. It seems like the market is overly saturated, and the bar has been set relatively high. Wait, didn’t you just release a show called Painkiller a few months ago about the Sacklers?” N: “I’ll admit, we got beat to the market in this area. But we’re Netflix, we never let being late to the punch stop us from getting in on the action. Remember Red Notice ? We did that after everyone was already getting sick of Dwayne Johnson, Ryan Reynolds, and Gal Gadot. And we still gave Joe and Anthony Russo hundreds of millions to make The Gray Man after Cherry . No one else on the planet would do that besides us.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbPeXsdamT4 GMP: “You do put your money where your mouth is, I’ll give you that. And at least you’re not Amazon. People actually watch the stuff you pour generations' worth of wealth into, even if they don’t like it. Speaking of the Russos and Amazon, did you see Citadel , supposedly the second-most-expensive show ever produced?” N: “No, of course not! But we are giving them another $200 million to make another action-adventure movie starring Chris Pratt.” GMP: “I don’t think you know what irony is. Whatever, alright, we can do this Big Pharma movie with you. We’ve got this book we bought the rights to called The Pain Hustlers about these two charismatic young people getting caught up in illegal pharmaceutical selling.” N: “Awesome! Who should we get to direct this? We need it to be fun and palatable enough so people will look up from their phones on the couch. But we also need a simplistic message about how all of this is bad.” GMP: “Okay, so you want something that’ll make it on your top 10 list on its opening weekend and then never to be talked about again? N: “That’s our specialty!” GMP: “Let’s see, Martin Scorsese did The Wolf of Wall Street a few years ago, and that was a big success. You guys just worked with him on The Irishman . Is there any chance you can get him back? Or maybe Steven Soderbergh? I could get him on the phone and see if he’s interested.” N: “No, those guys were expensive and wanted full control of their work. We’re moving towards directors that are just big of a name to be on the poster, but not big enough that we can still tell them exactly what to do.” GMP: “[flipping through the rolodex] Well, there’s this guy called David Yates that’s available. He just came off the Fantastic Beasts trilogy so you can get him on the cheap. But he doesn’t have a discernible style, so he wouldn’t be a good fit for this angle you want.” N: “Ehh, that doesn’t matter. We’ll take him! I think we can make up for it by having a couple of hundred ChatGPT bots watch some Scorsese movies and then edit the film.” GMP: “I don’t think that’s how that works, but it’s your money. Well since we cheaped out on the director, can we at least spend some decent money on the stars? After all, you have built your brand around paying ungodly amounts of money to movie stars. How about Emily Blunt and Chris Evans? Both charismatic actors and Evans check off your obligatory Russo box.” N: “That sounds good. Blunt will be great in the role. Can we make Evans do a vague Boston accent even though he’s terrible at it? Oh, and can we make this whole thing a mockumentary? All the kids love those!” GMP: “I’ll let Evans do the accent because it would be fun to see him fail. But I don’t think the mockumentary angle is a good idea since that’s also been overplayed.” N: “Well, The Office was too much of a success on our platform so we have to do it. Hmmm. Alright, we’ll just do half of it. Like, we’ll lean on it heavily in the opening and then drop it for an hour before abruptly bringing it back right at the end.” GMP: “That seems a little haphazard and might mess with the tonal balance. But I get what you’re saying. You don’t want to mess with the algorithm. Alright, so I’ve got you down for the film rights, Yates, Blunt, and Evans. Your total will be $58 million, plus a few extra $10 million payments for marketing.” N: “Wow, only $58 million?!? I guess this is what it feels like to be making indie movies?” GMP: “Are you doing cash or card?” N: “Can you just put it on my tab? I’ve already got $14 billion on there right now so it just makes sense to keep adding to that. Don’t worry, we’ll pay it off eventually.” GMP: “I really shouldn’t, since you still owe me for those other two movies, but what the hell, why not? Alright, we’ll have that order ready for you in October.” N: “One more thing! Can you have it ready by September? I want to debut it at the Toronto International Film Festival and start the buzz rolling early.” GMP: “Sure thing! We’ll just have to trim around the edges a little bit. You’ll probably lose about 10% in quality from what we already planned, but that doesn’t matter since we’re already making a movie no one will care about anyway!” This review was originally published from the world premiere at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival. Netflix will release Pain Hustlers in select theaters on October 20th, followed by its streaming premiere on October 27th. 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 Smashing Machine September 29, 2025 By: Button Hunter Friesen The Smashing Machine could have had it all. It's got an interesting premise about the life story of Mark Kerr, the former UFC Heavyweight Champion, whose blood, sweat, and tears laid the groundwork for all the glitz and glamour that current fighters have the privilege to bask in. It's got a headline performance from Dwayne Johnson, the world's biggest wrestling and movie star, hungry to sink his teeth into something meatier after years of work on stuff like Red Notice , Red One , and Red Alert (I'll let you figure out which one of those titles is fake). It's helmed by writer/director Benny Safdie, one-half of the Safdie brother duo with his elder brother Josh. Before their break-up, the pair got down and dirty with Good Time and Uncut Gems , offering a jittery look inside the psyches of those who like to go off the deep end. And above all of them in the hierarchy is distributor/producer A24, recently specializing in merging blockbuster talent with arthouse sensibilities. But instead of getting the best of all worlds, we get the middle of it. This is still a standard sports biopic, filled with the ups and downs brought upon by drugs, alcohol, and redemption. No amount of rough-around-the-edges production can mask that DNA, which begs the question of why Safdie and Johnson wanted to tell this story when there's already a 2002 documentary with the same name and scope. The answers are money, fame, and ego, the three most potent qualities in both the movie and wrestling industries. Where there's a scrappy indie that fills a niche, there needs to be a glossier Hollywood version that raises the viewership ceiling. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRpnP3LZ99g There's also the fact that Johnson is probably the only person in history who could play Kerr without subjecting themselves to Bane's Venom Serum. Standing 6'3" and weighing 250 lbs, Kerr was a mountain of muscle, proportioned almost like an upside-down triangle. The fifty-three-year-old Johnson turns back the clock twenty years to replicate that physique, complete with bulging neck muscles and tree trunk arms. Kazu Hiro, the renowned makeup designer for transformative performances such as Gary Oldman as Winston Churchill in Darkest Hour , Bradley Cooper as Leonard Bernstein in Maestro , and Charlize Theron as Megyn Kelly in Bombshell , adds a crinkled hairpiece and some facial prosthetics to complete the look. Johnson talks the talk as much as he walks the walk, using his professional wrestling background to lend insight into why someone would subject themselves to so much torture. Lest we forget, the early days of the UFC didn't promise million-dollar-plus purses and entourages. Kerr emerges from a fight covered in blood and bruises, only to be handed a check for $3000. He lived in a modest house in Phoenix, flew commercial to all his fights, maintained memberships at commercial gyms, and dealt with the hassle of insurance for all his pain medications. This is where the incentive to become "The Smashing Machine" comes into play, with fast knockouts keeping the door to his career open just a bit longer. He wears just as many scars as victories, each one a reminder of just how committed he is to being the best. It's the greatest feeling in the world because losing costs so much. Safdie plunges us right into the action, applying a docudrama approach through handheld camerawork and plenty of zooms. We follow along in a long take as Mark goes from the locker room to the ring, everyone in the halls gawking at his enormous frame. There are probably more moments within those confined spaces than on the stage, with introspection being more difficult than taking a knee to the head. Real-life mixed martial artist Ryan Bader plays Kerr's best friend and fellow fighter, Mark Coleman. His wooden line delivery is an intentionally smart choice, illustrating how a bond born through combat can't be expressed with words. Emily Blunt doesn't get the same treatment as Mark's girlfriend, Dawn. She's given the stereotypical role of "suffering partner," battling with Mark as he gets progressively buried by addiction and the threat of losing. It's hard to blame Safdie or Blunt for capturing the reality of the situation, but they go about it with the same rote scenarios we've seen time and time again. Little remarks become blow-ups, which eventually lead to reconciliations. If you're going to treat someone's story the same as everyone else's, then how am I supposed to perceive what was so special about them? A24 will release The Smashing Machine in theaters nationwide on October 3rd. 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 Fabelmans September 10, 2022 By: Button Hunter Friesen From the opening scene of his most personal film yet (that’s quite the statement), Steven Spielberg lays all his cards on the table. Done in a single take, we find the young Spielberg stand-in (named Sammy Fabelman) scared to see his first movie: Cecil B. DeMille’s The Greatest Show on Earth . His father pulls him aside and attempts to explain the entire machination process of how films are projected onto the screen. This tactic doesn’t go over well, so Sammy’s mother takes him to the other side and simply explains that “movies are dreams that you never forget.” In the end, the mother wins out, with Sammy’s reaction to the film being a combination of unexplainable terror and wonder. Through this scene, we get a thesis statement on Spielberg’s approach to filmmaking. He’s a born storyteller, pouring his mother’s heart into every frame. And he’s also a master craftsman, leaning on his father’s engineering mindset to construct fantastic sequences that defy belief. The more The Fabelmans tell its story, the clearer that thesis becomes. We learn how one man could be attracted to making movies about a killer shark, a world-traveling archeologist, friendly and unfriendly aliens, the Holocaust, American presidents, World War II, and even modern-day dinosaurs. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1G2iLSzOe8 Seeing The Greatest Show on Earth , specifically the train crash scene, spurs something in Sammy. He feels compelled to recreate the memory with his own camera and train set, which he does to his mother’s amazement. A passion is quickly born, one that often gets caught in the crossfire of the distraughtness of the Fabelman family over the subsequent years. Just as he’s done with every genre (except for Westerns, which he claims to be interested in doing for his next project), Spielberg conquers the recent trend of directors making their autobiography about how they fell in love with cinema. You can feel the pure joy Spielberg has in recreating his early 8mm films. Janusz Kaminski’s exquisite Capra-esque lighting and Michael Kahn’s (who's been with Spielberg since Close Encounters of the Third Kind ) editing provide that extra needed touch to every moment. And John Williams’ uncharacteristically sneaky score always finds its way into your heart. Of course, being a Steven Spielberg film means that The Fabelmans contains an overabundance of emotion. But fret not, all of you that are allergic to the Spielbergian touch, because here it’s used to tell a much more layered story. With the help of his Munich and Lincoln screenwriter, Tony Kushner, Spielberg also shines a retrospective light on his parents’ marriage, something he never understood as a child. Michelle Williams and Paul Dano both do wonderful work as Mitzi and Burt, respectively. It’s easy to see how these opposites were attracted to each other, and how that opposition eventually won out in the form of divorce. Newcomer Gabriel LaBelle plays the part of Sammy for the majority of the film. Hopefully, his great performance here will be the first of many to come. Two other performances of note are Seth Rogen as the unofficial Uncle Benny and Judd Hirsch as Sammy’s maternal great-uncle. Both urge Sammy to continue his moviemaking passion in their own way, with Hirsch stealing the show in the two scenes he has. The Fabelmans is a collection of Spielberg's greatest hits, all delivered to their greatest effect. There’s laughter, tears, and wonder in this story that is much more than the sum of its parts. If Spielberg climbs the Dolby Theatre steps to collect his third Best Director Oscar, then it will be one of the few long-overdue wins that came at the right time for the right project. This review was originally published from the world premiere at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival. Universal Pictures will release The Fabelmans in select theaters on November 11th, followed by a nationwide expansion on November 23rd. 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

Raymond & Ray September 13, 2022 By: Button Hunter Friesen You’d have to be a real son of a bitch to give your kids the same name. Such is the case for half-brothers Raymond (Ewan McGregor) and Ray (Ethan Hawke), who have had to endure their father’s physical and emotional cruelty long after they grew up and left him to rot away in the personal hell they think he belongs in. And now that he’s finally dead, they don’t know what to feel. Should they be sad, just like any normal son would for their father? But how can they after all they’ve been through? It’s a troubling question that the pair must navigate as they venture back to their home to bury the patriarch, which leads to some revelations about the past and the impending future. Based on outward appearances, Raymond is the more responsible and well-adjusted one. He dresses appropriately and is clean-shaven, resembling someone who’s always trying to give off the impression that he’s made it. Ray, on the other hand, is more of the “go with the flow” type, always flirting around and keeping his shirts unbuttoned. He’s also rejected his jazz musician past and is a recovering addict, two things he doesn’t like to talk about. Raymond also has his personal demons, including two divorces (and a third impending one), and a rocky relationship with his son, who’s off in the army. While neither of them is as bad as their forbearer, it seems the apples haven’t fallen too far from the tree. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fzW5DpoApg As you could imagine, these two flawed characters will often be seen having conversations about their past, and how it isn’t their fault they ended up this way. It’s all very tiring and drawn-out material, something that writer/director Rodrigo García is becoming accustomed to with the equally clichéd Four Good Days just this past year (whose only claim to fame was a tiringly predictable Best Original Song nomination for Diane Warren). Not much about it rings true, with most of the story beats being visible from a mile away. And if they are mildly surprising, the dramatic blocks haven’t been built up enough to make the toppling over that exciting. That constant sense of “been there, done that” also extended towards the actors, who, try as they must, can’t find a way to make this bird sing. Ewan McGregor, reteaming with García for similar material after portraying a fatherly tortured version of Jesus Christ in 2015’s Last Days in the Desert , is the weaker of the central pair. There’s a sort of artifice to his performance, almost as if he hasn’t fully shed the chutzpah he needed to bring to the table for his recent work in Birds of Prey or in Ryan Murphy’s Halston series (which did earn him an Emmy award, so you can’t entirely blame him). Hawke, on the other hand, seems to be stuck in neutral, playing a similar archetype that he can do in his sleep at this point. Fortunately, there is the presence of Maribel Verdú and Sophie Okonedo to lighten things up and make it somewhat interesting from time to time. Each gets to share some time with one of the brothers, with Okonedo and Hawke being the better pair as they offer some introspective scenes about grief and reckoning with the past. Raymond & Ray is the type of movie that seems to evaporate from your brain the moment you step out of the theater. And while that’s a fine thing for mindless blockbusters, it’s not for movies like this that try to aim for something much weightier. And it’s doubly concerning when it wastes the talents of those involved, who easily could have been doing something more substantial. This review was originally published from the world premiere at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival. Apple Original Films will release Raymond & Ray on its streaming platform on October 21st. More Reviews Primetime September 22, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Unabomber September 24, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Look Back September 16, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Elsinore September 14, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

The End September 13, 2024 By: Button Hunter Friesen Time is an illusion for the family at the center of The End . They’ve lived in their underground bunker for about 25 years now, the only reference to that being the youngest child, now being in his late 20s after moving in early childhood. They have perfectly synchronized watches and senses of time, even though they haven’t seen the sun since submerging, and, for the most part, there’s no one else left on the surface. So, what’s the point of being able to tell time, then? That question could be extended to almost everything the family occupies itself with. Father (Michael Shannon) is tasking Son (George MacKay) with writing his biography, complete with a triumphant origin full of fearless charity work and sacrifice. Never mind that he was the president of one of the most polluting energy companies in the world, or that this book will never be read by anyone who doesn’t already know these fables. Mother (Tilda Swinton) spends her time creating galleries in the living rooms out of the assortment of paintings they took with them. They are a perfect family unit, so much so that they must break into a harmonious song to prove it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avvm0e4oNCE Yes, even in the darkest depths of the Earth at the end of humanity, you can still find a reason to sing and dance. Co-writer/director Joshua Oppenheimer, famed for his one-two documentary punch of The Act of Killing and The Look of Silence , makes sure that his fiction feature debut is as bold and audacious as one would expect. The joys and guilt of still being alive merge through the dozen-ish musical numbers, all of them allowing the characters to momentarily express the deep feelings they perpetually repress. The Golden Age influences of Jacques Demy and Vincent Minnelli supply the bravura necessary to surpass the inherent limitation of a confined space. The camera swirls endlessly throughout the halls and rooms as the actors, supplemented by Marius De Vries and Josh Schmidt’s booming orchestrations, sing to the balcony, their confidence more important than their physical abilities. They sing in a literal echo chamber, with the widescreen cinematography capturing the monumental beauty of the enormous salt mine that encloses their bunker. The paintings that cover every inch of the wall have an unrealistic beauty to them, portraying the Earth as a heavenly paradise. They are the windows for this windowless prison, ironically romanticizing the world that these characters may or may not have had a heavy hand in destroying. Oppenheimer and co-writer Rasmus Heisterberg don’t spell it out for us, leaving little drops that our doom-scrolling mentalities can use to fill out the rest. All we know is that the world has gone to shit, the family left everyone behind, and they refuse to talk about it. That all changes once Girl (Moses Ingram) enters the picture. She’s the sole survivor of her family, sharing the horror stories of the surface that the family refuses to reckon with. Oppenheimer’s documentaries about the Indonesian genocide held up a mirror to their subjects, forcing them to listen to their evasive explanations. This isn’t much different, with the family lying to them, keeping them from doing anything more fulfilling than just surviving. This could have so easily been an “eat the rich” satire in the same vein as Triangle of Sadness . There are several opportunities where Oppenheimer could have taken a cheap shot at these characters, putting them through the wringer while having us point and laugh at them. This is an absurdist concept with humorous moments, but it’s also so deftly sincere that you can’t simply excuse it. These are rich characters, both emotionally and financially, with their inner delusions offering a complex lesson on how we handle the horrors that are right in front of us. Our irony-pilled culture may not have the skills necessary to appreciate something so genuine as this, especially with a cast of such despicable characters (at least on paper). The cast all deliver stellar performances, especially MacKay, who remains emotionally stunted as he’s never had any references for how to grow up. There’s beauty and horror in how he comes to realize himself and the family’s place in all this, a microcosm of how the glitziness of the musical numbers and the seriousness of the messaging create a long-lasting experience that will not be forgotten. This review was originally published from the Canadian premiere at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival. Neon will release The End in select theaters on December 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