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How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World March 4, 2019 By: Button Hunter Friesen Without many people noticing, the How to Train Your Dragon series has become one of the most highly regarded modern trilogies. The first two films struck a chord between audiences and critics by telling the beautiful story of a friendship between a boy and his dragon. The third and final film in the franchise, How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World meets the bar set by its predecessors and caps off a series a decade in the making. Now the leader of Berk, Hiccup has transformed the island into a dragon sanctuary. Due to their vulnerability and approaching enemies, Hiccup decides to search for an underground dragon paradise known as the Hidden World. At the same time, a new Night Fury mysteriously appears, catching the eye of Toothless. With both their physical and emotional fortitude being tested by new outside forces, both Hiccup and Toothless will have to re-examine their bond and decide what truly matters to them. First and foremost, this is an absolutely gorgeous movie with several stunning shots. In association with the great Roger Deakins, cinematographer Gal Zimmerman has crafted a beautiful breathing world filled with vivid colors. Director Dean DeBlois uses outstanding cinematography to its fullest potential as a large part of the film takes place in the foreground of majestic vistas. He also uses stages in many of his scenes with single camera movements that make for more believable action. DeBlois proves to work best without dialogue as he creates great emotional depth through movement and expression. The dragons benefit the most from this as they are developed into full characters, with most being more fleshed out than the humans. And as always, composer John Powell delivers another amazing score. The mix of epic and tenderness makes Powell’s score quite possibly the best part of the film as it combines with the sweeping imagery. Serving as the sole writer, DeBlois isn’t as good on paper as he is behind the camera. The script for this entry follows beat for beat with the previous two installments. The main theme of dragons and humans learning how to coexist is heavily touched on, but this time to the point of boredom. I realize it's the essential crutch of the trilogy, it's just tiring to tread the same points for the third film in a row. There’s only so much that can be said until it becomes monotonous. The film also feels quite overstuffed as too many supporting characters fight for a small number of good jokes. Most of them turn out to be quite irritating as they only get one trait that wears thin incredibly quickly. The thread of single-trait characters can also be extended to the main villain, Grimmel, whose one defining characteristic is that he’s evil. Instead of developing him and creating justifications for his actions, DeBlois back up everything Grimmel does with the explanation that he’s a bad guy that does bad things. Even with all his faults, DeBlois does do a great job with the final act. He effortlessly ends the series on a high note through sequences of heartfelt character interaction that will bring tears to audiences of all ages. Compared to most other animated films, the voice acting is not as high of quality as one would expect. Jay Baruchel as Hiccup is still pretty good. His voice perfectly captures the character both physically and emotionally. America Ferrera does equally decent work as Astrid. Her best scenes are the more intimate ones she shares with Baruchel. F. Murray Abraham does a respectable job as Grimmel. Unfortunately, his perfectly menacing voice kind of goes wasted on a paper-thin character. Weighing the rest of the cast down is the comedy sidekick trio of Jonah Hill, Kristen Wiig, and Justin Rupple. They each sound like their on autopilot mode and end up becoming progressively more annoying throughout the length of the film. For lovers of the first two films, How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World is another instant classic. While it isn’t perfect, this finale to a solid trilogy will leave dazzled by its imagery and touched by its story. More Reviews Wicked: For Good November 19, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Rental Family September 7, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Jay Kelly November 20, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Train Dreams November 21, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

Broker May 31, 2022 By: Button Hunter Friesen Broker had its World Premiere at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival. Neon will release it in theaters on January 13. Revered Japanese auteur Hirokazu Kore-eda has been on a sort of international tour since he won the Palme d’Or for Shoplifters during the 2018 edition of the Cannes Film Festival. Before then, he’d remained tied to his native Japan beginning with his 1995 directorial debut, Maborosi . But after the golden laurels, he set his sights on making his English-language debut, The Truth , with Catherine Deneuve, Juliette Binoche, and Ethan Hawke. Also uncharacteristic was the film’s debut at the Venice International Film Festival, away from Cannes where four of his last five films premiered. While it couldn't be considered a failure, the film was seen as a lesser work from a dependable master. So, as a possible rebound tactic, Kore-eda has returned to familiar territory with Broker , debuting in competition at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. But Kore-eda hasn’t made a full return as he stops just short of Japan by setting and supplying his film with top-tier talent from South Korea. And with the help of his crew, many of which come from Parasite including lead actor Song Kang-ho, cinematographer Hong Kyung-pyo, and composer Jung Jae-il, Kore-eda has crafted a touching, if familiar, story about families forming in the most unlikely of circumstances. A baby has been left in a deposit box used by mothers who can’t, or won’t, keep their babies. Two of the employees at the facility, Sang-hyun (Song Kang-ho) and Dong-soo (Gang Dong-won), have formed a partnership to circumvent the rules of the establishment by taking the babies into their protection and selling them under the table to needy couples. The act itself isn’t just about the money, even though it does help since the going rate for a child is nearly $10,000. The pair see themselves as saviors for these kids, as selling them off gets them to a proper home much quicker than the laborious state-run system. 