The Good Nurse September 11, 2022 By: Button Hunter Friesen In this age of the true crime boom, it’s refreshing to watch something that doesn’t contain the usual fetishization of the criminal in an attempt to “get inside their head and understand them.” Or there’s the worse route, which is to make the show/movie capture the cultural zeitgeist by pandering to the TikTok crowd (I’m looking at you Dahmer , which has spawned the horrible “Jeffrey Dahmer Challenge”). Instead of doing any of those things, Tobias Lindholm’s The Good Nurse wisely steers away from the crimes themselves and centers on the damaging causes and effects. The titular good nurse is Amy Loughren (Jessica Chastain), a single mom who constantly struggles to balance the financial, physical, and emotional needs of herself and her two daughters. Despite having a heart condition that could easily kill her if she stresses herself too much, Amy works the graveyard shift at a New Jersey hospital, caring for the sick all throughout the night. After her shift, she goes home to see her daughters off to school and hopefully get a few hours of sleep before starting the cycle over again. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0DQevX-GZs One day, an angel appears in the form of Charlie Cullen (Eddie Redmayne), a soft-spoken and caring new nurse who offers to help Amy. He lightens her workload, helps her take her meds, and is able to look after the kids at a moment's notice. For Amy, this almost seems too good to be true. As it turned out, it was. Cullen would be convicted of killing 29 patients across the dozens of hospitals he worked at, with almost all of the victims coming in with minor injuries and leaving for the morgue under mysterious circumstances. The Good Nurse never seems interested in answering the question “why did this monster kill all those people?” Rather, it takes the more interesting and socially relevant route of answering “how was this allowed to happen for so long?” Centering much of that discussion are two weary detectives (Noah Emmerich and Nnamdi Asomugha) brought in to investigate after the first questionable death at Amy’s hospital. Slowly, they begin pulling on threads, uncovering an extensive history of medical cover-ups prioritizing dollars over lives. There is nothing uplifting in its message, but it is constantly enlightening. But that enlightenment doesn’t come easy, with director Tobias Lindholm ( The Hunt ) bringing much of his Mindhunter skills into play. The tension is razor sharp, terrifyingly crescendoing across the deliberately paced material. DP Jody Lee Lipes shoots everything in drab gray wide shots, keeping the action unfrayed from excessive style. It’s the simplicity of the filmmaking that makes it all the more unsettling as you're reminded this happened for years in plain sight without anyone noticing, or caring. As Cullen, Redmayne finally gets the villain role we’ve all been waiting for (let's pretend Jupiter Ascending never happened). His charming awkwardness is used to great effect to mask the darkness underneath, making it easily believable why so many would doubt his culpability. To be fair, the wheels do come off the wagon once he’s erroneously pushed toward more dramatic moments, such as a semi-cringe outburst near the end. On the other hand, Chastain can do the heavy lifting. She gives Amy an empathetic intensity, making even the most mundane moments feel important. The Good Nurse is a tension-filled and infuriating true-crime examination of a broken system and the twisted individual who saw the opportunity it gave him. It’s an elevation of the genre that has repeatedly found itself wallowing in exploitation, with two Oscar-caliber performances leading the charge. This review was originally published from the world premiere at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival. Netflix will release The Good Nurse in select theaters on October 19th, followed by its streaming premiere on October 26th. More Reviews Primetime September 22, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Unabomber September 24, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Look Back September 16, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Elsinore September 14, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

Enola Holmes October 1, 2020 By: Button Hunter Friesen Over the years, we’ve heard a lot of stories about the famed detective Sherlock Holmes. In fact, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s deerstalker-wearing sleuth holds the record for the most portrayals of a literary character at 254. While Sherlock has dominated the mystery genre for over a century, a new part of the Holmes family is finally getting its due. The newest Netflix movie (there seems to be a new one every day) follows the adventures of the younger sister of Sherlock and Mycroft, named Enola Holmes. Enola was born years after her famous brothers and never quite got to know them or her prematurely deceased father. She spent her entire childhood with only her mother for company. Together, they read books, played indoor sports, conducted science experiments, and acted out plays. Despite her name being “alone” spelled backward, Enola always had her mother by her side to show her the wonders of the world. On her sixteenth birthday, Enola wakes up to the unpleasant surprise of her mother suddenly disappearing without a word. She calls in her brothers to help solve the mystery. They arrive with dismay about how Enola has been raised and cast her aside, thinking she won’t be of much aid. Needing to prove to her brothers that she’s a capable young woman, Enola sets out to find her mother and beat them at their own game. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1d0Zf9sXlHk Like the locomotive train that contains one of the movie’s great set pieces, Enola Holmes is a well-oiled machine that runs at a rapid pace. The film carries an infectiously rambunctious energy to it, much of which comes from its star. Already a two-time Emmy nominee for her role as Eleven in Stranger Things , Millie Bobby Brown is perfectly cast as our titular character. She never misses a beat with her comedic timing and carries the film almost solely on her shoulders. She also brings great skill to emotional moments. Director Harry Bradbeer also contributes to the gleeful tone by doing what he does best. Similar to his work in the critically acclaimed Fleabag , Bradbeer has his heroine break the fourth wall and talk directly into the camera. It’s a fun tactic that never wears its welcome and allows Brown to showcase her amazing talent. Things take a surprisingly dark turn once Enola arrives in London as she gets tangled with hitmen and a radical plot to bomb the House of Lords. For a supposed kids' film, there is quite a bit of violence toward our younger characters. The home of Big Ben looks more drab and crowded than ever as cinematographer Giles Nuttgens beautifully contrasts the cramped and intimidating metropolis with the lush and vibrant countryside. What brings down Enola Holmes from time to time is its predictable central mystery. If you’re a veteran of Sherlock Holmes or the mystery genre, it won’t be too hard to figure out what will happen next. The film also tries to weave in bits of social commentary about gender and class throughout. Unfortunately, the messaging is half-baked and creates jarring breaks from the whimsical tone. Even though Brown is clearly the star, the well-rounded supporting cast also shines in their roles. Superman himself, Henry Cavill, plays the iconic detective. Still with his Man of Steel physique, Cavill plays Sherlock closer to James Bond as his suave charisma brings a welcome departure from his dour performances in the DC films. Sam Claflin, most famous for playing Finnick in The Hunger Games films, is downright dastardly as the uptight Mycroft Holmes. Complete with a twirling mustache and tophat, Claflin offers a harsh counterbalance to Brown’s exuberance. Finally, Helena Bonham Carter is inspirational as the eccentric mother of the Holmes trio. She brings the same out-of-the-box energy one would expect from her and hits the emotional depths required. With a star-making performance from its leading lady and a healthy dose of energy, Enola Holmes is a charming mystery for (nearly) all ages. Based on the way it ends, a sequel could be on its way in the near future, one that would be well deserved. Netflix will release Enola Holmes on its streaming service on September 23rd. More Reviews Primetime September 22, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Unabomber September 24, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Look Back September 16, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Elsinore September 14, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

