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Ranking the Films of Christopher Nolan July 14, 2023 By: Hunter Friesen As quite possibly the most famous director working today, Christopher Nolan has repeatedly pushed the boundaries of cinema, captivating audiences with his thought-provoking themes, mind-bending concepts, and stunning visual spectacles. His filmography is a tapestry of iconic movies that have left an indelible mark on popular culture. From the mind-bending puzzles of Memento to the gripping exploration of dreams in Inception and the epic superhero saga of The Dark Knight trilogy, each film offers a unique cinematic experience. Whether you are a long-time fan or a newcomer to his works, this ranking will provide a comprehensive exploration of Nolan's filmography, celebrating his unparalleled creativity and his lasting impact on the world of cinema. 11. Following Whether you're Martin Scorsese, Damien Chazelle, Barry Jenkins, or Christopher Nolan, everyone starts their career with a small black-and-white movie they crafted with the tools available to them: sweat and determination. Like most Nolan movies, this can be overcomplicated just for the sake of it. But there are some impressive things going on, especially when you consider how Nolan was able to continue his ambitions within the studio system. 10. Batman Begins On paper, this is just another well-known origin story that we’ve seen before. Nolan doesn’t totally transcend that pitfall, but he skillfully elevates the comic book genre into the real world. He immerses the audience in the griminess of Gotham City, a place that can only be saved by a man willing to meet the criminals on their terms. It remains an important stepping stone that would be used to fulfill the much grander scope of its sequels. 9. Insomnia Truth and guilt come crashing together in Nolan’s first foray into studio filmmaking. While it’s the only film that he didn’t have a hand in writing (at least officially), Nolan still is able to instill psychological depth into the material through his atmospheric cinematography and heightened editing. Al Pacino applies his mid-2000s sleepiness to a role that suits it, and Robin Williams skillfully transforms into a role against type. 8. Tenet Tenet is a full-on assault of the senses that contains unparalleled moments of spectacle and ambition. It surely takes multiple rewatches to comprehend, with the lack of interesting characters and convoluted stakes making that a bit of a tall order. But if you are brave enough to take on that mission, make sure to pack some ibuprofen and prepare to have your mind twisted in ways you never thought possible. Full Review 7. Interstellar Nolan has always claimed 2001: A Space Odyssey to be his favorite movie, and 2014’s Interstellar seems to be the clearest illustration of its influence. The accuracy and scientific detail are unparalleled compared to most blockbusters, with visually stunning sequences that demand the biggest screen possible. Its ambitious narrative can be a bit of a challenge to follow, but the emotional payoff (not something Nolan is known for), makes the difficulty all the more worth it. 6. The Dark Knight Rises Each entry in Nolan’s Batman trilogy is bigger than the last, with this finale seeing The Dark Knight going out on the epic stage he deserves. Batman is at his most vulnerable here as he battles a broken body and spirit at the hands of Tom Hardy’s Bane. No sequel would have been able to match the heights of 2008’s The Dark Knight , but this one has its moments and still flies high above most of the entries within the superhero genre. 5. Memento Serving as the beginning of his trademarked enthralling bewilderment, Memento captivates with its unique narrative structure, thought-provoking themes, and exceptional performance by Guy Pearce. You piece together the past and present with Leonard, never sure what’s reality and what’s all in your head. The stripped-down scale (at least compared to other Nolan mind-benders) makes it all the more impressive and makes it easy to see why studios were falling head over heels to hire him for their blockbusters. 4. Inception Inception is Nolan’s magnum opus in terms of visual ingenuity, made clear by the film winning the Oscars for both Best Cinematography and Best Visual Effects. The seamless shifting between the dream levels creates a sense of unease and uncertainty that complements the film's psychological undertones. Hans Zimmer delivers probably his most signature score to date, with Leonardo DiCaprio in peak movie star form as our guide through this maze of the mind. 3. Dunkirk Dunkirk is an immersive, visceral experience that conveys the horrors of war without relying on excessive violence and gore (or even showing the enemy). Instead, it focuses on the psychological toll of the events, capturing the fear, desperation, and camaraderie among the soldiers as they face impossible odds. Hans Zimmer's haunting and relentless score serves as an additional character within this large ensemble, intensifying the sense of urgency and heightening the emotional impact of each ticking moment. 2. The Prestige Cinema is a form of magic by itself, and Nolan is one of its greatest magicians. The Prestige is probably his most rewatchable movie, not just because of the theatrical twists and turns, but because it's such a well-put-together production that keeps you on your toes as Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale’s obsessive war of one-upmanship progressively gets more dangerous as it goes along. 1. The Dark Knight Being able to deliver top-notch entertainment while still touching on interesting ideas is what separates the legends from the lepers during the busy summer movie season. Nolan’s masterful direction has the movie fly at a breakneck pace while still savoring all the details. No further words need to be said to honor Heath Ledger’s towering performance, with Aaron Eckhart’s portrayal of Harvey Dent being a standout second-fiddle. There’s been nothing like it since, and likely won’t for a very long 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

2023 Winners January 4, 2024 By: Hunter Friesen The end of the year is upon us and it’s time to see who’s left standing now that the dust has settled. Even compared to most years, 2023 didn’t leave many people with their legs still under them (two historic strikes and a neverending drought at the box office tend to do that). But there were a select few that were not only able to survive but thrive in these tough conditions. Take a look below at who came out on top this year. Ayo Edebiri Everywhere you looked in 2023, Ayo Edebiri was there. The burgeoning comedy star appeared in no less than five feature films ( Theater Camp , Bottoms, The Sweet East, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, TMNT: Mutant Mayhem ), two hit television series ( The Bear, Abbott Elementary ), and received the “Breakout Star” STARmeter Award from IMDb. She shows no signs of slowing down, joining the MCU with the upcoming Thunderbolts and being cast in the new James L. Brooks film. Horror Movies (Again) Another year, another reminder that horror movies reign supreme when it comes to raking in the dough. No wonder Jason Blum owns multiple multi-million dollar properties. His Five Nights at Freddy’s has accumulated almost $300 million worldwide on a $20 million budget. Not far behind was Scream VI, M3GAN, The Nun II , and Insidious: The Red Door , which quietly became the highest-grossing entry in the series. Corporate PR Just like Mr. Burns every corporate conglomerate could use a slick Hollywood picture to gloss over their evil rise to power. 