1 in 40 mothers that drop off their babies never return, but So-young (Lee Ji-eun) is that one. She comes back to discover that her baby has been snatched by the pair, whom she labels as simple “brokers” looking to make a few extra dollars under people’s noses. Needing to keep her quiet, and to lend some legitimacy to the sale (which So-young is still okay with), the brokers decide to cut her in on the deal. Purely based on this introductory premise, Kore-eda has laid a field filled with moral quandaries. Is it right to break the law and sell a child if it means they will potentially have a better life? Who is worse, the mother that disposes of the baby, or the people that sell the child? Who’s responsible for the child once the mother has disowned them? Kore-eda doesn’t stop there, as the plot thickens those arguments with supporting details and rationalizations from each character. So-young is revealed to have a troubled past, lending some credibility to the usual selfish act of giving up your child. Sang-hyun has had run-ins with the law, and Dong-soo grew up in a run-down orphanage where the chances of being adopted are slim to none. But even with all these character developments that should create an ethically questionable story, Kore-eda’s direction never makes you feel as if any of this is wrong or dangerous. Throughout the film, the gang is being tailed by two female police officers looking to catch them in the act. That danger of being caught never comes to the surface, with the cops being more of a humorous nuisance than a threat. Similar to his previous Cannes entry, Shoplifters , Kore-eda does make plenty of time to instill lessons on how we don’t often get to choose the family we have. A direct reference to Paul Thomas Anderson’s mosaic Magnolia , tells all how the best-laid plans never truly turn out the way we envision. Even though each character may have their agenda behind the act, their shared journey is what binds them together. Dong-soo and So-young’s symbolic journey atop a Ferris wheel, coupled with the ivory keys of Jung Jae-il, make for a tear-inducing moment. With a lighter tone and more melodrama, Broker doesn’t contain the precision of Kore-eda’s previous works. But that lightness makes for an accessible and emotionally rewarding experience. More Reviews Wicked: For Good November 19, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Rental Family September 7, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Jay Kelly November 20, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Train Dreams November 21, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

Kneecap July 30, 2024 By: Button Hunter Friesen If there’s any lesson that’s been beaten over our heads in the hundreds of music biopics that Hollywood has churned out, it’s that nothing good happens after the protagonist is introduced to sex and drugs. The once-promising star quickly goes off the rails, resulting in their friends and family telling them that they’ve changed and the producers to turn off the money faucets. But what if the sex and drugs had been there from the beginning and served as the main catalyst for their work? Would that person spiral out of control before they even got started, or would that rambunctious free spiritism catapult them into stardom with the younger generation? In the case of Kneecap , the outcome to that question seems to align closer to that of the latter portion. Formed in 2017, the titular hip-hop trio continues to sell out stadiums and other high-profile gigs, a far cry from the lowly pubs they originated from. Their lyrics, often filled to the brim with drug references and cursing, resonate with the youth of their native Belfast, a city that’s seen its fair share of political and social troubles. Although the aspect of drugs helps this fictionalized origin story from falling into the same traps of every other music biopic, it doesn’t fully exonerate the film from often striking all the other same notes. As a playful and endearing middle finger to Kenneth Branagh’s Osar-winning Belfast , we open with a record-scratch piece of narration where we’re told that this isn’t going to be the story of Belfast that Hollywood loves. Car bombings and IRA shootouts are reserved only for archival footage, although the ramifications of the violence are still present decades later. Arlo (Michael Fassbender) was one of those freedom fighters, and he teaches his son Naoise Irish Gaelic as “every word of Irish spoken is a bullet fired for Irish freedom.” That kind of rough patriotism sticks within the boy as he grows up, eventually merging with his love of rap/hip-hop. Taking the stage name Móglaí Bap, he partners with his best friend Liam Óg to come up with the lyrics, while school music teacher JJ mixes the beats. The mixture of Gaelic and English lyrics represents the clashing of identities within Belfast. Despite being the native language of the land and its people, Gaelic is endangered and nearing extinction. While others are forming campaigns teaching classes, Kneecap is bringing the language to the youth in a way they can understand, and in a manner that matches the brutality the Brits have enacted. The relevancy and immediacy of this story bring authenticity, which writer/director Rich Peppiatt and the group increase by having the members play themselves and the majority of the dialogue being in Gaelic. Just as you wouldn’t be able to tell that the boys are gifted rappers just by looking at them, the same goes for their acting chops. That swagger from their music is always present in their demeanor. Their underdog story of defying the establishment is a bit cliché, especially with the demeaning authority figures and Fassbender’s uneven appearances that only serve to hammer home the political repercussions of the group’s actions. Still, it’s infinitely better than any studio-funded, estate-approved biopic, something that the market is oversaturated with. More Reviews Wicked: For Good November 19, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Rental Family September 7, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Jay Kelly November 20, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Train Dreams November 21, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

Death on the Nile February 14, 2022 By: Button Hunter Friesen The cards have been stacked against Kenneth Branagh’s sequel to Murder on the Orient Express for some time now. It had its production and release disrupted several times on account of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. It was part of the jumbled merger when Disney acquired Fox, creating a whole new set of business problems behind the scenes. And it was caught up in the scandal that swallowed the career of star Armie Hammer, as well as the anti-vax statements made by Letitia Wright and Russell Brand. And unlike any great mystery that would take those elements and spin it into something beyond your imagination, those ingredients simply turn out to be part of an equation where their sum equals the rotten product that is Death on the Nile . There, I’ve solved the mystery that every critic sets out to conquer: Is a movie worth its cost, in both time, energy, and money? In this case, it most certainly is not. But I can’t let this mystery go away so easily, as it must be