Ballad of a Small Player September 14, 2025 By: Button Hunter Friesen Contrary to its title, there is nothing small about Ballad of a Small Player . The locations are grand, with the skyscrapers and luxurious casinos of Macau providing the backdrop. The stakes are high as Colin Farrell’s Lord Doyle has to pay his debts within three days or face dire consequences. And the method of acquiring the cash is all flash, the swing of hundreds of thousands of dollars dependent on the value of the two cards sitting next to their player. Director Edward Berger knows a thing or two about grand storytelling. He’s been on a hot streak as of late with the one-two punch of All Quiet on the Western Front and Conclave . Five Oscars are shared between the pair, although Berger was unfairly snubbed for a nomination in the Best Director category on each occasion. He has a masterful control of his craft, applying an intelligent touch to large-scale commercial filmmaking. There are tinges of Spielberg and Alan Pakula in his sensibilities, with drama wrung out of a simple conversation just as effectively as one filled with bullets and bombs. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1B5W55TFyo Unfortunately, Ballad of a Small Player cannot be perceived as anything but a failure, a minor pothole on this road to success. All those qualities I just mentioned are wrong here, a fundamental flaw in the film’s DNA that stems from a miscasting of its creatives. Lawrence Osborne’s story and Rowan Joffe’s screenplay are all about depravity and addiction, how low Doyle would sink into the gutter in the hopes of a windfall. It doesn’t matter that he loses a dozen card games in a row, emptying his pockets as if the cash has an expiration date. What matters to him is that there’s a chance that he could win it all back, and then some. It’s a grubby, self-destructive way to go about life, dodging creditors and delaying responsibilities until the last possible moment. Berger can’t get down into the mud, which is why everything is as forced as a clean-mouthed conservative saying their first curse word. The sound design is cranked aggressively loud, the frames swirl and crash, and the garish colors of Doyle’s green and orange suit insult every neon sign in the city. Volker Bertelmann’s score may be his best one yet, a high bar considering his recent work with Berger. It’s thunderously operatic, the strings and horns blasting as if they’ve been tasked with breaking down the walls to Jericho. But, again, it’s all wrong, a mismatch of tone that will make it much easier to appreciate on Spotify rather than within the film itself. And yet, I much preferred the unnecessary bombast to the quieter scenes. It’s one thing to have style over substance; it’s another to have neither. Doyle falls into the grace of the kindly casino employee Dao Ming (Fala Chen), who interrupts his debauchery with introductions to the parts of Macau not intended for tourists. The problem is that their relationship is both unbelievable and unsatisfying, a tedious distraction that keeps the film’s heart on ice. There’s also Tilda Swinton as detective Cynthia Blithe, who’s been on Doyle’s tail ever since he “miraculously” came into all this money. It’s another one of her performances where she dons a gaudy wig and costume, an antithesis to the usual shady demeanor required in this line of work. Farrell is committed to the bit, chowing down on the scenery just as much as he does on a lobster later in the film. Somebody like Nicolas Cage or John Travolta would have turned this all into a complete farce, but Farrell maintains a sense that he’s a lost soul stuck on this cycle. Comparisons to Adam Sandler’s turn as Howard Ratner in Uncut Gems are appropriate, although he at least had the benefit of being better served by his director. Baccarat is a game of pure chance, relying on nothing from the player but just the ability to flip the cards that have been dealt. It’s a hard action to instill with tension, much as Berger tries. You either have the right cards, or you don’t. Ballad of a Small Player doesn’t have the cards, and all the bright lights and noise it shoves in your face to convince you that it does just makes the whole thing even more unappealing. This review was originally published from the Canadian premiere at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival. Netflix will release Ballad of Small Player in select theaters on October 15th, followed by its streaming premiere on October 29th. More Reviews Primetime September 22, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Unabomber September 24, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Look Back September 16, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Elsinore September 14, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

Nitram July 16, 2021 By: Button Hunter Friesen The career of Australian director Justin Kurzel, still very much in an early phase, has been one filled with drastic ups and downs. Kurzel broke onto the scene in 2011 with his feature debut, The Snowtown Murders , which played as part of the Cannes Critics Week. That film’s success immediately gave him the confidence to helm a much more violent and haunted adaptation of Shakespeare's Macbeth , with Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard in the lead roles. He was also given the promotion to compete in the main competition of Cannes. After that film’s critical success, Hollywood came knocking as he was offered, and accepted, to direct the big-screen adaptation of the popular video game franchise Assassin’s Creed , which allowed him to reteam with Fassbender and Cotillard. However, Kurzel wasn’t able to leap into studio filmmaking, as the film was a critical and commercial bomb. He tried to recompose himself a few years later by going back to his roots with the Australian true-crime thriller The True History of the Kelly Gang . The relative success of that film didn’t prompt Kurzel to return to the big studios; instead, he has doubled down on his newfound career path with Nitram , which premiered in competition at the Cannes Film Festival. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvgLczgOk9w The film tells the life story of Tasmanian native Martin Bryant, who eventually was responsible for the largest massacre by a single person in Australian history after he killed 36 people at Port Arthur in 1996. From the very start, Bryant was beset with mental problems that made him act aggressively towards others and hold little concern for human safety. After he was sentenced to life in prison (where he remains to this day), Bryant was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome and deemed to have an IQ of 66, roughly the same as an eleven-year-old. The title of the film (which is Martin spelled backward) comes from the nickname Bryant was given by childhood bullies, further hindering him from forming any human connections. American Caleb Landry Jones plays the titular character with brilliance, showcasing how far someone can go down the rabbit hole. Jones has made a small name for himself by playing supporting parts as sleazy weirdos in films such as Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri and Get Out . In his first major leading role, he has knocked it out of the park. He produces the fear one gets from a horror movie villain while still bringing enough authenticity to fit the film’s grounded tone. His win for Best Actor at Cannes was well deserved, and some Oscar buzz should be in order. Also within the cast is frequent Kurzel collaborator Effie Davis, who plays Bryant’s much older companion Helen, who lives alone in a rundown mansion with fourteen dogs and several dozen cats. Bryant and Helen formed a connection based on their status as social outcasts, which Jones and Davis are able to explore. Their interactions together are awkward and fractured, and never answer the question of exactly what kind of relationship they share. Anthony LaPaglia and Judy Davis, both of whom are superb, portray Bryant’s parents, who have differing perspectives on how they should keep their son safe. LaPaglia prefers to give Bryant a bit of freedom in hopes that he will figure out the world for himself, while Davis feels that he is incapable of doing such a thing and must be kept on a short leash. Making a biopic about a country’s worst human offender brings with it a lot of trap doors, such as vindicating the perpetrator or glorifying the harm that they caused. Thankfully, Kurzel avoids those errors as he approaches the film with a matter-of-fact style that only wants to illustrate how this event was allowed to happen. Abandoning the flashy style he is known for, Kurzel lets the actors and simple camerawork tell the story. I was reminded of Gus Van Sant’s Elephant while watching the film at its world premiere. There is not one singular grand answer as to why this happened and how it could have been stopped, simply because there isn’t a one-size-fits-all response. All we can do is look back on what happened and see what can be done for the future, which Kurzel doesn’t seem to have much hope for, as his postscript explains how the gun laws enacted as a result of Bryant’s actions have not been properly enforced, opening the possibility of this happening again. Justin Kurzel’s Nitram was one of the best films of the Cannes Film Festival, as it explores a real-life tragedy with both grace and severity. While my body hated the experience of watching the film because of the stiff muscles I was left with due to the intensity, my mind was left with a better understanding of this dark chapter in human history. This review was originally published from the world premiere at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival. IFC Films will release Nitram in select theaters on March 30th. More Reviews Primetime September 22, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Unabomber September 24, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Look Back September 16, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Elsinore September 14, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