2023 saw no shortage of them, almost all of them faring better than A Burns For All Seasons . Ben Affleck created an underdog narrative surrounding the richest sports brand and athlete in Air , Tetris showed the power of American optimism (and capitalism), and Flamin’ Hot didn’t let the truth get in the way of a feel-good story. They’re all propaganda, but at least they were entertaining pieces of propaganda. Movie Theaters (But only during Barbenheimer) It was a year of one bomb after another, with any movie with a price tag of over $200 million playing to crowds rivaling the size of a high school theater production. But then a shining light came midway through the year, one that had been foretold through memes and fanboyism (and fangirlism). Luckily, Christopher Nolan and Greta Gerwig delivered the goods with Oppenheimer and Barbie , respectively, and everyone and their mother got out of the hot summer sun and enjoyed themselves for a few hours. Re-Releases With so many movies flopping like a fish, theaters were happy to welcome back stuff that had already proven successful. The 25th anniversary of Titanic grossed $70 million worldwide this past Valentine’s Day, Return of the Jedi brought in a respectable $7 million, and Oldboy outgrossed its original domestic release with $2 million during its limited remaster. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Concert Films Ruling over the billboard charts and closing down cities with their concerts wasn’t enough for these pop stars. They wanted it all, and who could blame them when considering just how much people were dying to see their acts in the theater? Taylor Swift proved to be a bigger draw than Indiana Jones, Ethan Hunt, and Optimus Prime at the box office, and Beyoncé’s Renaissance topped its respective opening weekend. It wasn’t just the teenagers who got their fill as Talking Heads’ Stop Making Sense grossed an impressive $5 million during its limited run. Sandra Hüller The German actress broke onto the scene at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival with Toni Erdmann . It was poetic when she was the talk of this year’s fest with her performances in the Palme d’Or and Grand Prize winner Anatomy of a Fall and The Zone of Interest , respectively. She portrayed intense characters in both films, just on opposite sides of the specific of good and evil. An Oscar nomination is highly likely, as well as a slew of offers for juicy parts in every major director’s next film. Jacob Elordi The Kissing Booth and Euphoria may have made him a sex symbol (not that he needed much help with that), but 2023 was the year that the Australian became an actor . He was able to use his appeal in Emerald Fennell’s Saltburn and Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla , both netting him positive reviews. He’s already lined up a starring role in Paul Schrader’s upcoming Oh Canada . Video Game Adaptations Going from the controller to the projector used to be a death sentence for any video game property. Now it’s like printing your money, with Nintendo scoring $1.3 billion with The Super Mario Bros. Movie . And look, there’s Five Nights at Freddy’s again swimming in $300 million worth of cash. And then there was HBO’s The Last of Us , which scored record viewership and a bevy of Emmy nominations. Don’t be surprised to see Mario vs. Sonic as the top-grossing film of 2028. 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

Emancipation December 7, 2022 By: Button Hunter Friesen With Sarah Polley’s Women Talking and now Antoine Fuqua’s Emancipation , desaturated cinematography seems to have replaced black-and-white as the new stylistic craze for the year. The thematic reasoning behind the decision is sound (the morally gray dilemma in Women Talking , the ultra-grim circumstances in Emancipation ), but the results are far from pleasing to the eye. To paraphrase Roger Ebert: I admire what they’re doing, and I hate it. Thankfully, the garish photography, which stings just a little more considering it’s supplied by three-time Oscar winner and Scorsese/Stone/Tarantino handyman Robert Richardson, doesn’t prohibit Emancipation from reaching its lofty ambitions. This is a nightmarish retelling of a true American horror story, one that shook the world to its score over 150 years ago, and should continue to do so for the foreseeable future. If not for “The Slap” which transpired only eight months ago when Will Smith assaulted Chris Rock on stage at the Oscars, the King Richard star would likely find himself back there as a nominee this year. I have no sympathy for Smith after what he did. Still, his worthy performance here would honorably fill that vacant last slot in Best Lead Actor behind presumed locks Austin Butler, Colin Farrell, Brendan Fraser, and Bill Nighy. If nothing else, it would also prevent Hugh Jackman from being nominated in a much more heinous film that is Florian Zeller’s The Son . But the past is the past, and we must now view Emancipation through the lens of a less likable Will Smith. Here he plays Peter (inspired by the true story of Gordon), a Haitian-born slave we are introduced to as he is being sold away from his family. He promises to return to them, no matter the obstacles in his way. His unwavering faith in God provides him the strength to endure the inhumane treatment he receives at a Confederate army camp near the swamps of Louisiana. While there, rumors start to swirl that President Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves through the Emancipation Proclamation. Knowing that their captors won’t give them their freedom willingly, Peter and others decide they must take it. They flee from their chains and head towards Baton Rouge, where friendly Union soldiers await. “Follow the sound of Lincoln’s cannons” is their north star as they trek through the treacherous terrain, all with a sadistic bounty hunter (Ben Foster) hot on their trail. One of the more unexpected things to come from Emancipation is Fuqua’s in-your-face grisly depiction of slavery and general life in the mid-1800s. Captured runaway slaves are beheaded and placed on stakes, others are branded, and many more die because of the grueling working conditions that promote disease and famine. Fuqua also leans into his action director pedigree to bring elements of Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s The Revenant , such as extended long takes and the beastly monsters that await in the murky swamp water. A fight with an alligator is one of a few moments where this aggressively serious film finds itself trying too hard to be “entertaining.” There’s also a large-scale Civil War battle that must have been added to justify the film’s $100 million budget, even if it creakily undermines the more minimalist approach to the first ninety minutes. Overarching all of this is the emotional honesty that Smith’s performance lends to the story of Peter. Dialogue is seldom used as his character overcomes the unimaginable with stoicism. Facial expressions do most of the talking, most noticeable when he is staged for the famous “ Whipped Peter ” photograph that told the story of American slavery to the rest of the world. Emancipation will likely not be the comeback vehicle that Smith desperately needs, but it was also never designed to be that. Through his clumsy past actions, he has turned away most audiences that were likely already on the fence about watching this daunting slave drama. That’s a shame because it means he has wasted a powerful performance that deserves to be seen by more than just the tiny audience it will now attract. 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

Cannes 2023 Recap June 1, 2023 By: Hunter Friesen The Cannes Film Festival, renowned for its celebration of the art of cinema, serves as an annual rendezvous for filmmakers, artists, and film enthusiasts from around the world. As the curtains drew back on the esteemed event, it bestowed upon us a plethora of remarkable films that pushed the boundaries of storytelling and left an indelible mark on our collective cinematic consciousness. In this article, I’ll embark on a captivating recounting of the thirteen films I saw in this year’s edition. From intimate character studies to sweeping epics, the selection was a testament to the diverse voices and visions that grace the silver screen. Each film presented its unique tale, captivating audiences with its artistic merits and thought-provoking narratives. 13. The Old Oak Painfully flat and oversimplified, Ken Loach and Paul Laverty’s umpteenth partnership spends way too much time speechifying instead of building characters. The message boils down to racism = bad, and it ends without resolving either the main plot or the secondary subplot. For someone as adept at social realism as Ken Loach, this is a glaring misfire that makes me worried if it will be his whimpering swan song. 12. Black Flies You might as well walk into this movie with a headache because you're going to get one five minutes in. You might as well not watch this movie if you're squeamish with blood and needles. You might as well not watch this movie if you want to watch interesting characters in an original story filled with ideas you haven’t seen before. You might as well not watch this movie. 11. Last Summer There’s nothing like climbing the steps of the Grand Théâtre Lumière at 7 am to watch a movie about an affair between a middle-aged woman and her teenage stepson. Infamous provocateur Catherin Breillat’s first film in a decade is not as button-pushing as her reputation or the plot summary would imply. Instead, it mutley looks under the surface at the psychological damage caused by the physical actions. 10. Banel & Adama I’ve always had a blind spot for African cinema, so I felt compelled to let this be a mini-introduction. Ramata-Toulaye Sy’s debut film is confidently produced, with striking images and a welcoming lesson of a slice of African culture. The story may be too simple even for its 80-minute runtime, but the building blocks are there for further bites at the apple. 9. A Brighter Tomorrow With his version of Bardo , Nanni Moretti provides a humourous meta-commentary on his personal and professional life, as well as the state of modern filmmaking, complete with discussions about the lack of auteurship and Netflix’s anonymous releases. While it may not be all that innovative or groundbreaking, it's still light and breezy enough to be a good time. 8. May December Grab your marshmallows and graham crackers because Todd Haynes is bringing the camp! I give major props to everyone involved in this production for their ability to keep the silliness of this story a secret. This is “trash” handled by masters of the craft, with Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore understanding the assignment. I'm hoping the Netflix acquisition will allow a new generation of cinephiles to be welcomed into the diverse world of Todd Haynes. 7. About Dry Grasses A runtime of 197 minutes is nothing unusual for Turkish Cannes all-star Nuri Bilge Ceylan, who fills his Chekovian dramedy with endless moments of beauty and frustration. It’s a film that definitely requires multiple watches to fully comprehend its ideas, but I don’t think this initial watch instilled the ambition needed to consider doing that. 6. Perfect Days Wim Wenders’ best narrative feature in decades is a lesson in the serenity of doing the mundane, and the bliss we could all achieve if we didn't overcomplicate everything we do. Similar to the recent Sight and Sound crowned Jeanne Dielman , it’s a story that sounds terrible on paper. And yet, its uber-simplicity does wonders to lull you into a state of meditation. For the best results, watch this on a calm summer day with some tea. 5. Anatomy of a Fall While Johnathan Glazer kept Sandra Hüller at a distance in The Zone of Interest , writer/director Justine Triet has front and center within her Hitchcockian courtroom drama. It may be missing something special that would have made me fall in love with it, but it still contains a densely layered mystery that keeps you guessing throughout its 150-minute runtime. 4. Firebrand Karim Aïnouz’s tale of Catherine Parr and Henry VIII may not contain much directorial flair (begging the question of why it was here in the first place), but the fiery (pun intended) performances by Alicia Vikander and Jude Law keep things smoldering (again, pun intended). Historians will have a field day with its inaccuracies, which allow for a nontraditional and modern approach to a story that has become more relevant in the centuries since. 3. Monster Hirokazu Kore-eda brings Rashomon into the modern age with Monster , a movie that is both more gentle and deadly than its title implies. For the first time in his career, the revered Japanese auteur doesn’t write the script, deferring that duty to Yûji Sakamoto. While I hope this separation of responsibilities doesn’t become a trend, Kore-eda crafts an endearing story about differing perspectives and the misconceptions we surround ourselves with. 2. 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 1. The Zone of Interest Sickening in the most calculated way possible, The Zone of Interest is Jonathan Glazer's ode to Stanley Kubrick. He answers the question of how evil can exist unchecked, holding all of your senses in a sterilized vice. Be sure to soak it all in during your first watch, because I doubt you'll ever want to view the world this way again. 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

Twin Cities Film Fest 2023 Recap November 5, 2023 By: Hunter Friesen With nearly 100 films screening across several different series, the Twin Cities Film Fest had more than enough to offer to cinephiles in its fourteenth year of existence. The festival prides itself on its mixture of established studio contenders and up-and-coming independent projects, and this year was no exception. Unfortunately, my schedule wasn't as forgiving as I would have liked, preventing me from seeing a few anticipated titles such as The Teacher's Lounge (Germany's submission for the Best International Feature Oscar) and Downtown Owl (partly filmed in Minnesota). There were other titles such as The Holdovers and Fingernails that I was able to see at TIFF . Even with that obstacle, I was still able to see five films, which ran the gamut of being some of the best and worst I've seen all year. Take a look at how I ranked them below, with almost all of them having a full review attached for your pleasure. 5. Foe Saoirse Ronan and Paul Mescal do everything they can to keep things interesting, a job they can do with ease. They run the entire emotional gamut with their performances, but none of it registers due to director Garth Davis’ detachment from the material. Each of them is forced to overact once the third-act twists come into play. Everything feels so forced by then that it’s almost comical. But it’s not a total trainwreck, so it’s just rather tediously bad. Son of Saul cinematographer Mátyás Erdély captures the landscape beautifully, showcasing the mystifying wonder that keeps people like Hen and Junior tethered to this patch of dirt. If only Davis could have done the same with his direction and script, as most of his decisions steer away from that intrigue and end up being as interesting as dirt itself. Full Review 4. All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt Writer/director Raven Jackson makes sure her voice is heard with her debut feature, one that is more Malickian than Malick himself. It loops around in nonlinear circles, telling the story of a life with poetic beauty. Its vagueness is both its biggest asset and liability, challenging your patience with its methodical pacing. It's one of the main reasons this demands to be seen in a theater, as a home viewing would rob you of the focus and attention to detail needed to fully appreciate it. 3. American Fiction American Fiction may be a victim of expectations as winning the People’s Choice Award at TIFF certainly raised the bar. Whether that’s fair or not is a different story. All I know is that I can only write about what I felt, which was slight disappointment mixed with great optimism about what Jefferson will do next. 2. All of Us Strangers All of Us Strangers is a ghost story that invites the viewer to project themselves onto the story just as much as it tells its own. There’s nothing easy about letting go of the past, and there’s nothing easy about what comes after. It’s not an uplifting message, but it’s an endearing one that we’ve all come to find truth in. Full Review 1. The Taste of Things There continues to be a need for stories that reflect the increasing bleakness of this world. But that means there’s more room for projects that remind us of the beauty in the timeless things we all experience and often take for granted. The Taste of Things is one of those films as it illustrates both the simplicity and complexity of sustaining ourselves through food. Just make sure to plan your meals carefully before and after seeing it. You owe your stomach (and other senses) that much. 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

The Zone of Interest June 4, 2023 By: Button Hunter Friesen The Zone of Interest had its World Premiere at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival. A24 will release it in theaters on December 15. “The banality of evil” is a term that has been (over)used to describe the lens that Jonathan Glazer uses to dissect the Holocaust in The Zone of Interest . The term was coined nearly fifty years ago by the German-born writer/philosopher Hannah Arendt during the post-war trial of Adolf Eichmann, one of the highest-ranking Nazi figures behind the Holocaust. Eichmann showed no remorse for his inhumane actions, nor did he have hatred toward the people that he had been ordered to eradicate. He plead not guilty to his crimes, as he was just doing his job as part of the Nazi machine. Arendt viewed Eichmann as an ordinary cog who refused to think for himself. He was simply motivated by career advancement and didn’t want to disrupt the order of things. That banality would become one of the most dangerous things within the new Nazi regime, as indescribably heinous acts were committed with the same complacency as an everyday person doing their chores. Glazer hones in on that concept with his radically departing adaptation of Martin Amis’ (who tragically died just one day after the Cannes premiere) 2014 novel of the same name. There is no vilification of the main characters within Glazer’s story, which are the commandant of Auschwitz, Rudolf Höss (Christian Friedel), and his wife Hedwig (Sandra Hüller). They have five young children and are trying to create the perfect home to raise a family. When not working, the family spends their time swimming in the nearby lake, tending to their garden, or playing games in the house. They seem like a perfect unit, with the only reminder of their underlying beliefs being the concrete wall that separates their yard from the inner workings of Auschwitz. There isn’t a single moment that takes place within the infamous camp, but its presence is always felt. The family will be sunbathing in the garden when a faint gunshot goes off on the other side of the wall. Both you and the characters know what that sound means, but only you care about the implications of it. For the family, those gunshots are just as much a part of everyday life as the birds chirping in the trees above. They go about their daily lives without a hitch, leaving you stranded in the fear of your imagination. This provocation through absence is in such stark contrast from other works within the Holocaust subgenre that it sometimes makes you question the approach other filmmakers took. Did Steven Spielberg’s stylizations within Schindler’s List lessen the impact of the horrors, or did it make it palatable enough so that it could be used as a teaching point for a mass audience? A more extreme version of that argument would be Roberto Benigni’s Life is Beautiful and the lesser-known Robin Williams-starring Jakob the Liar . Glazer is on the exact opposite end of the spectrum as Spielberg. His absolute refusal of stylization towards the pivotal acts is based on your preconceived knowledge of Auschwitz. You’ve seen the photos, learned the class lessons, and most likely seen Schindler’s List . Seeing what’s going on lessens its impact, as the horrors you infer in your mind are much scarier than anything within the frame. You want to look away, except there was nothing you were looking at to begin with. Grand stylizations do emerge from time to time, most notably a pitch-black prelude overture of Mica Levi’s incredible score, and black-and-white negative vision that follows a young girl on a secret mission. Paweł Pawlikowski’s regular cinematographer Łukasz Żal captures the action in staged wide shots, with much of it taking place within the house. Glazer and Żal positioned ten fixed cameras within the various nooks and crannies, operating by remote control similar to surveillance cameras within a mall. They give off a feeling of detachment and unimportance, with Glazer refusing to view the characters going about their daily lives in anything but a neutral light. Friedel made a name for himself as a burgeoning Nazi in Michael Haneke’s Palme d’Or winner The White Ribbon back in 2009. While his commandant position would infer that he’s a radical supporter of the ideology, he is the film’s Eichmann, devoted to his role as a means to support his family and get ahead in life. The same can be said for Hedwig, with Hüller - having a wonderful Cannes with both this and Anatomy of a Fall - only breaking from her sternness when she finds out the family may need to move away from the camp. Sickening in the most calculated way possible, The Zone of Interest is Jonathan Glazer's ode to Stanley Kubrick. He answers the question of how evil can exist unchecked, holding all of your senses in a sterilized vice. Be sure to soak it all in during your first watch, because I doubt you'll ever want to view the world this way again. 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

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

Awards Update: The People Have Spoken! December 18, 2024 By: Hunter Friesen Welcome to an ongoing series where I cover the 2024/2025 awards season. On a regular basis, I will update my Oscar predictions, taking into account the new information that has been received since the last update. Full predictions in every category can be found on the Home and Awards page. The people have spoken! Well, technically only the critics and select industry people have spoken. But even if we’ve only gotten a taste of the full precursor season so far, this is still one of the most formative times of the year, a moment when every publicist needs to decide if their campaign can ease up or slam on the gas pedal. Things are being written in pen rather than pencil, and it’s time to start putting our money where our mouths have been for the past several months. I’ll start by saying that all the money I‘ve been pushing to the middle of the table on the prospects of Blitz for so long has turned into a colossal failure. Between the Golden Globes and the Critics Choice nominations, the Apple TV+ production walked away with one stinking nomination… for Best Young Actor/Actress. In the last update, I mentioned the small possibility that the film could rebound at the BAFTAS. Now I don’t think it matters, the total indifference by the public being so strong that nothing will penetrate it. These past few weeks have hurt double for Saoirse Ronan as her other performance in The Outrun has been blanked just as badly. Let’s move on to greener pastures, which is where films like Emilia Pérez , Conclave , and Wicked have been roaming. Jacques Audiard’s Mexican-set musical cleaned up at the European Film Awards, set a record for the most nominations at the Golden Globes for a comedy/musical film, and tied for the second most nominations at Critics Choice. Conclave and Wicked led in total nominations at the Critics Choice, the former being so strong that I’m even considering moving it to the top of my Best Picture rankings. Anora is still at the peak by default, but I’m still in a “need to see it to believe it” mode for a Sean Baker film to win the televised awards. What are we going to do with The Substance ? That’s a question I’ve been repeatedly asking myself over these past few days. On one hand, the impressive overperformance at the Golden Globes and Critics Choice inspires great confidence in a handful of the above-the-line categories needed to secure a Best Picture nomination. On the other hand, this is still a polarizing film, at least in the sense of its mass appeal. Of course that hasn’t stopped several other films from being nominated over the years, but you’ll forgive me for thinking this case is a little more out there than any of those. It’s right behind A Real Pain for that last slot, although it won’t take much more to convince me it’ll get in. The announcement of the shortlists today for ten of the categories at the Oscars didn’t pack as many surprises as it did in years past. The usual heavy hitters were handsomely rewarded across the board, as did almost all of the predicted contenders for the Best International Feature race. And good ol’ Diane Warren appears again in the Best Original Song category, which we all know will result in another anonymous Oscar nomination. We’ll still have to wait until early January for the rest of the valuable precursors. SAG, DGA, WGA, BAFTA, and PGA will all occur within one week of each other. After that, we’ll have all that we need to make some “factual” predictions. 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

Tetris March 28, 2023 By: Button Hunter Friesen If 2022 was the year of taking down the rich in Triangle of Sadness, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery , and The Menu , then 2023 is the year for telling the story of the companies that made so many of those people rich. Corporations have already tied their hands around movies with product placement ( a favorite of David Lynch ), tie-ins, promotional screenings, and merchandising. Now they’ve cut out the middleman and made themselves the star of the show. Just on the docket within the next few months are Air, Blackberry, Flamin’ Hot , and Barbie . Of course, it’s not all doom and gloom, as for every glorified commercial ( Mac and Me ) there is a smart and interesting story about power and ambition ( The Social Network ). Landing somewhere in the middle (to be fair, it leans more towards the good side) is Tetris , which explores the complex origins of the simple game that has gone on to entertain billions of people. “Good ideas have no borders,” says Alexey Pajitnov, inventor of Tetris to Henk Rogers (Taron Egerton) as they embrace at a Moscow rave. The statement is especially true in this situation because there’s not much else that would make a Dutchman game designer, an American lawyer, and two British tycoons converge in the heart of the Soviet Union. To all these people, Tetris is the perfect video game, with the simple task of stacking blocks being incredibly addictive. However, it’s just as hard to get something out of Russia as it is to get in. To the Communist Party, a sale of Tetris to the West would be the start of a slippery slope, one where capitalism slowly poisons their socialist society. KGB operatives watch Henk all day and night, blackmailing and threatening him at every turn. What ensues is a suspenseful game filled with high-stakes and tough negotiations Screenwriter Noah Pink (creator of the anthology series Genius ) initially struggles to seamlessly lay out the level, opting for an incredibly exposition-heavy opening where Henk explains the intricacies of video game distribution to his less-than-impressed banker. Director Jon S. Baird makes this more entertaining visually as Egerton’s narration goes over a series of 8-bit animated sequences. The gaming aesthetics don’t stop there, as Baird takes Henk’s line of how he “still sees blocks” after only playing the game for five minutes in its most literal form. The coldly gray Soviet buildings are outlined in blocks, ready to be toppled over once everything is aligned just right. Because of where and when it's set, Tetris finds itself at a pivotal showdown between traditional Communist loyalists and new-era Russian idealists. Many of the thinly drawn Russian villains are better capitalists than the actual capitalists themselves. But they’re no match for Henk’s relentless optimism, which overwhelms their natural pessimistic mistrust. Egerton brings a lot of charisma to his role, charging headfirst through every obstacle. The blocks may fall a little too easily for Tetris , but that doesn’t take away from the appreciation it deserves for guiding us through this concrete jungle of paperwork and legal minutia. Coincidentally, it also illustrates how far technology has come since then, as this story of arcade machines and handheld gaming consoles will be seen by everyone through Apple TV+’s streaming service. 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

Cannes 2025 Lineup Predictions April 3, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Film festivals are a lot like whack-a-mole. When one ends, the anticipation for the next begins. Sundance always kicks things off in January high up in the mountains of Utah, followed then by Berlin Film Festival in February, and SXSW in March. Now all eyes turn to the most prestigious festival of them all: Cannes. Cannes' influence on the awards season has grown exponentially over the past decade. Their Official Competition has fielded two best picture winners in Parasite and Anora ; as well as nominees like Triangle of Sadness , Anatomy of a Fall , The Zone of Interest , The Substance , and Emilia Pérez . This expansion has gone hand-in-hand with the international growth of the Academy, with these new members being more accepting of the highbrow work that Cannes has always prided itself on. With that kind of increased attention comes a greater desire for filmmakers and studios to birth their new works on the Croisette. Delegate General Thierry Fremaux will have to navigate a minefield to select the twenty-ish films that comprise this year's Official Competition. There will be no shortage of mainstays looking to get their customary slot, as well as several newcomers looking to make a splash on the world's biggest stage. The festival will announce its full lineup on April 10. Until then, I'll take a deep dive into the field and predict which ones are likely to be given the honor of climbing the coveted red steps this year. THE HEADLINERS Alpha Now that Coralie Fargeat just stormed Cannes with The Substance , the ball is back in Titane writer/director Julia Ducournau's court to unleash a new tale of biological horror. Neon is once again backing her, with Tahar Rahim and Golshifteh Farahani starring. The rumored plot follows a teenager who is mistreated by classmates once they believe she carries an infectious disease. As with Titane and Raw , that information will likely be just the tip of the iceberg. Die, My Love Not many filmmakers have a stronger bond with Cannes than Lynne Ramsay. The Scottish-born director has debuted each of her four feature films at the festival, as well as her early shorts. She'll be breaking her eight-year absence with a story about a mother struggling to keep her sanity. Jennifer Lawrence will star as the mother, with Robert Pattinson as her partner. Father, Mother, Sister, Brother When thinking of established American directors to make Cannes their home, you’d tend to think of the Coens and Wes Anderson. But it’s actually Jim Jarmusch that deserves to be at (or at least near) the top of that list as he’s premiered eleven feature films on the Croisette since 1984. His highest point was 2005’s Broken Flowers , which took home the Grand Prix. He began shooting his new film in the fall and late winter of 2023, recruiting the likes of Cate Blanchett, Adam Driver, Charlotte Rampling, and Vicky Krieps. Highest 2 Lowest Spike Lee is already 0/1 on English-language remakes of famous Asian films, his version of Oldboy was so terrible that 99% of filmmakers would steer very clear of that territory ever again. But Lee isn't like anybody else, and he's enlisted his most trusted accomplice, Denzel Washington, to pull off this reimagining of Akira Kurosawa's 1963 crime thriller. A24 and Apple TV+ are backing the project, with all parties interested in making a big splash before this hits theaters in the summer. No Other Choice 2022's Decision to Leave was one of director Park Chan-wook's most successful films, nabbing him the coveted Best Director prize at the festival. He'll likely return this year for his fifth appearance in competition with a Korean adaptation of the 1997 horror thriller novel The Ax . Lee Byung-hun will star as an unemployed man who, in an act of desperation, starts to kill all the other applicants for the new job he needs. Sentimental Value The Norwegian band that brought you 2021's The Worst Person in the World is back together! Joachim Trier is in the director's chair, Eskil Vogt is in the writer's room with him, and Renate Reinsve is in front of the camera. Brought into the fold is Stellen Skarsgård as Reinsve's film director father, who offers her the lead role in his next film. Neon preemptively acquired North American rights to the project, signaling their hunger to nab their sixth consecutive Palme d'Or. The Phoenician Scheme Cannes thrives on star power to fill its historic red carpet, and Wes Anderson always has enough to go around. His newest cast will feature no less than Tom Hanks, Scarlett Johansson, Benedict Cumberbatch, Bryan Cranston, Bill Murray, Michael Cera, Riz Ahmed, and Benicio del Toro in a comedic espionage thriller. Focus Features just dated the film for a theatrical release beginning on May 30, all but confirming a return to the Croisette. The Secret Agent The Brazilian director Kleber Mendonça Filho has quietly delivered some of the best-reviewed titles in each of the years he's been at Cannes. His last appearance in the Official Competition was in 2019 with Bacurau , which tied for the Jury Prize with Les Misérables . His latest project will be set in 1977, following a man who is on the run from a violent past. Walter Salles' I'm Still Here just put Brazil on the map at Venice last year with a similar story, will Filho do the same at Cannes this year? The Young Mother's Home If I were a gambling man, I would bet my entire life savings on the fact that the Belgian brothers Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne will premiere their latest film at Cannes. The duo have debuted their previous ten films on the Croisette dating back to 1996, with 1999’s Rosetta and 2005’s L’enfant both winning the Palme d’Or. They’ve also won the Best Screenplay ( Lorna’s Silence ) and Best Director awards ( Young Ahmed ), as well as the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury on three separate occasions. Their newest feature will tell the story of five young mothers striving for a better life for themselves and their children. Production began last fall, giving the brothers plenty of time to prepare for a record-breaking Palme d’Or run. THE LOYALISTS An Affair Arnaud Desplechin has made nearly a dozen appearances at the festival between the main competition and the sidebars. While his last few films have been disappointments, last year's Filmlovers! was met with great acclaim, renewing his standing invitation. He's got François Civil starring as a virtuoso pianist living an impossible love story. Eagles of the Republic Like much of the Western world, Cannes still remains slow to appreciate projects that originate from Africa. The Egyptian-born Tarik Saleh won the Best Screenplay prize at the 2022 edition of the festival with Cairo Conspiracy , the second film in his Cairo trilogy that will be concluded with this year's Eagles of the Republic . It follows an actor who is pressured to star in a film commissioned by the highest authorities. Nouvelle Vague While we’ll have to wait almost another two decades for Richard Linklater’s ambitious adaptation of Merrily We Roll Along , the famed Texan filmmaker has something up his sleeve that will be irresistible to the Cannes brass. He'll be making his French-language debut with his retelling of the production of Jean-Luc Godard's Breathless , complete with appearances by all the famous French New Wave figures that aided in solidifying the status that Cannes has within the industry. It’s been twenty years since Linklater last competed on the Riviera (2005’s Fast Food Nation ), so it's time for him to be brought back into the fold. Rosebush Pruning Brazilian director Karim Aïnouz has appeared in the competition lineup for the previous two editions of the festival with Firebrand and Motel Destino . The relatively muted reception to those films follows a similar trajectory throughout the rest of his Cannes career, placing a little bit of doubt on his usual standing invitation. But he's assembled his starriest cast yet in his new film, enlisting Elle Fanning, Pamela Anderson, Callum Turner, Tracy Letts, Jamie Bell, and Riley Keough in a story about a family all suffering with genetic illnesses on their estate. If this is Aïnouz's last chance to make an impression, he's at least taking the no guts, no glory approach. Silent Friend Hungarian writer/director Ildikó Enyedi did herself no favors by making her Official Competition debut with 2021's The Story of My Wife , her weakest film. However, the casting of the legendary Tony Leung in the lead role of her new project could more than well make up for that fault. The interesting concept also helps, with Leung playing an old tree observing life as he stands in the middle of a botanical garden. The Disappearance of Josef Mengele The Russian-born Kirill Serebrennikov has debuted his previous four features at Cannes, most recently last year with his English-language debut Limonov: The Ballad of Eddie . He shot his newest film before that one premiered, a retelling of notorious Nazi doctor Josef Mengele during his fugitive years in South America. August Diehl, everyone's favorite actor for playing Nazis, will play the doctor. The Mastermind Showing Up received the most attention and praise of writer/director Kelly Reichardt's career when it premiered on the final day of the 2022 edition of the festival. It only makes sense for all parties to continue the relationship, especially with her new project being a crime thriller starring Josh O'Connor as an art thief. Reichardt has often been the unsung hero of independent cinema, so it's about time she received some laurels on a big stage. Vie Privée Writer/director Rebecca Zlotowski has been a staple of the sidebars, competing in Critics’ Week, Un Certain Regard, and Directors’ Fortnight. Will this be the time she finally graduates to the main competition? She's got none other than Jodie Foster leading her next film as a psychiatrist who mounts a private investigation after she believes that one of her patients has been murdered. Virginie Efira and Mathieu Amalric are also part of the cast. Yes! Success has followed Nadav Lapid wherever he goes as of late. He won the Golden Bear at Berlin for Synonyms in 2019, and then the Jury Prize at Cannes for Ahed's Knee in 2021. While it's definitely a coincidence, Lapid seems to be taking inspiration from Jim Carrey's 2008 Yes Man for his next feature, which will also be about a man who can only answer "yes" to every question asked to him. The Israeli Film Fund gave it backing last year, and it was pitched at the Cannes Investor Circle, so Lapid has always been interacting on the Croisette with this project. THE UP-AND-COMERS / QUESTION MARKS Eddington After three much-discussed features with A24, Ari Aster has shed his newcomer status and become one of the leading figures of American independent cinema. His new film is certainly a step up, with a cast comprised of Joaquin Phoenix, Emma Stone, Pedro Pascal, and Austin Butler. If any audience is going to be receptive to Aster's craziness on the first go-around, it would be Cannes. Miroirs No. 3 Along with Hong Sang-soo, German writer/director Christian Petzold is one of the most consistent headlining figures of the Berlin Film Festival. However, he was notably absent from this year's lineup, likely due to the time constraint caused by his newest film beginning production in the fall. The question is now if he'll wait a whole year to finally claim the elusive Golden Bear, or pivot to another major European festival. Cannes would be happy to have Petzold's, especially since it marks another reteaming of the director with the luminous Paula Beer. Orphan László Nemes began his career in 2015 at the top of the mountain. His film Son of Saul won the Grand Jury Prize at Cannes and then the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film (now named Best International Feature). He debuted his follow-up, Sunset , in 2018 at Venice to less acclaim and attention. He'll be staying in his native Hungary for his third feature, centering on a young boy who must confront the truth about his father after he turns out to be alive after being presumed dead. Nemes' usual collaborators co-writer Clara Royer and cinematographer Mátyás Erdely are back as well. Resurrection Chinese mainland director Bi Gan was the talk of the town in 2018 when he debuted Long Day's Journey Into Night , complete with the one-hour-long single take, as part of the Un Certain Regard section. Production on his next project, a sci-fi detective story, has been in production for quite some time, supposedly being finished late last year. Multiple producers from all over the world have boarded the project over the past few months, signaling a lot of confidence in what Gan has created. Stitches Angelina Jolie looks to be staying in Paris for one more film. This time she'll be playing an American filmmaker arriving to cover the famed Fashion Week, facing challenges and self-discovery. Cannes veteran Alice Winocour wrote and directed the feature, with her previous effort being the well-reviewed Revoir Paris in 2022. The History of Sound Reports were published last summer that director Oliver Hermanus' new film wouldn't be ready in time for the fall festivals. It would instead use the extra time it had bought to fine-tune and wait for a potential premiere at Cannes. With rising superstars Josh O'Connor and Paul Mescal headlining, that bet may pay off quite well. Even if it doesn't appear at Cannes, expect it to be a heavy hitter at Venice, where Hermanus took Living back in 2022. The Love That Remains Hlynur Pálmason's Godland made quite the splash in the Un Certain Regard section in 2022, eventually being shortlisted as Iceland's submission for the Best International Feature Oscar. He shot his new film under-the-radar in Iceland last year, which will tell the story of a family as the parents navigate a separation amidst the changing seasons. The film has already been shopped around at the Berlin Film Market for worldwide distribution, signaling that it's ready to go. The big question that remains is if he'll graduate to the Official Competition, or remain in the sidebars. The Wave Cannes got more than they bargained for with Emilia Pérez last year. Would they be willing to program another Spanish-language musical so quickly, this time from renowned filmmaker Sebastián Lelio? His story takes place in his native Chile, centering on a student who gets involved in a feminist movement at her university. Cannes remains one of the few festivals Lelio hasn't made an impression at (his 2009 film Navidad premiered in the Directors' Fortnight section to tepid reviews), giving him all the more reason to represent South American cinema on the world's biggest stage. The Way of the Wind There’s no way to figure out when a Terrence Malick film will be released. All you can do is wait and pray. Malick premiered his last movie, A Hidden Life , at Cannes in 2019, and he also won the Palme d’Or for his magnum opus The Tree Of Life in 2011. He once again has saddled himself with another weighty topic, as The Way Of The Wind will tell several episodes of the life of Jesus Christ, led by a cast of Mark Rylance, Ben Kingsley, Joseph Fiennes, and Matthias Schoenaerts. Several of Malick’s films have been delayed for years as he endlessly tinkers in the editing room, so there’s no telling when this film will be seen. 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

MSPIFF 2023 Recap April 29, 2023 By: Hunter Friesen The Minneapolis-St. Paul International Film Festival (MSPIFF, or “Ms. Piff” as it’s said here) is a much-awaited annual event for cinephiles in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. Every year, the festival showcases a diverse selection of films from around the world, ranging from documentaries to independent films, and even cult classics. As a movie enthusiast, I had the opportunity to attend the festival this year and watch several films. In this article, I will be ranking the films I saw at the MSP Film Festival. From thought-provoking dramas to hilarious comedies, these films left a lasting impression on me, and I hope to provide you with an insight into the best of the festival. 9. Dreamin' Wild Writer/director Bill Pohlad’s sophomore feature may be a slightly inferior carbon copy of his debut outing Love & Mercy . Still, his love and appreciation for the Emerson musical duo is always evident, almost as if he made the movie more for them than the paying audiences. That emotional reverence is what I walked away from the movie feeling the most, which is more than I can say about the majority of biopics these days. Full Review 8. The Beasts The central themes within The Beasts are both specific to its setting and universal within every country on Earth. It’s what makes it both compelling to a worldwide audience, and also why it lacks depth below the surface. The back-and-forth arguing and vitriol pads out most of the runtime until the expected climactic moment, where writer/director Rodrigo Sorogoyen allows himself to flourish with a creative perspective shift. The production values and directorial skill are always abundant, with the actors relishing in the extended scenes and long takes. If only there was more meat on this skeleton of a story. 7. Showing Up In its low-key nature, Showing Up can be a comforting ode to small artists persevering to put their creations into the world. Unlike Lizzy’s clay creations that start as wet messes and end up as fully formed creations, Reichardt’s work stops just short of the kiln and ends up feeling more like a shallow puddle of good ideas. I’ve seen this movie twice now, and I wouldn’t be that opposed to another watch somewhere down the road. Full Review 6. Somewhere in Queens After so many years of being lost in the Ice Age films, comedian Ray Romano returns to his Italian-American roots with Somewhere in Queens. The idea of a parent molding their child into a reflection of themselves may not be the most unique theme, but Romano finds both the humor and heart within the situation. Laurie Metcalf plays the mother, bringing great comedic energy and some surprising pathos to a character that easily could have been a throwaway cutout. 5. Polite Society Polite Society is an impressive debut from all those involved (writer/director Nida Manzoor and star Priya Kansara), as it’s only slightly undone by minor problems that are symptoms of its ambitions. It’s both a takedown and love letter to the works of Jane Austen, making a delectable time out of having its cake and eating it too. Full Review 4. 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. While there are no clichés, this is a story that has been told time and time again, unfortunately, led by the least interesting character of the ensemble. 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. 3. 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. The realism of the situation and themes are slightly undone by the script, which paints everything in such mutually exclusive strokes. But there is power in those overbearing moments, as you’re left with another stark reminder of how the laws of the Western world provide little aid to those who need them the most. 2. 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 1. 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. 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TIFF24 Dispatch #4 September 17, 2024 By: Button Tyler Banark All of the films were screened at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). Click here for additional full reviews and dispatches. Select films below will receive separate full-length reviews at a later date, most likely in connection to their public releases. Anora Sean Baker’s Palme d'Or-winning film is just as colorful as Gerry Marshall’s Pretty Woman but contains the chaotic nature of a Safdie brothers movie. Anora never falters with these features, but a prolonged finale diminishes it. Mikey Madison gives a solidifying performance as the titular character. She’s been on a slow rise to stardom since 2019, but thanks to Anora , she’s finally reached the top of the mountain. The supporting cast consists mainly of Russian actors, but they complement her well, especially Mark Eidelstein as Anora’s love interest, Vanya. What makes Anora work well is how dreamy the tone is in the first act, eventually taking a more mature turn when Vanya’s family gets involved in their marriage. This turn is also where Baker owns up to the Safdie’s style, and the dialogue becomes rapid-fire with lots of overlapping and shouting. Some viewers may find it off-putting, but it works here. If anything, Anora will continue to be in the mouths of moviegoers this awards season, as it rightfully should. (4/5) Megalopolis One of the most talked-about movies of the summer, Megalopolis sees Francis Ford Coppola in the director’s chair for the first time in over 10 years. The drama circling around the film’s distribution doesn’t do justice as to how insane this movie is. Megalopolis is an ambitious movie that sees Coppola going all in and all out. The special effects either looked amazing or awful and the writing is unhinged and incoherent. Yet somehow, the cast plays along with it and doesn’t seem to question Coppola’s methods and intentions. Everyone in the cast seems to go through the motions with their roles with the exception of Shia LaBeouf and Aubrey Plaza who are in a different stratosphere than the rest of the movie. Their turns fit the crazy nature of the film, but LaBeouf in particular felt annoying for the sake of being annoying. If Megalopolis is looking to make any statement, it’s that Coppola knows his craft but is nearing the end of his legendary career. (2.5/5) Oh, Canada Paul Schrader’s latest film starring Richard Gere and Jacob Elordi sees him at a crossroads. His most notable works have been as a collaborator with Martin Scorsese, but in the last six years, he’s had a resurgence as a director. Unfortunately, Oh, Canada doesn’t bring anything promising or unique to the forefront. Gere and Elordi play Canadian-American writer Leonard as he becomes the subject of a documentary about how he fled the US in the midst of the Vietnam War draft. Simply put, Oh, Canada was a bland movie that saw Schrader and his leading men failing to do something special. The movie is intriguing on paper, but the execution of it makes it look like a monstrosity. There’s also a subplot where Leonard has declining memory making him an unreliable narrator. These factors unfortunately make Oh, Canada a disappointing movie overall and effort from Schrader. (2/5) The Substance The body horror satire that took Cannes by storm this past May, Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance is an experience unlike any other. The body horror subgenre has seen very little time in the spotlight in recent years, but Fargeat’s looking to bring it back as it features an impressive display of makeup that no one has seen from a horror film in who knows how long. The leading trio of Demi Moore, Margaret Qualley, and Dennis Quaid are all fantastic and own up to the satirical aspects of the movie. The only thing weighing down The Substance was the ending as it took its sweet time getting to the finish line and overstaying its 140-minute runtime. Nevertheless, The Substance was still a good time and a nice surprise for me! (4/5) 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