dissected and analyzed so we know how and why this movie died in such an ugly fashion. Like the skilled cinematic detective that I am, I’ll go through the autopsy piece by piece. The first reason for the film’s demise lies in its cast, which, both on paper and in the flesh, is a sharp downgrade from its predecessor. Say what you want about Murder on the Orient Express , but you can’t deny the legendary assortment of actors that it assembled in Michelle Pfeiffer, Johnny Depp, Willem Dafoe, Judi Dench, Olivia Colman, Penélope Cruz, Derek Jacobi, Leslie Odom Jr., and Daisy Ridley. They had the perfect combination of movie star wattage and talent. When it came time for Branagh to reload for the sequel, he wasn’t able to scrounge up enough to replace what he had lost. I mean no personal disrespect to these actors, especially the wonderful Annette Bening and Sophie Okonedo, but they pale in comparison to the originals. Any casting director could have told you the writing was on the wall the moment you replaced Michelle Pfeiffer with Gal Gadot. Next on the list of causes of death is the technicals. I’ve been working on a theory that there is an inverse relationship between the number of visual effects that Branagh uses within his films and their overall quality. His earlier Shakespearean work of Henry V and Hamlet (clocking in at a daunting 238 minutes) still stand the test of time in part because of Branagh’s use of lavishly authentic sets and costumes. It’s one of the reasons why his Cinderella is the only Disney live-action remake that deserves attention, and why he’s recently been nominated for Best Director for Belfast . But when Branagh ups his budgets (as he did here, going from $55 to $90 million) and tries to push the envelope, such as he did in Thor and Artemis Fowl , things start to look and feel messy. For not a single second did I believe that Death on the Nile was taking place on the Nile River. The CGI-rendered backgrounds are glossy and wouldn’t fly for 2002, let alone 2022, and rob the film of any sense of wonder and grandiosity. The third and final, and most important, explanation is the central mystery at hand. In both the original Agatha Christie novel and film adaptations, the unraveling of Murder on the Orient Express is top-rate. For someone like me who wasn’t familiar with the plot going into Branagh’s adaptation, the ultimate reveal was shocking and satisfying. The twists and turns within Death on the Nile , on the other hand, are far more on-the-nose. Screenwriter Michael Green and Branagh put a little too much attention on certain lines of dialogue and specific edits, making it all too easy to pinpoint who the killer is and how they did it. I was only one-third of the way through the film by the time I pieced it all together, which made the next hour quite tedious as I waited for the characters to catch up. What fun is a murder-mystery whodunnit if you can easily solve it? The answer is that it’s no fun at all. On nearly every level, Death on the Nile is a serious dropoff in quality compared to its 2017 predecessor, which now looks much better in hindsight. Branagh has expressed interest in continuing the adventures of Hercule Poirot with further sequels, which, at this point, I’m not looking forward to. More Reviews Wicked: For Good November 19, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Rental Family September 7, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Jay Kelly November 20, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Train Dreams November 21, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny June 29, 2023 By: Button Hunter Friesen For each new movie I’m reviewing, I bring along a mini journal that’s used to jot down small observations. Most of these scribblings turn out to be near illegible due to writing in the dark while still looking at the screen. But I can still recall them well enough once I piece a few of the letters together. On average, I fill up about one page front and back, equalling about 15-20 bullet points. But for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, I was only able to muster just six bullet points. Nearly half of those observations were made during the film’s opening set piece, which finds Indiana Jones hurtling aboard a Nazi train as World War II is coming to a fiery conclusion. I was perplexed at the moment as to why I couldn’t think of anything to write, and I’m still perplexed right now as I attempt to formulate my thoughts in an informative and entertaining manner. It was the same problem I had with Murder Mystery 2 and The Super Mario Bros. Movie a few months ago. But I always knew those two were airless junk. This is Indiana Jones for god’s sake, a franchise that has set the bar that no one else has come close to passing within the action/adventure genre! How is it possible that I could watch this finale and not have anything to say about it? To be fair, I was never bored, nor did I ever think that I was watching something that wasn’t worth my time. But I also never felt like I was watching something I hadn’t seen before or something that I hadn’t seen done much better. Some of the blame can be put upon director James Mangold, who’s placed himself in the unenviable position of taking over the reins from Steven Spielberg. Mangold has proven himself to be an above-average studio director, most notably in the past few years with Logan and Ford v Ferrari . But being above average doesn’t mean a whole lot when you’re being compared to God himself. Mangold’s use of a semi-convincing (at least when he’s standing still) de-aged Harrison Ford during the opening is deliriously entertaining. The meaty whack of a Nazi being punched and the cracking of a whip is music to my ears, as is hearing John Williams’ famous score as Indy leaps further into danger. But that introduction ends up being the peak, with all the other set pieces - of which there are many across this slightly bloated 154-minute movie - going through the motions. This adventure finds Indy going after Archimedes’ Dial, which is believed to be able to open and locate time fissures (just as the movie does for about ⅔ of its runtime, I will liberally dance around saying what those fissures mean). Also desperately pursuing the artifact is the Nazi doctor Jürger Voller (Mads Mikkelsen). Unfortunately for both him and Indy, they’re going after only one-half of the dial, with the latter portion still lost somewhere in the world. Twenty-five years go by, with the opposing forces facing each other again as they try to unlock the mysteries of the ancient world. Considering the fate of Kingdom of the Crystal Skull , it shouldn’t be viewed as a surprise that The Dial of Destiny does its best to stick to the tried and tested franchise formula. Any combination of a train, car, motorcycle, boat, plane, and horse is used across the several chase scenes that take place in identifiable locations. Ford is still as lively as ever during these moments, moving with great