Till October 22, 2022 By: Button Hunter Friesen One of the most prominent things that creeps through the first act of Till is the sense of impending doom. We open on Mamie and Emmett Till shopping in a department store in 1955 Chicago. They’re buying the necessary things so that Emmett can visit his distant family down in Mississippi. He’s pleading with his mom to buy him a nice wallet to show off to his cousins, who’ve never had much contact with the big city, something that Emmett exemplifies with his effortless charm and nice clothes. At face value, these scenes are full of the usual joy and innocence that would come with any scene where a parent lets their child spread their wings and fly out into the world. But co-writer/director Chinonye Chukwu knows that context is key, as history tells us that Emmett would be kidnapped and lynched by two white men only one week into his visit to Mississippi. So while everything is light and joyful on the surface, there’s a biting feeling deep inside preparing you for what’s to come. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkQi6GBwmSA Emmett’s murder would become one of the most publicized and important moments of the American civil rights movement. Knowing that his tale would be swept under the rug just like any other story of white-on-black violence, Mamie had her son’s beaten and bloated body put on display so that millions could not forget what had been done. It was a controversial move, but one that has kept Emmett’s legacy alive decades later, and shone a brighter light on the issue of lynchings in the American South. Even if she doesn’t fully illustrate the viciousness inflicted upon Emmett (a long shot of the scene of the crime with distant screams is all we get), Chukwu doesn’t shy away from the aftermath. The body is put on display to both the characters and the viewers, with the first sight of it sending shivers down the spine. But the appearance of the body creates a divide, as it seems to come from a much rougher film than what this ultimately becomes. As time goes by, the glossy biopic trappings begin to set in, most annoyingly present when Abel Korzeniowski’s mismatched score barges its way in. Things are played by the book, stretched across a 130-minute runtime filled with the usual rage-inducing courtroom scenes and a few odd winks to other moments within the movement. Fortunately, with Danielle Deadwyler front and center, many of those negative thoughts drift away. Given a lead role after years in much smaller ones ( The Harder They Fall , HBO’s Watchmen ), Deadwyler delivers a performance that is both heartbreaking and uplifting. With several long takes gifted by Chukwu, she displays powerful courage in the face of danger. She’ll deservedly be a force to be reckoned with come this Oscar season. If only she were served in a better film that followed through on its early promises of nuance. But even with its late-act shortcomings, Till remains an important retelling of history that is, sadly, just as relevant in the present as it was in the past. This review was originally published from a screening at the 2022 Twin Cities Film Fest. United Artists Releasing will release Till in select theaters on October 14th, followed by a nationwide expansion on October 28th. More Reviews Primetime September 22, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Unabomber September 24, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Look Back September 16, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Elsinore September 14, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

The Current War October 31, 2019 By: Button Hunter Friesen In the late nineteenth century, Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse were the two titans of American innovation. With the country modernizing at a rapid pace, both of them figured that there needed to be a better way to power society than just candles and gas. After some years of development, they both discovered different ways to transmit electric current. Edison stood behind his Direct Current (DC), and Westinghouse championed his Alternating Current (AC). They were similar designs, each with its unique benefits and costs. But the country wasn’t big enough for both of them, and only one method could prevail. Out of this situation sprang a fierce competition between the two men, a rivalry that was labeled as “the war of the currents”. This war lasted years as they battled endlessly to see whose technology would be the one to forever power and illuminate America. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEJuG1hKQMk After having a tumultuous time getting to theaters (that’s a whole other story to look up), The Current War finally arrives two years after its intended release. Directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, the film moves like electricity, zipping from scene to scene. The use of sharp camera work and montages oozes kinetic energy that keeps everything moving at a frantic pace, never ceasing to slow down or end. You’re gripped within the race and linked to the main characters as they tirelessly persist to be the one on top. If you’re not a natural history lover, this technique will keep you endlessly entertained without boring you with historical details. If you are a fan of history, this technique will still entertain you, but leave you disappointed, as moving the film at the speed of light (or current for that matter) doesn’t allow for deeper learning about the events or people attached to them. Anything that is learned is only surface level as there just isn’t enough time to develop any factual depth. It also doesn’t help that these shallow details become increasingly hard to keep straight, especially as the years go by in minutes and characters are split up into several intertwining storylines. While a miniseries would be the better way to tell this story, The Current War is an exciting way to convey history on the screen. Just like Gomez-Rejon’s use of rapid pacing, writer Michael Mitnick’s screenplay is expeditious and Sorkin-like. The rivalry between our two main giants is fierce as they snap at each other in the labs and the press. And just like the outcome of the directing, the writing here is entertaining but very hard to follow. Mitnick tries to do too much in too little time as he crams the script to the brim with historical facts. As more information is heaped on, it becomes information overload, and it becomes increasingly impossible to keep things straight. By the end, you’ll feel like you’ve read a Wikipedia page and will only be able to remember fragments here and there Also, Nikola Tesla shows up in the story and participates in the race. While Tesla does deserve to stand with Edison and Westinghouse in the history books, he doesn’t belong in this already overly stuffed movie. Starring as the brash Thomas Edison is Benedict Cumberbatch, whose American accent isn’t as convincing as one would think. Like most of Cumberbatch’s performances, you can see the genius of the character within his speech and mannerisms. Thankfully, the genius he plays here isn’t as cold as Sherlock Holmes or Alan Turing. There’s some warmth under Edison’s surface that you can sense through Cumberbatch’s performance. Michael Shannon plays the opposite of Cumberbatch as he is calmer and calculated in his performance of George Westinghouse. He’s the more businessman-like of the two as he carries himself more professionally. Nicholas Hoult plays Nikola Tesla. Just like Cumbertach, Hoult’s Eastern European accent isn’t on point, but it’s fine enough to pass. Hoult does well at making you see the frustration within Tesla, as his brilliant ideas are never allowed to flourish. Lastly, Tom Holland does supporting work as Edison’s secretary. As it was filmed before his star power ballooned from Spider-Man, Holland’s role is minor and doesn’t give him much to work with. The Current War is the most entertaining and needlessly confusing movie of the year. All the talent involved makes a great effort, but their good intentions just come up short of making a great movie. But it’s still quite good and deserves to be seen, even if you’d be hard-pressed to absorb and remember most of what it’s trying to teach you. 101 Studios will release The Current War in theaters nationwide on October 25th. More Reviews Primetime September 22, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Unabomber September 24, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Look Back September 16, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Elsinore September 14, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

Chaos Walking March 11, 2021 By: Button Hunter Friesen Like The Hunger Games, Harry Potter , and Percy Jackson , Chaos Walking is the newest attempt to establish a lucrative franchise based on a series of popular teenage-audience books. But unlike those successful series, this Lionsgate release is more likely to fall in line with the other failures, such as The Golden Compass and The Mortal Instruments . Haven’t heard of this movie? Well, I wouldn’t blame you since Lionsgate has attempted to bury this money pit in the middle of the pandemic to save itself from further embarrassment. Filmed in 2017 and originally to be released in early 2019, the film underwent extensive (and expensive) reshoots after the first cut was deemed unwatchable. It was shelved for nearly two years until it crawled its way back from the grave into newly reopened theatres. So, is this movie as terrible as its reputation precedes it? No, but that’s not to say it isn’t bad. Similar to all YA novels, Chaos Walking takes place in a dystopian space colony in 2257. This planet is like Earth, except that there is something in the atmosphere called The Noise. An introvert's worst nightmare, The Noise makes it so that the thoughts of men are heard aloud, and is something our hero, orphaned Todd (Tom Holland), still has yet to control. Everything he thinks is broadcast to anyone within earshot, restricting any sense of privacy. No one knows why this is happening, and why women are not affected. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRf4ZgzHoVw The colony Todd lives in also has no women there, as he is told the Spackle - the native inhabitants of the planet - killed off. Obviously, what you’re told isn’t always what actually happened. Everything changes when a scout, Viola (Daisy Ridley), crashes on the planet. The leader of the colony decides to use her as bait to attract her command ship so he can ambush it and leave this godforsaken land. Naturally, Todd develops a crush on Viola, agreeing to help her escape to a deserted colony fitted with a communicator that she can use to warn her rescuers. If you wanted to know what Tom Holland was thinking all the time, this will be a supreme disappointment to you. The character is very bland, and so are his thoughts, which consist solely of him saying his name to calm himself down and suppressing his budding feelings for his newfound partner. Holland tries to use his Peter Parker charm to make the character at least bearable, but the script makes his efforts a waste. The word bland is the best way to describe everything about this movie. It might be a weird movie, but that doesn’t mean it’s interesting. There’s a lot of semi-world-building here as we are introduced to all sorts of details about the planet and its backstory. I say semi because the movie never gives away too much information, as they want you to pay more for that in the sequels, which are never going to happen. It’s also done at a rapid pace, moving from one location to another like we’re just skimming through the pages. Adapting his book, writer Patrick Ness seems more interested in setting up sequels than establishing an interesting base. Take, for instance, the Spackle, who look like all-black Martians and rightfully fought back against the colonizing humans. In this movie, we see them for one three-minute action scene. After that, they disappear completely and are never mentioned again. I was told by a friend that the Spackle are reintroduced in the third book, a fact that I audibly groaned at. I want to learn about these natives now, not these boring humans! Even for a $100 million (+ reshoots) blockbuster, Chaos Walking is sparsely light on meaningful action. Director Doug Liman had the potential to mash the sci-fi and western genres into something off the beaten path, but he instead stays in the same lane as his contemporaries. Like Star Wars , the guns shoot plasma, so the wounds are bloodless, and any serious violence is cut away. The one unique feature is the movie’s questionable hatred towards animals, as a horse is violently put down and a dog is drowned in the frame. I’m glad no one in the cinema could hear my thoughts while watching this movie because my head was full of a lot of questions and negative comments. By next month, Chaos Walking will feel like a distant memory, a fact that we should all rejoice in. It was nice to be back in the cinema after a long while, I just wish it wasn’t for this. Lionsgate will release Chaos Walking in theaters nationwide on March 05th. More Reviews Primetime September 22, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Unabomber September 24, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Look Back September 16, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Elsinore September 14, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

Mother Mary April 22, 2026 By: Button Hunter Friesen “This is not a love story. This is not a ghost story.” That is the tagline to Mother Mary , the newest film from writer/director David Lowery. It’s a project that has long been in the shadows, dripfeeding signs of its existence over the years. First look imagery came in the fall of 2024, followed by nearly a year of radio silence as rumors swirled around regarding what its eventual shape and size would be. The trailer didn’t offer much in terms of concrete answers, maintaining the mystery by literally bathing the screen in shadowy visuals. It built anticipation and intrigue, something that the marketing team at A24 has excelled at in this age of oversaturation and an unwillingness to trust audiences to plunge into the deep end. Now, after wading through the murky waters of the finished product, I’m still just as confused as to what it was supposed to be, both literally and figuratively. Indeed, it isn’t a love story, as its two central characters hardly exchange a compliment throughout the entire runtime. But it’s only not a ghost story in the literal sense that this isn’t A Ghost Story , the 2017 film by Lowery (I’m dying to know if that tagline wording was intentional). The ghosts of the past and the supernatural perpetually haunt this film, keeping it in limbo between our world and the next. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATGaqU6Srcc Somehow, Lowery takes that semi-intriguing, fluid concept and turns it into the most boring and shapeless version of itself. This is not a love story, nor a ghost story. It’s barely a story, with interminably long scenes that immediately dissipate from memory once they’ve concluded. I’d bet good money that more than half the audience would fail a pop quiz about what happened and why it occurred as they walked out of the theater. Honestly, they’d probably be better off failing, as retaining that information likely offers no benefit to their mind, body, or soul. Anne Hathaway plays the titular Mother Mary, a stage persona dripped in religious iconography (halos, robes, bold colors) that seems primarily inspired by Lady Gaga. As the kids would say: She’s giving mother. Her devoted fans flock to stadiums by the tens of thousands to watch her perform vastly sleek, colorful production numbers. But as a blink-and-you-miss-it sequence of visuals hints at just before the opening studio logos, the sun, often surrounding Mother Mary’s head, has been shrouded in darkness. Her sudden appearance at the London doorstep of Sam Anselm (Michaela Coel) is actually not a surprise. Despite nearly a decade apart since their mysterious fallout, Sam and Mary maintain a spiritual connection. Although, as Sam puts it, she felt Mary’s presence on this side of the pond by the way the bile in her body continually rose to the top. She flings her acerbic tongue at every turn, seemingly savoring this moment of Mary’s weakness. The star desperately needs a new dress before her next show in a few days, something that only Sam can accomplish, thanks to her years of designing the outfits that launched both of their careers. But based on Mary’s fragile persona and inability to describe what kind of dress she wants, it’s obvious that this is really about something else. Hathaway is particularly strong at being vulnerable, drenched in rain, and shaking as the years have worn her down to a blunt object. Sam is here to resharpen her, with Chekhov's stipulation being that there will be no use of the color red. The first hour of the film is almost entirely comprised of the pair in Sam’s workshop, reopening old wounds through their separate viewpoints. It’s tediously slow, with dialogue that goes in one ear and out the other. I didn’t think it was possible for a film filled with this much pop music to be so lethargic. A pulse is finally found once Mary performs a Suspiria -esque dance for Sam. From there, Lowery merges reality and memory with highly stylized and haunting visuals. It’s still not all that interesting, but it at least looks fantastic. Daniel Hart provides an eerie original score, while Jack Antonoff, Charli XCX, and FKA twigs supply original songs that are totally serviceable and forgettable. Based on the time it's taken for this project to be conceived, produced, and released, I fear that it stayed too long within Lowery’s head. It feels shaped to the audience of one person, with everyone else scrambling to figure out what it’s trying to say, and why it’s so important for us to hear it. Many films have successfully overcome that obstacle, and this one potentially could upon further rewatches. But I doubt that will ever happen unless I’m suffering from insomnia and need something to put me to sleep. A24 will release Mother Mary in select theaters on April 17th, followed by a nationwide expansion on April 24th. More Reviews Primetime September 22, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Unabomber September 24, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Look Back September 16, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Elsinore September 14, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

Final 2025 97th Academy Awards Predictions February 28, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen One of the most chaotic award seasons in recent memory is finally coming to a close, and it looks like it’ll be a photo finish. For almost the entire nine-month duration since Cannes, we’ve been going back and forth on who’s got what it takes to be the top dog. Enough drama has been created, ended, and recreated to match a whole season of one of those “The Real Housewives” shows. Just as I mentioned in my nominations predictions update, the key to the Oscars is focusing your attention on what matters. So you’re going to see little analysis in categories with clear frontrunners and more in tighter races. Notable precursors that will be used to determine likely winners are the Golden Globes (GG), Critics Choice Awards (CCA), Screen Actors Guild (SAG), BAFTAs, and any category-specific guild award. I’d also like to point out that I will be predicting the three short categories, but won’t be producing analysis since I have none to offer. I’ll just be going with the GoldDerby consensus. Best Picture Anora Conclave The Brutalist Emilia Pérez A Complete Unknown Wicked I'm Still Here The Substance Nickel Boys Dune: Part Two After successive years of watching Everything Everywhere All at Once and Oppenheimer run the table, it's been fun to witness what this year has brought. Anora secured its frontrunner status after it had a whirlwind weekend where it picked up the CCA, PGA, and DGA awards. But then the winds shifted towards Conclave , which then took home the BAFTA and SAG Ensemble. Conclave 's predicted wins for Adapted Screenplay and Film Editing were enough for Argo , and Anora 's predicted wins for Director and Original Screenplay were enough for Parasite . If Anora were to lose, the combination of precursor wins it has would place it alongside Brokeback Mountain and Saving Private Ryan in the pantheon of Oscar upsets. That's something I can't predict will happen again. Best Director Sean Baker (Anora) Brady Corbet (The Brutalist) Jacques Audiard (Emilia Pérez) Coralie Fargeat (The Substance) James Mangold (A Complete Unknown) It's been a slugfest between Brady Corbet and Sean Baker; the former winning the Golden Globe and BAFTA, and the latter netting the DGA. The DGA award is the most predictive of the bunch, and people like Tom Hooper ( The King's Speech ) and Alejandro G. Iñárritu ( The Revenant ) have gone on to win the Oscar with only that award in their arsenal. It's still hard to pick Baker because Corbet's work is so much more aligned with what this branch rewards. I said the same thing when it came to Sam Mendes and Bong Joon-ho a few years back, and I was wrong to make the more conventional choice. The tide is with Anora more than it is with The Brutalist , so I'll go with that and bite my nails until the very end. Best Original Screenplay Anora A Real Pain The Substance The Brutalist September 5 For a brief moment, it seemed that The Substance was gaining some momentum after its win at the CCA. But that stopped once A Real Pain won the BAFTA. All this division means that I'll default to the WGA winner and Best Picture frontrunner, Anora . Of course, the fact that it's been unable to handily win this category across so many shows means that there's some weakness, so maybe we're in for a surprise. Best Adapted Screenplay Conclave Nickel Boys A Complete Unknown Emilia Pérez Sing Sing Just as I said during the nomination predictions, the choosing of four other nominees to lose to Conclave is merely a formality. Peter Straughan's screenplay has won the Globe, CCA, and BAFTA. It was not eligible for the WGA award, which means that the winner there, Nickel Boys , gets to be the unofficial runner-up. Best Lead Actor Adrien Brody (The Brutalist) Timothée Chalamet (A Complete Unknown) Ralph Fiennes (Conclave) Colman Domingo (Sing Sing) Sebastian Stan (The Apprentice) With A Complete Unknown getting four total nominations at SAG compared to the single mention for The Brutalist , it was no surprise that Timothée Chalamet claimed victory there. If he had won somewhere else between the Globes, CCA, or BAFTA, then I would be picking him here. But Brody took all those other awards, and The Brutalist received a lot more love here. Still, it would not be a surprise if Chalamet won considering this category continually falls head over heels with biopic performances and equally admired A Complete Unknown . Best Lead Actress Demi Moore (The Substance) Mikey Madison (Anora) Fernanda Torres (I'm Still Here) Cynthia Erivo (Wicked) Karla Sofía Gascón (Emilia Pérez) Demi Moore has won the Golden Globe - Comedy, CCA, and SAG awards; Mikey Madison has the BAFTA, and Fernanda Torres has the Golden Globe - Drama. Madison does have the power of the Best Picture frontrunner on her side, which would be more decisive if The Substance and I'm Still Here weren't also beloved and nominated for Best Picture as well. I think that Torres will siphon enough votes from Madison, and Moore will claim her final victory. Best Supporting Actor Kieran Culkin (A Real Pain) Yura Borisov (Anora) Edward Norton (A Complete Unknown) Guy Pearce (The Brutalist) Jeremy Strong (The Apprentice) We all know it's going to be Kieran Culkin winning this award. Let's move on and spend our energy elsewhere. Best Supporting Actress Zoe Saldaña (Emilia Pérez) Ariana Grande (Wicked) Isabella Rossellini (Conclave) Felicity Jones (The Brutalist) Monica Barbaro (A Complete Unknown) The one thing that the lovers and haters of Emilia Pérez can agree on is that Zoe Saldaña delivers a great performance, a sentiment that's carried her to wins at all the major precursors (GG, CCA, BAFTA, SAG). She's also delivered some great speeches as of late, which will make sure she doesn't become one of the victims of the controversies surrounding the film. Best Cinematography The Brutalist Nosferatu Maria Dune: Part Two Emilia Pérez The American Society of Cinematographers gave their top prize to Edward Lachman for Maria . It's not a surprising victory considering the legendary status that Lachman carries within that profession. But it's also a little surprising since Maria has greatly underperformed on the awards front, as evidenced by its sole nomination being in this category. Nosferatu won the CCA and The Brutalist got the BAFTA. Given that the latter award has some Oscar overlap, I'll go with that. Lol Crawley's work in The Brutalist is also more in line with the grand scale of previous winners like Dune and Oppenheimer . Best Film Editing Conclave Anora Emilia Pérez The Brutalist Wicked The not Oscar-nominated Challengers won the CCA, and the ACE awards are after the Oscars, which means we're flying pretty blind into this category. Conclave won the BAFTA and is the likely ACE - Drama frontrunner, which is just enough to convince me it'll win here. I'd also watch out for Anora given that it'll likely win ACE - Comedy and has the Best Picture frontrunner boost. This is going to be one of the most decisive categories of the night. Best Original Score The Brutalist Conclave Emilia Pérez The Wild Robot Wicked The Golden Globes and CCA threw a wrench into this category by awarding their prize to Challengers , which was not nominated at the Oscars. That means the BAFTA winner, Daniel Blumberg ( The Brutalist ), is the precursor favorite heading into the night. Volker Bertelmann ( Conclave ) took down equally stiff competition when he beat Justin Hurwitz's score for Babylon a few years back. But the fact that he lost at the BAFTAs despite Conclave winning the top prize shows that Blumberg's work is more beloved this year. Best Original Song El Mal (Emilia Pérez) The Journey (The Six Triple Eight) Mi Camino (Emilia Pérez) Never Too Late (Elton John: Never Too Late) Like a Bird (Sing Sing) With sixteen total nominations across thirty-five years, Diane Warren has to win at least once, right? Surely she'll win once within the next few years, but how am I supposed to predict that when history tells me it's very unlikely? "El Mal" from Emilia Pérez has already won the Golden Globe and the CCA, giving it every reason to be favored here. Best Sound Dune: Part Two Wicked A Complete Unknown Emilia Pérez The Wild Robot It's been a pretty split race all season. A Complete Unknown won the main prize at the Cinema Audio Society, Dune: Part Two won the Sound Editing prize at MPSE, as did Wicked for Music Editing. I'm thinking the two music-heavy films will cancel each other out, allowing for Dune: Part Two to repeat its victory from the first film. It also won this award over Wicked at the BAFTAs, with A Complete Unknown not even being nominated. Best Production Design Wicked Nosferatu Conclave The Brutalist Dune: Part Two Wicked won the CCA, BAFTA, and ADG - Sci-Fi/Fantasy Film awards, giving it a clear edge. Conclave did win the Contemporary category at the Art Directors Guild, as well as Nosferatu in the Period category, giving them both of them at least a chance. Best Costume Design Wicked Conclave Nosferatu A Complete Unknown Gladiator II The exact same circumstances from Best Production Design are repeated here, and so is my pick for who will win the Oscar. Best Makeup & Hairstyling The Substance Wicked Nosferatu Emilia Pérez A Different Man Horror makeup has historically been undervalued through this category's history, so the much-predicted victory for The Substance will be more than deserved. It's won the CCA, BAFTA, and multiple prizes at the Make-Up and Hair Stylists Guild, and also aided in the transformation for Demi Moore's possible Oscar-winning performance. Best Visual Effects Dune: Part Two Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes Wicked Better Man Alien: Romulus This category has been sewn up ever since Dune: Part Two delayed its release from November 2023 to February 2024. Further proof has been provided from its victories at CCA and BAFTA, as well as its mighty haul at the Visual Effects Society awards. However, the top prize at the latter ceremony went to Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes . But ape fans can't get their hopes up, as this scenario has played out for each of three previous Apes films, each one of them losing at the Oscar. Best Animated Feature The Wild Robot Flow Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl Inside Out 2 Memoir of a Snail The circumstances of this year's race in this category are nearly a repeat from last year's battle between Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and The Boy and the Heron , with The Wild Robot and Flow taking the spots of the former and the latter, respectively. But I think the opposite result is going to come true this year. Flow doesn't have the BAFTA win that The Boy and the Heron got, and one could make the argument that the love for the legendary Hayao Miyazaki was worth far more than any precursor. The Wild Robot is also helped by the fact that it isn't a sequel like Spider-Verse was, which this category tends to dislike unless it's from the Toy Story franchise. Best International Feature Emilia Pérez (France) I'm Still Here (Brazil) Flow (Latvia) The Seed of the Sacred Fig (Germany) The Girl with the Needle (Denmark) Until this year, no film has ever been nominated for both Best International Feature and Best Picture and lost the former award, meaning that either Emilia Pérez or I'm Still Here will become a victim of circumstance and carry that unwanted distinction. Emilia Pérez won this award at both the Golden Globes and BAFTAs, and has a whopping ten more total nominations than I'm Still Here . But that doesn't mean this is an open-and-shut case, as the recent controversies surrounding Emilia Pérez star Karla Sofía Gascón, as well as the general vitriol towards the film itself, is a major thorn in its side. There's also the fact that I'm Still Here getting that Best Picture nomination illustrates that there's a lot of support for it, which seems to only keep growing. Best Documentary Feature No Other Land Porcelain War Sugarcane Black Box Diaries Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat As usual in this category, the precursor leader, Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story , hasn't even been nominated here. This gives the edge to the DGA-winner, Porcelain War . However, the critical swell of support for No Other Land cannot be denied, especially when coupled with the extremely compelling fact that it's still fighting to secure US distribution. I'm going to lean with where everyone's heart seems to be, although it would not surprise me if that doesn't turn out to be true. Best Animated Short Film: Wander to Wonder Best Documentary Short Film : The Only Girl in the Orchestra Best Live-Action Short Film : A Lien More Reviews Primetime September 22, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Unabomber September 24, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Look Back September 16, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Elsinore September 14, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen

Swan Song January 15, 2022 By: Button Hunter Friesen Mahershala Ali has never been the lead in a motion picture. I’ll give you some time to open up his IMDb page and fact-check me on that one. Yes, I am correct in saying that two-time Academy Award winner Mahershala Ali ( Moonlight & Green Book ) has never had a leading role in a film. Granted, he’s led a television show with the third season of True Detective and will be joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe as the vampire hunter, Blade. But up until Swan Song , Ali has always been relegated to a supporting role. It’s an unfortunate fact that an actor of Ali’s caliber has had to wait as long as he has to get the star treatment. And it’s a coincidence that Lupita Nyong’o, also an Academy Award winner ( 12 Years a Slave ), is opening her new film, The 355 , at the same time as Swan Song . Nyong'o's role in the female-led spy thriller is only her sixth in-person role since her 2013 Oscar win, with only two of those being lead roles (2019’s Us & Little Monsters ). It speaks to a larger, more systematic problem that these actors of color are not getting the leading roles they deserve. How many great performances and awards do these actors need to accumulate before they can get roles that match their talent? But that conversation is beyond this review’s scope and is best handled by people more qualified. So, let’s focus back on the topic at hand, which is Swan Song . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxftqrrlSqc Swan Song makes Ali’s first lead role a memorable one, as we get two of him for the price of one. How is this possible, you ask? Well, human cloning has become a reality in the near future. For Cameron Turner (Ali), this presents an existential dilemma. He’s dying of a terminal illness, which he hasn’t told his wife (Naomie Harris), or his 8-year-old son. This cowardice grants him an incredibly rare opportunity provided by Dr. Scott (Glenn Close). The good doctor offers Cameron the opportunity to clone himself, sparing his family from the pain of losing a loved one. The clone will have all of Cameron’s memories and behaviors, and be completely indistinguishable. Before the real Cameron dies, the clone will take his place and live out his life as if nothing ever happened. Only the real Cameron will know the truth. But can a clone - even the most perfect one imaginable - seamlessly take the place of a human being? Marking his feature directorial debut after winning the 2016 Academy Award for Best Live-Action Short, Benjamin Cleary looks to tackle that question. But he doesn’t address it as a sort of Turing Test where the stakes revolve around the family finding out the truth. Instead, Cleary goes around that cheap gimmick and looks at both the moral and ethical stances on the issue. The question isn’t if the clone can do what it’s supposed to do, but if it should . Is Cameron making the right decision by lying to his family to protect them? Is leaving his wife and son with a clone more of a betrayal than leaving them altogether? These are the questions that Cleary doesn’t decide for the viewer. Rather, he supplies you with the tools to come to your conclusion. It’s a slow burn with a lot going on, even if not a lot happens on screen. That's because all of the action takes place within your head as Cleary puts you into Cameron’s shoes. You’re constantly comparing his actions to the ones you think you would make. The best films bury themselves in your head while watching. You wrestle with them in the moment and continue to interact with them long after they’re over. And with the help of production designer Annie Beachamp, Cleary has created a near-future world that is perfectly believable. The production design may be the reason why Apple bought the film, as many of the sets share the same clean and sleek design that the tech giant uses for its storefronts. The futuristic technology within the film, such as holographic displays and virtual reality that doesn't require a headset, is so seamlessly blended in that you’re never aware that this technology doesn’t exist yet. Other recent films, such as Gemini Man, have treated human cloning as the peak of human invention. But in Swan Song , it’s simply a part of life that has naturally sprung from technological progress. Mahershala Ali has never turned in a bad performance. At worst, he’s done fair work in poor films ( Alita: Battle Angel & Free State of Jones ). Here, Cleary serves him well. He’s incredibly compelling in his dual roles, pulling off the complex feat of differentiating the two Camerons just enough so that we can tell the difference, but also believe why the other characters can’t. Awkwafina plays a dying patient who’s already completed the cloning process. Lulu Wang’s The Farewell proved that Awkwafina can dig deeper than just lowbrow comedy, and this is a reminder of that fact. She shares some wonderful scenes with Ali, as both of their characters come to terms with the decision that they have made. The term “swan song” refers to the final performance of a public figure, such as an athlete or performer. As a title, it’s a fitting term that encapsulates so much of what the film is about. Luckily, the term doesn’t describe any of the talent associated with the film, as this is only the beginning of Benjamin Cleary’s promising career, and of this new phase of Mahershala Ali where his talent is front and center. Apple Original Films will release Swan Song in select theaters and on streaming on December 17th. More Reviews Primetime September 22, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Unabomber September 24, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Look Back September 16, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Elsinore September 14, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

The Menu November 16, 2022 By: Button Hunter Friesen As a cinephile and critic, the occurrence of asking the question “What is going to happen next?” while watching a movie is one of the most valuable and enjoyable experiences. It’s what makes the Knives Out films so enjoyable because writer/director Rian Johnson always knows how to be one step ahead of the viewer, twisting and turning their preconceptions of what can happen in a whodunnit. On the inverse of that spectrum lies the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which I still greatly appreciate the majority of the time. But, I do have to admit that it’s getting exponentially tiring to see the same formula repeat itself 3-4 times each year. However, no movie (barring maybe Paul Thomas Anderson’s Magnolia or Glass Onion ) has made me ask the question “What is going to happen next?” more frequently and passionately than The Menu . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_uTkUGcHv4 Colin Stetson’s Hereditary -esque score (so you know something sinister is waiting in the wings) acutely plays while Ralph Fiennes’ world-renowned Chef Julian Slowik (walking and talking with unwavering intensity like Hannibal Lecter) welcomes his elite guests to the island of Hawthorne, where they will dine like kings and queens. Unbeknownst to the patrons, they each have been assembled intentionally and catered to with the utmost precision towards a much darker grand goal. There’s a fading movie star (John Leguizamo); a snobby food critic (Janet McTeer) and her yes-man editor, a wealthy regular customer (Reed Birney) and his wife (Judith Light), and a trio of tech bros that came only so that they could brag about it. At the center of the narrative are the final guests, Tyler (Nicholas Hoult), a foodie who acts as if he’s a teenage girl about to go backstage and meet Harry Styles, and Margot (Anya Taylor-Joy), Tyler’s date for the evening, who finds all this food worshiping to be a bit much. Margot’s presence is a disturbance to Slowik, who did not account for her, as Tyler made the reservation several months ago before they were a couple (the restaurant does not allow single reservations). Trying to keep the evening going as originally planned is the steely Elsa (Hong Chau), the second-in-command, who guests while Slowik handles the food. From one course to the next, the chef answers his guests’ increasingly desperate questions through his painstakingly crafted works of art. Just like any great food movie ( Chef, Julie & Julia ), The Menu delightfully makes you crave the dishes it serves up, even if you don’t understand what half of them are. Ingredients for each are slyly displayed as they are introduced, so you can attempt to remake them if your heart desires (I suggest finishing the movie before finalizing that decision). Regular David Lynch cinematographer Peter Deming and production designer Ethan Tobman cast a luxuriously simplistic shadow over everything, akin to the work in Parasite . And similarly to Bong Joon-ho’s 2019 Best Picture winner, screenwriters Seth Reiss and Will Tracy infuse their dark thriller with social commentary about elitism, gender roles, and creators vs. critics. There’s a dark satisfaction to watching some of these characters receive their comeuppance, even if the punishment far exceeds the crime. Director Mark Mylod, returning to film after a lengthy stint at HBO with Succession and Game of Thrones , keeps the film tightly knotted, building the pressure from the moment the guests set foot on the island all the way to the end. Of the films I used for comparison, each of them is better than The Menu in their respective traits. Rian Johnson’s Knives Out characters are more fleshed out and entertaining, the social commentary and technical aspects of Parasite are better developed, and the actual Hannibal Lecter is far more sinister. But the one overarching skill that The Menu does better than all those films (yes, I’m saying Parasite isn’t the best at everything, calm down, Letterboxd) is that it holds your attention like a vice grip and keeps you frantically guessing all the way through. That alone is more than worth the price of admission, which becomes a bargain once you factor in all the other delectable aspects. Searchlight Pictures will release The Menu in theaters nationwide on November 18th. More Reviews Primetime September 22, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Unabomber September 24, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Look Back September 16, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Elsinore September 14, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

Awards Update: Pre-Fall Festival Season Predictions September 1, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Welcome to an ongoing series where I cover the 2026/2027 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. Releases like Coyote vs. Acme and The Dog Stars in the doldrums of August mean only one thing: Summer movie season is over and fall festival season is upon us. Studios put away their box office charts for just a few months, instead focusing on the glitz and glamour of awards. Anyone can make a great film, but only a few can successfully spin it into a months-long worldwide campaign to become the best of the best. Of course, this is all silly, pitting movies against each other in the name of shiny trophies. But in an age where movies feel a little more endangered with each passing year, I’ll take some competition to prove how much we care about this medium. Just before the festival season is kicked off with the one-two-three punch of the Venice International Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, and Toronto International Film Festival, I’ve come up with my first complete Oscar predictions. I’ve done some serious research into narratives and statistics to come up with this crop. I realize that’s like picking a stock based on past performance, something that’s warned against in the last second of all those investment advertisements. But we all need something to trick ourselves into thinking we know how the chips will land, and this is where I’ve decided to hedge my bet. Since the ten films nominated for Best Motion Picture have increasingly comprised the other categories, I figured I should just stick to that for now. It’s the easiest way to cover every base and provide some analysis for my picks, which I’ve ranked in order of confidence. At the end, there will be a smattering of talk about some of the films I think are just on the outside right now. This year’s field has a little bit of everything: huge blockbusters, auteur international films, midbudget star vehicles, and inspirational indies. Now we’ve just got to wait, watch, and see how far they can truly go! The Odyssey What else is there left to say about Christopher Nolan’s mythological epic? Just like with Oppenheimer , Nolan has dominated the awards conversation so far and put himself (and the film) in the lead in so many categories, leaving everyone else at the fall festivals playing catch-up. Even with a probable three acting nominations and heavyweight status in every craft category, it’s unlikely the film will tie the total nominations record set by Sinners last year, as its original song doesn’t seem to have the hype. Then again, the only certainty in that category is Diane Warren for whatever film she has each year, so anything is possible. Universal does need to be wary for Best Makeup & Hairstyling, as that category tends to go its own way, and several makeup-forward films this year have more prominent work. La Bola Negra The academy’s tastes continue to become more international, with the Cannes Film Festival being the preferred supplier for that demand. As evidenced by this list, Cannes has joined previously established festivals like Venice and Telluride in its ability to premiere multiple Best Picture nominees in a single year. Coming out of the festival with enthusiastic buzz was La Bola Negra from Javier Ambrosi and Javier Calvo, commonly known as Los Javis. Many claimed it to be a surefire Oscar contender upon first sight, with it likely about to make a big splash once it reaches North America at Telluride and Toronto. Netflix has shown a knack for racking up nominations each year, with their top contender earning an average of ten. Almost every Best Picture nominee out of Cannes has received corresponding nominations in the directing, writing, and acting categories. The first two seem locked already, but I’m still not sure what the acting plays will be. I won’t be surprised if the chatter coalesces around a few names as the film tours the states. Wild Horse Nine Despite last year being a complete bust with the trio of Rental Family , The Testament of Ann Lee , and Is This Thing On? (all good films, by the way), Searchlight Pictures is one of the most skilled awards distributors. This year, they’ve got their golden goose in Martin McDonagh, currently on a major hot streak with Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri and The Banshees of Inisherin . Both of those premiered at Venice, followed by a splashy showing at TIFF. This year, that route has added a middle stop in Telluride, a sign that the Colorado-based festival doesn’t want to miss out on the fun for a third time, and/or this film has got something special up its sleeve. Those two McDonagh films received a combined seven acting nominations, including two wins for the former. I’m keeping the streak alive by predicting four here, with John Malkovich potentially finding the narrative of being an overdue legend. McDonagh did technically win an Oscar twenty years ago for Best Short Film, Live Action. But with all due respect to that category and its past and future recipients, that doesn’t really count in the grand scheme of things. Searchlight will be drumming up his overdue narrative as well, where I think a win for Best Original Screenplay would satisfy everyone involved. Dune: Part Three Despite similar-ish reviews, Dune: Part Two received half the nominations of the first film. And between those total nominations, none were for Denis Villeneuve’s direction or the performances from the cast, signalling that people treat these films solely as a crafts showcase. That’s not a bad place to be considering that this franchise has won about every craft category so far. Lots of goodwill has been built up over the past two installments, and this supposed trilogy capper has immense hype around it. If Denis does pull this off, I see a total nomination haul somewhere in the high single digits. An expected category or two could be missed because of voter fatigue or competition from other blockbusters. Warner Bros. is averaging around nine nominations for each of their Best Picture nominees ( One Battle After Another and Sinners raised that bar last year). A splashy end-of-year marketing campaign at the right time could be what it takes to push this film into becoming a serious contender for the above-the-line categories. Fjord Next to the TIFF People’s Choice Award, the Palme d’Or at Cannes has become a bellwether for Oscar glory. Parasite , Triangle of Sadness , Anatomy of a Fall , and Anora have begun their campaigns with the golden laurels upon the French Riviera. Those films have also all been released domestically by Neon in the early weeks of October after a fall festival tour, and then received directing, writing, and acting nominations (except for Parasite ). Fjord will be replicating that exact strategy, with Cristian Mungiu fitting the bill of a highly respected international auteur finally getting his due. He also gets bonus points for being European, as he’ll qualify for the increasingly influential European Film Awards and be given better treatment by BAFTA voters. His only trouble is if La Bola Negra will steal his thunder at those same ceremonies, as well as the domestic critics' groups earlier in the season. The Debut A24 always has a big dog in the race. This year’s candidate seems to be The Debut , premiering at Telluride, a festival that unveils about two Best Picture nominees per year. Although writer/director Jesse Eisenberg just missed out on a Best Picture nomination for A Real Pain , he did net a win for Kieran Culkin in the Best Supporting Actor category. That’s very good news for Paul Giamatti this year, who was seemingly runner-up to Cillian Murphy in Best Lead Actor just a few years ago. And Julianne Moore has the pedigree to be worthy of a second Oscar, especially in a thinner field such as this. The film will be playing above-the-line primarily, so a hot start at the prominent critics' organizations will be necessary. Project Hail Mary In terms of marrying box office with critical acclaim, Project Hail Mary was the champion throughout the first half of the year. That’s good because voters are getting a little better at memory retention for films released several months before voting starts. Amazon MGM is a bad awards campaigner, either crashing films altogether or just scraping by the skin of their teeth. But they haven’t had a certified crowdpleaser like this heading into the season, so that should make the campaign significantly easier. I’m currently feeling bullish on Ryan Gosling making it in. He seems like an early favorite for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, will be better received by the populist SAG voters, and could make it in at Critics Choice due to their expanded nominee list. I am slightly contradicting my confidence by not also predicting a nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay. But that category has been weird over the years, giving the cold shoulder to big films like Killers of the Flower Moon and Dune: Part Two . All of a Sudden In the expanded era, no director who has previously taken the Cannes path to Best Picture has been able to replicate that success. By that theory, I would be foolish to expect Ryūsuke Hamaguchi to not only match his haul from Drive My Car , but improve on it with acting nominations. Crazier things have happened, and All of a Sudden could leapfrog into becoming Neon’s best contender should the political coldness of Fjord turn people away. The female acting categories are also weaker this year, giving more credence to Virginie Efira and Tao Okamoto using their joint Best Actress prize from Cannes to launch them into the race. The challenge will be getting voters to commit to seeing a 196-minute film primarily set in a nursing home. But with Hamaguchi becoming a relative star on the arthouse/awards scene and the glowing reviews, I think that’s an easy enough hurdle to clear. Elsinore Since 2021, Focus Features has debuted four films at the Telluride Film Festival that have gone on to be nominated for Best Picture: Belfast , The Holdovers , Conclave , and Hamnet . Each scored several above-the-line nominations and fit a certain sensibility that matches well with both American and European sensibilities. Elsinore perfectly fits those criteria this year, arriving with immense buzz for Andrew Scott’s lead performance. There’s also industry favorite Olivia Colman in a supporting role. The film will also play at TIFF during Focus’ preferred midfestival slot, making it a serious contender for the People’s Choice Award. I’m predicting that to happen, and that being the start of this breakout contender. Ink Bringing up the rear is another Netflix product, one they scooped up the rights for once the film was locked to be hitting the trifecta of Venice, Telluride, and TIFF. The steamer is more than capable of racing multiple forces, and the source material is widely acclaimed. I trust Danny Boyle to liven it up, with Guy Pearce potentially getting an afterglow nomination from The Brutalist as another business tycoon. Netflix campaigns hard and fast, which in turn means some of their films burn bright and die fast. This one will have to maintain its moments in the three-month gap between the festival premiere and the public release. Luckily, it’s opening Venice, so we’ll know in a few days if it has the goods to accomplish that task. Other Contenders Of course, this predicted lineup will surely not be what the final nominees look like. There are just as many films just outside of my lineup that have as strong a chance. One of them is Werwulf , which will reap the rewards sown by Nosferatu . It likely won’t have the same box office success due to its folk horror weirdness and lack of brand value compared to the iconic vampire. But the goodwill Eggers continues to build through his excellent craftsmanship will likely have his new film repeat the same nomination haul. There’s also Digger , which I’ve completely soured on once Warner Bros. released the trailer. Alejandro G. Iñárritu is a filmmaker whose style can grate on an audience to the bone when it doesn’t work, and the smugness displayed here elicits no sympathy from me. The 100 million-plus budget is unlikely to be recouped, causing a trail of articles headlining its box office underperformance to stunt its awards chances. Of course, none of that really stopped a similarly satirical filmmaker in Adam McKay with Vice and Don’t Look Up , and Iñárritu has been even more beloved in the past. I await with bated breath. At the end of the day, everything is written in pencil… except for most of the nominations for The Odyssey . The bloodbath of the fall festival generates some clear winners and losers, so this list will be heavily readjusted in the coming weeks. Luckily, I’ll be attending TIFF again this year, so I’ll be able to offer a first-hand opinion for many of these contenders in my next update. More Reviews Primetime September 22, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Unabomber September 24, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Look Back September 16, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Elsinore September 14, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen