Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One July 5, 2023 By: Button Hunter Friesen It’s been close to four years now since, while on a press tour for his newest film, The Irishman , Martin Scorsese expressed his opinion about the Marvel Cinematic Universe. “That’s not cinema” is one of the lines he said, equating the ever-expanding franchise of films to a theme park. It was a statement that spawned a million clickbait articles, a follow-up op-ed by Scorsese in The New York Times , and caused an uproar amongst the fans of the superhero genre. While those who are likely to don Batman’s cape and cowl and Superman’s red tights for Halloween may have tossed a few darts toward a Scorsese-framed board since then, the fans of the Mission: Impossible franchise would be ecstatic to hear the world’s preeminent filmmaker label their favorite films as theme park rides because that’s exactly what they are. The seats shook violently, and the sound system endlessly roared as I sat to watch the seventh and newest entry in the now thirty-year series: Dead Reckoning Part One . The only thing that prevented my hair from sticking up, as I had just gotten off a roller coaster, was that I didn’t have enough of it on my head to begin with. But the one thing I did walk away with was a smile on my face and a sense that I had been dazzlingly (and smartly) entertained on a hot summer night, which is a reward that seems to be coming at a premium this year (cue the camera pan over to the dumpster where The Flash sits surrounded by flies). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avz06PDqDbM The beginning of this thrill ride starts in the past as a Russian submarine carries on board a super-powered artificial intelligence program known as The Entity. It makes trillions of computations per second, using past data to predict the future with unprecedented accuracy. Just as the laws of screenwriting would dictate, something that smart can only be caged for so long. The machine eventually gains sentience, sinking the ship and unleashing itself onto the entire global network. It essentially becomes the HAL-9000 on steroids, unable to be stopped by anything except the conjoined halves of the key that originally powered it on. The mission to find those keys in the present, should he choose to accept it, lies upon the shoulders of Ethan Hunt. He still has his core team of Luther (Ving Rhames), Benji (Simon Pegg), and Ilsa (Rebecca Ferguson), with a new addition in a pickpocket named Grace (Hayley Atwell) who gets tangled in the web of interested parties, which also includes a mysterious figure from Ethan’s past known as Gabriel (Esai Morales) and the various agencies of the US government, who always seem to have a reason for wanting to arrest Hunt. Very few movies can attempt to go from the Bering Strait to Yemen to Amsterdam to Venice within their first hour. Dead Reckoning does it with ease as writer/director Christopher McQuarrie propulses the story with a bit of visual and written flair. There’s always an amount of giddy wit involved in the movement of a scene, just like it’s a dance to one of your favorite songs. The ultimate kineticism of the previous entry, Fallout , may not be surpassed, but it is closely reached on a few occasions. No one does a chase scene better than Cruise, with a last-minute one in Venice being a clear highlight because of the sheer athleticism involved and Lorne Balfe’s hard-charging score. These Mission: Impossible movies aren’t the kinds of films you get pumped for because of the performances, but they’re still better than average here. The character of Ethan Hunt may not stretch Crusie’s acting chops like Magnolia (I’m contractually obligated to myself to mention his brilliant performance and Oscar snub for PTA’s best movie), but there’s a strong dramatic core that goes along with every physically death-defying stunt. This is all still a vanity project for him, which makes it a little hard to buy each of the several times he speechifies about how much he cares about his friends and family. Humility does not serve Cruise well, which has made him a questionable person and a fantastic movie star. There are also several speeches - some extremely theatrical ones - that are littered throughout the movie so it can properly explain what The Entity is and how big a threat it poses. To be honest, I’m still not exactly sure what the limits of its power are, as many of the twists it employs on the characters feel like they were just made up on the spot. That’s not really a hindrance to the overall enjoyment since this franchise is built upon pretty silly stuff and pulling one over within the blink of an eye. And when you get to witness another incredible setpiece like the highly publicized motorcycle jump, the complications around the motivations for the action don’t matter that much anymore. All that matters is what’s in front of you at that exact moment, which is usually quite a sight to behold. Not many franchises and movie stars can boast about getting better with age, especially when you start entering into the third decade of their existence. Tom Cruise and these Mission: Impossible movies have continued to push the envelope not just in terms of action filmmaking, but just plain filmmaking altogether. Dead Reckoning Part One has placed the ball on the tee with gusto, and I’m looking forward to the latter part to blast it away. Paramount Pictures will release Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One in theaters nationwide on July 12th. 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

Monkey Man April 4, 2024 By: Button Hunter Friesen Dev Patel’s Monkey Man lives and breathes in a world of action. Everyone is unruly and agitated, the mirrors are perpetually broken, the harsh lighting bathes everything in shadows, the TVs are always tuned to the exposition news channel, and the fans are dramatically spinning above everyone’s heads. Patel has openly expressed his influences for his first directorial feature, ranging anywhere from Bruce Lee, Korean action films such as Oldboy and I Saw the Devil , and the John Wick series. There’s a little bit of everything mixed into this killer cocktail, which is finished off with some Indian mythology and political commentary. The biggest inspiration for Monkey Man is, of course, the legend of Hanuman, the Hindu monkey deity. It serves as the opening prologue, given by the mother of Patel’s character, named Kid, as a younger child. She speaks of a great avenger who fights for the people against their abusers, leaving no villain left standing. Kid takes that message to heart, with the moral of the story being further burned into his psyche after his village is destroyed and his mother is murdered at the hands of the power-hungry Baba Shakti (Makarand Deshpande). With the ball passed to his side of the court throughout his entire adult life, Kid rises through the ranks of the criminal underworld to get closer to his targets. There’s no room for anything in his life besides revenge, which he will get at any cost. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8zxiB5Qhsc Patel lays on a thick layer of brutality to every image and interaction within Monkey Man . There is no light at the end of this tunnel, nor is there one at any of the stops along the way. There are multiple instances where Kid gets swept up in his rage, often caused by flashbacks to the night when he lost everything. And when he does let out the beast, the results are gnarly. The choreography is rougher around the edges than the John Wick films, with the camera pulled in tight and tumoring around with the actors. It’s a little bit closer to the Raid films from Indonesia, always daring you to ask how no one was severely injured performing these stunts (Patel did break his hand and toes). But like its mostly silent main character, Monkey Man is a better film when it opts for action over words. Co-writing with Paul Angunawela and John Collee, Patel infuses brushes of social commentary into his tale of bloody violence. I’ll admit, I’m not well-versed in the culture of India, so there may have been a few (or several) ideas that went over my head. But much of it also feels surface-level, churning out a very similar story of the poor underdogs versus the rich aggressors. Baba Shakti isn’t much of a compelling villain, nor are his underlings Queenie (Ashwini Kalsekar) and Rana (Sikandar Kher). Yes, the action covers most of these problems, but there comes a point in a two-hour movie where there needs to be something else to chew on. That fact goes double once you realize that there are fewer action set pieces than you would think. Thankfully, Patel does deliver the goods whenever they’re promised. The final twenty-ish minutes rattles your senses with its propulsive camerawork and bone-crunching sound work. Producer Jordan Peele saved this film from the clutches of Netflix, giving audiences the proper way to experience it in a crowded theater. Hopefully, Peele’s investment in Patel leads to more collaborations down the road, specifically with Patel behind the camera. Monkey Man is a solid first outing, with only some minor recalibration required for everything to click just right. Patel has been continually linked to the role of James Bond since Daniel Craig's retirement. Maybe he’d become the first 007 to also direct an entry in the franchise? I kind of like the sound of that. Universal Pictures will release Monkey Man in theaters nationwide on April 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

Next Goal Wins September 11, 2023 By: Button Hunter Friesen Based on the overwhelming reactions at the Toronto International Film Festival premiere, Taika Waititi’s Next Goal Wins should be a shoo-in for the People’s Choice Award or at least a spot in one of the runner-up positions. It felt as if there was a real soccer crowd in that auditorium, as each goal was met with rapturous applause and the boos reigned down after each mention of the opposing team. That immediate passion is a product of Waititi’s unmatched skill at creating sympathy for the underdog, something TIFF audiences are familiar with and have rewarded in the past (2019’s Jojo Rabbit was awarded the People’s Choice Award, ultimately resulting in an Oscar win for Best Adapted Screenplay). The only thing the American Samoa soccer team is known for is being the biggest loser in the world. They lost 31-0 in a 2001 World Cup qualifying match against Australia and had still not scored a single goal in all the games they’ve ever played. Fortunately for them, coach Thomas Rongen (Michael Fassbender) is on the job market after being fired by the US national team. With no other options, Rongen reluctantly takes the position, setting up a battle between a man who gives up on everything and a team that gives up (even though they probably should). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRH5u5lpArQ Shot in 2019, it’s a minor miracle that Next Goal Wins is finally seeing the light of day. During the post-screening Q&A, Waititi said he found the silver lining during the endless delays, as it allowed him to have more than enough time to perfect the editing. It paid off, with Waititi’s signature punchlines being delivered with precision. And the soccer matches have great energy to them, pulling you into the drama. Nothing is surprising about the plot; it’s just your average sports drama about an underdog team. Waititi embraces that concept rather than running away from it. Many of the jokes play off the clichés, such as Rongen giving the rousing pre-game locker room speech, only for one of the players to notice that he’s just ripping off the one Al Pacino gave in Any Given Sunday . The style and substance of these jokes never really change, meaning they get a little tiring the longer the film goes on. But even if their effect is progressively diluted, it’s still pretty funny throughout. Michael Fassbender hasn’t been in a film since 2019. Dark Phoenix was in theaters at the same time this was filming. He hasn’t lost a step during that hiatus, delivering the comedy he never gets to do, along with sprinkles of the grizzled drama we’ve come to know him for. Oscar Knightley often steals the show as the overly optimistic soccer federation chief, and Kaimana brings great emotion to her role as Jaiyah, the first openly non-binary and transgender international soccer player. It is a shame that Waititi and co-writer Iain Morris don’t invest enough in her story, leaving her importance a distant second to Rongen’s despite their similar screen presence. Next Goal Wins makes fans out of all of us, both thanks to Waititi’s skill and the simple goal it strives for. It’s effortlessly watchable, uncontroversial, and full of good vibes, making it one of the best options for the family this year. This review was originally published from the world premiere at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival. Searchlight Pictures will release Next Goal Wins in theaters nationwide on November 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

Run Rabbit Run February 7, 2023 By: Button Hunter Friesen Two things are entirely predictable within Run Rabbit Run , debuting at this year's Sundance Film Festival as part of the Midnight Madness section. The first is that Sarah Snook is terrific in the lead role, stripping away her ultra-rich American vibe from Succession and donning her native accent and a plain demeanor. The second predictable thing is the entire plot, right down to character motivations and specific moments where we're supposed to feel scared. It's nearly impossible to feel an authentic level of terror when those elements are so transparent, so all we end up doing is staring blankly at the screen, waiting for what we expect to happen to actually happen. Snook plays Sarah (why make things more complicated?), a single-mother fertility doctor in Southern Australia. She appears to be on decent terms with her ex-husband, who pops in to help celebrate their daughter Mia's seventh birthday. But just as one life is being celebrated, another is being mourned. Sarah's father recently passed away, leaving her in charge of the medical care for her senile mother, who is housed in a care facility. Mia has an odd fascination with Sarah's parents, even though she's never met them. She's constantly asking questions about them and decides to take on the persona of Alice to be closer to them. Things continually get darker from there, with Mia’s (or now Alice’s) actions becoming unexplainable, including creepy drawings and claiming to have memories of past lives. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFPovTGI8hA Run Rabbit Run is a film littered with symbolism, with the title providing a preview of what animal will be used to conjure up creepy imagery. Director Daina Reid and cinematographer Bonnie Elliot produce some interesting shots, with the white fluffiness of the titular animal providing a stark contrast to the gloomy shadows within Sarah's home and psyche. There's also a decent score provided by the duo of Mark Bradshaw and Marcus Whale, who semi-regularly partner with some of Australia and New Zealand's top filmmakers, such as Jane Campion on Bright Star and Top of the Lake . The low strings cut deep to the bone, with occasional pop whenever the terror becomes more in-your-face. "In-your-face" would also be an accurate way to describe Hannah Kent's script, which reveals so many clues early on that it takes little effort to figure out the "twist" ending by the midway mark. Sarah doesn't like to talk about her past, with her mother dropping hints along the way on account of her dementia. A few all too obvious glances at pictures and emphasis on words by the mother tell you all you need to know about what the name Alice means. And if that wasn't obvious enough, the final thirty minutes hammer it home with the same intensity as a nineteenth-century gold miner. It's almost a surface-level cliché at this point to compare this film to The Babadook , but the parallels are so on-the-nose that I feel like I wouldn't be fulfilling my professional duties if I didn't. Plenty of good horror movies have been copies of those that came before them, but they had to earn their keep through inventive ideas surrounding well-worn topics. Run Rabbit Run doesn't do any of that, pedaling the same "elevated" scares that we've partially become numb to at this point. This review was originally published from the world premiere at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. Netflix will release Run Rabbit Run on its streaming service on June 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

Renfield April 12, 2023 By: Button Hunter Friesen The last time we saw Count Dracula, he was given a dark and gritty reboot (I say that in a backhanded tone) in Dracula Untold . It was a vain and half-assed attempt by Universal to set up their “Dark Universe,” which also included the entirely forgotten The Mummy starring Tom Cruise. For all the talk about the MCU starting to falter in Phase 4, you still have to give Kevin Feige credit for keeping the ship afloat and thriving for so long, as everyone else can’t even seem to hoist the sails. But at least that curse put upon Universal came with a blessing for audiences, as it forced the studio to think a little more imaginatively with their famous monsters. Leigh Whannell’s The Invisible Man , starring Elisabeth Moss, took that ludicrous premise and turned it into a story about trauma (before it became an overused buzzword throughout the pandemic). And now we have Renfield , the story of Dracula and his servant in the modern-day, overflowing with buckets of blood, as well as a few laughs for good measure. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LmO6rmDW08 Nicholas Hoult plays the titular character, who was coerced into becoming the “familiar” (a nicer term for “slave”) for the Prince of Darkness (Nicolas Cage) way back in the 1930s, when he visited Dracula’s castle in hopes of making a real estate sale. An excellently crafted 4:3 black-and-white recreation of the 1931 original movie, complete with Hoult and Cage in period-accurate makeup and acting styles (I wished the whole movie was like this), gives us an introduction to this power dynamic. But while the world has changed drastically in the 90 years since, the relationship between the two of them has stayed the same. After an ambush by vampire hunters (sorry, Van Helsing is not with them), the two of them have been forced to relocate to New Orleans, where Renfield must find more victims for his master to feed on so that he may regrow to full power. But decades of killing innocent people for an evil dark lord have started to wear Renfield down. He decides he wants to do some good, which he gets an opportunity to do when he finds himself in the middle of a war between an honorable cop (Awkwafina) and the son (Ben Schwartz) of the most violent crime family in the city. Director Chris McKay, who brought us The Lego Batman Movie (fun!) and The Tomorrow War (boring!), goes for an action-comedy tone here. Renfield acquires powers similar to Dracula when he eats bugs, allowing him to execute goons with superhuman levels of brutality. The humorous attempts at extreme gore make more sense once you realize the idea for this story comes from Robert Kirkman, creator of the other ultra-violent comics (and subsequent television series) The Walking Dead and Invincible . The action scenes are filmed with pulpy flair but are undercut by excessive use of CGI instead of practical makeup, which is made even more disappointing since it’s already being used to perfection on Cage as his mangled body slowly heals from its wounds. Ryan Ridley’s script also has issues finding a healthy middle ground, with the attempts at digging into toxic relationships being too shallow, and the comedy being too on-the-nose. Renfield’s narration mostly just repeats what we already learned visually, and characters repeatedly spell out the plot and their motivations in expository dialogue. But most of those missteps are forgiven thanks to the movie completely delivering on its simple promise of seeing Nicolas Cage playing Count Dracula. Whether it’s flesh or the scene itself, Cage is always chewing on something through his extremely committed performance. He’s having an infectious amount of fun in the role, letting out his trademarked hoots and hollers between moments of extreme violence. If this movie achieves nothing else, I hope it inspires Cage to become this generation's Christopher Lee for the character, reprising him again and again in some (hopefully creatively inspiring) future iterations. Universal Pictures will release Renfield in theaters nationwide on April 14th. 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

Ranking the Planet of the Apes Franchise May 7, 2024 By: Tyler Banark As one of the most unsung yet successful franchises in film, the Planet of the Apes franchise, much like its subject material, has evolved. It all started as a sci-fi adventure film that took the world by storm in 1968, which inevitably led to a hit franchise in the 70s. The sequels weren’t as critically successful as the original (as you’ll see reflected in this ranking), but they still made a big enough splash to warrant four of them. Tim Burton attempted to revitalize the franchise in 2001 but failed in doing so (also reflected in the rankings). However, his flop provided a silver lining in the form of a catalyst for another reboot that changed the franchise forever. Now, the newest series is looking to continue with its fourth entry, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes . Now is the best time to look back and rank all nine films in this primal franchise once and for all. Spoiler Warning: Specific story points will be mentioned when talking about some films 9. Planet of the Apes (2001) I admire Burton for twisting the synopsis of the original to avoid being a scene-for-scene remake, but then he also fails to follow through by making overt callbacks that now feel out of place (what was up with that twist ending!?!). The combination of Wahlberg and Burton is one of the oddest pairings since De Niro and Tarantino. But while the latter worked against expectations, this one unsurprisingly struggled. There’s also Tim Roth doing way too much behind pounds of unconvincing makeup. Thankfully, this single entry can be easily forgotten. 8. Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973) As the final part in the original series, Battle finds itself recycling several elements from the previous outings, all of which at least tried to further a theme within this universe. The story sees apes and humans living in peace, but when Cornelius learns of his past, he brings light to the mutant humans from Beneath . There’s also corrupt general Aldo leading an uprising against Caesar in hopes of planting Apes at the top of the food chain. What unfolds between these plots makes for numerous continuity errors in the franchise, specifically how this prequel ties into the 1968 original. It’s never a great sign when you’re franchise’s big send-off poses more questions than it answers. 6. Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972) Taking place years after the deaths of Zira and Cornelius, Conquest sees their son Milo (now named Caesar for some reason) grown up and living in a world where apes have become slaves to humans. Cats and dogs are a thing of the past, and apes have become popular pets, leading Caesar to lead an uprising (take a shot every time that word gets mentioned in this ranking) that starts the downfall of humanity. Roddy McDowall, who played Cornelius in Escape and the first movie, plays Caesar and gives a noteworthy monologue to end the movie. But the run-of-the-mill plot and lazy casting choices make this into a rote entry. At least Rise was able to improve upon the basic premise decades later. 6. Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970) Sure, the idea of talking apes is inherently weird, but Beneath is just plain absurd. Although it continues to build and expand upon the ape world, there are some serious “jump the shark” moments such as mutant humans worshipping an atomic bomb. On the other hand, the technical aspects were improved by the bigger budget, with the makeup design still being impressive. Charlton Heston’s screentime was drastically reduced, with new addition James Franciscus taking over the main human role. Was it all worth the effort? Perhaps, even if what it's showcasing raises an eyebrow amongst its viewers. 5. Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971) Without a doubt the best of the original sequels, Escape took the franchise in a vastly different direction. It sees Zira and Cornelius getting out of Ape City and traveling back to 1973 when the humans ran the world. Through seeing the world differently, Zira and Cornelius get a slight taste of their own medicine as the humans look down on them. The only difference is that other humans are more welcoming to them than the Apes treated Taylor, Nova, and the other humans. Escape also takes the approach of being more character-driven, as we see Zira and Cornelius undergo development, as well as their side of the fallout seen in Beneath and navigating an Earth run by humans. The only fluke was the extended runtime and lack of action, although that ended up being the least of the franchises’s problems the longer it went on in this era. 4. Planet of the Apes (1968) The one that started it all, 1968's Planet of the Apes is a feat of grand filmmaking. Giving the tone and stakes of a blockbuster (before the term was ever coined), director Franklin J. Schaffner crafts a sci-fi adventure of epic proportions. The Oscar-winning makeup design is impeccable, even if it later becomes dated as the franchise turned to sleek CGI in the 21st Century. Charlton Heston leads the cast as Taylor, an astronaut who's lightyears from home and gets caught in an alien world where humans are feral to apes. Michael Wilson and Rod Serling's script remains timeless as it discusses themes of social class that can also be interpreted as metaphors for a political conversation. The same goes for the iconic plot twist, which left much to explore in the years to come. 3. War for the Planet of the Apes (2017) The conclusion to Caesar’s story, War for the Planet of the Apes is a heartfelt sendoff to one of the most impressive character arcs in recent memory. Andy Serkis gives it his all in his final outing as Caesar who, at this point, is fed up with humans. The war that started at the end of Dawn is now in full swing, which reaches a pivotal moment when Caesar’s wife and eldest son are killed in a raid. Woody Harrelson makes for a great antagonist, and Steve Zahn is a nice addition as the comedic Bad Ape, although a lot of the humor around the character can be repetitive. That feeling of spinning wheels also extends to the plot as much more time was spent at the Colonel’s base than was needed, preventing the fulfillment of the title. Still, it was more than a fitting ending to the reboot trilogy. 2. Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) The movie that changed it all for the better, Rise of the Planet of the Apes reignited a fire that wasn’t seen in the franchise since the 1968 original. Only this time, Rise provides a much stronger origin to how the apes got their intelligence. Andy Serkis may have been working in this industry for years up until this point, but it was Rise that cemented himself as a movie star. He captures Caesar perfectly and, thanks to his production company The Imaginarium, presents special effects that had never been seen beforehand. Serkis isn’t alone in front of the camera as he’s joined by a great ensemble consisting of John Lithgow, Freida Pinto, Brian Cox, Tom Felton, David Oyelowo, and James Franco. Contrary to almost every other entry in the overall franchise, Rise could have benefited from a longer runtime. 1. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014) As the top dog (or ape) of the entire franchise, Dawn not only ups the ante from Rise , but also makes for one of the best modern sequels. It tells a compelling story that sheds light on both sides of the apes vs. humans conflict, with director Matt Reeves making quite the statement for himself. Everyone is at the top of their game, including Serkis, Jason Clarke, Toby Kebbell as the villainous Koba, and Michael Giacchino sneakily turning in one of his best scores. Rise may have kicked off the excitement for the new series, but Dawn was the one that made it something truly special. You can follow Tyler and hear more of his thoughts on Twitter , Instagram , and Letterboxd . 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

Nuremberg November 3, 2025 By: Button Hunter Friesen As the screenwriter for the all-around masterpiece that is Zodiac , James Vanderbilt essentially gets a lifetime free pass. Unfortunately, he milked that freedom for all its worth with some doozies like the Adam Sandler-led Netflix whodunnit Murder Mystery (and its sequel ), White House Down , and this year's most forgettable blockbuster, Fountain of Youth . Nuremberg might just be what the doctor ordered to get things back on track, a by-the-numbers World War II courtroom drama packed with an all-star cast. Although Vanderbilt seems to have focused too much on the vegetable portion of that prescription, delivering a film so stately and sturdy that it might as well be a long-lost HBO made-for-television movie. That's not a far-fetched comparison, considering that the Nuremberg trials have already been depicted on television in a two-part TNT miniseries, airing in the summer of 2000. Brian Cox won an Emmy for his portrayal of Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring, the second most powerful official in Nazi Germany, behind only Adolf Hitler. Russell Crowe steps into that role for Vanderbilt's film, an adaptation of Jack El-Hai’s 2013 book that features a few of the same historical figures as the miniseries. One of the first images lensed by DP Dariusz Wolski is that of an American soldier urinating on a Nazi sign as he escorts civilians to safety in the spring of 1945. The war is winding down, leaving over 70 million dead in its wake. Göring's civilized and half-hearted attempt to drive away from the scene of the crime leads right into American hands, where he is arrested and jailed with the rest of the Nazi high command. But that was just the easy part, with the decision of what to do with him being exponentially more difficult. For as much as everyone would like to see it happen, immediately killing him would send a far too vengeful message than the world needs at this moment. U.S. Supreme Court Justice Robert H. Jackson (Michael Shannon) has the idea to put them all on trial, an Allied coalition effort that would unequivocally prove the Nazi's guilt in their crimes against humanity, thereby diminishing their power throughout the future. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvAy9C-bipY While the allies are preparing their case, the United States military has brought in hotshot psychiatrist Douglas Kelley (Rami Malek) to assess the prisoners' mental stability and ensure they are fit to be put on trial. Sensing an opportunity for professional and monetary gain, Kelley decides to focus his efforts on Göring, meeting with him on several occasions to gather material for an eventual book on the psychology of evil. But what he doesn't expect to discover is a man not so different from him, one who genuinely cares for his wife and daughter, and probably eats and drinks more than he should. He flawlessly served his country, raising Germany from the destitution it was subjected to after World War I to a world superpower. He doesn't have hate in his heart for a specific group of people, just the general enemies preventing him from doing his duty. That sense of banality to some of the most inhumane acts in human history is a similar theme that director Jonathan Glazer explored in his Nazi-centered film, The Zone of Interest . Like Göring, several other Nazi officials simply saw themselves as cogs in the war machine, following orders for the service of their country. It was like a corporation, with lower-level individual ideologies being subsumed by the orders of higher-ups. Clashing with your boss is a bad idea for anyone trying to make a name for themselves in the new world order. But while Glazer let our minds vividly paint the horrifying picture through a neutral point of view, Vanderbilt is much more heavy-handed in his approach. There are endless speeches about the importance of this occasion and how this has to work so it can never happen again. There does come a point when it would be more beneficial for Vanderbilt to cut to the chase and have the characters stare directly into the audience as they make their grand statements, all while holding up a newspaper with today’s prescient headlines. Still, there’s some charm to how old-school this all feels. It could also be my bias for any period piece that eclipses a runtime of two and a half hours. John Slattery plays the colonel in charge of overseeing the prison. Brian Tyler’s score swells as he gives each Nazi their own Suicide Squad-esque intro, complete with cheesy archival footage. He ends the sequence by rousingly announcing, “Gentleman, welcome to Nuremberg!” as if this is the beginning of some grand adventure. If this were to be considered an adventure, then it would have needed to find a better lead, as Malek is woefully miscast as the playboy doctor. He’s introduced by wooing a female passenger on his train with a card trick, except that no chemistry has been created to produce an inkling of attraction. Tom Cruise played this role best in A Few Good Men , with Crowe aptly supplying this movie’s version of Jack Nicholson’s Col. Nathan R. Jessep. He’s exacting in his words and confident in his methods, always seemingly one step ahead of what the Allies are planning. High school history teachers will have a field day with Nuremberg over the next few years, although they’d still be much better off by sticking with Stanley Kramer’s 1961 classic Judgment at Nuremberg . Rather than shy away from controversy, as was customary for Hollywood at the time, Kramer always dove headfirst into the thorny battles in America’s conscience, applying a showman’s touch to stories centered on morals rather than stars. Vanderbilt has modestly succeeded in living up to that expectation, although increased politicization of cinema in the decades since has sanded the edges off this story. Sony Pictures Classics will release Nuremberg in theaters nationwide on November 7th. 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

Is This Thing On? October 26, 2025 By: Button Hunter Friesen Whether it was intentional or not, Bradley Cooper’s third outing as a director, Is This Thing On? , feels very much like a direct response to all the negative criticisms surrounding the extreme formalistic showmanship of his sophomore feature, Maestro . Jumping from the populist smash hit that was A Star Is Born into a 4:3, mostly black-and-white biography on a semi-closeted classical composer was always going to be a major leap, especially when the aggressive awards campaign pushed Cooper to be labeled as a try-hard, a dubious title that results in polite responses from the industry, but no genuine love from the public. Unfair as those criticisms were to Cooper and his monumental biographical achievement, Is This Thing On? is the right move at the right time, a strategic downshift into a less pressurized register, all while retaining an uncanny skill at producing respectful adult entertainment. Cooper’s first appearance in the film is not as the lead, but as a supporting character named Balls (yes, really). At a party he and his wife Christine (Andra Day) are hosting at their New York City loft apartment, he falls over and spills milk all over the carpet. His immediate laughter and everyone’s bemoaning signals that this is a common occurrence, likely a symptom of his need to be high all the time and a head-in-the-clouds mindset after being upgraded from an understudy in a local play. He is the comic relief to this story, the foil to bounce off the dramatic journey that fellow partygoers Alex and Tess Novak (Will Arnett and Laura Dern) are on in their marriage. Twenty-six years of partnership are at its end, with Alex taking an apartment in the city while Tess stays in their home with their “Irish twin” sons. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4jx0Xgc_Pc Wandering the streets on a restless night, Alex stumbles upon the Comedy Cellar. Rather than pay the $15 cover charge, he signs himself up for the open mic night and improvises through a routine where he candidly lays out all his cards for the audience. That level of honesty is cheaper and more fun than therapy, so Alex decides to modestly pursue this avenue of self-expression. Having done similarly cathartic work on television in Flaked and BoJack Horseman , Arnett is adept at finding the balance between innocent humor and flawed darkness. There is a required level of awareness to be able to write and perform these self-deprecating jokes, but also a similar amount of cowardice to convince yourself to bear it all with complete strangers rather than your significant other. Meanwhile, Tess, after years of retirement due to motherhood, finds herself dipping back into the world of professional volleyball. She’s been offered a coaching position for the Olympic team, a decision that will push her to think of herself for the first time in years. Dern is positively magnetic, rediscovering her character’s individuality with an endearing attitude. Part of this narrative is inspired by the true story of John Bishop, a British man who turned to stand-up as a method of reconciliation after a breakup with his wife. Writing with Mark Chappell, Arnett and Cooper maintain that sense of grounding by forgoing the usual Hollywood-isms found in relationship dramas. There isn’t a big blow-up scene or a string of fights that eventually break the camel’s back, just a mutual understanding that it’s time to cut everyone’s losses. There’s a lot of humor in the logistics of this situation, as agreeing to a breakup doesn’t mean it immediately happens. Where will Alex sleep while he’s searching for a place to move to, and how will Tess manage her friendship with Alex’s parents, Jan and Marilyn (Ciarán Hinds and Christine Ebersole), who live just down the street from their house? The production is light on its feet, with Cooper being his own camera operator as he glides through the streets and cellar hallways. Long takes are used for both comedic and dramatic effect, with much of Arnett’s routines being captured in one swoop of close-ups. When Alex and Tess are walking to the subway from the initial party, a long pause of silence fills the air as their conversation hits its conclusion. They’re likely thinking about the same thing at that moment, but are both unable to fully express what they’re feeling. Convenience and contrivances for the sake of connecting the dots do come into play later on, with one pivotal scene featuring Peyton Manning as a volleyball coach, taking Tess on a date throughout the city. At some point, you do have to give yourself over to the fact that this is a movie, and shortcuts are necessary to truncate a year-long path down to two hours. Stuff like that rarely hurt Nancy Meyers or James L. Brooks in finding the truth of the human condition, and neither does it hinder Cooper, who can seemingly do no wrong once he has a man, a woman, and a camera. Searchlight Pictures will release Is This Thing On? in theaters nationwide on January 09th. 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

A Hero July 16, 2021 By: Button Hunter Friesen Without much fanfare, Iranian auteur Asghar Farhadi has become one of the most consistent filmmakers of the new millennium. His work has earned him prestigious premieres at film festivals, two Academy Awards for Best International Feature (2011’s A Separation and 2016’s The Salesman ), and the opportunity to work with some of the biggest international stars. Premiering at this year’s Cannes Film Festival (which usually serves as his launching pad) is his newest film, A Hero . Set within modern Iran, A Hero follows the life of Rahim, who is currently on a two-day parole from his prison sentence, which he is serving because of his inability to pay off a debt to a local lender. When Rahim and his girlfriend find a bag of gold coins at a bus stop, they decide to pawn them off to help pay the debt. Unfortunately, the exchange rate for the coins isn’t ideal, so they decide to do the right thing and return them to the owner. A woman comes forward to reclaim her lost property, which turns Rahim into a local celebrity for his generosity. But after some digging, hidden details start to come to the surface. Rahim’s story is put under a microscope, with many suspecting there’s more than meets the eye. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAJ6_lmr_HQ Barring his 2018 feature Everybody Knows , Farhadi has concentrated his storytelling on his home country of Iran. He has a fascination with showcasing the modern problems that its citizens often deal with, a monumentally difficult task considering the strict censorship the government puts on its artists. Despite the government initially banning him from making the film, Farhadi was able to explore the modern fallacies of divorce and gender in A Separation . A Hero taps into that same vein as Farhadi spins a web of moral and ethical quandaries so dense that it would give the world’s leading philosophers a headache. Often compared to the great Alfred Hitchcock for his knack for suspenseful drama, Farhadi structures his film with a rapid pace, both in terms of setting and plot progression. Taking place entirely throughout Rahim’s two-day parole, the film covers a lot of material in a short amount of time. And this material isn’t clean and dry stuff, as much of it contains complicated details and extensive critical thinking without the guarantee of a satisfying answer. Unlike Hitchcock, Farhadi is quite invisible in his direction. Like the master that he is (which isn’t to say Hitchcock isn’t a master), Farhadi is always present, but never visible. There isn’t anything showy about his work as the story and actors carry the film from beginning to end. His reluctance to overtly showcase his prowess to the audience is a sign of a director confident in his abilities and the crew that he has assembled. A Hero is still filled with a few directorial flourishes, such as a perfectly framed shot here and there, with the final shot rivaling his best visual work. Where Farhadi flexes his muscles is in the jam-packed script. Like Aaron Sorkin’s work in The Social Network , there are mountains upon mountains of dialogue, all going by in the blink of an eye. This is both a blessing and a curse to the film, as it produces a rapidly evolving plot that keeps you guessing, but also overloads itself and spreads its message too thin over too many topics. The ideas of The Good Samaritan and the troubling machinations of the court of public opinion are topics rife with debate that Farhadi is expertly able to dissect, but just not at the same time. At the center of the film is Amir Jadidi as Rahim, who, like all Farhadi performers, is a captivating lead. Despite his myriad of problems, Rahim always carries around a dogged smile on his face and a sliver of optimism in his mind. You’re attracted to him as a character because of this and feel betrayed by him once more light is shed on the truth. While he may not be working at the absolute height of his power, Asghar Farhadi’s A Hero is still a feature by a master storyteller doing what he does best. There’s a lot to learn and digest, with some of the material being quite rough around the edges. Few filmmakers are as gifted as Farhadi at showing the complicated nature of everyday life. This review was originally published from the world premiere at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival. Amazon Studios will release A Hero in select theaters on January 07th, followed by its streaming premiere on January 21st. 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

Immaculate March 27, 2024 By: Button Tyler Banark In recent years, Hollywood has found a knack for releasing random religion-themed horror films that either get overlooked or flop altogether. This was evidenced when I saw Neon’s latest fright fest, Immaculate , and got a trailer for the upcoming 20th Century Studios horror film The First Omen . Director Michael Mohan and screenwriter Andrew Lobel craft a twist on the Rosemary’s Baby narrative with one of the hottest actresses working today, Sydney Sweeney. The movie looked like an intense, bloody horror show from the trailers. Ultimately, it’s a boring film that restrains itself from being the scariest thing to come out of 2024. After her parish shuts down in her hometown, American nun Cecilia (Sweeney) is assigned to a convent in rural Italy. As she settles in, she miraculously becomes pregnant and is proclaimed the next Virgin Mary. However, the more her pregnancy progresses, the more Cecilia learns of the convent’s darkest secrets. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewxS9Z-XXYo Although the synopsis seems too familiar, Immaculate initially appears to have the intention of breaking that formulaic mold through some solid cinematography and the casting of such a modern-day actress in Sweeney. But between Will Bates’ stock score and repetitious cycle of loud jumps scares and gotchas, this just feels like another entry in the already watered-down The Nun franchise. Sweeney is on a fascinating streak right now as Immaculate comes nearly one month after the disastrous Madame Web , which in turn came out a month and a half after the box office hit Anyone But You . Both of those opposites (as well as this project, which she produced) came after years of her presence on HBO with Sharp Objects , The White Lotus , and the controversial drama Euphoria . Her performance here might not break any new ground, but it does check off the box of being a solo leading lady who can sell a project on a concept and her acting abilities. She has a scream near the end where she’s caked in blood that echoes the signature outbursts from Janet Leigh in Psycho and Jenna Ortega in X . Aside from Sweeney, the cast isn’t very noteworthy, with everyone playing cookie-cutter horror characters. You’ve got the strict mother superior nun, the freaky priest who tries to defuse the situation but doesn’t help, the rebellious friend, and the one nun who thinks she’s better than everyone else. The only one that comes close to breaking out is Benedetta Porcaroli as Sister Gwen, the rebellious nun. When she and Cecilia are talking to each other and making humor out of whatever they’re doing, it’s cute, but it feels forced. If Immaculate is going to accomplish anything, it’s likely just that it’s a horror movie starring Sydney Sweeney and nothing else. There’s a moment where the nuns have a ceremony for Cecilia after the word of her pregnancy gets out. Cecilia is dressed in a lavish blue and yellow dress with a gold crown and see-through veil, metaphorically spotlighting her as the Virgin Mary. Everyone else is smiling and bowing their heads to her, reflecting how numerous viewers see Sweeney today. Then, in an instance, there’s a close-up of Cecilia shedding a tear, a callback to a certain shot of Sweeney in the second season of Euphoria . Are we as a society beginning to worship her as royalty this fast in her short career? Only time will tell, but I can guarantee people won’t look back at Immaculate as the primary reason for her ascendency. Neon will release Immaculate 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

Pressure May 29, 2026 By: Button Hunter Friesen At this point in cinematic history, making a film about D-Day should be considered a fool’s errand. As everyone knows, the opening combat sequence of the invasion of Omaha Beach within Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan established a landmark for depicting war on screen. The Golden Age spectacle is replaced with grim carnage, with faceless soldiers falling by the hundreds as body parts mix with the water and waves of the beach. Almost twenty minutes later, we’re finally allowed to breathe again, and our fists begin to unclench. No one has and likely never will try to reproduce that moment on that scale ever again, as Spielberg and his crew set the bar at an unassailable height. This is all to say that it was extremely smart of director/co-writer Anthony Maras to set his D-Day film, Pressure , away from the beaches and into the sky. The film still starts with its own view of carnage, this time a bird’s-eye view of Exercise Tiger in April 1944, one of the Allied rehearsals for the eventual invasion of Normandy. “It was a catastrophe,” reads the opening titles, with the result being the death of nearly a thousand troops, plummeting Allied morale as to whether they would be able to establish a foothold on the Northern European front. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdM4tdLQBg0 Only a few weeks removed from that embarrassment, the Allied forces are already pushing headstrong into their planned invasion. Monday, June 5th, is the penciled-in date, with nearly 5,000 ships and 200,000 troops set to descend upon the Nazi war machine. All that's needed now to turn that pencil into a pen is a forecast, which has been personally tasked to the Scottish meteorologist James Stagg (Andrew Scott) by General Dwight Eisenhower (Brendan Fraser). The readings Stagg produces will directly influence Eisenhower’s decision to order the invasion, essentially placing the fate of the free world in his hands (and maps). That last sentence about the weight that the 72 hours before the fateful day will carry throughout history is heavily bolded, underlined, and repeated throughout Maras and co-writer David Haig’s screenplay. Several speeches are given about how history will remember this moment, and that millions of lives hang in the balance. It’s all true, but it’s also a lot of preaching to the choir, just as the first opening title states that “this is a true story.” Duh. Fraser isn’t always the best actor to deliver these lines; his sensitive voice and big eyes oversell everything into schmaltz. Those same features prevent him from carrying the gruffness required of a military authority, which he sometimes has to do as he wrestles with Stagg’s inability to agree with his meteorological coworker, Irving Krick (Chris Messina). A symptom of this film being based on Haig’s 2014 play of the same name is that a lot of it takes place in a central location as army men argue about the weather. Jet streams, upper atmosphere pressure, surface air temperature, cloud shapes, and wave depths are just a few of the terms thrown around as Krick maintains his position that June 5th will be calm and sunny, and Stagg adamantly believes that the day will be ruled by heavy storms that will guarantee an Allied defeat. Messina’s cavalier Americanism butts against Scott’s stiffness. Stagg prefers facts over feelings; the latter he quashes repeatedly as he orders his staff to collect mountains of data from all over the world. Krick’s use of past precedent to predict future results is labeled moronic by Stagg in a scene that would normally burn much hotter if we didn’t already know who the right side of this argument was. For as much as this inherently nerdy scenario punches way above its weight class in terms of dramatic tension, there is always the hanging feeling of knowing how this all turns out. Luckily, Maras’ placement of the Omaha Beach landings at the end of the film offers a new layer of context. Our eyes are no longer solely fixated on the ground as men lay dying; they also look to the sky in gratitude for the tolerable weather that was afforded to them. Produced by Working Title Films and distributed by Focus Features, the makers of such prestige fare like Darkest Hour , The Danish Girl , and Mary Queen of Scots , Pressure looks and sounds just as commanding as its subject. Volker Bertelmann’s charging score is mightily similar to Conclave , which is almost exactly what I said about A House of Dyanmite just last fall. Hey, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Focus Features will release Pressure in theaters nationwide on May 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

Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire December 20, 2023 By: Button Hunter Friesen If you loved the “This is Katana” speech from 2016’s Suicide Squad , then you will have a field day with Zack Snyder’s Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire . Snyder and his two credited co-writers, Shay Hatten and Kurt Johnstad, steal from every source they can, so much so from Star Wars and Seven Samurai that George Lucas and the estate of Akira Kurosawa would be in their legal right to sue for credit, although they shouldn’t because that would tangentially connect them to this abominable script for the rest of time. But the con doesn’t stop on the page, as nearly every image is so steeped in the iconography of what’s come before that it’s impossible to see it for anything more than a cheap knockoff. Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. An opening crawl’s worth of lore is narrated by Anthony Hopkins as an evil dreadnought appears out of space and moves past the camera, which then pans down to a desert planet to reveal a young orphan farmer. No, the projectionist (or the Netflix server) didn’t accidentally play A New Hope , it just started the biggest edge lord wannabe since Todd Phillips’ Joker (that one at least boasted a high level of competence). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhr3MzT6exg Our young hero is Kora (Sofia Boutella), who harbors a traumatic past with the fascist Motherworld, led by Ed Skrien’s Admiral Atticus Noble, donning every piece of Nazi regalia except for the swastika. Kora knows that the arrival of Noble means death for her quaint farming village, but none of the other villagers take the danger seriously enough. The consequence of their underestimation is tragedy, prompting Kora to travel the galaxy assembling a team of warriors to fight back against the evil that encroaches on the people she cares about. That synopsis might seem simple enough (as it should because you’ve literally seen it before), but nothing is simple about the way Snyder tiringly doles it out. The who, what, where, when, and why are in a constant state of vagueness, masked by unclear exposition and uninteresting politics. At some point, you just have to throw your hands in the air and simplify it down to Kora being Luke Skywalker, Noble being Darth Vader, the Motherworld being The Empire, and Charlie Hunnam playing the Han Solo-type. What does that mean for the other half-dozen characters that don’t fit into that mold? It actually doesn’t matter because they hardly matter either, almost all of them serving more as action figures than believable mortals. But action figures deserve good action set pieces. And except for a genuinely cool fight between Doona Bae’s samurai witch and an Arachne, there isn’t a moment that inspires the eyegasm Synder so desperately wants you to have. He employs the typical slow-fast-slow speed-toggling at such a predictable clip that you’d wish it were eligible to be gambled on. The gore is also toned down considerably through choppy editing. That aspect has been lumped in with the individual character backstories as the main selling points for the future Snyder Cut, which promises to fix all the problems they’ve readily admitted feature in this cut. Those extra hours will include more opportunities for Snyder - serving as his own DP again after Army of the Dead (who the hell let that happen!?) - to indulge in his ultra-shallow focus cinematography. It’s not as ugly as before, but it still backfires to expose the artificiality of the sets and incessant visual effects used to cover it up. Returning to George Lucas, there were a few moments here that made the digital backdrops from the prequel films seem photorealistic. I don’t know where the story goes next in the soon-to-come sequel The Scargiver ; not because Snyder ended it on an interesting note, but because I’m still baffled about everything that happened and what it all means going forward. Honestly, it takes true talent to cheat this intensely and still fail so hard. Netflix will release Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire in select theaters on December 15th, followed by its streaming premiere on December 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