freedom for an octogenarian. It’s just that the script can’t keep up with him as all it wants him to do is don that fedora and whip, even if that means sacrificing the potential for something unique to happen. There’s also the addition of Phoebe Waller-Bridge as Indy’s goddaughter Helena and her kid sidekick, both of whom add more weight than they carry. Maybe I was asking for too much from this movie. But I also feel like a brain trust composed of Ford, Mangold, Spielberg, and George Lucas would be able to come up with a compelling reason for this character to return other than to just go through the motions. It seems like this old dog can’t (or won’t) be taught new tricks. I watched this movie, had a pretty decent time, and will likely forget about it come next week. That’s a destiny I’d like to turn back. More Reviews Wicked: For Good November 19, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Rental Family September 7, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Jay Kelly November 20, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Train Dreams November 21, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

TIFF25 Preview September 2, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen In the realm of cinema, nothing is quite as exciting as a film festival. It’s a place where a buffet of high-quality entertainment is laid out, each piece begging for your attention. Titles can range from micro-budgeted indies to major studio blockbusters, all of them using the festival as a launching pad for future box office and awards success. Of the ten films nominated for Best Motion Picture of the Year at last year’s Academy Awards, seven premiered at a major film festival. That includes the winner, Anora , which began its victory path at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival. Festivals reach their peak influence from late August through mid-September, when the trifecta of the Venice International Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, and Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) overlaps on top of each other. This condensed timeline spurs fierce competition amongst the trio for the right to host screenings of select films. Some titles will play at all three festivals, some at two, and some at just one. All of this is done intentionally by the filmmakers and distributors, with each festival offering its own pros and cons. Venice is more accepting of rigorous arthouse and international films, Telluride creates a laid-back and exclusive environment, and Toronto is one of the largest publicly attended festivals in the world. TIFF has always been my favorite festival thanks to its long-held tradition of being the “festival of festivals,” collecting a mixture of the best films from all the other festivals (Sundance, Berlin, Cannes, Venice, Telluride, etc.), along with a swath of juicy world premieres. This year’s lineup flaunts 209 feature films screening over ten days across the festival’s many splashy venues. I’ll attempt to watch forty of those films, an improvement over last year’s tally of thirty-seven. This will require mental toughness to comprehend viewing up to five films per day, a stretching program for my stiff legs and neck (some TIFF venues have very uncomfortable seats), and a willingness to take a risk on some under-the-radar gems. The first day will feature four Cannes stand-outs: Sentimental Value , Nouvelle Vague , Sound of Falling , and the Palme d’Or winner, It Was Just an Accident. I wasn’t able to attend Cannes this year, my first absence since I started going in 2021. Luckily, TIFF always welcomes the top players from there, which means I can partially replicate that experience, minus the pristine beaches and beautiful weather on the French Riviera. The second day presents new works from two of my favorite filmmakers. The first is The Wizard of the Kremlin by French writer/director Olivier Assayas. Paul Dano stars as Vadim Baranov, a filmmaker who became an advisor to Vladimir Putin as he rose to power in post-Soviet Russia. Jude Law portrays Putin, with Alicia Vikander, Jeffrey Wright, and Tom Sturridge rounding out the cast. Next will be No Other Choice from Park Chan-wook, whose two previous features, The Handmaiden and Decision to Leave , are some of my all-time favorites. This new film is a dark satire about a chronically unemployed man who decides that the best path to getting a job is to kill all the other applicants. Saturday night will have the marquee event, which is the world premiere of Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery , the third installment in the whodunnit series starring Daniel Craig as detective Benoit Blanc. Earlier in the day will be a 70mm presentation of The Testament of Ann Lee , a musical about the founder of the Shaker movement starring Amanda Seyfried as the titular character. Mona Fastvold and Brady Corbet, the team behind last year’s The Brutalist , co-wrote the film, with Fastvold taking her turn in the director’s chair. Other big titles across the weekend include The Lost Bus , starring Matthew McConaughey as a bus driver during the 2018 wildfires in California; Rental Family , a dramedy starring Brendan Fraser as a professional surrogate for a Japanese family; Good Fortune , Aziz Ansari’s directorial debut; Hamnet , Chloé Zhao’s adaptation of the acclaimed novel with Paul Mescal as William Shakespeare and Jessie Buckley as his grieving wife Agnes; and Nuremberg , a courtroom drama centered around the trials of the Nazi high command in the wake of World War II. Dwayne Johnson will turn up the lights as he’ll present the North American premiere of The Smashing Machine , the life story of MMA and UFC fighter Mark Kerr. But the fun doesn’t slow down as the festival heads into its second half. Guillermo del Toro, the filmmaker most in love with monsters, is finally getting the chance to adapt the story of the most famous one of all. He and Netflix will debut the epically mounted Frankenstein , starring Oscar Isaac as the mad scientist and Jacob Elordi as the born-again creature. The steamer also brings over Ballad of a Small Player , directed by All Quiet on the Western Front and Conclave helmer Edward Berger. Colin Farrell plays a travelling gambler in over his head as Tilda Swinton tracks him down to Macau. From there, the schedule gets a bit more fluid. There’ll still be plenty of screening opportunities for stuff like The Christophers , Fuze , Sacrifice , A Private Life , Scarlet , Roofman , Easy’s Waltz , and Eternity , as well as other titles not on my watchlist that receive great buzz. Respectively, The Beast and April were my favorite films of the 2023 and 2024 editions of the festival. Both were seen mostly on a whim in the festival’s waning days, proving that the best films are often hidden in plain sight. I could spend several more paragraphs describing the rest of the films I’m seeing and why I’m excited about them. That risks this article getting repetitive, and there will be plenty of time devoted to all those films in my recap article. For now, you can take a look at the full slate of festival titles at the TIFF website. I’ll be publishing full reviews for select titles, with a few of them likely to become some of my favorites of the year. More Reviews Wicked: For Good November 19, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Rental Family September 7, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Jay Kelly November 20, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Train Dreams November 21, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

A Big Bold Beautiful Journey September 16, 2025 By: Button Hunter Friesen True to its title, A Big Bold Beautiful Journey is big and bold. Colin Farrell and Margot Robbie embark on a journey through space and time, weaving in and out of their respective past and present lives, looking back on successes and failures with the gift of hindsight. Farrell gets to perform again in his high school musical, trying to win the heart of his crush. Robbie has to rekindle her relationship with her mother just before and after she dies alone in the hospital. That doesn’t exactly sound like a fair deal… But this film is not beautiful. In fact, it’s quite ugly. Not from a visual standpoint, as DP Benjamin Loeb effectively employs all the colors of the rainbow for the eye-popping production design by Katie Byron (she worked on the equally vibrant Don’t Worry Darling ). A bright red door beckons our leads down their first whimsical wormhole, blue and yellow umbrellas protect the soaked attendees of a wedding, and Farrell’s dark green cardigan blends well with the lush fields and trees. The only complaint I had was the sight of Burger King being used as the meet-cute launch pad for this adventure. However, my opinion about how nothing good ever comes from a Burger King remains true, as this treacly story makes a case for why we shouldn’t treat everyone’s life story as something special. I can only assume that writer Seth Reiss picked up one of those sappy self-help inspirational quote books and challenged himself to place each one into a script. It worked for him, pulling in two A-listers and a major studio to fork over tens of millions of dollars to make those pieces of paper into a visual reality. But we’re the ones who have to pay a bigger price, and I’m not just talking about the $10 ticket price. Despite their insanely good looks, David (Farrell) and Sarah (Robbie) have been single almost their entire lives. He’s too afraid of being heartbroken, a nearly fifty-year-old man still being called by his parents about getting out there and meeting the right person. She’s afraid to break other people’s hearts, a serial cheater who would rather pull the ripcord than plunge deeper into commitment. Both of them rent a car from the aptly titled “Car Rental Agency” run by a German-accented Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Kevin Kline. The GPS has a mind of its own, taking them on a detour towards a series of mysterious doors that serve as a portal into their memories. You know the old saying: Once you’ve gone through one time-traveling door, you’ve been through them all. That’s certainly true here, with each of Farrell and Robbie’s stops offering the same sentimental lessons on life, death, and the opportunities that can only be seized by opening ourselves to risk. Director Kogonada supplies a deft touch, but his humanistic instincts that were wonderfully displayed in his first features of Columbus and After Yang have been buried under the implicit studio requirement that everything stays neat and tidy. Seeing his name along with Joe Hisaishi as the credited composer made me even more depressed, as a more personal collaboration would likely yield amazing results. My main takeaway from A Big Bold Beautiful Journey was that the screening room in the new Bill Pohlad Cinema at the FilmNorth building more than lived up to its touted status as the most high-tech and pristine screening room in Minnesota. The images were sharp, the sound design was precise, and the 50-person seating capacity positively lent to an intimate atmosphere. It was unfortunate every time I refocused myself to watch the film projected in front of me, a reminder that not all movies enhance the theatrical experience. More Reviews Wicked: For Good November 19, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Rental Family September 7, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Jay Kelly November 20, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Train Dreams November 21, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

See How They Run September 19, 2022 By: Button Hunter Friesen “It’s a whodunnit. You’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all.” These are some of the last words used by victim Leo Kopernick (Adrien Brody) to describe Agatha Christie’s murder mystery, The Mousetrap . And after watching the film, See How They Run , I’d have to admit I share the same sentiment. Mine and Kopernick's feelings towards the genre seem to grow out of the common tiredness of it. Whether it be Rian Johnson’s riff on it with his Knives Out films (which I greatly enjoyed the newest edition at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival), or Kenneth Branagh’s classical revivals of Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile (which I greatly despised), there seems to glut of whodunnits. And because I’ve seen one of them, I’ve essentially seen them all. And unfortunately for See How They Run , it has to take up the mantle as the runt of the litter, destined to be cast aside without anyone noticing, or caring. Before his demise (I’m not spoiling anything, they reveal his death ten seconds into the trailer), Kopernick was witness to the 100th performance of The Mousetrap , which is still playing today on London’s West End after nearly 28,000 performances. He’s been brought in to mount a film adaptation of the play. That is unless he can get along with his writer (David Oyelowo), who insists on “elevating” the material above its genre cliches, and his producer (Reece Shearsmith), who is more busy having an affair with his assistant than managing the talent. Once the deadly deed has been done, Scotland Yard’s own Inspector Stoppard (Sam Rockwell) is brought in to solve the case. He’s joined by the Constable Stalker (Saoirse Ronan), an eager rookie who’s a little too ready to nab her first killer. Writer Mark Chappell has assembled all the ingredients for a meta and wink-filled time as he stages a real murder mystery within a fictional version of a real murder mystery production. Anyone who’s seen their fill of community theater and Masterpiece productions will be able to pick on the jabs on well-worn genre tropes such as the butler playing a suspicious part and specific red herrings. And director Tom George, making his feature film debut after several years working on assorted series on the BBC, tries his best to keep things moving at a breezy pace with intricate cross-cutting and split screens. But even with all that's promised on the page and on the screen, there just always seems to be a disconnect that prevents it all from coming together. A joke may land with a thud, but it’s followed by a great cutaway. Or a joke may be a slam dunk, but then the scene plays a little too long and the air is sucked out of the room. There’s never really a moment where everything is flowing as harmoniously as it should. The one thing that consistently stays above water is the cast, even if they aren’t all served equally by Chappell (what’s Ruth Wilson doing in such a nothing role?). Rockwell makes a half-attempt at pulling off an Inspector Clouseau impersonation. It’s never fully explained why his character is so tired all the time, but Rockwell pulls it off well enough to just make it seem like it’s just part of his personality. And Saoirse Ronan is an absolute comedy delight in every moment she is given. Still, at only age 28, she could be in for an all-time career if she keeps up this pace. Although they share no living scenes together, a The Grand Budapest Hotel between her and Adrien Brody is a welcome one. While it may never be as funny or good as it wants to be, there are still a few glimmers of playful genius within See How They Run . It’s just a shame that Rian Johnson has fully harnessed that playfulness for his films, leaving not much room in the public’s collective memory for this so-so affair. More Reviews Wicked: For Good November 19, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Rental Family September 7, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Jay Kelly November 20, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Train Dreams November 21, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

Past Lives June 16, 2023 By: Button Hunter Friesen One of the great things about cinema is that you can give the same idea to a dozen different filmmakers and get a dozen different results. A little over a year ago, A24 was dominating the critical and commercial landscape with Everything Everywhere All at Once . The Daniels’ wildly imaginative multiversal action-comedy resonated with so many (and took home a modern-day record of seven Academy Awards) because of its perfect mix of zaniness and down-to-earth tackling of topics such as “How did I get to where I am?” and “What could my life look like if I had done something differently?” Proving that snowflake cinema theory, writer/director Celine Song has taken those same themes and made something totally different for her debut feature film, Past Lives , which A24 is rolling out into theaters now after overwhelmingly successful showings at this year’s Sundance and Berlin Film Festivals. No matter if it was doomed from the start or received a storybook ending, everyone remembers their first love. For Na Young and Hae Sung, it seemed like they were destined for each other. Both were overachievers at their South Korean middle school, constantly battling to avoid the dreaded runner-up position below the other. Even as children, they and their parents could see that there was something special between them, almost as if they could see into each other’s souls. Unfortunately, that indescribable bond couldn’t overcome everything, as Na Young and her family immigrated to Canada, severing the relationship right then and there. A dozen years pass before they enter each other’s lives again, this time through Skype as Na Young (Greta Lee), now named Nora, lives in New York, and Hae Sung (Teo Yoo) still resides in Seoul. It’s obvious to both of them that that bond still exists, but neither can make the leap above the “we should” level (“We should visit each other,” “We should stay in touch more…”). A dozen more years go by in the blink of an eye. Nora is now married to Arthur (John Magaro), and Hae Sung is coming to visit New York. What will happen when the two childhood sweethearts come face-to-face for the first time in two decades, and how will it affect the life they’ve each built for themselves over that time? The film opens with an observational shot from across a bar as Nora, Hae Sung, and Arthur sit and talk. Two unseen patrons try to guess what the dynamic of this triangle is. Eventually, the camera pushes in on Nora, with her staring right back at the questioners and us. She smiles, for only she knows the answer. Perspective and perception are the keys to Song’s screenplay, which uses a vast amount of space and time to tell an epically intimate story. There are two versions for each of these characters: the concept that is seen through the eyes of others, and the more version that is only seen by the camera. Shabier Kirchner stunningly photographs each scene, with your eye being effortlessly guided through each absorbing frame. For all its gentleness around the nature of love and destiny, Song instills a sense of tension around the will-they-won’t-they relationship between Nora and Hae Sung. They often stare at each other longingly, mostly examining how they compare to the version they had in their heads all these years. There’s an open dialogue between them, as well as Nora and Arthur, keeping everything above the usual secrets and lies that go into a romantic drama. The questions and answers are much tougher to come by, simply because there are no do-overs or extreme revelations in real life. Nora explains in-yun to Arthur midway through the film. It’s the Korean concept of fate, suggesting that people are destined to meet if their past lives overlapped. Nora shrugs off the idea by saying it’s just “something Korean people say to seduce someone.” While Nora may not take that concept to heart, Song’s use of it within her film had me seduced in the moment, and will likely have me for the rest of time. More Reviews Wicked: For Good November 19, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Rental Family September 7, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Jay Kelly November 20, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Train Dreams November 21, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

The Killer October 27, 2023 By: Button Hunter Friesen The Killer is a descent into bloody madness told by a director in complete control of their craft. Every frame is perfectly lit, every cut perfectly placed and executed, and every piece of sound is perfectly engineered to rattle your bones. It’s a pulpy uncomplicated story about revenge being a dish best served cold. For anyone who enjoys the Hitman video game series and laments the two laughably bad movie adaptations, this is the answer to all your prayers. Grant, Jefferson, Malone, Cunningham, Madison, Kincaid. These are the names The Killer (Michael Fassbender) goes by as he travels the globe trading corpses for cash. Anonymity is the name of the game, along with a cold “I don’t give a fuck” attitude. But for all his self-described ruthlessness, The Killer is a master of discipline. “If you’re unable to endure boredom, then this line of work just isn’t for you” he narrates in the middle of his week-long stakeout of his victim’s apartment. He’s developed a rudimentary philosophy to get him through the doldrums of contract killing, one that involves yoga, breathing exercises, and an understanding of how people go about their daily lives. 168 hours of waiting have passed, replaced by the 10 seconds of action that will make or break the mission. The Killer raises his rifle, squares it on his target… and misses. He’s never missed before, and there’s no telling if another chance like this will ever come again. An uncompleted job doesn’t get you a reprimanding like any other, it gets you a bullet to the head. The predator is now the prey, but there’s still time for those tables to be turned back. The Killer must retrace his past, tying up all loose ends by whatever bloody means necessary. Director David Fincher reteams with his Se7en screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker, and the results are just as morally grubby as they were almost thirty years ago. Contract killing has become a gig economy, with The Killer reserving his hideouts through Airbnb (well, not anymore as Superhosts have too many cameras), getting lifts to and from the airport through Uber, and ordering his supplies off Amazon. The Killer is a flawed intellectual, a loner who watched too many Paul Schrader or Nicolas Winding Refn films but never understood the full picture. The cracks in his code immediately begin to show once his perfect structure is disrupted. The only thing that can fill those voids is anxiety and uncertainty. Is that person tailing him? Is this seat on the plane too exposed? Does he look too suspicious? Even with this inner turmoil, The Killer is still extremely sharp and dangerous. Fincher perfectly engineers each of the six chapters this story is told in, flawlessly setting the stage in locations such as Paris, the Dominican Republic, New Orleans, New York, and Chicago. A slow-burn tension is felt throughout, much of it supplied by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’ electronic score. Mank cinematographer Erik Messerschmidt shoots everything in a gleamingly cool color palette, and editor Kirk Baxter keeps things moving with propulsive pacing. It’s an incredibly satisfying cycle, climaxing with a terrifyingly brutal hand-to-hand encounter between The Killer and a much larger opponent. Michael Fassbender shows that he hasn’t lost a step after a four-year acting hiatus to go race cars. He’s often mute, maybe monotone when he’s at his chattiest. But he’s always compelling, creating a character that is both restrained to practicality and capable of committing acts of the utmost cruelty. It’s best that he often crosses paths with characters with a little more personality, such as Tilda Swinton’s rival in the same line of work, or Arliss Howard’s crypto billionaire client. The Killer is Fincher at his most surface level, playfully cutting loose from ambition and delivering his best film to date (yeah, I said it). Don’t expect to learn any life lessons, or have your perspective changed on an issue. Just sit back and be entertained. There’s nothing more satisfying than seeing a straightforward process being executed with pinpoint precision, and both our protagonist and Fincher accomplish their mission to outstanding results. More Reviews Wicked: For Good November 19, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Rental Family September 7, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Jay Kelly November 20, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Train Dreams November 21, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

Top 10 Films of 2023 (So-Far) July 1, 2023 By: Hunter Friesen Half of 2023 has come and gone in the blink of an eye. Before I knew it, I had seen 67 new releases in six months. I can’t say that there’s been a bountiful amount of great work to bask in, but there’s always a small amount of stuff that deserves to be cherished. So, to give credit where it’s due, here’s my list of the ten best films I’ve seen in 2023 (so far). *Because some of the films I’ve seen so far were at film festivals, I will only be ranking the films that have received a general release in theaters or on streaming* 10. R.M.N. Featuring five different spoken languages (Romanian, Hungarian, German, French, and English) and characters from all different walks of life, Cristian Mungiu’s newest visual essay tells a universal story within one specific Transylvanian village. As is tradition for Mungiu, each scene is realized in unbroken takes, with the climactic town-hall meeting unfolding across 17 minutes and featuring dozens of characters. The naturalism is abruptly broken by the ambiguous final shot, leaving you with a disquieting outlook on this specific village, as well as the entire world. 9. Tori and Lokita The newest film from the Belgian brotherly duo of Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne finds them once again examining the miscarriages of social justice within their native country. Their handheld long takes and lack of score capture the harsh reality of society. There’s also a propulsive energy to the film, with the semi-criminal elements keeping the 85-minute feature (a staple length for the brothers) moving at a brisk pace. 8. Air Air is the cinematic equivalent of the final moments of an NBA game. Not every play goes as perfectly as it was drawn up, and there are a lot of mistakes that could have been ironed out in practice. But the sheer athleticism of the players/actors is something to marvel at. And when they take their shots, they make them count. Because both they and we know that when the ball goes through the hoop, and those feelings of victory come striding to the surface, everything that came before that ceases to matter. Full Review 7. BlackBerry Time has not been an ally for the BlackBerry phone, but I believe it will be for this movie. While the other movies in this growing subgenre built themselves largely around the iconography of the brand, Johnson always has his sights set on the people behind the machine, which is what makes this specific story that much more compelling and rewatchable. Full Review 6. Cairo Conspiracy Corruption runs rampant in the holiest of places within Cairo Conspiracy , as faith is used to broker further advances of power. Writer/director Tarik Saleh tells an overlapping story of politics and religion, molding his message within the old-fashioned espionage thriller genre to fantastic results. It’s both entertaining and enlightening, leaving you with something to ponder long after the credits roll. 5. John Wick: Chapter 4 Although I said the character of John Wick has drastically changed over time, the John Wick series has maintained that underdog energy since its initial entry, even though the budgets have increased nearly sixfold. Each sequel tries its hardest to outdo the previous one, offering an improvement on what’s already been done and creating something entirely new. I know it will be done, but I don't know how they’re going to top this in John Wick: Chapter 5 . Full Review 4. Enys Men Mark Jenkin’s Enys Men is the kind of film you stumble upon late at night as a kid where you have no idea what you’re watching and if it was any good, but you couldn’t help but be endlessly transfixed by it. Just as Ari Aster and Robert Eggers have amassed cult followings for their new-wave style of horror, Jenkin deserves the same for his now-signature trips down the psychological rabbit hole. The beckoning of Hollywood doesn’t seem to be having much effect on him, promising more distinctly singular work from this up-and-coming artist. Full Review 3. Chevalier Stuffy, overly serious, slow, and pretentious are all words most often used to describe period pieces. And yet, none of those words can be applied to Stephen Williams' Chevalier , which would have been one of the best movies of 2022 had Searchlight chosen to release it within the bloodbath that is Oscar season. Thankfully, they're smarter than me and waited until 2023, where it now sits firmly on this list among the greats. Full Review 2. Past Lives Perspective and perception are the keys to writer/director Celine Song’s screenplay, which uses a vast amount of space and time to tell an epically intimate story. Nora (Greta Lee) explains in-yun to Arthur (John Magaro) midway through the film. It’s the Korean concept of fate, suggesting that people are destined to meet if their past lives overlapped. Nora shrugs off the idea by saying it’s just “something Korean people say to seduce someone.” While Nora may not take that concept to heart, Song’s use of it within her film had me seduced in the moment, and will likely have me for the rest of time. Full Review 1. Asteroid City At this point in his filmography, you’ve probably made up your mind about Wes Anderson. I’m somewhat of an apologist, with those instantly recognizable production qualities and whimsical tones being music to my ears (and eyes). Asteroid City is another healthy dose of what I’m come to love, with the bonus of seeing an auteur continue to find new ways to channel what they do best. Full Review More Reviews Wicked: For Good November 19, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Rental Family September 7, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Jay Kelly November 20, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Train Dreams November 21, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

Inside Out 2 June 16, 2024 By: Button Tyler Banark Pixar’s newfound knack for unnecessary sequels rears its head once again with Inside Out 2 . When the inevitable news broke that a sequel to the 2015 hit was going into production, many people (including myself) hesitated to view things positively and pondered the need for its existence. On top of that, Pixar was currently on a losing streak in terms of critical and audience reactions, with the likes of Lightyear and Elemental coming and going without much fanfare. And even with those worrisome trailers, all those negative thoughts left my head once I sat down to watch the final product, which could (and hopefully will) be the start of the studio returning to form. Despite all the pageantry by Pixar to be returning to this property, some of the original key players in the cast and crew are missing. For the cast, only Amy Poehler, Phyllis Smith, and Lewis Black returned to voice Joy, Sadness, and Anger, respectively. Tony Hale and Liza Lapira took over for Bill Hader and Mindy Kaling as Fear and Disgust, an unfortunate downgrade as the replacements don’t rise to the occasion. But on a more positive note, Poehler once again knocks it out of the park as Joy, and she’s joined by a bevy of new emotions in Embarrassed, Ennui, Envy, and Anxiety. Ayo Edebiri and Maya Hawke stand out as Envy and Anxiety, respectively, with the latter giving the best voiceover performance of the year thus far, capturing the frenetic chaos and capitalizing on the inner struggle one can have when dealing with it. At the same time, Edebiri brings her bombastic charms to her adorable character. Regarding the crew, the most prominent absentees are previous co-writer/director (and overall Pixar legend) Pete Docter and composer Michael Giacchino. Although Docter is still attached to the project as an executive producer and his role as Chief Creative Officer at the studio, his absence is felt in the driver’s seat as veteran studio writer Kelsey Mann takes over. That isn’t to say Mann does a lousy job, there’s just that extra bit of creativity missing to make this all feel truly special. After Anxiety boots the original emotions from headquarters, they come across more concepts that operate the human mind, many of them not seen in the first movie. Riley’s secret vault, brainstorms, Sense of Self, and a sar-chasm are just as generously illustrated as the ones presented in the predecessor. The use of Riley’s beliefs as cords stringing from a pond underneath headquarters to a flower inside of it is terrific. The designs of the new emotions felt fitting given their natures - Embarrassment being big and Envy being small - each conveying how those feelings take over once expressed. There’s also a moment where Anxiety creates a tornado when she starts to take over, an apt metaphor that’s as fun to watch as it is relatable. In a more stunning turn of events, the film takes a stab at different animation styles in several scenes. When the original emotions are locked away in Riley’s secret vault, they meet Bloofy, a character from Riley’s favorite children’s show, and Lance Slashblade, a video game character that Riley once had a crush on. Bloofy and Lance are animated differently, with the former (along with his fanny pack sidekick Pouchy) being traditionally 2-D animated and the latter having the design of a late 2000s video game graphic. Although it’s not something I would have expected Pixar to do, it’s a pleasant surprise from their traditional formula. There may be some slight missteps in this sequel, but Inside Out 2 is still a delightful return to the world of emotions, bringing back the spark that we once consistently expected from Pixar. The kids will have fun watching it for its humor, while the grown-ups will find the concepts to be intriguing. How long will it take before Pixar is officially back? Who knows, but there’s no need for longtime fans and moviegoers to get anxious over it. You can follow Tyler and hear more of his thoughts on Twitter , Instagram , and Letterboxd . More Reviews Wicked: For Good November 19, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Rental Family September 7, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Jay Kelly November 20, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Train Dreams November 21, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen