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You People January 25, 2023 By: Button Hunter Friesen In a recent interview she did with Indiewire centered around the world of You Hurt My Feelings at the ongoing Sundance Film Festival, star Julia Louis-Dreyfus had an astute observation about the power of film editing: “...when it comes to timing, both for drama and comedy but specifically for comedy if it’s not in place, it can be a butchery. It can be total nails on a chalkboard if you’re not with the right person.” If only she had shared that wisdom sooner with You People editor Jamie Nelsen and director Kenya Barris… Barris, co-writing with star Jonah Hill, makes his feature directorial debut with this film. He’s already spent years on television as the creator of the hit ABC sitcom Black-ish (along with its subsequent spin-offs Mixed-ish and Grown-ish ), as well as the Netflix series #BlackAF . Much of that sitcom energy spills into You People , with almost all of the scenes playing out as individual components that are awkwardly stitched together to deliver a less-than-compelling narrative. You People is essentially an unofficial remake of 1967’s Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner , except with none of the seriousness and intention to actually make a difference. The story, while believable in concept, is delivered with such simplicity that it might as well be titled You People Have Got to be Kidding Me?!?!? Things start off sweet as the white, Jewish Ezra (Jonah Hill) and the black, Muslim Amira (Lauren London) fall in love despite their many outward differences. Standing in the way of their love fully blossoming into marriage are their parents, namely Ezra’s mother (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) and Amira’s father (Eddie Murphy), who both can’t get over the fact that their child is marrying someone of a different race. Much of the “humor” within You People is that the characters don’t want to outwardly offend others by bringing up what they're really thinking, so they dance around the subject with endless rambling. It’s as if you’re binging five episodes of Curb Your Enthusiasm where Larry David gets himself into a bad situation and makes it worse by trying to talk his way out of it. Except here there are no Larrys as Barris and Hill don’t outwardly vilify their characters, keeping the conflicts superficial. All you get is an excessive amount of second-hand embarrassment and little first-rate sense of stakes or personal investment. If any of the characters sat down for more than five minutes and talked honestly, then none of this would be a problem. It seems like that was the intention that Barris and Hill had with their script, to show that all these racial problems could be solved with some understanding and truthfulness. But if Green Book erroneously taught us anything a few years ago, it’s that this problem doesn’t just go away with a quick heart-to-heart as it does here. Even Eddie Murphy, who can usually be depended on to spin comedy gold out of straw, can’t salvage what he’s given here. He’s given a movie star entrance as James Brown plays overhead, but then just sits back and bemoans about Ezra being white for the next ninety minutes. Louis-Dreyfus is probably worse served as she’s forced to recycle the same “older white woman who’s not in touch with today’s racial climate” bit on and on until it almost becomes offensive to comedy. You People tries way too hard to do way too little, becoming a “film for everyone” that no one will enjoy. Barris abruptly exited his $100 million multi-year deal with Netflix in 2021 for another lucrative pact over at Paramount. Somewhere in a Hollywood bar right now there are two executives, one from Netflix and the other from Paramount drinking together, except one is downing shots much happier than the other. More Reviews 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple January 13, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen The Rip January 16, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Dead Man's Wire January 14, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen The Chronology of Water January 9, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

Sometimes I Think About Dying January 26, 2023 By: Button Hunter Friesen Sometimes I Think About Dying had its World Premiere at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. Oscilloscope will release the film in theaters on January 26, 2024. Those who have worked in an office setting will find plenty to admire and shudder about in Sometimes I Think About Dying , director Rachel Lambert’s adaptation of the 2019 short film of the same name. Lambert essentially sticks a camera within a small-sized office on the Oregon coast, acting as a fly on the wall as a group of strangers fills their ho-hum days with small talk and routine socializing. Except there’s one person in the office who seems incapable of engaging in that sort of mindless thing. Fran (Daisy Ridley), always dressed in plain clothes and found sitting at her desk adjusting spreadsheets, can go for days without talking to anyone. This prolonged silence isn’t because she dislikes her coworkers, but more of a defense mechanism to keep people from finding out what’s underneath. Things change suddenly when a new employee, Robert, comes to town. He seems to be a translator between Fran and the rest of the world, slowly pulling her out of her shell. One of the things revealed early on comes from the name of the film, which is that Fran sometimes drifts off into space during the day. But she doesn’t fantasize about romantic endeavors or if they forget to turn the stove off. No, she thinks about all the different ways she could die, such as hanging from the large crane outside her office window or being consumed by insects in the nearby forest. Lambert, collaborating with cinematographer Dustin Lane and production designer Robert Brekco, stages these fantasies with surreal beauty. They may only be brief glimpses, but they stick with you long after. Lane’s camera never moves, often keeping the background out of focus as Fran eavesdrops on her coworkers. These moments can go on for extended periods, acting as a way to slowly enter the world of Fran. But it also feels like there’s not a ton on the page like it needs to be stretched in order to fit within the required feature runtime. Ridley does deliver one of her best performances as Fran, ditching the movie star swagger of the Star Wars films in favor of an extremely stripped-down inhabitation of a character. She speaks maybe five lines within the first thirty minutes, yet you’re endlessly fascinated with learning more about her. It is unfortunate later on when those simple questions aren’t answered, leaving you just as unsatisfied as when you started. Sometimes I Think About Dying is a small movie with a small scope, buoyed by some intriguing visuals and a standout performance from an actress who looks ready to take on this new side of her career. As a twelve-minute short film, it’s a bit too short. And as a ninety-minute feature film, it's a bit too long. Somewhere out there is a perfect 45-60 minute version of this story. But it’s not here right now, which is a shame. More Reviews 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple January 13, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen The Rip January 16, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Dead Man's Wire January 14, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen The Chronology of Water January 9, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

Top 10 Films of 2023 (So-Far) July 1, 2023 By: Hunter Friesen Half of 2023 has come and gone in the blink of an eye. Before I knew it, I had seen 67 new releases in six months. I can’t say that there’s been a bountiful amount of great work to bask in, but there’s always a small amount of stuff that deserves to be cherished. So, to give credit where it’s due, here’s my list of the ten best films I’ve seen in 2023 (so far). *Because some of the films I’ve seen so far were at film festivals, I will only be ranking the films that have received a general release in theaters or on streaming* 10. R.M.N. Featuring five different spoken languages (Romanian, Hungarian, German, French, and English) and characters from all different walks of life, Cristian Mungiu’s newest visual essay tells a universal story within one specific Transylvanian village. As is tradition for Mungiu, each scene is realized in unbroken takes, with the climactic town-hall meeting unfolding across 17 minutes and featuring dozens of characters. The naturalism is abruptly broken by the ambiguous final shot, leaving you with a disquieting outlook on this specific village, as well as the entire world. 9. Tori and Lokita The newest film from the Belgian brotherly duo of Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne finds them once again examining the miscarriages of social justice within their native country. Their handheld long takes and lack of score capture the harsh reality of society. There’s also a propulsive energy to the film, with the semi-criminal elements keeping the 85-minute feature (a staple length for the brothers) moving at a brisk pace. 8. Air Air is the cinematic equivalent of the final moments of an NBA game. Not every play goes as perfectly as it was drawn up, and there are a lot of mistakes that could have been ironed out in practice. But the sheer athleticism of the players/actors is something to marvel at. And when they take their shots, they make them count. Because both they and we know that when the ball goes through the hoop, and those feelings of victory come striding to the surface, everything that came before that ceases to matter. Full Review 7. BlackBerry Time has not been an ally for the BlackBerry phone, but I believe it will be for this movie. While the other movies in this growing subgenre built themselves largely around the iconography of the brand, Johnson always has his sights set on the people behind the machine, which is what makes this specific story that much more compelling and rewatchable. Full Review 6. Cairo Conspiracy Corruption runs rampant in the holiest of places within Cairo Conspiracy , as faith is used to broker further advances of power. Writer/director Tarik Saleh tells an overlapping story of politics and religion, molding his message within the old-fashioned espionage thriller genre to fantastic results. It’s both entertaining and enlightening, leaving you with something to ponder long after the credits roll. 5. John Wick: Chapter 4 Although I said the character of John Wick has drastically changed over time, the John Wick series has maintained that underdog energy since its initial entry, even though the budgets have increased nearly sixfold. Each sequel tries its hardest to outdo the previous one, offering an improvement on what’s already been done and creating something entirely new. I know it will be done, but I don't know how they’re going to top this in John Wick: Chapter 5 . Full Review 4. Enys Men Mark Jenkin’s Enys Men is the kind of film you stumble upon late at night as a kid where you have no idea what you’re watching and if it was any good, but you couldn’t help but be endlessly transfixed by it. Just as Ari Aster and Robert Eggers have amassed cult followings for their new-wave style of horror, Jenkin deserves the same for his now-signature trips down the psychological rabbit hole. The beckoning of Hollywood doesn’t seem to be having much effect on him, promising more distinctly singular work from this up-and-coming artist. Full Review 3. Chevalier Stuffy, overly serious, slow, and pretentious are all words most often used to describe period pieces. And yet, none of those words can be applied to Stephen Williams' Chevalier , which would have been one of the best movies of 2022 had Searchlight chosen to release it within the bloodbath that is Oscar season. Thankfully, they're smarter than me and waited until 2023, where it now sits firmly on this list among the greats. Full Review 2. Past Lives Perspective and perception are the keys to writer/director Celine Song’s screenplay, which uses a vast amount of space and time to tell an epically intimate story. Nora (Greta Lee) explains in-yun to Arthur (John Magaro) midway through the film. It’s the Korean concept of fate, suggesting that people are destined to meet if their past lives overlapped. Nora shrugs off the idea by saying it’s just “something Korean people say to seduce someone.” While Nora may not take that concept to heart, Song’s use of it within her film had me seduced in the moment, and will likely have me for the rest of time. Full Review 1. Asteroid City At this point in his filmography, you’ve probably made up your mind about Wes Anderson. I’m somewhat of an apologist, with those instantly recognizable production qualities and whimsical tones being music to my ears (and eyes). Asteroid City is another healthy dose of what I’m come to love, with the bonus of seeing an auteur continue to find new ways to channel what they do best. Full Review More Reviews 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple January 13, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen The Rip January 16, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Dead Man's Wire January 14, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen The Chronology of Water January 9, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

The Monkey February 17, 2025 By: Button Hunter Friesen The tagline for The Monkey , the new film by writer/director Oz Perkins, says that "everybody dies, and that's fucked up." You know what else is fucked up? Watching a filmmaker you've admired over the years torch all that goodwill with the same hellbent rage that Adam Scott has for the titular toy monkey during the film's cold open. This is not Longlegs , both in terms of the tone and overall quality. How and why Scott came to hate this monkey is a bit of a mystery. Even he's not exactly sure what it does, only that bad things happen whenever you turn the key on its back and let it bang its drum. And the definition of "bad" here isn't just a stubbed toe or missing the bus. It's the kind of bad that results in an extremely gruesome death in a series of events that would even make Rube Goldberg blush. The simplicity and inevitably of the threat that this primate possesses is where Perkins - adapting from the 1980 short story of the same name by Stephen King - finds his kernel of truth about the balance between life and death. Any of us could die at any time by any combination of causes. "It's like life" reads the box that the monkey comes nicely wrapped in, a sentiment echoed by the mother (Tatiana Maslany) of twin brothers Hal and Bill (played by Christian Convery as kids, and Theo James as adults). The boys learn firsthand on several instances the cruel power that life has to give and take away from you at any moment. Like me, just being aware of the concept of the Final Destination and Dumb Ways to Die franchises gives you more than enough familiarity with this concept. Perkins doesn't offer much of anything beyond the surface-level observations, opting for the comedy-horror tonal balance to do much of the heavy lifting. But between several horribly unfunny and/or funnily unscary sequences, the only facial expression you'll be making is one of annoyance. That weightless unpleasantness also applies to the deaths that litter the runtime. While everything that is happening to the people around the boys is horrifying, Perkins always dons a dastardly smile. A falling shotgun here, a slippery kitchen knife there, it's all supposed to make you simultaneously wince and howl with laughter. The suspense of the unknown in Longlegs has been replaced with the suspense of the inevitable. Granted, that is the point. It just makes everything feel so tedious, with a filmmaker taking us on several extra laps around a track that wasn't that good the first time. What is good is James' dual performance. Most of his time is spent as Hal, the smaller of the twins who constantly gets bullied and belittled. His ruggedly good looks and tall frame are submerged under glasses and a sheepish demeanor. Between him, the physical monkey doll, and the frames concocted by Nico Aguilar, The Monkey does at least have some visual splendors to enjoy. But the occasional treats for my eyes do not make up for the wretched experience that the rest of my body and soul were put through. More Reviews 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple January 13, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen The Rip January 16, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Dead Man's Wire January 14, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen The Chronology of Water January 9, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

The Worst Cannes Premieres Ever June 30, 2023 By: Hunter Friesen What do Michelangelo Antonioni, Federico Fellini, Martin Scorsese, and Terrence Malick all have in common? Well, along with all being considered some of the greatest filmmakers of all time, they’ve each had one of their movies on the receiving end of some nasty booing at the Cannes Film Festival. The audiences (and critics) on the French Riviera are famous for being extremely vocal about their adoration or hatred of a movie, with some being showered with physically taxing standing ovations ( Pan’s Labyrinth holds the record at 22 minutes), or a deafening amount of boos and whistling. But not every movie that gets booed is created equal. In the case of Martin Scorsese, his 1976 masterpiece Taxi Driver was the victim of a large contingent of vocal detractors. That didn’t stop the jury from awarding the film the Palme d’Or, nor Scorsese from returning to the festival years later (he’ll be back again this year with Killers of the Flower Moon ). This article isn’t going to be an inspiring story about the movies that overcame the negativity. No, the nine movies listed here all received their death sentence within the Grand Théâtre Lumière, either because of the weight of expectations or being of poor quality, or both. The Brown Bunny (2003) Credited as the writer/director/producer/star/cinematographer/editor (as well as about every other craft position), Vincent Gallo solely faced all the backlash in 2003 when he unveiled his much-anticipated follow-up to the indie sensation Buffalo ‘66 . The highly-experimental film caught flack for its glacial pacing and pretentiousness, with particular ire aimed at the unsimulated blowjob scene between Gallo and Chloë Sevigny. Audiences booed and ironically cheered each time Gallo’s name appeared on screen, with Roger Ebert calling it “the worst movie in the history of the Cannes Film Festival.” Gallo didn’t take kindly to Ebert’s words, calling the critic a “fat pig with the physique of a slave trader.” Ebert responded by saying “It is true that I am fat, but one day I will be thin, and he will still be the director of The Brown Bunny .” Surprisingly, the two sides would reconcile, with an edited-down version of the film screening at that year’s Toronto International Film Festival, which Ebert reviewed positively. Southland Tales (2006) Donnie Darko writer/director Richard Kelly thought he was entering the lottery when he submitted a rough cut of his sophomore feature, Southland Tales , for the 2006 festival. To his (and pretty much everyone else's) surprise, the selection committee liked it and invited him into the Official Competition. Kelly leaped at the opportunity, even if it meant he had to rush through the post-production process. That decision backfired badly, as critics lambasted the 160-minute film for being too broad and unfinished. The boos and whistles rattled throughout the Lumière Theater, with Roger Ebert calling the screening “The most disastrous since, yes, The Brown Bunny ." Kelly shared the same sentiments: "It was painful. I just thought, 'Please let it be over.” He went back to the editing room, getting more money from Sony to fix the visual effects in exchange for a reduced runtime. The film wasn’t seen again for another sixteen months, when it got an extremely limited theatrical release, grossing a little over $275,000 (the film was budgeted nearly $25 million). Burnt by the Sun 2 (2010) As the most expensive film in Russian history with a budget of $55 million, Nikita Mikhalkov's long-delayed sequel to his Oscar-winning film had enormous expectations. Cannes even circumvented their “world premieres only” rule by allowing the film into the Official Competition after it was first screened at the Kremlin. But by the time it reached the Lumière Theatre, the World War II film had already been panned by critics from both Russia, who claimed it was inaccurate and revisionist, and the West, who saw it as poorly-made Soviet propaganda. Mikhalkov's supportive stance of Vladimir Putin didn’t make things any better, with the film becoming one of the biggest bombs in the country’s history. Only God Forgives (2013) Between his films and overall demeanor, everything about Nicolas Winding Refn is divisive. So it’s not surprising that 2011’s Drive received one of the lengthiest standing ovations in festival history at 15 minutes, while also receiving a small handful of booing. That same dichotomy happened when Refn returned two years later with Only God Forgives , only this time the roles were reversed, with the boos overwhelming any positivity. Many critics described it as a beautiful painting without any substance, with Refn reaching even further into his pretentiousness. Rumors began to spread that the film was originally supposed to be screened as part of the Midnight Madness sidebar, where it would have potentially benefited from the lessened expectations. But the producers wanted to repeat the success of Drive and demanded a slot in the Official Competition. The negative outcome from that decision crushed any audience anticipation for the film, as it grossed a paltry sum when released a few months later. The Captive (2014) Several eyebrows were raised when it was announced that Ryan Reynolds would be starring in Atom Egoyan’s newest film. But Egoyan’s films ( Exotica, The Sweet Hereafter ) had always been praised for their offbeat nature, so there was still some optimism. But the pairing of one of Canada’s biggest stars and filmmakers went south quickly, as critics panned their film for its confusing nonlinear narrative and exploitative subject matter. American distributor A24, still in their early stages before they would become the festival darlings they are today, released the film on DirecTV’s VOD platform that winter to no fanfare. Even in Canada, where the film was given a theatrical release, the film was quickly buried and forgotten. The Search (2014) While Michel Hazanavicius didn’t become a household name after winning Best Director and Best Picture with The Artist in 2011, you’d still be surprised to know that his follow-up to that movie has still never been released within the United States. Much of the reasoning behind the film’s disappearance comes from its abysmal premiere at Cannes, which had launched The Artist after it was promoted to the competition at the last minute. But now that the lights were brighter, Hazanavicius crumbled, with his preachy and ultra-dreary retelling of the 1999 Chechnya civil war being perceived as exploitative. Hazanavicius has been back to the festival since, but he’s been demoted to just a regular player instead of the star that he seemed destined to become. Grace of Monaco (2014) Cannes has never had much luck when it comes to selecting its opening night film, with 2014’s Grace of Monaco being the biggest of all the offenders. Even by January 2013, Grace Kelly’s family disowned the film and claimed it was inaccurate. Harvey Weinstein, known for his frequent battles with directors among various other unspeakable things, had issues with director Olivier Dahan’s cut of the movie. The movie was pushed from the Fall of 2013 to the next spring so Weinstein could recut it. It was delayed again for a premiere at Cannes in May, where critics claimed it was of lower quality than a Lifetime Original Movie. Both Weinstein and the film’s writer Arash Amel were absent at the press conference after the disastrous screening. Coincidentally, the film bypassed a theatrical release in favor of a television debut on Lifetime a year later. Despite all the overwhelmingly negative reactions, star Nicole Kidman controversially received a SAG nomination, and the film received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Television Movie. The Last Face (2016) Audiences tend to wait until a movie is over before they give out their signature applause and/or boos. But the critics seeing Sean Penn’s refugee drama needed only one minute before letting out the hoots and hollers. The “call to action” love story starring Charlize Theron and Javier Bardem was savaged pretty much the whole way through, with the awful dialogue and white savior narrative being perceived as an insult to those that watched it. Many critics dubbed it as the worst film they’d ever seen at the festival. To make matters worse, the press screening took place in the morning, with the public premiere that night, meaning all those scathing reviews and tweets were out into the world before the cast had even walked the red carpet. The embarrassment from that situation caused the festival to implement embargoes in future years, holding all press reactions until after the evening gala screenings had finished. Mektoub, My Love: Intermezzo Fresh after winning the Palme d’Or for Blue is the Warmest Color , writer/director Abdellatif Kechiche premiered Canto Uno , the supposed first part in his new Mektoub, My Love trilogy, at the Venice Film Festival in 2017. The film received mixed reviews, with most critics complaining about the egregious 180-minute runtime and over-sexualization of the lead actors. Instead of listening to the detractors, Kechiche went in the opposite direction with the sequel, extending the runtime by almost an hour and featuring lengthy unsimulated sex scenes. The large majority of the audience walked out before the film finished, with one person claiming that “if the shots of butts were taken out, I think the film lasts 20 minutes.” Many of the actors claimed that Kechiche got them intoxicated so they would be less resistant to filming the sexually explicit scenes and that he wouldn’t screen the film for them before the premiere. The film has never been seen since that night, with Kechiche having to sell his Palme d’Or to raise funds for post-production after the financiers backed out. As further insult to injury, the final movie in the trilogy, Canto Due , was filmed before Intermezzo premiered, but no editing work has been done due to a lack of funds. Considering the allegations against Kechiche and the vitriolic response to the second part, it’s unlikely either of the final two parts will see the light of day. More Reviews 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple January 13, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen The Rip January 16, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Dead Man's Wire January 14, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen The Chronology of Water January 9, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

Smile 2 October 16, 2024 By: Button Hunter Friesen It’s crazy that Smile 2 so casually assumes that you haven’t seen Smile , the $200 million smash hit and global marketing sensation. How else could one explain the gumption that writer/director Parker Finn has to repeat all of the beats to his previous film, even down to the exact same twists and explanations for what is going on? There could be a slight excuse if this was released several years later and given a semicolon title like Smile: Rebirth or Smile: A New Chapter . But no, this is literally Smile 2 and it’s only been two years (or one day for someone like me who watched the first film in preparation), so we’re all left to experience déjà vu. Finn is a talented craftsman, engineering some decent setpieces through brilliant camerawork and sound design. His use of creeping camera pans is commendable, stirring up the tension as he allows our minds to create temporarily unseen terror. The opening sequence exemplifies all of this, taking place almost immediately after the ending of the first film. Joel (Kyle Gallner) is afflicted with the curse that besieged Rose, needing to rid himself of it through either murder or suicide. He attempts one of those options in an extended long take that traverses in and out of a drug house, capping with the other option. Time goes by and the location changes, but the circumstances remain the same. Skye Riley (Naomi Scott) is your average pop star attempting to make a comeback world tour after a falling out through drugs and alcohol. She still has a drug dealer, but only for Vicodin to help with her back pain caused by a car accident that killed her then-boyfriend. What begins as a suspected bad drug trip turns into something much more sinister once the dealer sports an eerie smile and bashes his face in with a barbell plate. The chain of haunting ensues, ranging from terrible visions to… well, pretty much just visions. If you were to list all of the terrible things that happened to Skye in this film, the large majority of them didn’t actually happen. The stakes get increasingly lowered each time something gets interrupted by Skye jolting awake only to realize it was all just a dream. It’s no different than the age-old complaint of the Marvel movies undercutting every emotional moment with a joke. But even in those dreams, the scares aren’t conveyed as effectively as they were the first time. For as much as Finn knows how to set something up, he opts for the balloon-popping jumpscare nearly every time. If you listen for the silencing audio cue, you can guess when it’s going to come without fail. It takes a lot of skill to scare people, and a whole lot less to startle them. Finn has what it takes to truly scare you, and there were several moments here where I could almost taste it. There are inklings of other themes outside of the well-worn topic of trauma that the first film embraced so enthusiastically. The pressures of fame compress Skye at every moment, with hundreds of people depending on her at every moment. She never smiles outside of performing, hoping that faking it will eventually lead her to making it. The increased production budget, most likely supplied through the blatant product placement of Voss Water, allows for some of those intricately choreographed stage shows to highlight the physical and mental demands placed on those just looking to entertain us. Of course, if you want to see the total unraveling of a popstar due to the metaphysical darkness that lurks behind every corner, you’re better off with Vox Lux , which should be all the rage now with the director’s new film, The Brutalist , making waves on the festival circuit. Smile 2 saves its best idea and single shot for the absolute end, presenting a unique idea for what could be in store for Smile 3 . If only Finn had decided to expedite that process and save us the two tedious hours to get there. More Reviews 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple January 13, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen The Rip January 16, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Dead Man's Wire January 14, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen The Chronology of Water January 9, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

TIFF24 Dispatch #1 September 14, 2024 By: Button Hunter Friesen All of the films were screened at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). Click here for additional full reviews and dispatches. Select films below will receive separate full-length reviews at a later date, most likely in connection to their public releases. Better Man If you squint hard enough into this picture, you can identity the gimmick that director Michael Gracey and Robbie Williams were going for with a biopic on the pop star’s life. And if you can’t make it out, I’ll just spoil it for you (don’t worry, there’s no way Paramount will be able to avoid this revelation once they start marketing it): Williams is played by a CGI monkey using the same technology as the modern Planet of the Apes films. It’s a motif that never distracts from the proceeding action, yet never gets above its surface-level message (He feels different! Do you get it?!?). It’s also the only differentiating factor the film has from every other musical biopic. Gracey recaptures the physical magic of the set pieces from The Greatest Showman , inserting a peppy step into this 131-minute checklist. (3/5) Hard Truths Hard Truths may be Mike Leigh’s return to his trademarked genre of kitchen sink drama, but doesn’t mark his return to the levels that he was regularly clearing. There’s an honesty to this story of a London family dealing with pent-up anger and resentment, with Marianne Jean-Baptiste (reuniting with Leigh for the first time since Secrets & Lies) delivering a powerhouse performance filled with creatively side-splitting insults and pathos. But its message is also a double-edged sword, as it’s also overly familiar to audiences since the conclusion of the pandemic. Even in well-worn genres, such as period pieces and domestic dramas, Leigh has always found a way to provide his own stamp. The only time he starts to unlock a new angle for this story is right as it’s about to end, which is too little, too late. (3/5) I'm Still Here Not to be confused with the Casey Affleck-directed “documentary” on Joaquin Phoenix, Walter Salles examines his crumbling native Brazil, both on the macroeconomic level and within the microcosm of a family. Fernanda Torres, daughter of Fernanda Montenegro, who reunites here with Salles with a small supporting role after 1998’s Central Station , delivers an award-worthy performance as the matriarch of a family caught in the vice that is Brazil’s brutalist regime circa 1971. Salles finds the heart and soul of this family and their house, with love found in every nook and cranny. True heartbreak is felt once everything begins to decay, with the family being left to pick up the pieces and slowly glue them back together in the years to come. (4/5) The Return Director Uberto Pasolini delivers an extremely classical piece of filmmaking, which is both a blessing and a curse. The old-school feel of the production provides an inherent sense of sweep, while the chintzy technicals keep everything outside of believability. Of course, myths aren’t supposed to be real, but this retelling of Odysseus lacks the stamina needed to be special. The two leads, Ralph Fiennes as the title character and Juliette Binoche as Queen Penelope, are unexpectedly fantastic, retaining that romantic touch they shared decades ago in The English Patient . They are stranded, both literally and metaphorically, on an island as the supporting cast ranges from mediocre to embarrassing. Pasolini stated that very few filmmakers have attempted to adapt Homer’s works because it would be impossible to surpass a story with thousands of years of importance placed upon it. It was brave of him to take the leap, but he would have been better off hedging heeding his own warning. (3/5) More Reviews 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple January 13, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen The Rip January 16, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Dead Man's Wire January 14, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen The Chronology of Water January 9, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

After Yang March 7, 2022 By: Button Hunter Friesen After Yang played at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival. A24 will release the film in theaters and online on March 04. What does it mean to be human? It’s a question that has baffled the greatest minds for thousands of years. There is no single answer, and just about every possible answer produces another exponential round of questions. But despite the daunting task set upon by any sedulous searcher, 2021 and 2022 have seen several filmmakers offer their own opinion on the matter. Revered master Apichatpong Weerasethakul gave us Memoria , a film with a meditative atmosphere that not so much answers questions, but leads the viewer down their path of contemplation. Through the process of human cloning, Benjamin Cleary’s Swan Song begged the question, can human identity be passed on and perfectly emulated by inorganic beings? Through the use of two brilliant Mahershala Ali performances, Cleary’s delicate parable of lost love showed the power of interconnectedness. And now, debuting before and after the previously mentioned films with its early Cannes world premiere and its U.S. premiere at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival, comes After Yang , a mixture of reality and poetry that breathes through its slow brew atmosphere. The second half of the title comes from the name of the perfectly human-like android within the multi-racial household of father Jake (Colin Farrell), mother Kyra (Jodie Turner-Smith), and child Mika (Malea Emma Tjandrawidjaja). Yang was brought into the fold at the same time as Mika was adopted from China as a way to connect her to her ancestral roots. For years, life has gone by as planned with Jake overseeing his tea shop, and Yang acting as Mika’s main point of contact for her identity crises. One day, that peaceful cycle breaks down when Yang enters a catatonic state. As they attempt to bring him back, Jake and Kyra learn more about Yang’s deeper connection to their daughter and the memories he harbored in a life outside his family. Writer/director Kogonada started out in video essays examining the themes of some of cinema's greatest auteurs such as Alfred Hitchcock, Yasujirō Ozu, and Ingmar Bergman. And now, with only two films to his name, Kogonada is already entering the conversation as one of the best humanistic directors of the modern era. His previous feature, Columbus , made use of precise visuals that synchronized with the gentle storytelling. It was a highwire act of writing and directing made to look remarkably simple. After Yang maintains that same level of stillness as it transplants its setting from modern Indiana to the distant future where all of humanity has melded into a semi-perfect homogenous society. Production designer Alexandra Schaller takes an East Asian inspiration for the architecture, complete with straight lines, tranquil gardens, and minimalist spaces. The stillness transfers to the performances as well, with Farrell at his most introspective and compelling. It harkens back a bit to his work with Yorgos Lanthimos in The Lobster and The Killing of a Sacred Deer , with the dialed-back emotions and an everyman disposition. He serves as a perfect gateway into this strange, new world. The parts where the film reaches its peak are the sequences where Jake accesses Yang’s memories. In those moments, everything within the film seemingly comes together, as Kogonada (also serving as his own editor) leans into the humanistic side of Alexander Weinstein’s 2016 short story. From his memories, Jake sees the empathy and compassion that Yang experienced and shared over time, and how he passed them onto Mika through everyday lessons. The string-filled music of ASKA brings overwhelming emotional power when it gets paired with heartbreaking visuals. After Yang is full of grace and compassion, with a touch of melancholy to make it a truly reflective experience of the human soul. It merges American sci-fi with the softer side of independent cinema, which makes it a perfect project to be under the A24 umbrella. An official release date has yet to be announced, which has justifiably angered cinephiles that have been left out in the cold. But when the day comes that this gem is opened for all to see, that patience will be greatly rewarded. More Reviews 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple January 13, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen The Rip January 16, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Dead Man's Wire January 14, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen The Chronology of Water January 9, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

Bad Behaviour January 28, 2023 By: Button Hunter Friesen Bad Behaviour had its World Premiere at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. Gravitas Ventures will release it in theaters on June 14, 2024. “Never give in to hope. Just be,” says Ben Whishaw’s mysterious spiritual self-help guru to a group of strangers that have gathered to solve their deepest and darkest problems. That Yoda-esque saying was primarily aimed towards Lucy (Jennifer Connelly), a former child actress who feels ashamed that she still lives a comfortable life from the money she earned from a trashy television series that was more interested in her body than her character. Attaining fame at an early age affects both the relationships in her past and future, namely with her parents, who clung onto her as a meal ticket, and her now-adult daughter Dylan, who entered the film industry by being a stunt performer. It’s an extremely difficult tightrope walk to create unlikable and complicated characters that make you want to learn more about them and sympathize with their troubles. Only a single false action may tip the scales in the wrong direction, robbing the audience of an interesting study of the human experience. Unfortunately for writer/director/star Alice Englert, she doesn't make just one wrong move, she makes several over the course of this exponentially grating film about broken relationships. Englert, daughter of famed filmmaker and most recent winner of the Academy Award for Best Director Jane Campion, packs a lot of ideas within Bad Behaviour , yet none of them come to fruition. Lucy is riddled with generational trauma passed down by her parents, who also made her feel like she wasn’t good enough. That abusive relationship instilled a deep depression, leading to a neglectful relationship with her daughter later on in life. Englert doesn’t provide much detail into the mother-daughter relationship, save for a few awkward phone calls and a tedious exposition dump later on. Much of the potentially intriguing ideas within her script follow that same trajectory. We’re told more than shown, with the telling coming across as a cop-out. Connelly acts her heart out in the central role, but not in the most positive way. Her eccentric mannerisms and ticking-time-bomb attitude are always front and center, serving as a constant reminder of the artificiality of this character. Things only get worse as the narrative leans more into the absurd near the latter half, with implausible story beats and wild directorial flourishes taking away from any authentic emotion that could have been mined from this situation. Bad Behaviour would at least be tolerable if the problems it had were interesting. But mostly it comes across as tedious and frustrating, making it far worse than it has any right to be on paper. More Reviews 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple January 13, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen The Rip January 16, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Dead Man's Wire January 14, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen The Chronology of Water January 9, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

Boy Kills World April 25, 2024 By: Button Tyler Banark Something is going on in Hollywood right now that should be discussed more, which is the rise of stuntpeople being promoted to the role of director. It’s been stunning in the John Wick films, Netflix’s Extraction series, and the films of David Leitch ( Bullet Train and the fittingly titled upcoming The Fall Guy ). There’s a gritty essence to each of these films, with action choreography that always goes above and beyond what’s been done before. While Boy Kills World director Moritz Mohr didn’t have the same upbringing as Leitch or Chad Stahelski, he lets his previous dabbling in special effects and editing allow him to pose in an adjacent camp. Having witnessed the murder of his family and stripped of his ability to talk at a young age, Boy (physically played by Bill Skarsgård, voiced by H. Jon Benjamin) is found and raised by a mysterious shaman who trains him to be a lethal killing machine. Boy only has one goal in mind: kill the powerful Van Der Koy family, who prey on the weak and are responsible for his family’s death. Once a year, the family puts on a Hunger Games-esque show called The Culling where they hunt down twelve unlucky contestants. “Graphic” would be an understated word to use to describe the nature of Boy Kills World . Mohr brings a chaotic absurdity akin to the Terrifier series, with blood and guts spraying out in a silly, sadistic manner. Call it stolen, call it made better, but there’s no denying that the action here delivers on its promise without tipping into overkill. The vicious fight choreography is a sight to behold, with its influences from the John Wick films and various forms of martial arts unlocking an arsenal for Boy to play with. Whether it’s a necklace or a cheese grater, the impromptu use of such regular everyday items as weapons in hand-to-hand combat effectively adds to the film’s overall intensity. There is a sense of having been there, done that, such as the use of the cheese grater in last year’s Evil Dead Rise . But if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Skarsgård is the centerpiece as Boy, cementing himself as an action star without uttering a single word. He does the (literal) heavy lifting, while Benjamin expresses his inner monologue in a mostly humorous fashion. We’ll have a full sample of Skarsgård’s action chops once this year’s reboot of The Crow comes out. The rest of the cast is fairly underutilized, something not wholly unexpected considering the marquee positioning of Boy as our protagonist. But much of the satisfaction in the revenge against the Van Der Koys has to come from the characters, who just don’t meet the grade. Brett Gelman is in his usual showmanship mood as the weird member of the family, Michelle Dockery’s girl boss of a sister is a knockoff of Shiv Roy, and Famke Janssen kind of phones it in as the tyrannical matriarch, Hilda. There’s also June 27 (yes, that’s the character’s actual name), played by Jessica Rothe, who acts as both the family enforcer and voice of reason. There are attempts to have her bridge the gap between Boy and the family, but the script co-written by Tyler Burton Smith and Arend Remmers (with a story credit to Mohr) can’t make the connection. The tasteless (in a good way) action set pieces are at the forefront of Boy Kills World , but that lack of a coherent substantive drive doesn’t make it the cult classic it so desperately wants to be (as evidenced by the film’s world premiere as part of the Midnight Madness section at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival). But even if this doesn’t get etched into history, there’s still a lot of fun to be had in the present with it. You can follow Tyler and hear more of his thoughts on Twitter , Instagram , and Letterboxd . More Reviews 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple January 13, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen The Rip January 16, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Dead Man's Wire January 14, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen The Chronology of Water January 9, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial October 6, 2023 By: Button Hunter Friesen William Friedkin’s new adaptation of The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial comes at an interesting moment. The first, and most unfortunately obvious, fact is that Friedkin passed away at the age of 87 in August, just a few weeks before this film premiered at the Venice International Film Festival. There’s also the coincidence that the film begins streaming on Paramount+ With Showtime and then airs on Showtime the same weekend as The Exorcist: Believer , Blumhouse’s reboot of the horror franchise Friedkin originated with the 1973 original masterpiece. We can thank Taylor Swift for aligning the stars to allow Friedkin, never one to mince words with his opinions, to get the last laugh, at least in terms of quality. Believer will just have to settle with the boatloads of money it’s about to make. The Caine Mutiny originated in 1952 as a novel by Herman Wouk. The work of fiction grew out of the author’s personal experiences aboard destroyers during WWII. After its enormous success, Wouk adapted the material for the stage, a relatively easy task considering the novel’s one-room setting and small cast of characters. A movie adaptation was produced in 1954 starring Humphrey Bogart, José Ferrer, Fred MacMurray, and E.G. Marshall. Along with directing, Friedkin also wrote the screenplay for this new take on the material, moving the setting from the Pacific Theater during World War II to the current-day Persian Gulf. The titular mutinous act performed aboard the USS Caine takes place during a torrential cyclone. Lieutenant Maryk (Jake Lacy) has lost all faith in the commanding officer Lieutenant Commander Queeg’s (Kiefer Sutherland) ability to guide them safely out of the storm. Maryk cited that Queeg was mentally unfit due to the stress of the situation, a common occurrence during his tenure. The insubordinate officer is being court-martialed for his actions, with Lieutenant Greenwald (Jason Clarke) reluctantly assigned to defend him in front of the military tribunal. Many will bemoan seeing a director as legendary as Friedkin having his final film reduced to premiering on a streaming service. While it’s an admirable sentiment, it avoids the fact that this material is ripe for the smaller-scale television landscape, an area Friedkin excelled at in the past with his 1997 adaptation of 12 Angry Men for Showtime. Friedkin may abandon the original material’s setting, but he has no qualms about embracing its inherently stage-like feel. A basic military courtroom serves as the sole setting throughout the 108-minute runtime. The action is repetitious, with a string of witnesses (Lewis Pullman, Tom Riley, Elizabeth Anweis, Jay Duplass) called upon to testify to Queeg’s time as commander and the specifics of what happened that fateful day. They’re each staged and edited around in their specific way, which keeps things fresh and flavorful. It’s a less theatrical version of A Few Good Men , with that restraint used to build nuance around this ethically dense topic. Despite only appearing in two scenes, Sutherland delivers his best performance in years as Queeg. To continue the A Few Good Men comparisons, he would be this film’s Col. Jessep, finely played by Jack Nicholson. Sutherland isn’t as hammy, although his character does sport a peculiar set of quirks such as speaking out of the side of his mouth and twiddling his thumbs to distract from the trembling of his hands. Between this film and Oppenheimer , Jason Clarke has shown his skill in playing contestable lawyers. And there’s also another figure who was taken from this world too soon in Lance Reddick, who’s never been a bad addition to a cast. Sure, this won’t be remembered as Friedkin’s finest work. It’s not at the same level as The French Connection, The Exorcist , or To Live and Die in L.A. But not every Alfred Hitchcock film is as good as Psycho , nor is every Billy Wilder film as good as Sunset Blvd . Friedkin is at that level where even some of his great movies won’t be remembered as strongly as his masterpieces. Make no mistake, this is a great movie, a fitting farewell to a filmmaker who could take any material and mold it into something uniquely entertaining and personal. More Reviews 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple January 13, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen The Rip January 16, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Dead Man's Wire January 14, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen The Chronology of Water January 9, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

Top 10 Films of 2021 January 24, 2022 By: Hunter Friesen In the movie world, 2021 was a year to be thankful for what we have because sometimes you never know how much you appreciate something until you’ve lost it. This year brought back a slight return to normalcy, with theaters reopening and new films of all shapes and sizes demanding your attention. And while not everything that came out this year was a slam dunk, there are some truly incredible films that deserve some special praise. So, after seeing nearly one-hundred new films in 2021, here are the ten best in my eyes. Some of these films I expected to be on this list, while others came out of left field. It goes to show that you can experience something truly incredible if you dig a little deeper. Honorable Mentions The Dig Licorice Pizza A Hero Belfast The Tragedy of Macbeth 10. Pig I’m as surprised as you are that a Nicolas Cage film appears on this list. But Pig is something special, a film that truly subverted my expectations. Along with Cage’s outstanding performance, equal credit should go to first-time feature writer/director Michael Sarnoski for taking the film down a different path. It only makes sense that in the year 2021, the best film about regret and grief would also be about the search for a lost truffle pig. 9. The Worst Person in the World Norway’s The Worst Person in the World packs a richly emotional story fitting to its title. With a killer soundtrack and an amazing performance from Renate Reinsve, writer/director Joachim Trier is able to balance tone and time to deliver something equal to more than the sum of its parts. A perfect piece for anyone dealing with the crisis of not knowing where they are in life. 8. The Power of the Dog Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog is one of the most violent films of the year – and of the Western genre – all without featuring a gun, knife, or fistfight. Instead, the violence that the film harbors is purely emotional and under the surface, carrying far more damaging effects than any external wound. And with a career-best Benedict Cumberbatch and a surprise turn by Kodi Smit-McPhee, it makes this film the equivalent of fine wine, as it’s near-perfect at the moment, and will only get better with age. Full Review 7. Swan Song Can a clone – even the most perfect one imaginable – seamlessly take the place of a human? And is it better to lie to your loved ones to protect them from grief than to leave them with the ugly truth? These are the weighty questions at hand in Benjamin Cleary’s film, which features Mahershala Ali in dual roles. It’s a slow burn with a lot going on behind the scenes. It buries itself in your head while watching as you wrestle with it in the moment and continue to interact with it long after it’s over. Full Review 6. The Father Like Schindler’s List and Requiem for a Dream , The Father is a superb film that you will only want to watch once. Its subject matter may hit too close to home for some viewers, or be an introduction for others. No matter your familiarity, the film’s take on dementia and the toll it places on everyone involved is so incredibly well done that it demands to be seen. Full Review 5. Judas and the Black Messiah Debuting all the way back in January, this is an all-powerful work from director Shaka King and the two leads of Daniel Kaluuya and LaKeith Stanfield (both Oscar-nominated, with the former winning). It’s both historical and timely, with the tragically short life story of Fred Hampton delivered with spine-chilling moments that educate and entertain. Full Review 4. The Last Duel Bolstered by spectacle and substance, Ridley Scott’s (who also had House of Gucci this year) medieval tale of betrayal is one of his finest films. It was one of the few films to exceed my already lofty expectations, and one of the few blockbusters of the modern age to be propelled by collaborative artistry, rather than preconceived properties and overblown budgets. Full Review 3. Annette From the visionary minds of The Sparks Brothers and director Leos Carax comes a rock musical of pure boldness. Stars Adam Driver and Marion Cotillard grab onto that boldness and run with it, creating several musical numbers that need to be seen to be believed. With Carax’s output being irregular, each of his features is something to treasure, especially when they’re this good. 2. West Side Story With The Great Musical War of 2021 coming to a close, Steven Spielberg has emerged as the predictable winner. Perfectly melding the work of Bernstein and Sondheim with the newfound talents of Ariana DeBose, Mike Faist, and Rachel Zegler, this new West Side Story makes the case for why some remakes should be allowed to happen. Because sometimes, they can meet (or surpass) the original, such as how this one does by bringing classic cinema into the modern world. Full Review 1. The French Dispatch A visual masterpiece bursting at the seams with talent both on and off the screen, The French Dispatch is a film by a filmmaker working at the absolute height of their powers. And while I’m not a proponent of rewatching films, I’ve seen this specific one three times in as many months, and will surely be watching it on a regular basis for the foreseeable future. I worry about how Wes Anderson will be able to top this with his next film (which is due this year). But until then, I’ll stay in the present and be thankful that something this magical is allowed to exist in a world that only seems to get bleaker. Full Review More Reviews 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple January 13, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen The Rip January 16, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Dead Man's Wire January 14, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen The Chronology of Water January 9, 2026 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen