After the Hunt October 7, 2025 By: Button Hunter Friesen Luca Guadagnino's After the Hunt opens with the sounds of a ticking clock. With each tick, a routine is established for Alma Imhoff (Julia Roberts). She's woken up in the morning by a kiss from her husband Frederik (Michael Stuhlbarg), takes two pills as she shuffles through their classy apartment, and then struts across the Yale campus to teach her philosophy course. Days go by like the seconds on that looming clock, almost as if you could blink and fast-forward through weeks of monotony. And then, one day, that clock stops, jolting your eyes wide open as you scratch and claw to hang onto all that you have. That occurs the day after Alma and Frederik host a party for the students and faculty. Hank (Andrew Garfield) is the department's resident bad boy, poking and prodding at the generational divide between the guests. He and Alma are good friends, and both are up for the same tenured position. Hank especially likes to mischievously pick on Maggie (Ayo Edebiri), Alma's favorite student, who just submitted her PhD dissertation. Barbs are shared, wine is copiously consumed, and everyone goes home having flexed their favorite philosophical jargon. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8R6DMlDtxk Maggie appears on Alma's doorstep the next day. She explains that Hank came up to her apartment after walking her home. A few more drinks were shared, and then he "crossed the line." Hank denies the whole thing, spinning a yarn about confronting Maggie for plagiarizing her dissertation, and this being her way of covering it up. Between what she should believe and what she chooses to believe, Alma becomes the third point in this triangle, which opens up old wounds from her conflicted past. Guadagnino and first-time screenwriter Nora Garrett don't allow a single door to be kept open, always half or fully closed. Sightlines are blocked and voices are muffled, leaving assumptions to fill in the gaps. “I’m in the business of optics rather than substance,” says the school dean, a poignant summarization of how these issues are handled. A young male student tells Alma that she will get tenure because higher education now favors women in the post-#MeToo climate. Maggie is a black, queer student in a largely white population, and she comes from rich parents who have made a handful of sizable donations to the university. These things initially carry as much weight as the facts of the case, eventually growing to bury the truth of the matter underneath layers of excuses and conjecture. But the truth by itself is just as slippery. Guadagnino takes after David Fincher, specifically his idea that “language was invented so people could lie to one another.” Everyone goes into a conversation with an agenda, twisting and turning every syllable beyond its face value. What they can’t control is their body language, which Guadagnino and cinematographer Malik Hassan Sayeed capture under a microscope. Hands fold at the end of a sentence, and eyes dart once a question is asked. Jonathan Demme’s famous close-ups take a new life here, with the 180-degree rule being broken as characters talk directly towards the camera. In those moments, you can no longer hide from what’s been bubbling over, almost as if you’ve been slapped back awake after spacing out. Roberts is fantastic, presumably taking a lot of inspiration from Cate Blanchett’s performance in Tár . There’s even a similar scene where she scolds a student who dares to question her teachings. Her conviction is supported by her sharp outfits and blonde hair, with every confrontation being a battle she has every intention of winning. But she also carries a loose thread, one that completely unravels her once someone starts to pull on it. Garfield is slimily charming, so full of himself that you’re confident that he is capable of doing bad. And Edebiri finds the gap between naivety and confidence, knowing that she hasn’t been fully stripped of power in this situation. As evidenced by the Woody Allen-inspired credits, Guadagnino isn’t interested in making things comfortable or easy for us. That doesn’t come as much of a surprise, considering the tangledness of previous works like Suspiria and Queer . Any answer will have to be formulated on your own and subjected to assumptions and doubts. Even the ending betrays what we were left to speculate, fittingly illustrating that a maze can never be solved by going in a straight line. Amazon MGM Studios will release After the Hunt in select theaters on October 10th, followed by a nationwide expansion on October 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

F1: The Movie June 17, 2025 By: Button Hunter Friesen Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt) is the kind of driver they don’t make anymore. He races on instinct and adrenaline, pushing aside the fancy gadgets and gizmos. He doesn’t care about fame or money; just the thrill of the ride and where it will take him next. He’s also crashed every kind of car there is, doesn’t play well with authority, and is just a general pain in the ass. He’s a has-been, or, depending on who you’re asking… a never-was. That combination of salt and pepper makes him the perfect Hail Mary pass for the fledgling Apex Grand Prix team, owned by his friend and former racing buddy Ruben (Javier Bardem). He’s got a raw talent in Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris), who needs a bit of mentoring before he can start thinking about being the best of the best. The familiarity of that plot doesn’t just stem from its similarities to several other films in the sports subgenre, but also from that of Top Gun: Maverick , also directed by Joseph Kosinski. Sonny is Maverick, Joshua is Rooster, the race team is the other pilots, and the F1 season is the battlefield. It’s as simple as that. One could claim that Kosinski is just playing the same notes, almost becoming a cover version of himself. Others will say that he knows his strengths and what his audience wants. Both sentiments are true on a spectrum, with me leaning closer to the former. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CT2_P2DZBR0 There’s plenty of spectacle to go around, all bought and paid for through the combined war chests of producer Jerry Bruckheimer, studios Apple and Warner Bros. Pictures, and the International Automobile Federation. The reported $250-300 million budget is lavishly presented in every crisp image and roaring piece of sound. If Top Gun: Maverick was a not-so-subtle commercial for U.S. Navy aviation, then this is an unabashed love fest for F1 racing. Characters make speeches about growing up with dreams of being here, and real-life famous drivers like Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton (also a producer) make appearances. Just as they did in Top Gun: Maverick , Kosinski and cinematographer Claudio Miranda combine practical driving with convincing visual effects. They avoid the clichéd mantra of “just drive faster,” opting to really dig into the nuts and bolts of racing strategy. When are you going to make a pit stop? What tires are you going to use? When are you going to switch them out? What positioning are you hoping to grab on this next turn? These are the decisions that the drivers have to make in a split second, all while strapped to a glorified 200 mph rocket. It’s thrilling, even if it all follows a pretty similar pattern as we travel across the globe, as the team competes just to stay afloat. All that spectacular showing is what makes the telling especially grating. Kosinski and co-writer Ehren Kruger can’t be faulted for wanting to hold the hands of audience members unfamiliar with this world. But having the announcers commentate on every single move was several steps too far. I’m either being told what’s about to happen or what just happened, neither of which I wanted or needed. What’s the point of building suspense through the intricate visual language when you’re just going to tell me everything right before the big reveal? This might sound like just a nitpick, but it’s one of those game-breaking bugs that would infinitely enhance the experience with its removal. There’s also not as much humility to grapple onto either. Those supposedly thorny but lovable characters are just a bit annoying, never fully earning our respect and admiration. Every character talks about how they just want to hear it straight, which just means they want to hear whatever the plot needs them to. Pitt is still at his most assured coolness, the movie star magic never fading even as he’s fully immersing into the “I’m gettin’ too old for this shit” phase of his career (see last year’s Wolfs ). Kerry Condon gets the blockbuster she deserves after The Banshees of Inisherin , although her interesting individuality gets sidelined for a traditional only-in-the-movies romance with Pitt. Without a thoroughly compelling story and racing scenes that needlessly keep themselves on cruise control, F1: The Movie can only be met with a polite shrug. It’s good enough to be summer escapism, and will likely have you driving home with a bit more lead in your foot. Let’s just hope that doesn’t cause as many crashes as there were in the film. Apple Original Films will release F1: The Movie in theaters nationwide on June 27th. More Reviews Primetime September 22, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Unabomber September 24, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Look Back September 16, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Elsinore September 14, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

Talk to Me July 26, 2023 By: Button Hunter Friesen The horror genre has been experiencing a small renaissance as of late, with more than a handful of fresh-faced directors announcing themselves to the world through the art of the scare. Robert Eggers ( The Witch ), Jordan Peele ( Get Out ), Ari Aster ( Hereditary ), Jennifer Kent ( The Babadook ), and Julia Ducournau ( Raw ) are just a few who have risen to the top of the game in the last few years. To use a term that has become a meme at this point: They elevated a genre that has historically been disrespected. Now, with the pandemic forever shifting the theatrical landscape, it seems that horror movies are the only things that are guaranteed to put butts in seats. Add in the rise of technology, and it’s never been easier to enter the business. Australian YouTube sensations Danny and Michael Philippou, a.k.a RackaRacka , have done just that with Talk to Me , an exceedingly well-crafted, albeit slightly shallow, debut feature. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLAKJu9aJys A drug is storming through the streets of Australia, hooking in teens with unprecedented potency. It’s not heroin, cocaine, or even some other narcotic you’ve ever heard of. It’s actually a sick game where the contestant holds onto a ceramic scrawled with illegible writing. Uttering the words “talk to me” conjures up a dead spirit that can only be seen by the person touching the hand. An even greater high can be achieved by saying “I let you in,” which allows the spirit to take control of the person’s body. But be warned: Holding the hand for more than ninety seconds will allow the spirit to remain in the host forever, essentially rendering them a puppet of the undead. Mia (Sophie Wilde) is a teenager riddled with guilt and trauma from the semi-recent, unexplained suicide of her mother. She’s become the sad sack of her class, a status she would like to turn around. The best way to do that is to get in with the cool kids, who are all about the hand. Mia quickly becomes addicted to the feeling of dissociating from this mortal world. “I don’t feel alone anymore” is her foolproof excuse to her protective friend Jade (Alexandra Jensen), who feels like this thing is snowballing into dangerous territory. Jade is absolutely right, as with any regular drug, the good times eventually fade out, and the darkness begins to take over, only this time in the form of unholy entities wreaking havoc on your body and soul. There’s a social undercurrent relating to young people’s unquenchable thirst to become viral sensations throughout much of the horror. An exciting opening tracking shot sees one of the victims of the hand executing the wishes of the damned, with a crowd of teens recording the whole thing. Earning tens of millions of views through their YouTube channel, the Philippou brothers are adept at commenting on seeking online attention. They’re not as adept at handling the topics of grief and loss, however, as Mia’s relationship with her deceased mother and distraught single father never feels more than anything we haven’t seen in several other “smart” horror movies. And while it is a little refreshing to have a movie with a simple premise and rules, there is a desire for more information to be supplied regarding the perpetrators. The craftsmanship on display is quite remarkable. When people talk about the theatrical experience, they mostly mention the size of the screen and how it adds unparalleled scale to already mammoth productions like Oppenheimer and Avatar: The Way of Water . But the thing that theaters do best is suppress your senses, keeping you locked to the moment, and focusing only on what’s in front of you. Talk to Me will surely not play as well at home, where the bone-crunching sound design and crisp cinematography by Aaron McLisky won’t be able to take over ears and eyes to its full effect. The reaction from you and the audience during the wince-inducing moments is what keeps Talk to Me alive, pushing it to be a cut above the rest of the pack. The Philippous seem to be fast learners when it comes to filmmaking, and I’m excited to see what the future holds in store for them. A24 will release Talk to Me in theaters nationwide on July 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

Deadpool & Wolverine July 23, 2024 By: Button Hunter Friesen Deadpool & Wolverine may be the most Marvel thing Marvel has ever produced, which is saying a lot considering they have a whole character who carries that moniker. And considering just how long and intensive this machine has been going, that’s also a statement you already know how to interpret for yourself. This isn’t going to win over any outsiders, nor does it serve as the self-dubbed “Marvel Jesus” that will offer a hearty course correction that the passengers on this increasingly derailing train so desperately need. But even if it can’t turn water into wine, it can easily turn two hours into a solidly entertaining time, something that has become a valuable currency at this stage in the game. Director Shawn Levy, the biggest rival to Hugh Jackman and Mint Mobile for the role of Ryan Reynolds ’ best friend, takes a page out of his namesake brother Sean Baker’s playbook for how to energetically open a movie about a motor-mouthed scumbag. NSYNC’s “Bye Bye Bye” kicks us into music video mode as Deadpool spills more literal blood in thirty seconds than the MCU has done in its past thirty features. It’s a cheap trick akin to using “I Need a Hero” during a training montage, but clichés are only born because they work, and the sight of dismembered limbs and the Merc with a Mouth sensually dancing did put a somewhat sadistic smile on my face. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73_1biulkYk That grin stayed in a fixed position throughout the next two hours, although my eyebrows were raised a few times, the majority occurring during the timey wimey exposition dumps where the two seasons of Loki become a prerequisite. Just as the MCU is in critical condition, so is Deadpool’s timeline after the death of Logan in his 2017 titular movie. He was one of those figures whose universe lives and dies with them, so his departure gives the TVA the authority to speed up the deterioration process by pruning it off the tree of time. But for what the multiverse takes away, it also gives back in the form of countless iterations of our favorite heroes. Wade thinks that any Wolverine can fill the shoes of his Logan, which he unintentionally puts to the test when he pulls the worst one from another universe. Hugh Jackman reprising his most famous character after beautifully concluding that chapter in his career sounds sacrilegious by itself, but it’s less offensive once you start factoring in that Wolverine has only ever been the lead of large ensembles or solo features. It’s refreshing to see him equally billed with someone so different, and the real-life friendship of Jackman and Reynolds adds that extra bit of oomph to the expletive-laden one-liners. Another treat comes from the comic-accurate yellow jumpsuit that he gets to don. It also wouldn’t be too far-fetched to theorize that a few dump trucks of money helped sway Jackman’s decision to return. It’s money well spent, which can’t be said for the other hundreds of millions that went into securing such scenic locations as a drab wasteland, a nondescript forest, and your usual New York subway station. You can feel the layers of irony coming together as this initially scrappy franchise has become the megaton freighter it points and laughs at. A Honda Odyssey serves as an equally deflating vehicle of choice, although it gets a few bonus points for serving as the setting for an amusing action setpiece. Just as no problem in the MCU can’t be solved with cash and gratuitous quips, there’s also no moment that can’t be an opportunity to crack open the vault and play with the toys. The writers have read all the Reddit threads and think pieces, watched all the hours-long YouTube rants, and listened to all the podcasts about the state of comic-book movies. But more importantly, they saw how successful Spider-Man: No Way Home and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness were at creating viral moments through cameos and winks. No movie has been higher on its own supply than this one, with nearly a dozen slow-motion reveals and pauses for applause that will be immediately spoiled after the Thursday afternoon previews. It also means that the actual supporting characters like Emma Corrin’s villainous Cassandra Nova and Matthew Macfadyen’s Mr. Paradox are continually sidestepped in favor of further digs at Fox. Fan service can only take you so far, which is why Deadpool & Wolverine stop plenty short of being the MCU’s redeemer. There was a clear opportunity for this to be much more than just the thirty-fourth entry in this universe: a true game-changer that recontextualizes the past, revamps the present, and paves a new road for the future. Oh well, fun is fun, and this is summer after all, so it’s best not to overthink things. That’s the biggest benefit of this never-ending story, as all our hopes and fears can be punted onto the next chapter. Good luck, Captain America: Brave New World ! You’re going to need it! Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures will release Deadpool & Wolverine in theaters nationwide on July 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

Wolfs September 26, 2024 By: Button Hunter Friesen In Wolfs , both George Clooney and Brad Pitt’s characters go unnamed. It’s a requirement of the trade, both of them holding the title of “fixer,” someone you call when you’re in a jam and need help. A person who finds themself in this occupation needs to have a certain type of monasticism, explains Clooney’s character. They have no name, possessions, or past. They are a ghost… a lone wolf among a city full of sheep. The city in this scenario is New York, a familiar stomping ground for writer/director Jon Watts after his trilogy of MCU Spider-Man films. Here, he finally gets to turn the brightness down and send some characters to the morgue, although that Marvel-y banter has stuck around in his DNA. Prominent DA Margaret (Amy Ryan) is enjoying a night on the town. She picks up a young man (Austin Abrams) at the bar, gets a penthouse suite for the two of them, and starts drinking her troubles away. Except, new trouble arises when the man falls off the bed and crashes through the glass table, killing him. She can’t call the police, as the scandal would ruin her career. So, she calls the unnamed contact on her phone, with Clooney appearing at her door with assurances that he’ll make everything disappear. The swanky hotel fears a scandal just as much as Margaret does, which is why they send in their fixer (Pitt). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLJUPjiRbAM Just as it is annoying to find out that your Airbnb host double-booked you with another person during your weekend getaway, so is it for these two solitary professionals. But the only way to get the job done is to work together, a task that gets exponentially harder once drugs are discovered and the supposedly dead man suddenly wakes up. A lot of the early pages in Watts’ script are meant for blowing smoke up the asses of the two fixers. Several speeches about how they are one of a kind and that no one can do what they do. Of course, that whole angle gets demolished pretty quickly as these two are pretty much a mirror of each other. They dress in the same slick black outfits, talk in the same confidently hushed tone, and have bad backs. One could surmise this ironic humor is meant for Pitt and Clooney just as much as it is for the characters. They’re two identical movie stars from the same generation who could easily swap roles without much difference in outcome. I’d guess that Clooney would have nailed Moneyball just as much as Pitt did, and vice versa for Gravity . Luckily, the animosity and distrust between these two clones aren’t shared by Pitt and Clooney. Four movies together and a lifelong friendship go a long way to sell their instant chemistry here. The wisecracks and insults they share get tiring very quickly, but they always work on a basic level because of the infectious love the two of them have for each other. It’s Newman and Redford for the modern age, with some crime caper elements to keep the studio-mandated plot chugging along. Everything Everywhere All at Once cinematographer Larkin Seiple makes this look good for a streaming film, which is a backhanded way of saying it doesn’t look like a pile of digital garbage. Yes, there is a car commercial sheen to this that cannot be ignored, but the smoky shadows and nighttime gloominess of late winter New York sell the intriguing underworld that these characters dabble in. Theodore Shapiro provides a lofi techno soundtrack that’ll go great with any study session. None of this amounts to much of anything that will be memorable. I haven’t thought about it at all in the 24-hour gap between watching it and writing this review. It’s fun in the present and harnesses the power of movie stars in a time when that magic has steadily faded. For that, it gets a half-thumbs-up seal of approval. Apple Original Films will release Wolfs in select theaters on September 20th, followed by its streaming premiere on September 27th. More Reviews Primetime September 22, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Unabomber September 24, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Look Back September 16, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Elsinore September 14, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

Mother, Couch July 3, 2024 By: Button Hunter Friesen “It was all very simple; they were looking for a dresser. Blood wouldn’t spill till later.” These words scrawl across an almost Toy Story -esque cloudy background before the camera pans down to your typical furniture store. It’s a foreboding string of words, one that prompts several questions. What’s the significance of the dresser? Why is blood going to be spilled at a furniture store? Whose blood is it going to be? Writer/director Niclas Larsson wants you to hang on to these questions for dear life throughout his oddball feature debut, one that packs quite a sizable cast consisting of Ewan McGregor, Rhys Ifans, Taylor Russell, Lara Flynn Boyle, F. Murray Abraham, and Ellen Burstyn. Instead of doing as Larsson says, we’re often left scratching our heads and asking, “What’s going on?” and “Who cares?” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Znu2_4vAD4s But it is not all lies that Larsson peddles, as there is truth in his first introductory sentence. Things did start very simply, with David (McGregor) and Gruffudd (Ifans) helping their mother (Burstyn) shop for a specific dresser in a now-closing furniture store. David is on the clock as he’s supposed to be helping set up his daughter’s birthday party. And yet this dresser can’t be found, and neither can his mother in this maze of a store. He wants to cut his losses and just leave, but she says she’s not getting up from the couch she’s plopping herself down on. After a few seconds of silence, David starts to realize that she’s deadly serious. Minutes of coaxing turn into hours, in which each passing moment becomes increasingly unhinged. While hidden from the internet and any of the press materials, an exclamation point is added to the title when it flashes on the screen after the opening credits. In addition to being part of the confusion about the punctuation surrounding the title (I’ve seen a clean split between Mother Couch and Mother, Couch ), that extra element at the end creates an undeniable link to Darren Aronofsky’s Mother! . Both films hid their true meanings behind metaphors and stand-ins, only for all to be revealed through an extended sequence of batshit insanity. Aronofsky’s work may have been extremely on-the-nose and pointed towards an easy target, but it did always contain a certain level of excitement on both a literal and figurative level. No such thrills exist in Larsson’s film, with endless visual teasing and dialogue exchanges that dance around the central mystery, quickly overstaying their welcome. Everyone other than David seems to have a grasp on what’s truly going on, almost as if this is all some elaborate social experiment. The physical space certainly makes it feel that way; the confoundingly laid-out hallways and storage rooms create a maze for these helpless mice to traverse through. If the cast were just as unsure about the material as we are, they hide it well behind their solid performances. McGregor gets to let loose as he has over the past few years on television ( Fargo , Halston ), keeping hold of his Scottish accent and running around like a chicken with its head cut off as Christopher Bear’s Punch-Drunk Love -styled score ratchets up the tension. Taylor Russell’s character seems to only speak in double entendre, and F. Murray Abraham is diabolical as the twin store owners. All of it’s interesting on paper, with only a very small amount of it translating to the screen. Larsson may have had a lot of confidence in what he was doing, but I’m pretty sure he’s the only one who will get anything out of this. Film Movement will release Mother, Couch in select theaters on July 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

Presence September 6, 2024 By: Button Hunter Friesen To label Presence as a horror film feels a bit misleading, as is the indication of quality with the flag for the film’s January release having already been firmly planted by distributor Neon. The scares are never in your face, although the camera (also helmed by Soderbergh under his now-famous pseudonym Peter Andrews) does get quite close to the actors. That’s because the camera is a character, not just in the metaphorical sense, but in the literal sense that the camera acts as the first-person perspective for a character. This character can’t be seen or heard by anyone else in the cast, as they are a ghost roaming the halls and rooms within an upscale house residing in a suburban neighborhood. The story is told entirely from their perspective, a silent protagonist who observes everything, yet (mostly) takes no action. This bold experiment is another in a long line of Soderbergh’s forays into altering the perception of what stories should be told in this age of digital cinema. iPhones were used as cameras for his one-two-punch of Unsane and High Flying Bird , and Mosaic allowed the audience to experience the mystery through an app. But while those projects were meant to radicalize the process of making films, Presence opts to change what’s right in front of your eyes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfSNmYhV8Xc There’s a Michael Haneke-esque feeling of tension and voyeurism to every scene, each unfolding in a single take and being broken up with cuts to black. Some of the characters can feel that they are being watched, while others are totally oblivious to it. The most sensitive is teenage Chloe (Callina Liang), the youngest in the newly moved-in family. She’s dealing with the trauma of recently losing two of her friends, both of them dying under mysterious circumstances. Her feelings of unease are only exacerbated by the happenings around the house, such as doors creaking shut and objects suddenly falling off shelves. The rest of the unit is either in some stage of denial or acceptance of what’s going on around them. None of them know the 5 Ws and H for this entity, but they all realize deep down that something is happening. The initial buildup to the mystery is where Soderbergh and veteran screenwriter David Koepp (also the writer for Soderbergh’s Kimi and upcoming Black Bag ) flex their creative muscles to their fullest potential. As the homeward-bound camera weaves its way around, we gather snippets of the dynamics between the family. Mom (Lucy Liu) is controlling and pushy, obviously showing greater favor to the oldest son (Eddy Maday), while the dad (Chris Sullivan) tries to keep the peace. Secrets and subplots start interweaving from there, with mundane lines of dialogue from one scene acting as the hidden puzzle piece to unlock something later. Even at 85 minutes, nothing about Presence can be described as brisk, with the latter half of the film not following through with as much vigor as the setups would promise. A few reveals and twists are not as satisfying as they should be, with a little bit of an “Is that it?” energy permeating the entire experience as you walk out of the theater. The actors are all fine, especially Liang and Sullivan, with their characters sharing a deeper bond, and the technical experiment is perpetually interesting. This is more than a VR experience, although it could be a more than worthwhile starting point for something of that caliber in the future. This review was originally published from the international premiere at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival. Neon will release Presence in select theaters on January 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

Josephine February 7, 2026 By: Button Hunter Friesen By being located high up in the Utah mountains (or, starting next year, the Colorado mountains), intentionally positioned as far away as possible from the red carpets and bright lights of Hollywood, the Sundance Film Festival has always put itself in the best position to be the guiding light for the next generation of independent American filmmakers. In its early days, the festival ushered in the talents of Steven Soderbergh ( Sex, Lies, and Videotape ), Quentin Tarantino ( Reservoir Dogs ), Todd Haynes ( Poison ), and Gregg Araki ( The Doom Generation ). In more modern times, industry leaders like Ryan Coogler ( Fruitvale Station ), Damien Chazelle ( Whiplash ), Jordan Peele ( Get Out ), Ari Aster ( Hereditary ), and Celine Song ( Past Lives ) have each made their breakthroughs amid snowfall and frigid temperatures. As part of this year’s U.S. Dramatic Competition is Josephine , a film that feels destined to launch its writer/director, Beth de Araújo, into the same realm of acclaim as the previously mentioned names. It’s a film that the festival has been backing for many years, initially taking the project under its wing as part of the 2018 Sundance Institute Screenwriting and Directing Lab. After delays stemming from the pandemic and normal industry turmoil, the finished product has finally been unveiled. de Araújo clearly has used the years to refine and finely calibrate her story. A child’s life is fully filtered through their parents, every day being filled with interactions that become pieces of the puzzle to them as a human being. When we’re first introduced to the titular Josephine (Mason Reeves), we see the world through her eyes, similar to that of what RaMell Ross instilled in Nickel Boys . She’s going out to Golden Gate Park with her dad (Channing Tatum) for soccer practice . She’s at the exact age where she wants to appear grown up, repeatedly exclaiming that such things “are for babies!” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ao8z1dvMBRU In the park, Josephine will get her first unvarnished experience of the real world. In a playful race against her dad, she hides in a bush, waiting to jump out and scare him. On the other side of the trail, she watches as a woman walks into the park bathroom. A man then follows her in, drags her out, knocks her unconscious, and proceeds to rape her. The assailant is caught a few moments later, but that’s not the end of this. The coldness of my description of the climactic events matches that of de Araújo’s presentation. With Josephine’s eyes serving as the camera, we watch as the act unfolds in real-time. It’s one of several moments where a lingering camera is used to amplify tension and horror with clinical precision. Josephine’s life has now become bifurcated between the before and after of the event. Her childlike innocence has been short-lived, with her father and mother (Gemma Chan) having to guide her through the next phase. The parents have differing opinions, with mom wanting Josephine to see a psychiatrist, and dad putting her into a self-defense class. de Araújo plays down the middle of both sides, seeing the repercussions that come from running and facing your fears, especially when you’re too young to fully comprehend what’s happening. Time will eventually heal this wound, but an aching scar will be left. Reeves is a transcendent performer, never letting the layers of artificiality that inherently come with film inhibit her from finding the emotional truth. Tatum and Chan are also excellent, two parents clinging to each other as they’ve been shot into the void. If, for some odd and cruel reason, you were forced to only watch one film from this year’s Sundance Film Festival, make sure it is this one. This review was originally published from the world premiere at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival. Sumerian Pictures will release Josephine in theaters at a later date. 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

Terminator: Dark Fate November 7, 2019 By: Button Hunter Friesen No matter what our differences may be when it comes to politics and social issues, we as humans can all agree that the Terminator franchise has been downright awful for almost thirty years. Since the innovative T2 by James Cameron, the three sequels by lesser filmmakers have buried this once-popular series in a grave of mediocrity. And once again to milk more money out of nostalgic and hopeful fans, the franchise has been quasi-rebooted into the form of Terminator: Dark Fate . Set in a present where Judgement Day never happened, Dark Fate opens in Mexico City as two robots from opposite sides arrive from the future. Their target is Dani Ramos, an important figure who will someday lead the human resistance against the robot overlords. The human-robot hybrid sent to protect her is Grace, and the robot sent to kill her is the Rev-9, a shape-shifting terminator similar to that of the T-1000. As Grace fights to protect Dani, she is eventually joined by Sarah, who helps the pair go on the run from the relentless killing machine hunting them. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxy8udgWRmo Directed by Tim Miller of Deadpool fame, Dark Fate is a downhill action flick where the ride starts at the top and continues to sink lower as time goes on. The beginning action set pieces are ripped straight from T2: Judgement Day as the two robots track down their target and eventually meet for a fight. This initial scene is by far the best in the movie as each robot gets to show off its unique powers. Miller also lets the scene play out with minimal editing and great stunt work that highlights the quality of special effects. Once this scene is over, Miller has foolishly played his whole hand and left nothing else for the remaining ninety minutes. The action becomes a recycled mess as each subsequent scene takes place in dimly lit areas that try to hide the flaws. Nothing new is introduced about the humans or robots, and it all melds together into a blob of standard movie action tropes. With three screenwriters and five credited story contributors, Dark Fate has way too many cooks in the kitchen that end up canceling each other out. The plot is incoherent, which has now become a staple of the Terminator sequels. Time travel is a finicky business once you start to think about it, but this movie has serious logistical problems straight from the start. These huge, gaping plot holes negate any emotional connection to the story and make every plot twist easy to see from a mile away. The overstuffed writer's room also led to some insufferable dialogue choices. The usual franchise catchphrases are all here, only this time they’re painfully inserted and delivered to the point of parody. There’s also an incessant need for every other sentence to be a profound statement, especially any line from Dani or Sarah. In a seemingly desperate move, the producers brought back Linda Hamilton as Sarah Connor. The character and Hamilton’s performance are the film’s biggest assets, even as she struggles to work with the amateur material given to her. Mackenzie Davis is pretty good as Grace, the robot-human hybrid from the future. Like all robot characters from the franchise, she brings great physicality to her performance. Unfortunately, she doesn’t bring much emotion to her human half, stifling any connection to her character. Relative newcomer Natalia Reyes plays Dani and falls into the usual rookie trap of overacting. At the start, she does fine work, but as the film gets more dramatic, Reyes overleans into her one-note performance. Lastly, Arnold Schwarzenegger reprises his role as the T-800 Terminator. It’s no surprise that the Austrian is great in the role that he can play in his sleep by now, as he makes a nice pair with Hamilton and is the only reason some of the comedic moments work. Dark Fate is the best sequel since Terminator 2: Judgement Day , but that's such a low bar to jump over that it isn't saying much. It's like a student got three straight F's on their exams and then got a C-. It’s still not good, but at least they didn’t fail this time and are somewhat moving in the right direction. Paramount Pictures will release Terminator: Dark Fate in theaters nationwide on November 01st. More Reviews Primetime September 22, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Unabomber September 24, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Look Back September 16, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Elsinore September 14, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

Late Night with the Devil April 8, 2024 By: Button Tyler Banark On brief occasions, I’ll bring a notebook and pen to take notes while watching a movie. It’s been since November when I last did it for David Fincher’s The Killer . I don’t know what came over me to decide to do this again for Late Night with the Devil , but it turned out to be the right decision, as this film was a lot. It would be a massive understatement to say it was a good time because this is the best new horror movie I’ve seen since Midsommar . It acts as a fresh, spine-tingling fright fest that gets under viewers’ skins and breathes life back into found footage filmmaking. Found-footage filmmaking has evolved quite a bit since it started as a trip into the woods caught on film in 1999’s The Blair Witch Project . Capitalized by the horror genre, notably in the Paranormal Activity franchise, the style crept into sci-fi thrillers like Cloverfield and Chronicle . With Late Night with the Devil , the game has officially changed, promoting the gaze into the lens of a broadcast late-night talk show called Night Owls . Continually competing with The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson , host Jack Delroy (David Dastmalchian) hopes that their upcoming Halloween special will give them an edge. His guests for the episode include psychic Christou, magician-turned-skeptic Carmichael the Conjurer, parapsychologist Dr. June Ross-Mitchell, and her patient Lilly. What unfolds with these guests leads to chaos and forces Jack to revisit his shady past. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvt-mauboTc Late Night with the Devil cleverly finds ways to incorporate its found-footage DNA, allowing it to serve as a unique narrative tool. The structure is only used while the show is airing, which then shifts to a black-and-white handheld documentary gaze during the commercial breaks. Most of these documentary segments are stuffed in the beginning to serve as exposition, almost as a small price to unlock this grandiose puzzle. There is never a reliance on jump scares; rather, directors Cameron and Colin Cairnes focus on the fear of the unknown and what’s going to happen next. Many of those feelings come when June and Lilly conjure a demon named Mr. Wriggles, which takes over Lilly’s body and violently contorts it until you can hear her bones crack and skin peel. Of course, the sight of a little girl being possessed by a demon has become a common occurrence (see The Exorcist: Believer just last October), but it’s unique enough here thanks to Ingrid Torelli’s acting. And if that doesn’t send chills down your spine, the entire third act will with its all-out attitude of twisted material. Known for his versatility as a character actor in major blockbusters, including The Dark Knight , the Ant-Man trilogy, Blade Runner 2049 , Dune , The Suicide Squad , and Oppenheimer , Dastmalchian is finally given the time to shine in one of his rare lead performances. He brings both depth and nuance to Jack, convincing the audience of his internal struggles, all while wreaking havoc right in front of them. To be honest, I wouldn’t be surprised if he made my end-of-year Best Lead Actor ballot. The Cairnes’ script strongly comments on how far people are willing to go to achieve something, even in the face of dire consequences. There’s a moment where Jack sees Night Owls as a success, but even then, he succumbs to the realization that he’s flown too close to the sun. In the end, that’s what Late Night with the Devil is about, and in return, Jack is doomed to a lifetime of being haunted by this mistake. By the time this sinks in with audiences, there’s one thing left to give Jack (and the movie as a whole)...thunderous applause. IFC Films will release Late Night with the Devil in theaters nationwide on March 22nd. 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

Morbius April 4, 2022 By: Button Hunter Friesen I have made a deal with the devil. The trailer for Morbius has been stalking me ever since it first appeared in January 2020. It didn’t matter what YouTube video or movie I was watching in the cinema, the trailer would always follow me there. International arthouse movie? Morbius trailer would play there. Romantic comedy? Morbius trailer would be there too. Animated kids film? You guessed it, the Morbius trailer. After two years of agony, I’d had enough. I called up the Lord of Darkness and begged him to release me from this eternal punishment. He made me an offer for that request. His asking price: sell my soul or buy a ticket to the full version of Morbius . I chose the cheaper option (or so I thought), which was to put money in Sony’s pocket and buy a ticket to Morbius . And now after seeing the final product, I wish I had sold my soul instead. Morbius gives vampires a bad name, which is saying something since the famed bloodsuckers have had quite a tumultuous cinematic career. Besides the Dracula adaptations, there’s been a lot of crummy vampire stories, including multiple editions of the Underworld and Twilight franchises. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZ6iiRrz1SY I will say that it’s tough to categorize Morbius as a vampire movie since I honestly don’t know if the titular character is actually a vampire. Dr. Michael Morbius gets vampiric qualities after he mixes his DNA with that of a vampire bat. For some reason, this gives him superhuman speed and strength and also changes his diet from regular human food to human blood. His search for a cure has brought him a remedy that might be worse than the disease. And while it’s hard to tell if Morbius is a vampire movie, it’s even more difficult to tell if it’s a Marvel movie. Sony desperately wants you to think it is, as their trailers tout themselves as the studio that brought you the recent Spider-Man films. That may be a true statement, but it’s only half true, as Sony is part of the studio partnership with Disney that produces those films. And judging by each studio’s individual output, it’s clear that Disney does the heavy lifting in the relationship. So no, this is not a Marvel Cinematic Universe film, which means you don’t have to subject yourself to torture just to know how it will interconnect with the other pieces. The Disney+ Marvel shows are already torture enough. Sony may wave the Marvel flag to lure you into seeing this film, but there’s none of the Marvel charm or showmanship present within the film itself. There’s no thrill to this story, no reason in wanting to know what happens next. The stakes are nonexistent, as the only thing Michael must do is keep his bloodlust to a minimum and find a cure for his newfound condition. Honestly, after so many superhero films with apocalyptic scenarios, the lives of a few nameless side characters don’t interest me in the slightest. Of course, there is action in this “superhero” film to keep your brain occupied, even if it is the blandest and most murky action I’ve ever seen. I was so bored during the set pieces, that I amused myself by performing an experiment. I would watch half the scene with my glasses on, and then the other half with them off. In the end, it didn’t matter since everything is just a muddled mess of CGI. Trying to make out what is happening, especially during the tedious finale, is a fool’s errand that offers no reward. Poor Jared Leto has gone and ruined another comic book movie, just like he did with his “interpretation” of the Joker in 2016’s Suicide Squad . I’ll give Leto credit for saying that he always brings 110% to what he’s doing, which can be seen quite prominently in his offensive performance in last year’s House of Gucci . It’s just that what he’s doing tends to be wrong on almost every level. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that he drank real human blood to prepare himself for this role. From the bottom of my heart, I implore you not to watch Morbius . Because if Sony makes enough money from this to greenlight a sequel, I’m going to go insane as the trailer for Morbius 2 will undoubtedly stalk me like its predecessor. And if that does happen, I won’t make the same mistake twice and buy a ticket to it. I’d rather just sell my soul. Sony Pictures Releasing will release Morbius in theaters nationwide on April 01st. More Reviews Primetime September 22, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Unabomber September 24, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Look Back September 16, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Elsinore September 14, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

Asteroid City June 12, 2023 By: Button Hunter Friesen By far the strangest movie in his eclectic filmography, Asteroid City is Wes Anderson’s return to America in over a decade, having spent time in fictional Eastern Europe for The Grand Budapest Hotel , Japan for Isle of Dogs , and well… France for The French Dispatch . The fanciful writer/director takes us into the scenic deserts of the 1950s American southwest, specifically the titular sleepy tourist town that serves as the meeting point for all of the eccentric characters. The half-built town, complete with the stereotypical bar-stool diner and motel, is the destination for those attending the annual Junior Stargazer / Space Cadet convention. It’s a place where the best, brightest, and most awkward kids in America show off their new inventions, including a jetpack, raygun, and overhead projector for the moon, which, in one of many hilarious throwaway lines, is said to have huge potential in the future of interstellar advertising. Arriving in a putter under the beaming sun is Augie Steenbeck (Jason Schwartzman), a war photographer with a genius son and young triplet girls. This event is only a brief stop on his way to see his father-in-law (Tom Hanks, proving as always to be a wonderful addition to any cast), who’s the only other person that knows of Augie’s wife’s recent demise. Also in attendance is a group of other precocious children and their host of parents (Scarlett Johansson, Liev Schreiber, Steve Park, Hope Davis, etc.) Eventually, this event designed to look up at the stars comes in contact with something from there, which reshapes how our characters interact with each other and themselves. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FXCSXuGTF4 As I said in the opening sentence, this is Anderson’s weirdest movie to date, always keeping your eyebrow in a raised position. To avoid spoiling events beyond what is shown in the trailer, I’ll only mention that Anderson’s screenplay (written in conjunction with his usual partner Roman Coppola) emulates a certain Christopher Nolan movie that has to do with dreams. How else are you going to be able to fit in all the names within this all-star cast, including regular players Edward Norton, Adrien Brody, Jeffrey Wright, Willem Dafoe, and Jeff Goldblum? The term “this is the most Wes Anderson movie Wes Anderson has ever made” has been used to describe nearly every new entry in his filmography. That cycle doesn’t stop with Asteroid City , as the traits you’ve come to love (or hate) are all here: symmetrical framing, varying aspect ratios, color and black & white cinematography, and steady camera movements. Anderson’s usual designer, Adam Stockhausen, once again creates a doll-house world filled with too many sights and sounds to be absorbed in one viewing. Sure, there may now be umpteen TikTok and A.I. generated videos replicating Anderson’s distinct style, but all of them contain just the window dressing of a Wes Anderson movie, and not the emotion. Just as his box of tricks has constantly evolved, so has Anderson’s ability to find the heart in his richly defined characters. While on their methodically placed tracks, each character veers off in different directions, exploring the fear of death, finding connections in a barren land, cutting through the messiness of life, and paying homage to those kitschy B-movies you grew up watching late at night on the public access channel. 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’ve come to love, with the bonus of seeing an auteur continue to find new ways to channel what they do best. This review was originally published from the world premiere at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival. Focus Features will release Asteroid City in select theaters on June 16th, followed by a nationwide expansion on June 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