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TIFF25 Dispatch - Cannes Catchup September 15, 2025 By: Button Tyler Banark While the 2025 Cannes Film Festival showcased numerous films, many of them were unavailable to be seen within the three days I was allotted. Luckily, Toronto catches on to the titles that made the most waves (interpret that however you may like). While I caught big titles like Sound of Falling , Sentimental Value , Eddington , and The Phoenician Scheme , this year’s heaviest hitters were found in films such as Sirât , The Secret Agent , and the Palme d’Or-winning It Was Just an Accident . Luck is on my side, as the latter titles came to TIFF, so I spent my first day playing catch-up with the films I missed. Sirat Starting as a slow burn and ending as a twisted mind game that'll have you on the edge of your seat, Sirât is one of the most shocking movies of the year and makes its case as to why it was one of the two recipients for the Jury Prize. Óliver Laxe crafts a shocking film that is sure to haunt viewers long after finishing it. Initially, we see crowds of people gathering in a desert to rave. In the midst of it are Luis and his son Esteban, who are looking for their missing daughter/sister, whom they believe is at the rave. They tag along with a group of ravegoers who help them find her. Laxe will have you believe the movie is a grim road trip. However, a flip switches at a certain death, and from then on, Sirât upsets an established order, and everything becomes chaos. As Luis and the crew navigate the Moroccan desert, it becomes a battle of man versus the elements. Nothing will prepare audiences for what’s to come in Sirât . Once it gets to the halfway point, it’s all-out mayhem! (4/5) The Secret Agent Wagner Moura has become a rising name in the South American side of the industry. Better known for voicing the Wolf/Death in 2022’s Puss in Boots: The Last Wish and playing Joel in last year’s Civil War , his hot streak looks to continue. In May, he won Best Actor at Cannes for his performance in the Brazilian thriller The Secret Agent , a film with a jumbled narrative and an imbalanced quality-to-quantity ratio. It ’s very stylistic, as director Kleber Mendonça Filho doesn’t shy away from making the movie more visually entertaining than substance-driven. The pacing is excruciating as the 2.5-hour runtime doesn't justify its being, and a certain plot point doesn't help the movie get a leg up (if you know, you know). Moura truly is the beating heart, and it feels like he had too much weight to carry for this movie. The Secret Agent could’ve been something brilliant, but unfortunately, it’s muddled and goes out without much fanfare. (2.5/5) It Was Just an Accident This year’s recipient of the Palme d'Or, It Was Just an Accident, was a well-executed Iranian dark comedy. Far from what I was expecting it to be, the movie was a great time, even if the script's intentions were often questionable. Jafar Panahi’s film explores the fine line between justice and revenge. We see Vahid Mobasseri’s Vahid kidnap a man who tortured him for years. As he recruits a photographer, her friend, and a newlywed couple, they face a dilemma that’s bigger than all of them. They all know the man Vahid holds prisoner, but they disagree over how to proceed. To make matters worse, the man has a pregnant wife and daughter who fend for themselves. Panahi’s script raises pertinent questions about the limits of seeking justice and revenge. Is there a right or wrong way to get justice? At what point does getting justice become vengeance? These are all the questions Panahi poses as the plot unfolds. While his intentions are unclear, as if he’s trying to educate, inform, or persuade audiences with this story, Panahi knows when to get serious and sprinkle comedy. The humor is rightfully dark, but it fits the overall tone and objective he’s looking to obtain. At the end of the day, It Was Just an Accident makes it evident that its praise was…to simply put it, no accident. (3.5/5) You can follow Tyler and hear more of his thoughts on Twitter , Instagram , and Letterboxd . More Reviews 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple January 13, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen The Rip January 16, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Dead Man's Wire January 14, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen The Chronology of Water January 9, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

The Whale September 12, 2022 By: Button Hunter Friesen The Whale had its North American Premiere at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival. A24 will release it in theaters on December 09. There’s a lot to be both worried about and interested in The Whale . For starters, Samuel D. Hunter’s play of the same name, while met with critical acclaim, has been the center of several think pieces on the use of “fat suits” within performance art. The use of suits has often been used to mock a certain character, almost making a spectacle out of their obesity. But there is some nuance to this issue, as the goal of using the suit on Brendan Fraser in The Whale is much more admirable than say Mike Meyers wearing it as Fat Bastard in the Austin Powers movies, or Eddie Murphy in The Nutty Professor . Fraser’s donning of heavy prosthetics and makeup adds to his character’s physical and emotional downfall and isn’t a cheap tactic to get the audience's attention. I’ll admit, it is nearly impossible to look away from him, especially when he stands up and makes his way around his dingy apartment, which has been rigged up to cater to his physical needs. The Whale also marks the return of director Darren Aronofsky following a brief sabbatical after the extreme divisiveness of 2017’s Mother! , which included an F Cinemascore, a few undeserved Razzie nominations, and spots on a few critic’s (mine included) end-of-year Top-10 lists. Given Aronofsky’s other works Requiem for a Dream, The Wrestler , and Black Swan , claiming that The Whale is his most emotionally devastating film yet is quite the statement. And like all his films, The Whale contains both theatricality and cinematic flair. Sometimes they clash together for scenes that feel artificial and emotionally manipulative, and sometimes they come together to create something revelatory, such as the final scene, where not a single dry eye was left in the theater. Fraser stars as Charlie. He works as an online university English teacher to hide his appearance, doing so by claiming his webcam is always broken. He’s been holed up in his apartment for years now, eating himself away because of the depression he feels over the sudden death of his partner Alan. The only human contact he has is with his nurse Liz (Hong Chau), whose reminders of how his unhealthy lifestyle is rapidly dwindling his remaining years fall on deaf ears. Eventually, more people come into Charlie’s tragic life, including his seventeen-year-old daughter Ellie, now estranged from him after he left her and her mother for Alan. And there’s also Thomas, a member of a local church who wants to help Charlie find God before he perishes. Along with last year’s No Sudden Move and his ongoing work in the cult series Doom Patrol , Fraser has entered a new renaissance period of his career. He may no longer be the blockbuster leading man he once was, but he’s proven to be game for whatever the material asks of him. The role of Charlie is a demanding one, forcing Fraser to be physically limited and emotionally open. He earns so much of our sympathy, beckoning for some basic respect for his situation and for compassion to overcome hate. He also is able to ably dodge some of the material’s excessiveness, which sometimes gets in the way of the younger performers of Sadie Sink and Ty Simpkins. There’s a profound amount of beauty within The Whale , often unlocked by Fraser’s mesmerizing performance and Rob Simonsen’s score. Aronofksy has continually been able to revitalize (Ellen Burstyn in Requiem for a Dream ) and or solidify (Natalie Portman in Black Swan ) the career of his leading stars, and he’s done so again with The Whale . More Reviews 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple January 13, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen The Rip January 16, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Dead Man's Wire January 14, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen The Chronology of Water January 9, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

Cannes 2023 Predictions - Part 4: The Irregulars and Up-and-Comers April 11, 2023 By: Hunter Friesen As one of the most prestigious film festivals in the world, the Cannes Film Festival always attracts the attention of cinephiles and industry professionals alike. Each year, the festival presents a diverse lineup of films that represent the best of international cinema, including both established and emerging filmmakers. With the 76th edition of the festival set to take place in May, film enthusiasts around the world are eagerly anticipating the announcement of the official selection on April 13th. While the festival organizers keep their cards close to their chest, there are already some strong players emerging as likely contenders for the coveted Cannes spotlights. In this four-part series, I’ll take a closer look at some of the films that are generating buzz and predict which ones are likely to make it to the Croisette this year. Each part will represent a category of films, which are: The Festival Masters Hollywood Makes a Splash The Festival Mainstays The Irregulars and Up-and-Comers The fourth and final part of my prediction series has us looking deeper into the fog. The directors listed are usually the most hungry and ambitious, as they are still looking to make a name for themselves at both the festival and within the world of cinema at large. Their projects may also still have a lot of questions, such as production status or release strategies. But miracles have happened and many of these deserve a coveted spot, so we’ll keep our fingers crossed. Which of these films are you most interested in? I'll be keeping you all posted on my adventures and sharing my thoughts on the films that I see. Stay tuned for more updates! The Iron Claw Indie filmmaker Sean Durkin has already impressed both domestic and international critics with his spellbinding psychological exercises. His feature debut of Martha Marcy May Marlene made the trek to the Croisette after its premiere at Sundance, and his next film (distributed by A24) seems Cannes-appropriate. Zac Efron, Harris Dickinson, and Jeremy Allen White star as the Von Erichs, a dynasty of wrestlers who made a great impact on the sport from the 1960s to the present day. Club Zero Little Joe director Jessica Hausner had her last film stalled by the COVID-19 pandemic, preventing it from being ready in time for last year’s festival. Things are looking much better this year, with Hausner ready to make her second appearance in the competition. She teamed up once again with her usual co-writer Géraldine Bajard in this story about a teacher (Mia Wasikowska) who takes a job at an elite school and forms a strong bond with five students - a relationship that eventually takes a dangerous turn. Memory Mexican filmmaker Michel Franco has split his time between Cannes and Venice when it comes to premiering his films. His last two works have made the Italian festival their home, but Fremeux may be able to tempt him to return to the Croisette due to the star wattage of Jessica Chastain and Peter Sarsgaard leading his new film. How Do You Live? With a planned July release date in his native Japan, all signs point to Hayao Miyazaki debuting his latest (and presumably) final film at Cannes. Despite several of his previous films playing at the festival, How Do You Live would mark his first film to premiere before its theatrical release. The titular book has long influenced Miyazaki, who cites it as his favorite childhood read. It’ll tell the story of a teenage boy and the interactions he has with his friends and uncle. Eureka A part of the New Argentine Cinema movement, Lisandro Alonso and his films have moved at a deliberate pace. He’s only directed six feature-length films since 2001, with nearly all of them playing at Cannes. His most recent film, Jauja won the FIPRESCI Prize as part of the 2014 Un Certain Regard selection. He’ll be reteaming with Viggo Mortensen for a story about a man on the search for his daughter after she has been kidnapped. No word has been given on production status, so it remains a mystery if the film is ready. Salem Jean-Bernard Marlin made a name for himself in 2018 with his Shéhérazade , netting him the award for Best First Feature at that year’s César Awards after its premiere at Cannes Critics’ Week. His next feature will continue to be set in the ganglands of France as it centers on a former gang member who believes his daughter is the only one who can save his Marseille community from an apocalyptic curse uttered by a rival gang member in his dying breath. Anatomy of a Fall Justine Triet made her festival debut in 2019 with Sibyl , which was met with mixed reviews. Those reactions would be cause for demotion to one of the sidebars for most filmmakers, but Triet is packing a punch in her sophomore effort with Toni Erdmann star Sandra Hüller leading as a mother accused of killing her husband. Her blind son is the sole witness to the murder, putting him in a grave moral dilemma. Strangers After taking a slight detour in television, 45 Days and Lean on Pete writer/director Andrew Haigh is back to feature filmmaking, and he’s brought together an all-star UK cast to mark the occasion. Andrew Scott will lead the film as a screenwriter who has a chance encounter with his neighbor (Paul Mescal), which pulls him back into his childhood home, where his long-dead parents are mysteriously still alive (Jamie Bell and Claire Foy). Haigh has premiered films at both Venice and Berlin, so it may be time he heads to Cannes, whether it be in competition or one of the sidebars. Occupied City Documentary films may not always pack the biggest red carpet potential, but plenty of them have broken out, notably Michael Moore’s Palme d’Or winning Fahrenheit 9/11 . Steve McQueen will try to recreate that success with his retelling of the Nazi occupation of Amsterdam from 1940-1945. Carrying a blockbuster budget of $5 million, joint distributors A24 and Film4 will likely want a big splashy premiere. More Reviews 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple January 13, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen The Rip January 16, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Dead Man's Wire January 14, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen The Chronology of Water January 9, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

Bardo November 25, 2022 By: Button Hunter Friesen No one can ever blame Alejandro G. Iñárritu for not trying hard enough. Be it the juggling of multiple storylines across multiple languages in Amores Perros and Babel , the one-take trickery within Birdman , or the on-location shooting in frigid temperatures for The Revenant , Iñárritu has never been one to take the easy road. With Bardo , another entry in the ever-growing and possibly soon-to-be fatigued genre of director autobiographies, the two-time Academy Award winner for Best Director rivals only Charlie Chaplin and his fellow countrymen Alfonso Cuarón in terms of how many facets of production he has fingerprints all over. Serving as the director, writer, producer, editor, and composer, and basis for the entire narrative, there isn’t a single moment where Iñárritu’s presence isn’t front and center, resulting in the year’s most technically accomplished and uber-pretentious (you decide the connotation of that term) piece of filmmaking. Bardo , or Bardo: False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths as it's officially called (here’s hoping Iñárritu stops with these elongated titles, Birdman was enough), marks Iñárritu’s first feature film since 2015. Of course, who can blame him for wanting to step away from it all after the immense logistical pressures of constructing Birdman and The Revenant ? But more than just returning to making films, Bardo also represents the Mexican director's return to his native country since his 2000 debut of Amores Perros . Unlike most directors, like Kenneth Branagh with Belfast or Steven Spielberg with The Fabelmans , Iñárritu’s view of his personal life isn’t through rose-tinted glasses. The character named Silverio Gama serves as the Iñárritu stand-in. He’s one of the most revered journalists and documentary filmmakers in Mexico and the United States. But fame in both lands is a double-edged sword, with many of his critics, himself included, finding him too gringo for Mexico, and too Latin for America. “Success has been my biggest failure,” Silverio claims as he prepares to accept an honorary award that will surely churn that existential divide even more. Just as it is within other memory-based films like The Tree of Life or 8 1/2 , the plot within Bardo isn’t really all that important. Much of the film is told out of chronological order, looping around in a circle as aspects from early scenes get reworked into later ones. And much of it isn’t literal either, with plenty of symbolic moments, such as a reenactment of a 19th-century battle or a newborn baby asking to be put back in the womb because “the world is too fucked up” (yes, you read that right), used as grand representations for personal turmoil and existentialism. Is any of it really that deep or insightful? No. And should I have a ton of sympathy for an ultra-successful celebrity that’s going through a glorified midlife crisis? Also no. But there is great beauty within Bardo’s falseness. Replacing regular DP Emmanuel Lubezki (who went off to help David O. Russell make his first feature since 2015 in Amsterdam ) is the equally legendary Darius Khondji, doubly present this year with James Gray’s Armageddon Time . Iñárritu and the Iranian cinematographer concoct some of the most mesmerizing images of the year, taking inspiration from Terrence Malick’s insistence on natural lighting. Many of the most stunning moments are told in Iñárritu’s signature long takes, with the highlight being a dance sequence where the camera weaves around a sea of people as it follows Silverio letting loose. On a technical level, this often feels like Iñárritu’s most ambitious film yet, which obviously is quite the statement. But just like Edward Berger’s All Quiet on the Western Front , this must-see theatrical experience will be mostly limited to television screens as Netflix holds the distribution rights. Bardo is a work of staggering beauty, looping around in circles as it makes you ask questions about how we got here, what's going on, and what's going to happen next. Fans (such as myself) will latch on to this singular vision and ponder the meaning behind it all, while detractors will immediately turn it off on account of its obtuse pretentiousness. And, like any great work of art, both sides will be correct in their stances. More Reviews 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple January 13, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen The Rip January 16, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Dead Man's Wire January 14, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen The Chronology of Water January 9, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

Priscilla November 2, 2023 By: Button Hunter Friesen What’s most evident about Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla is how much it is the antithesis of Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis from last year. The Australian showman’s authorized propaganda piece (I don’t mean that as derisively as it sounds, all biopics are propaganda to some degree) lit up the marquee signs at the multiplexes thanks to its bright cinematography, fast-paced editing, and roaring soundtrack. Coppola’s film will subsist within arthouses and the back of the multiplexes as she trades all that in for a somber mood, silence so deafening that a you could hear a pin drop, and a soundtrack so devoid of Elvis hits that you would think he was a one-hit wonder. Of course, as per the title, Coppola shifts away from The King and examines the woman who constantly lived in his shadow, someone who only got one scene in Luhrmann’s rendition (and looked about twice as old as she was supposed to be). Actually, scratch all that. The most evident thing about Priscilla is the star-in-the-making presence of Cailee Spaeny, a growing sentiment considering her Best Actress win at this year’s Venice Film Festival. She’d been relegated to playing the younger versions of lead characters to this point: young Lynne Cheney in Vice , the daughter of Ruth Bader Ginsburg in On the Basis of Sex , and young Eleanor Roosevelt seen only in flashbacks in The First Lady . She is technically playing the younger version of a real person here, but this time the focus is entirely on her. That expanded canvas allows her to spread her wings, showcasing an immense talent to hold your attention and convincingly play across an elongated timeline. We first meet Priscilla Beaulieu in Germany circa 1959. Her father has been stationed at the local Army base, making her the loneliest American in all of Bavaria. Just like it were a fairy tale, the sad girl gets her wish when an Army captain asks her to come along and meet Elvis Presley, who’s also been stationed abroad. He’s undeniable, a beaming example of Americana that seems to have leapt off the posters to fulfill her wildest fantasies. He’s ecstatic to bring her into his world, and she’s naively happy to go along for the ride. Quickly comes a move to Graceland, marriage, a child, and the duties of being a reliable homemaker to the most desirable man in the world. Coppola’s film is at its best in the beginning as she explores the morally questionable inception of the couple’s relationship. She was 14 and he was 24, but Elvis was always kind and courteous, and she was emotionally mature for her age. Despite their initial hesitations, her parents consented to their star-crossed union. Coppola doesn’t heavily lean to one side or the other, instead offering evidence for both camps. There are moments of both intentional and unintentional grooming on the part of Elvis, as well as Priscilla imprudently rushing in without understanding what she’s signing up for. What’s less interesting about Priscilla is what happens once the dust settles. Graceland quickly morphs from a luxurious palace into a gilded cage where Priscilla is forced to spend her most youthful days. She’s not allowed to leave the compound without supervision, and also not allowed to bring anyone in. It’s a more subdued version of Pablo Larraín’s duology (soon to be trilogy) of Jackie and Spencer as Priscilla is a prisoner in a dream, caught in a cycle that doesn’t become more impactful despite Coppola’s insistence on keeping it on loop. That lack of energy is almost a winking joke on Coppola’s part as she takes one of the most charismatic men in entertainment history and reveals him to be a scared child doing his best to masquerade as an adult. Jacob Elordi sees Elvis as someone who always wants to stay in control, but never does anything of value to maintain it. He’s lucky that his looks and sphere of influence do all the work for him. Fantasy slowly catching up to reality is often a theme of Sofia Coppola’s filmography and, along with Marie Antoinette , this is one of its most clear historical instances. It’s the more authentic version of the story Luhrmann avoided telling, although it is missing some much-needed spectacle that he could have shared. At the very least, Spaeny should join the ranks of Kirsten Dunst, Scarlett Johansson, and Elle Fanning, all of whom Coppola announced to the world through her work. More Reviews 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple January 13, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen The Rip January 16, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Dead Man's Wire January 14, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen The Chronology of Water January 9, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio December 4, 2022 By: Button Hunter Friesen Like humanity’s search for the missing link or the cure for cancer, filmmakers have endlessly pursued to adapt Italian author Carlo Collodi’s 1883 novel The Adventures of Pinocchio . Of course, Disney practically cornered the market with their 1940 animated musical version, which still haunts children to this day thanks to the Pleasure Island sequence. Decades would pass, with Robert Benigni - hot off the immense international success of Life is Beautiful - writing, directing, and starring in a 2002 live-action adaptation. The film would be a colossal critical and financial failure, practically locking Benigni in filmmaker jail for the rest of his career. But it didn’t stop him from appearing in another version later in 2019, this time solely in the role of Geppetto for writer/director Matteo Garrone’s version (which received two surprise Oscar nominations for its costumes and makeup). We also can’t forget the adjacent stories such as Stanley Kubrick/Steven Spielberg’s A.I. Artificial Intelligence , or the projects that never got off the ground such as ones from Sam Mendes and Paul Thomas Anderson/Robert Downey Jr. Now in 2022, we have two more adaptations, with Robert Zemeckis’ live-action Disney+ version following the same disastrous fate as Begnini’s, and Guillermo del Toro’s stop-motion animated Netflix sticking closer to the original text. All this is to say: After so many Pinocchio adaptations, how much can del Toro’s version reinvent the wheel and stick out from the crowd? Well, for starters, this version of Pinocchio might look appealing to children on the outside, but inside it harbors themes of loss, regret, fascism (a del Toro specialty), and mortality. Of course, it still carries a PG rating, so things never cross the line where you have to shield the eyes of the younger ones. But everybody has at least one or two memories of an animated film scaring the hell out of them, so why not let this be one of those times for today’s children? We are first introduced to Geppetto at the foot of his son Carlo’s grave. Through some flashbacks, we understand why he loved his son so much, and how he feels betrayed by God for taking him away. In a drunken stupor, he makes a wooden puppet, which is then granted life by the Wood Sprite, a terrifying version of the Blue Fairy. Pinocchio has a never-ending thirst for knowledge, which leads him to often disobey his papa’s commands. He soon gets conned into joining the circus by an evil carny and his pet monkey (with Cate Blanchett providing the primate noises), and also is recruited into the Italian army by a Nazi leader after it's discovered he’s incapable of dying. Already experienced at guiding live-action directors into the world of animation after doing so with Wes Anderson on Fantastic Mr. Fox , co-director Mark Gustafson aids del Toro in blending the macabre with the cheerful. The attention to detail is immaculate, with the painstakingly crafted sets and character movements given their time to shine. Also crammed into this slightly overstretched 120-minute version is a handful of songs, which often beg the question of whether or not this is a musical. None of the musical moments deserve to be remembered, even though they are delivered capably by the talented voice cast. Del Toro’s love for the material is always present, and so are the influences he has taken throughout his filmography, particularly Pan's Labyrinth and The Shape of Water . That adoration can sometimes be infectious, even if this is well-worn material that probably didn’t need another retelling. More Reviews 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple January 13, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen The Rip January 16, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Dead Man's Wire January 14, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen The Chronology of Water January 9, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

We Grown Now May 4, 2024 By: Button Tyler Banark “A place is the people.” Those are the last words shown on the screen of Minhal Baig’s latest film, We Grown Now . It’s a motif used in various other films that have followed the same vein, such as 2019’s The Last Black Man in San Francisco and 2021’s Belfast . To an extent, this philosophy is true, as landmarks can define many cities and towns, but the locals always make it what it is. In the case of We Grown Now , Baig shows off a part of the Windy City that’s rarely discussed outside of it: the now-deceased Cabrini-Green neighborhood. To say Chicago was striving and thriving in 1992 would be a statement that could pose mixed responses. The Bulls were in their prime and Carlton Fisk was near the end of his stint with the White Sox. But above all, the city was in a tough spot with handling the crime-ridden Cabrini-Green neighborhood located on the Near North Side. Living within this area are best friends Malik and Eric (played by newcomers Blake Cameron James and Gian Knight Ramirez, respectively). They go to school blocks away from their high-rise and dream of bigger things than the harsh reality they live in. They escape their troubles by jumping on a big pile of old mattresses at recess in a game they simply call “jumping” and, at one point, skip school to visit The Art Institute of Chicago. In these scenes, We Grown Now paints a soulful look into the wonder and awe of Malik and Eric's experience as if it were something out of a Barry Jenkins movie. This inspiration is worn on the movie’s sleeve as the world slows down or stops altogether while they live in the moment and truly be what they are: kids. Jumping and visiting the art institute aren’t the wisest choices for their parents, but Malik and Eric do it anyway as it’s true escapism from their home lives. Malik lives with his single mom Dolores (Jurnee Smollett), grandmother Anita, and little sister, Diana; meanwhile, Eric lives with his single dad Jason (Lil Rel Howery), and much older sister, Amber. The simple fact of where they live means that being in the wrong place at the wrong time can have serious consequences, with even the supposed good guys of the Chicago PD always toeing the line of morality. Although audiences never see the violence or chaos that runs amuck in Cabrini-Green (the movie is PG), Baig gives a clear idea of what’s going on. She filters these tragic truths as much as possible, and while it works to educate younger viewers safely, it also makes the movie feel a little too restrained. One of Malik and Eric’s classmates was accidentally killed in a shooting. The shooting itself is seen through news footage, and we witness officers stampede at Malik and Eric’s school and enforce ID cards to all the residents of their high-rise. Even though they’re not sure how to feel in the moment, Malik and Eric both understand that it’s not unrealistic to think that could have been them. It’s a double-edged sword to dance around the heavy subject matter. On one end, the great performances fill up the gaps in boldness. James and Ramirez give star-making performances with flawless chemistry that makes for one of the best on-screen youthful friendships in a long time. Howery proves he’s not solely a comedic performer, displaying some great dramatic chops. Smollett gives a powerhouse performance as a mother always on the brink of losing her sanity because of the jarring atmosphere but knows her kids will never learn from their mistakes unless she gets the lesson across correctly. Countering those performances on the other end of the sword is the overt familiarity in the specific beats of this coming-of-age story. That also extends to the visuals as DP Pat Scola’s (also seen in Sing Sing later this year) soulful approach feels a bit copied from the aforementioned The Last Black Man in San Francisco . Faults aside, We Grown Now still has some powerfulness as it brings eyes to a part of an iconic city that’s unknown to outsiders. Unfortunately, the reception on the festival circuit hasn’t been as fervent as it should be, nor will it likely break out in theaters. But for those who venture out for something quieter during the summer movie season, there’s a lot to appreciate. You can follow Tyler and hear more of his thoughts on Twitter , Instagram , and Letterboxd . More Reviews 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple January 13, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen The Rip January 16, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Dead Man's Wire January 14, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen The Chronology of Water January 9, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

Train Dreams November 21, 2025 By: Button Hunter Friesen It took almost two million years for humans to make the journey from the discovery of fire to the invention of the light bulb. From there, it only took a few decades for superconductors. The Wright brothers flew the world’s first airplane in 1903. By 1969, Neil Armstrong was walking on the moon. Even today, at this very moment, AI-generated videos are becoming more and more lifelike, with only a few more years until they’re fully able to pass the eye test. All of these exponential growths in technology are enough to make a person feel small, a drop in an ocean that is progressively washing away. Robert Grainier (Joel Edgerton) is one of those small people, a lumberjack who lived and died in the Pacific Northwest throughout the early to mid-20th century. He doesn’t pay much attention to that fact, humbly accepting the notion that the world is passing him by year after year. He goes out into the forest for a few months at a time, cutting down trees to be used for railroad timber. He’ll then come back to his wife, Gladys (Felicity Jones), and daughter at their modest, isolated house. The cycle repeats over the years, a tranquil existence that goes by in the blink of an eye. Director Clint Bentley, co-adapting the 2011 Denis Johnson novella of the same name with his usual writing partner Greg Kwedar, doesn’t see Robert as just a small man. He’s a symbol of the millions in America, and billions worldwide, who lived full lives that weren’t fully defined by the increased monetization of the modern world. They had nothing of worth to their names, leaving little materialistic signifiers of their existence. But they shared memories with loved ones, some smiles and sorrows with fellow travelers, and made an impact in ways that aren’t easily identified. Impressionistically swaying between the past, present, and future, Bentley captures the span of Robert’s life with breathtaking beauty. Robert is often framed small and at the forefront of the frame, the American landscape enveloping him from corner to corner. Cinematographer Adolpho Veloso imbues each image with a rich texture, lulling us into the melodic rhythms of life with its sights and sounds. Will Patton narrates passages from the novella, and Bryce Dessner’s score lushly moves things along. Based on the projects that he’s written, directed, or starred in, Edgerton has always been an artist interested in the small-scale, rather than the blockbuster. Similar to how Terrence Malick was able to use A-listers to build characters who were both of this earth and larger-than-life, so does Bentley with Edgerton, trusting him to carry the entire emotional scope of the film through somber gestures and weighty presence. Words aren’t necessary when the feelings have already been communicated so effectively through sight. William H. Macy uses words to his advantage, passing on some old-timer wisdom through some wonderful speeches about the interconnectedness of nature and the human soul. Like life itself, Train Dreams is a film that often sneaks up on you in its profundity. It may take days or weeks for you to realize just how much one image or piece of sound has stuck with you, offering a new outlook on the existence we carve out for ourselves. More Reviews 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple January 13, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen The Rip January 16, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Dead Man's Wire January 14, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen The Chronology of Water January 9, 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

Three Thousand Years of Longing August 26, 2022 By: Button Hunter Friesen Resting somewhere between David Gordon Green and Steven Spielberg, Australian filmmaker George Miller ranks as one of our most chameleon filmmakers (to Miller’s benefit, he’s much closer to the latter than the former). Ranging from the harsh brutalism of the Mad Max quadrilogy to the familial wholesomeness of Babe: Pig in the City and Happy Feet , Miller’s career has never had a straight trajectory. Rather, it darts from one end of the cinematic spectrum to the complete other side, with the only consistent thing pattern being that he always remains on the high side of quality. So naturally, when asked how he would describe his newest film, the first to follow his magnum opus of Mad Max: Fury Road , Miller called it “anti- Mad Max .” But fret not all you War Boys (and girls)! For all of its intimacy and small scale, Three Thousand Years of Longing contains dazzling imagery and set pieces that make for an engaging cinematic experience. After all, this is still the same filmmaker who gave us a blind character that plays a flaming guitar atop a monster truck. Just as the title implies, our story spans nearly three millennia. Beginning in the present, acclaimed narratologist Dr. Alithea Binnie is on a work-related trip to Istanbul. By her definition, she’s a solitary creature that has no partner, no parents, and no children. She buries herself in her work, which includes giving lectures on how ancient civilizations would explain the phenomena of the universe through stories. As she puts it during one of her talks, “How else would you explain the changing seasons if you had no idea the Earth rotated the Sun?” Her fascination with stories leads her to purchase a less-than-stellar bottle at a local shop. “Whatever it is, it must have an interesting story, '' she explains as she takes it back to her hotel room. That turns out to be the understatement of the century, or, more accurately, the past three millennia. Quickly, the bottle is broken, and out comes a djinn, whose existence is based on granting three wishes to whoever frees him from the bottle. Now Alithea’s predicament revolves around the question everybody has asked themselves at least once in their lives: If you had three wishes, what would you wish for? To help Alithea (and the viewer) answer one of life’s hardest philosophical questions, the djinn regales his life story, which spans from ancient Arabia in the time of King Solomon, to Suleiman the Magnificent's reign of the Ottoman Empire, all the way to the modern day. It’s no wonder what brought Miller to this short story by A.S. Byatt. Reportedly, he had read it in the ‘90s and was set on making it into a film, but the scope he wanted to achieve just wasn’t possible (a sentiment many filmmakers shared at the time). Miller’s patience was rewarded, with the final product being a gorgeous melding of visual effects and practical magic. Each of the djinn’s tales contains aspects of lust and betrayal, each more visually arresting than the last. It’s in these sequences that the film reaches its heights. And it’s not just Miller himself that is a chameleon, it’s also his production crew, which has been entirely reunited after the overwhelming success of Mad Mad: Fury Road . Miller’s eye for popping visuals is wonderfully captured by legendary cinematographer John Seale, who announced this project as his final one (although Seale has as much respect for retirement as Daniel Day-Lewis, as came out of retirement for Mad Max: Fury Road , only to retire again and then return for this film). And then there’s Tom Holkenborg, who trades in his drum core for a passionate string orchestra. For all its extravagance on a technical level, Three Thousand Years of Longing still has overflowing emotion at its center. This is the part that Miller described the film as “anti- Mad Max .” Swinton and Elba carry the heartfelt moments with ease, even if the script itself can’t fully justify what direction it’s going in. A modern fairytale that is both epic and intimate, Three Thousand Years of Longing is a wildly original re-welcoming for George Miller, who brings the spirit and passion of a filmmaker much younger than him. It’s a story about the power of storytelling, with Miller playfully executing his role as the storyteller with all the tricks at his disposal. For any filmmaker of Miller’s age (nearing 80) and stature, one would think that he would treat this film as a starting point to make more smaller-scaled features. But Miller isn’t just any filmmaker, and it only seems natural that he’s currently in his native Australian Outback shooting Furiosa , the epic prequel to Mad Max: Fury Road. More Reviews 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple January 13, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen The Rip January 16, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Dead Man's Wire January 14, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen The Chronology of Water January 9, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

No Time to Die October 11, 2021 By: Button Hunter Friesen Since his first cinematic appearance in 1962, James Bond has done a lot of things. He’s been reincarnated five times, traveled around the globe (including space), and saved the world more times than it deserves. But the one thing that James Bond has never done is venture inward. For one of the first times in the franchise, the emotional beats are what pump the blood within the film’s heart. The theme of finality rings loudly, as No Time to Die marks the twenty-fifth entry in the long-running series, as well as the fifth and final part of the Daniel Craig era. In a move that has become routine by now, Bond has left active service. This time it wasn’t because of being presumed dead (even though that is true here), but because of his love of Madeleine Swann, a daughter of SPECTRE. Their attempt at a normal life goes about as expected, with bad guys ruining their Italian honeymoon. This, along with a deadly theft of a weaponized virus in the heart of London, brings James back into the fold for one last mission. Not one for nostalgia, MI6 moved on from Bond and promoted a new 007 named Nomi, who embodies the new school of espionage. Along with M, Q, Moneypenny, and Tanner, it’s time once again for the forces of good to vanquish evil. The Craig era marked the MCU-ification (a term that shouldn’t be taken as derogatory) of the Bond franchise, as it turned against the standalone nature of the previous entries and started to treat subsequent films as true sequels. The events of Casino Royale fed directly into Quantum of Solace . And when that movie failed, Skyfall acted as a soft reboot, later filtering into Spectre . No Time to Die pulls double duties by playing as a direct sequel to Spectre , but also the final bow on the whole modern Bond era. Despite the interconnectedness, long-time writers Neil Purvis and Robert Wade don’t want to be restricted by franchise ties. There has never been a need to see a previous movie to comprehend the next one, with only tried and true franchise elements such as Ernst Stavro Blofeld and SPECTRE providing an integral throughline. The duo always seems to be stuck in the past with their scripts, mining the same bits, such as shaken not stirred martinis, Aston Martin cars, and megalomaniac villains hellbent on world domination. The blame for the forgettable plot – borderline incoherent at times – should rest on their shoulders. Lacking the personal connection of Christoph Walz’s Blofeld and Javier Bardem’s Raoul Silva, Rami Malek’s Lyutsifer Safin is a second-rate Bond villain. The casting choice itself is a no-brainer, as Malek has a heavy natural supply of VE (Villain Energy). Safin seems to be a character lifted from a Shakespearean play, as he often poetically monologues into the middle-distance. There’s unintentional ironic humor to Safin’s plan of decimating the world’s population through a virus, as it requires much more effort than what COVID-19 has been able to do. It’s co-writer/director Cary Joji Fukunaga (first American Bond director) and Fleabag scribe Phoebe Waller-Bridge that want to take the franchise in a newer direction. There’s an element of fun introduced that has been missing from the Craig films. Doing well to supply that is Ana de Armas, who does too well with too little screen time in a Knives Out reunion. There’s also the pairing of Bond with Nomi, played terrifically by Lashana Lynch, and who is much more than the alleged SJW-takeover that some want you to believe. With their record-breaking budgets, the Bond films have always had nice toys to play with. They just needed the right person to harness their potential. Fukunaga breaks the stoic shackles set by Skyfall and Spectre director Sam Mendes, returning Craig back to the kinetic destruction wonderfully employed in Casino Royale . There’s a particular long-take stairwell scene, similar to the one Fukunaga used in True Detective , that perfectly illustrates Bond’s otherworldly combat skills. And there’s the shoutout in Cuba, which plays more like a dance as Bond and Nomi attempt to retrieve a precious item. It’s a testament to Craig that he’s been able to keep up with the physical requirements of the role, especially with the battle scars he’s accumulated over the years. But he also reaches new heights emotionally, with his Bond being the most vulnerable, both literally and metaphorically. He shares more than an animalistic sexual relationship with his Bond girls. There’s something palpable under the surface, keeping you invested beyond just the setpieces. With a lot of time (163 minutes in fact) to end, No Time to Die says goodbye to the actor who ushered in a new era for James Bond. Thankfully, it does it with a sly wink and a nod to what could be in store for this long-weathered franchise. More Reviews 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple January 13, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen The Rip January 16, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Dead Man's Wire January 14, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen The Chronology of Water January 9, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

Dumb Money September 9, 2023 By: Button Hunter Friesen Dumb Money had its World Premiere at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival. Sony Pictures will release it in limited theaters on September 15, followed by a nationwide expansion on October 06. 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 theses, 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. “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 use of cats in his live streams. He’s bullish on the GameStop (GME) stock, thinking that’s it 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 are 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. More Reviews 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple January 13, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen The Rip January 16, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Dead Man's Wire January 14, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen The Chronology of Water January 9, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen