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Don't Worry Darling September 23, 2022 By: Button Hunter Friesen No film has ever pushed the quote “There’s no such thing as bad publicity” more to the limit than Olivia Wilde’s Don’t Worry Darling . So much has happened over the past few months that Cosmopolitan was able to make a full in-depth timeline , which is still ongoing. It wouldn’t be an understatement to expect the film to get its own Heart of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse sometime in the future. And it also wouldn’t be an understatement to think that Wilde wants that documentary to happen so people will have something to remember Don’t Worry Darling , because the movie itself is nothing more than middling. It’s a Mad Men world for Alice (Florence Pugh) and Jack (Harry Styles) as they start their new lives in the sun-drenched valley paradise known as Victory. Where it’s precisely located and how it got there is never explained, nor is it allowed to be questioned. The only strings attached to this haven are that you never ask anything, such as how the men spend their time, where the food comes from, or why everyone has the same memories before they got here. Your only duty is to conform, be supportive, and worship the project’s leader, Frank (Chris Pine), whose viewed and behaves like the second coming of Christ. For Alice, these duties unlock everything she’s ever wanted. She has a great husband, a great house, and great friends. It’s all so perfect. This is why things seem so odd when her neighbor, Margaret (KiKi Layne), begins questioning everything. Just as if she was transmitting the common cold, Margaret’s skepticism makes its way into Alice’s head, leading her down a dark path to learning the truth about this modern utopia. On a purely productional level, Don’t Worry Darling is quite the accomplishment for Wilde. The period-accurate clothes and needle drops are a far cry from the modern teenage angst she announced her auteur status within Booksmart . The influences of Stanley Kubrick and Darren Aronofksy are easy to spot with the impressive sound and camera work. Those qualities should come as no surprise considering Wilde recruited regular Aronofsky cinematographer Matthew Libatique to lens her film. As a director, she lets the hysteria build and builds, waiting for us to beg for it to be released. But when that moment comes for Wilde to make her big swing, she manages to only hit a single instead of the expected home run. Because just like the town of Victory itself, Don’t Worry Darling often comes across as empty despite being littered with pretty sights (there’s even an unintentionally fitting scene where Alice cracks eggs, only for it to be revealed they’re empty). Reteaming with her Booksmart writer, Katie Silberman, Wilde’s interrogation of women’s societal roles and the men that oppress them is nothing that hasn’t been done before. Hell, works such as The Stepford Wives , The Truman Show , and even WandaVision have asked similar questions using a similar concept. Even though it’s all impressively done, there’s always this nagging feeling of being there, done that. That feeling also permeates the casting of Harry Styles as Jack, who’s been written as British, most likely to cover over Styles' inability to pick which accent he should be using. A stunt cast such as this may help the box office numbers, but it doesn’t help Florence Pugh, who’s left all alone to keep this ship from sinking under the weight of its ill-advised ambitions. Pugh seemingly can do no wrong, whether it be large-scale work in Black Widow or on a smaller level in Fighting with My Family . And considering the impressive work she did pulling apart at the seams for Ari Aster in Midsommar , this performance comes across as child’s play for her. Luckily, she has an equal in Chris Pine as the charismatic Frank. Pine has always been an actor that was cursed by his good looks, as it meant he was forced to play leading parts when he works much better as a character actor. Brad Pitt is another actor in a similar situation. In the brief scenes he shares with Pugh, Pine brings that tech-guru/crypto-bro smarmy charm that makes you believe why people worship him, while at the same time, you just want to punch him in his perfect teeth. If your intention of seeing Don’t Worry Darling is to look at beautiful people in beautiful clothes living in beautiful houses, Olivia Wilde supplies that in spades. But if you intend to see something that digs a little deeper under the surface and provokes ideas that haven't been explored by numerous other (and better) films, then you may want to start worrying. More Reviews One Battle After Another September 24, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen A Christmas Party September 23, 2025 By: Tyler Banark Him September 18, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Swiped September 19, 2025 By: Tyler Banark Hunter Friesen

Terminator: Dark Fate November 7, 2019 By: Button Hunter Friesen No matter what our differences maybe when it comes to politics and social issues, we as humans can all agree that the Terminator franchise has been nearly downright awful for almost thirty years. Since the innovative T2 by James Cameron, the three sequels by lesser filmmakers have buried this once-popular series into a grave of mediocrity. And once again to milk more money out of nostalgic and hopeful fans, the franchise has been quasi-rebooted into the form of Terminator: Dark Fate . Set in a present where Judgement Day never happened, Dark Fate opens in Mexico City as two robots from opposite sides arrive from the future. Their target is Dani Ramos, an important figure that will someday lead the human resistance against the robot overlords. The human-robot hybrid sent to protect her is Grace and the robot sent to kill her is the Rev-9, a shape-shifting terminator similar to that of the T-1000. As Grace fights to protect Dani, she is eventually joined by Sarah, who helps the pair go on the run from the relentless killing machine hunting them. Directed by Tim Miller of Deadpool fame, Dark Fate is a downhill action flick where the ride starts at the top and continues to sink lower as time goes on. The beginning action set pieces are ripped straight from T2: Judgement Day as the two robots track down their target and eventually meet for a fight. This initial scene is by far the best in the movie as each robot gets to show off its unique powers. Miller also lets the scene play out with minimal editing and great stunt work that highlights the quality special effects. Once this scene is over, Miller has foolishly played his whole hand and left nothing else for the remaining ninety minutes. The action becomes a recycled mess as each subsequent scene takes place in dimly lit areas that try to hide the flaws. Nothing new is introduced about the humans or robots and it all melds together into a blob of standard movie action tropes. With three screenwriters and five credited story contributors, Dark Fate has way too many cooks in the kitchen that end up canceling each other out. The plot is incoherent, which has now become a staple of the Terminator sequels. Time travel is a finicky business once you start to think about it, but this movie has serious logistical problems straight from the start. These huge, gaping plot holes negate any emotional connection to the story and make every plot twist easy to see from a mile away. The overstuffed writer's room also led to some insufferable dialogue choices. The usual franchise catchphrases are all here, only this time they’re painfully inserted and delivered to the point of parody. There’s also an incessant need for every other sentence to be a profound statement, especially any line from Dani or Sarah. In a seemingly desperate move, the producers brought back Linda Hamilton as Sarah Connor. The character and Hamilton’s performance are the film’s biggest asset, even as she struggles to work with the amateur material given to her. Mackenzie Davis is pretty good as Grace, the robot-human hybrid from the future. Like all robot characters from the franchise, she brings great physicality to her performance. Unfortunately, she doesn’t bring much emotion to her human half, stifling any connection to her character. Relative newcomer Natalia Reyes plays Dani and falls into the usual rookie trap of overacting. At the start, she does fine work, but as the film gets more dramatic, Reyes overleans into her one-note performance. Lastly, Arnold Schwarzenegger reprises his role as the T-800 terminator. It’s no surprise that the Austrian is great in the role that he can play in his sleep by now as he makes a nice pair with Hamilton and is the only reason some of the comedic moments work. Dark Fate is the best sequel since Terminator 2: Judgement Day , but that's such a low bar to jump over that it isn't saying much. It's like a student got three straight F's on their exams and then got a C-. It’s still not good, but at least they didn’t fail this time and are somewhat moving in the right direction. More Reviews One Battle After Another September 24, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen A Christmas Party September 23, 2025 By: Tyler Banark Him September 18, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Swiped September 19, 2025 By: Tyler Banark Hunter Friesen

Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver April 19, 2024 By: Button Hunter Friesen It’s ironic, but not unexpected, that the conclusion of Zack Snyder’s mega-budget blockbuster duology, the project that was supposed to bring every other studio’s franchises to its knees, has been treated by Netflix the same way it would churn out any piece of cinematic slop to its subscribers. The big game commercial spots have been replaced with tacky social media ads, the lavish red carpet premieres with unpublished fan screenings, the boastful (a better word would be “delusional”) interviews with boilerplate salesmanship, and the touting about the future of movie distribution being changed forever have altogether ceased. What was once planned to be an event film has been reduced to a footnote in the endless scroll along with nearly everything else the streamer gets its greedy hands on. That ho-hum attitude toward the release couldn’t be more opposite from the film itself, which is able to find its feet and deliver the grandiose chaos that fans have been longing for after Part 1: A Child of Fire sacrificed itself to (poorly) lay the foundation of this universe. But Snyder and his two co-writers, Shay Hatten and Kurt Johnstad, can’t trust their audiences to remember anything from what they watched just four months ago, so we’re forced to listen to Anthony Hopkins give a “previously on…” recap as the opening shot descends on the dreadnaught mothership of the Imperium. On that ship is Atticus Noble (Ed Skrein), who’s more-or-less been Frankensteined back to life after meeting his demise at the hands of Kora (Sofia Boutella) in the last movie. I know what you’re thinking. Did they at least use his resurrection as an opportunity to fix his haircut? I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but it’s still as terrible as ever. The seven samurai of the outer worlds have been assembled, and now it’s time to prepare to defend the village against everything the Imperium will throw at them. Despite being ten minutes shorter than its predecessor, The Scargiver gets much more time to breathe thanks to the incessant hopping to nondescript worlds no longer being needed. Everything takes place in the village, save for the ungodly long dinner table scene where each character goes around giving a redundantly extended flashback to their origin. I know my curiosity will get the better of me and I’ll indulge in the future Snyder Cuts of these two features, but the thought of that scene being stretched even more does send a shiver down my spine. After that and an extended trip to FarmVille, the carnage can ensue. It might be a sacrilegious act to even compare the two, but there’s no escaping the feeling that the final hour and change of this film is Snyder’s attempt at his own Battle of Helm’s Deep from The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers . Waves of faceless soldiers descend upon the village, ready to be mowed down by the plucky farmers. Snyder’s usual slow motion is on full display here, with some epic moments being bound to line the racks of every screensaver website, while others flounder under the weight of the pretentiousness. And it’s still worth pointing out that Snyder once again serves as his own cinematographer, employing that ultra-shallow focus that we’ve all come to hate. Even with all those (very valid) complaints, none of this is as exhaustively mediocre as it was in A Child of Fire . Maybe it’s because of my reduced expectations or inability to fully care about what Snyder is dishing out, but there’s a lot of mindless enjoyment to be had. The explosions are forceful, the action is more competently filmed, and the objectives are clear. I dare say that I would have semi-welcomed experiencing this in the theater. The loudspeakers would have greatly helped in appreciating Junkie XL’s bombastic score, borrowing liberally from his work from Zack Snyder’s Justice League (not that I’m complaining). It’s easier to have fun with The Scargiver now that you’re not being bombarded with the tenacity of a used car salesman. I’m sure that’s not exactly the approach Netflix and Snyder had when they poured hundreds of millions of dollars into this wannabe franchise, which has four more entries planned. But that’s the reality of the situation, so it’s best we keep Snyder out of the headlines and just let the movie do the talking (or yelling for that matter). More Reviews One Battle After Another September 24, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen A Christmas Party September 23, 2025 By: Tyler Banark Him September 18, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Swiped September 19, 2025 By: Tyler Banark Hunter Friesen

Kraven the Hunter December 11, 2024 By: Button Hunter Friesen After three Venom movies that made us ask “Are they supposed to be bad?” and the likes of Morbius and Madame Web that had us saying “Wow, this is embarrassing,” Kraven the Hunter is here to shut us all up. True to what it set out to do, nary a word was spoken during the 127 minutes that Sony’s latest adventure to circumvent their contractual restrictions with Marvel glistened upon the silver screen, all of that precious light dissipating as it bounced back to our collective eyeballs. Even if it was for all the wrong reasons, I remember so much about Morbius and Madame Web . That’s because all publicity is good publicity, and Kraven the Hunter has nothing to offer. The one thing Kraven wore so proudly during its years-long marketing campaign was its R-rating for bloody and gruesome violence, something that all the other Marvel superhero films have shied away from. But all that air was let out of the balloon once the film was repeatedly kicked all the way down from its original January 2023 release, eventually being beaten to the punch by Deadpool & Wolverine . But even if the stars aligned for Kraven to keep its original release date, the overediting and bland stuntwork so closely fit the PG-13 mold that it wouldn’t have made a difference. The hacking of celluloid never ceases throughout the entirety of the runtime, with several scenes featuring throwaway lines of dialogue referring to events that never happened. The magic of ADR comes to the rescue on a few occasions, with poor Christopher Abbott having several scenes where we never see his lips move throughout a full conversation. He plays The Foreigner, a character whose importance and motivation are still a mystery to me, as are his weird powers where he counts down from three and places people in a hypnotic trance. Kraven’s powers are a little more straightforward, his animalistic super strength and agility originating from the blood of a lion mixing with his own (PSA: You will not gain feline or canine superpowers if you attempt this at home). The blending of those two fluids came after Kraven’s father (Russell Crowe) took him and his brother Dmitri on an African hunting expedition to mold them into tough men. Kraven at least got the long end of the stick with his washboard abs, the flowing hair of Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and feet with the same durability and traction as the tires on a Formula One car. Dmitri had to settle with becoming scrawny Fred Hechinger, perpetually caught in a cycle of self-doubt and violence. With his powers, Kraven hunts the hunters, specifically those who poach in his nondescript sanctuary in Siberia. While INTERPOL seems to have no problem with the bodies piling up and the press in a frenzy over who this mysterious hunter is, someone like Aleksei Sytsevich aka 'The Rhino' (Alessandro Nivola, nearly reprising his character from Face/Off ) doesn’t like seeing another apex predator. Between Kraven’s constant flexing and Rhino’s severe case of Greyscale, every muscle is intensely clenched. Director J.C. Chandor is a good filmmaker, proving himself as both a writer/director on personal projects ( Margin Call , A Most Violent Year ) and as a hired hand on studio features ( Triple Frontier ). The years he’s spent on this project will be seen as a waste of talent and opportunities, a sentiment that can be extended to the entire concept of Sony's Spider-Man Universe. A solar system without a sun just results in every planet suffering a cold, painful death. More Reviews One Battle After Another September 24, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen A Christmas Party September 23, 2025 By: Tyler Banark Him September 18, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Swiped September 19, 2025 By: Tyler Banark Hunter Friesen

MSPIFF43 - Dispatch #2 April 25, 2024 By: Button Hunter Friesen The 43rd Minneapolis-St. Paul International Film Festival (MSPIFF) is currently going on from April 11-25, with over 200 films screened. Here are some quick-bite reviews of a few of the films I have watched, with more to come soon. The Convert Lee Tamahori’s lush period piece comes from good intentions, but falters under the weight of clichés and ho-hum filmmaking. Set within Tamahori’s native New Zealand during the first wave of British colonialism around the 1830s, the film follows lay preacher Thomas Munro (Guy Pearce) as he witnesses the brutal treatment of the local Maori tribe at the hands of its Western settlers. He develops a special connection with Rangimai, daughter of the chief of the tribe that leases its land to the British, and who’s currently fighting a war against an ultra-aggressive tribe. Comparisons to Dances with Wolves , The Last Samurai , and The New World will be inevitable, especially with Pearce - noble as he is - fitting the “white savior” trope to a tee. Tamahori gives considerable time to the Mahori characters, but he tries to have his cake and eat it too as the central throughline sees Munro’s pleas for peace ending in an inevitable bloody battle. Even more tonally baffling is the semi-uplifting ending, totally contradicted by the historical events that would soon follow. (3/5) Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World The only thing longer than the title and runtime of Radu Jude’s newest social satire is the list of ideas it's brimming with. (Mostly) taking place over a single day, Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World endlessly lobs grenades toward present-day Romanian life, ranging from government corruption to a generation growing up on Andrew Tate rhetoric. All of these ideas are communicated through Angela (Ilinca Manolache), an overworked production assistant who shleps around Bucharest to audition candidates to appear in a worker safety PSA. The 163-minute runtime doesn’t necessarily fly by, with Jude knowing no bounds with how he crafts his epic tale, always looking to break free from the preconceptions of the form. This includes multiple extended cutaways to scenes within the 1982 Romanian film Angela Goes On , harsh black-and-white photography, a 20-ish minute scene taking place within a single static shot, and a cameo from infamous bad boy director Uwe Boll about how the haters can go fuck themselves. You truly never know what’s going to happen next, or how much you should be laughing at the stark realities of these people’s lives. (3.5/5) Wildcat There’s a moment in Ethan Hawke’s biography of Flannery O’Connor where a character has a hallucination where Jesus gives them the choice to be reborn as white trash or an [n-word]. I didn’t have a problem with this scene on any religious or moral grounds, but it was just one of a handful where I had to ask what Hawke thought he was accomplishing. There’s an admirable quality to him not taking the traditional biopic route, but it’s not like going down this road was any more successful. There’s a dreary beauty to 1950s New York City and rural Georgia akin to Inside Llewyn Davis , with O’Connor (played by Maya Hawke) writing increasingly dark and depressing stories that bristle with conservative society. Hawke and co-writer Shelby Gaines mix reality and fiction through Flannery’s short stories, with the cast (Laura Linney, Steve Zahn, Vincent D’Onofrio) playing multiple differing roles. Aside from the poor performances and tacky makeup/costumes, the pretentiousness in the presentation comes across as amateurish. Still, there’s something about Hawke’s approach to the artistic process that drew me in. Granted, it was mostly due to my morbid curiosity about what batshit method he would try next. But there’s a heart and soul here in the right place, and it’s better to appreciate the strikeout if the batter went down swinging. (2.5/5) In Our Day South Korean auteur Hong Sang-soo has become legendary for his critical consistency while remaining as productive as ever. He’s been described as the “Korean Woody Allen,” churning out at least one to two new features per year that tend to pick up various pieces of hardware at major festivals (most likely the Berlin International Film Festival). In Our Day marks his 30th feature, with himself fulfilling the roles of writer, director, producer, cinematographer, composer, and editor. Two seemingly unrelated tales are told across the brisk 83-minute runtime: an actress returning from abroad stays with her friend and her cat, and an aging poet is interviewed by an aspiring student. In typical Hong fashion, each scene is comprised of a single take, with the actors nonchalantly trading semi-mundane dialogue. And like a Woody Allen film, you’re either a fan of the style, or you’re not. I found myself leaning more towards the latter camp, with nearly every conversation going in one ear and out the other. I’ve often warmly embraced films “where nothing happens,” but this one is almost too lowkey for its own good. (3/5) More Reviews One Battle After Another September 24, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen A Christmas Party September 23, 2025 By: Tyler Banark Him September 18, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Swiped September 19, 2025 By: Tyler Banark Hunter Friesen

Captain Marvel March 14, 2019 By: Button Hunter Friesen Marking the twenty-first chapter in the ever-expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe, Captain Marvel has finally bowed out in theatres after a mountain of hype had built up for close to a year. Much like Black Panther was the first MCU film to feature a predominantly black cast, Captain Marvel is the first film to feature a female as the lead character. But unlike the huge critical success and cultural movement that the former was, Captain Marvel disappoints on both the levels of filmmaking and fan service. What should be an enjoyable and inspirational tale ends up being a tepid blockbuster that sorely lacks in the areas that have made the Marvel brand so entertainingly great. Captain Marvel is directed by partners Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, who have previously worked on smaller indie films, most notably Half Nelson . Now with a budget of $152 million, the lack of experience that the pair have with tentpole films glaringly shows. Many of the action scenes are by the numbers as they devolve into a series of quick camera cuts and choppy editing. Not helping the action is the computer and practical effects. Apart from the de-aging of Samuel L. Jackson, which looks incredible, the visuals look a bit outdated, almost like the film was made ten years ago. To recreate the feel of the 1990s setting, Boden and Fleck rely heavily on nostalgic product placements and callbacks. Blockbuster Video, internet cafes, pagers, and an endless line of fashionable toys are paraded throughout the film to try and get a response from the audience. It reminded me of the same shallow technique that was used to death in Ready Player One where inessential references are repeatedly made instead of constructive jokes. Probably the biggest problem with Captain Marvel is the incoherent and bland story that offers the audience little to care about. Right away the film introduces the conflict between the Kree and the Skrull, two factions who have been at war for eternity. Basic facts are given such as a roster of important characters, but other relevant information such as the war’s importance and purpose is left out. Even as the conflict gradually becomes the main part of the narrative, these necessary explanations are never touched on. This lack of information strips the film of any real stakes within the MCU. Not that low stakes is an outright bad thing. Ant-Man has next to no overall effect on the other films within the universe. But the franchise still works anyway as it makes you care about its great characters. That central quality is also missing from Captain Marvel , which is surprising considering both Boden and Fleck have built their careers off of their prowess for layered human drama. Despite being her origin story, the character of Captain Marvel turns out to be the least interesting person in the film. Her storyline is quite straightforward and consists of a lot of on-the-nose messaging that feels shoehorned in. Tonally this film falls in line with the rest of the MCU. Comedy is mixed in with drama, but not as seamless as you would expect. Many of the jokes don’t land or feel too forced into awkward positions. A disappointing feeling repeatedly panged me every time a pivotal scene was undercut by a joke that really didn’t work. Brie Larson does a thoroughly average job as the titular hero. Her performance contains seldom amounts of energy, which can partly be blamed on the lackluster script she had to work with. Fortunately, Larson does show a ton of confidence and a knack for comedic timing in her limited number of quality scenes Samuel L. Jackson is great as Nick Fury, who at the moment is only an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. He brings his usual boisterous flair to the role and is able to make up for the downbeat energy exuded by the rest of the cast. Jude Law, Ben Mendelsohn, and Annette Bening fill out the rest of the supporting cast. Each one of them does a fine job, but these roles are hardly anything compared to the other work they have done. Is Captain Marvel a good movie? No. Is it a bad movie? Also no. This is an average film that comes and goes while doing everything you expect and nothing more. In the grand scheme of things, this film is just a quick jolt of superhero energy to keep audiences satisfied until Avengers: Endgame. More Reviews One Battle After Another September 24, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen A Christmas Party September 23, 2025 By: Tyler Banark Him September 18, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Swiped September 19, 2025 By: Tyler Banark Hunter Friesen

MSPIFF 2025 Recap April 16, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen There’s nothing like a film festival to rejuvenate one’s passion for cinema, especially after the first quarter of 2025 provided a less-than-stellar sampling of theatrical releases. One of the oldest film festivals in the country, the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Film Festival (abbreviated as MSPIFF, and pronounced “EM-spiff”) was a mini oasis, providing a vast lineup that stretched across every continent. The festival opened with the documentary Free Leonard Peltier , a close-to-home story about the titular Native American activist who was wrongly imprisoned for nearly five decades. While I personally did not attend the screening, those who did relayed many positive remarks to me in the subsequent days. My experience began on the first Saturday with a triple feature starting with the A24 title The Legend of Ochi . Writer/director Isaiah Saxon opened the film with a video message stating how he made the feature for children and that their intelligence deserves more credit than they normally get. Because I had just seen the overly juvenile A Minecraft Movie the weekend prior, those words greatly resonated with me. The film itself didn’t walk the walk as much as Saxon talked the talk, but it still deserves credit for its impressive technicals and willingness to explore adult themes. It’ll be released in theaters nationwide on April 25th. Following that was co-writer/director Andrew Ahn’s remake of the 1993 Ang Lee film The Wedding Banquet . The original premise of a gay man and a straight woman going through a fake marriage out of convenience has been shifted to modern-day Seattle and expanded to include two homosexual couples. The logicality behind the necessity for a fake marriage is even weaker now than it was thirty years ago, but Ahn is always precise with the emotional stakes and moments of humorous levity. The clear MVP was Youn Yuh-jung, the recent Oscar winner for Minari who makes a strong case for deserving a second trophy. It’s out this weekend in theaters. Capping off the night was a Midnight Mayhem screening of what will quite possibly rank as the funniest film I’ll see all year: Friendship . Tim Robinson brings the same laugh-out-loud absurdity from his Netflix sketch show I Think You Should Leave to the big screen in this story of a loser suburban dad getting in way over his head when he tries to win the approval of his cool new neighbor (Paul Rudd). Several jokes were drowned out by the roaring laughter from the soldout crowd, which I recommend seeing it with when it releases in theaters on May 9th. There were not just remakes of Ang Lee films at the festival. No, the director himself was present on the first Sunday to give a brief masterclass. He gave great insight into his transition from Taiwan to English-language films, and why he chose to hop across several genres throughout his storied career. Later that night he introduced a twentieth-anniversary screening of what is likely referred to as his magnum opus: Brokeback Mountain . After sentencing it to years on my neverending watchlist, it was great to see the film on the big screen. Lee said that he was miserable while making the film due to the recent passing of his father and years of exhaustive work on Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Hulk , and that he doesn’t deserve much credit for the film’s success. Of course, everyone disagrees with his sentiments, with his win for Best Director at that year’s Oscars being more than deserved due to the emotional maturity he granted to the actors in his wonderful cast. Things became more sporadic from there. Tuesday featured a screening of By the Stream by the incredibly prolific South Korean writer/director Hong Sang-soo, and When Fall Is Coming from France’s François Ozon. Also from a French creative was Misericordia , an entertaining small-town murder cover-up now out in theaters. I reverted to Asia for my final day of the festival. Caught by the Tides by the famed Chinese filmmaker Jia Zhang-ke is not a film for those unfamiliar with his work, incorporating deleted scenes and alternate takes from several of his previous films to craft a loose decade-spanning narrative of a man and woman falling in and out of love. Despite my perpetual confusion from having not seen the referenced films, I was marvelously fascinated by Zhang-ke’s ability to weave it all together. The film likely has no commercial prospects in the United States, so seeing it in a semi-crowded room and discussing it afterward with other attendees illustrated the importance that festivals possess in illuminating works that would otherwise go completely unnoticed. If you’d like a more thorough analysis of the film and the work of Zhang-ke, I highly recommend heading over to Deep Focus Review by my fellow critic and friend Brian Eggert, who recently concluded his “Filmmaker in Focus” series on the director. Other festival titles that are currently or soon to be released in theaters include the canine comedy-drama The Friend starring Naomi Watts and Bill Murray, the Southeast Asian adventure romp Grand Tour (April 18th), One to One: John & Yoko (April 18th), On Swift Horses (April 25th), and the Nicolas Cage Ozpoiltation thriller The Surfer (May 2nd). The MSP Film Society will be replaying several of the highest audience-scoring films at The Main Cinema over the next few weeks. To learn more about everything to do with the festival and the year-round programming, you can visit the MSP Film Society website . More Reviews One Battle After Another September 24, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen A Christmas Party September 23, 2025 By: Tyler Banark Him September 18, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Swiped September 19, 2025 By: Tyler Banark Hunter Friesen

The Biggest Flops in TIFF History September 2, 2023 By: Hunter Friesen Every September, the city of Toronto becomes a hub of cinematic celebration as the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) rolls out the red carpet for a myriad of films from around the world. A prestigious event that has launched countless Oscar campaigns and propelled numerous films into the limelight, TIFF is a cinematic playground where dreams are realized and reputations are solidified. However, amidst the glamour and fervor, there exists a lesser-explored facet of the festival – a realm of disappointment and missed opportunities. In this list, I’ll delve beyond the flashing cameras and standing ovations to shed light on the movies that, for various reasons, failed to strike the right chord with audiences and critics alike. The rules for this list are simple: The film must have had its world premiere at the festival The film must have had a certain amount of buzz around it. If a movie fails and no one was anticipating it, then it’s not really a bomb. The film must have massively underperformed on expectations, both critically and financially The Fifth Estate (2013) Benedict Cumberbatch was on the rise in the early 2010s with roles in War Horse, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy , and the television series Sherlock . 2013 was bound to be his breakout year as he had FIVE films set to be released that year: Star Trek Into Darkness, 12 Years a Slave, The Fifth Estate, August: Osage County , and The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug . Three of those would play at that year’s TIFF, with The Fifth Estate opening the festival. The bright lights didn’t serve it well, as Bill Condon’s take on Julian Assage and WikiLeaks was met with mixed-negative reviews on account of its by-the-numbers storytelling and refusal to take a stance on the issue. 12 Years a Slave lit up the room a few days later, as did Ron Howard’s Rush , starring Cumberbatch’s The Fifth Estate co-star Daniel Brühl. Everyone was able to move on quickly, with the film grossing less than $3 million at the US box office a month later. Men, Women, and Children (2014) Jason Reitman was the most in-demand young director in Hollywood after the one-two punch of Juno and Up in the Air . Things went south rather quickly once he decided to make a movie about the perils of social media. Time Out ’s Joshua Rothkopf called it “the first Reitman film to make the 36-year-old director seem about 400 years old.” An outstanding cast consisting of Adam Sandler, Jennifer Garner, Kaitlyn Dever, Ansel Elgort, and Timothée Chalamet was wasted in an out-of-touch and preachy story. The savage reviews killed the already minuscule audience interest in the film, with its $300,000 haul being one of the lowest ever for a film opening in >600 theaters. The Cobbler (2014) One TIFF, two Adam Sandler movies! It’s hard to criticize his choices (at least on paper), as both his 2014 films came from directors with a certain amount of pedigree. The latter was helmed by Tom McCarthy, who hadn’t missed yet between The Station Agent, The Visitor , and Win Win . Nothing worked this time around, with the terrible plotting and creepy undertones stripping the film of having the whimsical tone it wanted. It took the title of Sandler’s biggest bomb away from Men, Women, and Children when it was released six months later, only grossing a mere $24,000 on its opening weekend. A film failing that epically would have killed 99% of directors' careers. But somehow Tom McCarthy would pivot and return to TIFF in 2015 with Spotlight , finishing in the runners-up position for the People’s Choice Award and ultimately winning Best Picture at the Academy Awards. Kings (2017) Turkish writer/director Deniz Gamze Ergüven spent four years developing her script centering on the 1992 Los Angeles riots. She was finally able to get the film made a decade later once her debut feature Mustang was nominated for Best International Feature. She would experience a sophomore slump with her English-language debut, with critics finding the film messy and underdeveloped. Even with the star power of Halle Berry and Daniel Craig, the film wouldn’t be released until the next spring to no fanfare. Life Itself (2018) Amazon Studios was riding high off the awards success of Manchester by the Sea in early 2017 and wanted to continue in that sphere. Seeing the success of This Is Us on NBC, they snatched up writer/director Dan Fogelman’s next film for $10 million in late 2017. They remained confident when deciding to launch it at TIFF, premiering it at both Roy Thomsen Hall and the Elgin Theatre. All those rose-tinted hopes and dreams came crashing down once people saw the finished product. The overwrought and convoluted soap opera incited more ironic laughter than tears within the audience. The film debuted in theaters two weeks later, where it became the second-lowest opening ever in >2500 theaters with only $2 million. The Death and Life of John F. Donovan (2018) French Canadian filmmaker Xavier Dolan had already won the Jury Prize and Grand Prix at Cannes, as well as the César award for Best Director before he turned 30. The problem with that much success at such a young age is that you can go only down from there. Such was the case for his English-language debut about a famous actor having a correspondence with a young fan. The film spent almost two years in post-production, causing Dolan to miss the Cannes deadline. He chose to debut at TIFF instead, where he was met with the worst reviews of his career. The rumors of the film being trimmed down from a four-hour cut seemed to be true as entire characters and storylines were excised, lending to a rushed and underdeveloped plot about celebrity culture. It sat on a shelf for another year before limping into theaters in December 2019. Lucy in the Sky (2019) TIFF has a habit of showing their hands based on how they schedule their world premieres, with the better ones earlier in the festival and the not-so-good ones near the end when most of the press has left. Noah Hawley’s directorial debut, loosely inspired by the life of NASA astronaut Lisa Nowak, found itself in the latter camp, scheduled for a final Thursday night premiere. Whatever press was still left probably wished they had already left, as Hawley’s pretentious directorial choices and Natalie Portman’s wonky Texas accent were nails on a chalkboard. Distributor Fox Searchlight had other priorities at that TIFF with Jojo Rabbit and was still transitioning out of the Disney buyout of 21st Century Fox. Lucy in the Sky was released in theaters a few weeks later, grossing an abysmal $300,000 against a $25 million budget. Coincidentally (or maybe not), Hawley’s planned Star Trek film was canceled a few months later. The Goldfinch (2019) Amazon didn’t let the failure of Life Itself deter them from returning to TIFF the next year. This time they partnered with Warner Bros. on distribution and picked a safer project by adapting the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Donna Tartt. With Brooklyn director John Crowley at the helm, Roger Deakins as DP, and an all-star cast, it seemed this would be the streamer’s return to the awards race. But the film ended up having a worse death than its predecessor. Early test screenings were disastrous, prompting the studio to lower the marketing budget. Despite that, they still took it to TIFF, where the reviews matched their expectations. A $2.6 million opening the following weekend led to losses of over $50 million when all was said and done. To add insult to injury, Tartt was so infuriated by the adaptation that she fired her agent for allowing it to happen and has rejected any talk of her work being adapted again. Dear Evan Hansen (2021) After the COVID-19 pandemic forced the 2020 edition of the festival to be a mix of drive-in and digital screenings, TIFF needed to put on a grand show to welcome everyone back to “normalcy” in 2021. Universal was more than willing to have Dear Evan Hansen be the opening night act on account of director Steven Chbosky delivering festival favorite The Perks of Being a Wallflower years earlier. But anyone who watched the trailers for the film in the summer knew that this project was doomed from the start. The 27-year-old Ben Platt was already too old for the part and enough discourse over the material’s attitude towards mental health had circulated online. Neither critics nor audiences were satisfied, leading to poor reviews and a lackluster box office gross. More Reviews One Battle After Another September 24, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen A Christmas Party September 23, 2025 By: Tyler Banark Him September 18, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Swiped September 19, 2025 By: Tyler Banark Hunter Friesen

Cannes 2023 Recap June 1, 2023 By: Hunter Friesen The Cannes Film Festival, renowned for its celebration of the art of cinema, serves as an annual rendezvous for filmmakers, artists, and film enthusiasts from around the world. As the curtains drew back on the esteemed event, it bestowed upon us a plethora of remarkable films that pushed the boundaries of storytelling and left an indelible mark on our collective cinematic consciousness. In this article, I’ll embark on a captivating recounting of the thirteen films I saw in this year’s edition. From intimate character studies to sweeping epics, the selection was a testament to the diverse voices and visions that grace the silver screen. Each film presented its unique tale, captivating audiences with its artistic merits and thought-provoking narratives. 13. The Old Oak Painfully flat and oversimplified, Ken Loach and Paul Laverty’s umpteenth partnership spends way too much time speechifying instead of building characters. The message boils down to racism = bad, and it ends without resolving either the main plot or the secondary subplot. For someone as adept at social realism as Ken Loach, this is a glaring misfire that makes me worried if it will be his whimpering swan song. 12. Black Flies You might as well walk into this movie with a headache because you're going to get one five minutes in. You might as well not watch this movie if you're squeamish with blood and needles. You might as well not watch this movie if you want to watch interesting characters in an original story filled with ideas you haven’t seen before. You might as well not watch this movie. 11. Last Summer There’s nothing like climbing the steps of the Grand Théâtre Lumière at 7 am to watch a movie about an affair between a middle-aged woman and her teenage stepson. Infamous provocateur Catherin Breillat’s first film in a decade is not as button-pushing as her reputation or the plot summary would imply. Instead, it mutley looks under the surface at the psychological damage caused by the physical actions. 10. Banel & Adama I’ve always had a blind spot for African cinema, so I felt compelled to let this be a mini-introduction. Ramata-Toulaye Sy’s debut film is confidently produced, with striking images and a welcoming lesson of a slice of African culture. The story may be too simple even for its 80-minute runtime, but the building blocks are there for further bites at the apple. 9. A Brighter Tomorrow With his version of Bardo , Nanni Moretti provides a humourous meta-commentary on his personal and professional life, as well as the state of modern filmmaking, complete with discussions about the lack of auteurship and Netflix’s anonymous releases. While it may not be all that innovative or groundbreaking, it's still light and breezy enough to be a good time. 8. May December Grab your marshmallows and graham crackers because Todd Haynes is bringing the camp! I give major props to everyone involved in this production for their ability to keep the silliness of this story a secret. This is “trash” handled by masters of the craft, with Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore understanding the assignment. I'm hoping the Netflix acquisition will allow a new generation of cinephiles to be welcomed into the diverse world of Todd Haynes. 7. About Dry Grasses A runtime of 197 minutes is nothing unusual for Turkish Cannes all-star Nuri Bilge Ceylan, who fills his Chekovian dramedy with endless moments of beauty and frustration. It’s a film that definitely requires multiple watches to fully comprehend its ideas, but I don’t think this initial watch instilled the ambition needed to consider doing that. 6. Perfect Days Wim Wenders’ best narrative feature in decades is a lesson in the serenity of doing the mundane, and the bliss we could all achieve if we didn't overcomplicate everything we do. Similar to the recent Sight and Sound crowned Jeanne Dielman , it’s a story that sounds terrible on paper. And yet, its uber-simplicity does wonders to lull you into a state of meditation. For the best results, watch this on a calm summer day with some tea. 5. Anatomy of a Fall While Johnathan Glazer kept Sandra Hüller at a distance in The Zone of Interest , writer/director Justine Triet has front and center within her Hitchcockian courtroom drama. It may be missing something special that would have made me fall in love with it, but it still contains a densely layered mystery that keeps you guessing throughout its 150-minute runtime. 4. Firebrand Karim Aïnouz’s tale of Catherine Parr and Henry VIII may not contain much directorial flair (begging the question of why it was here in the first place), but the fiery (pun intended) performances by Alicia Vikander and Jude Law keep things smoldering (again, pun intended). Historians will have a field day with its inaccuracies, which allow for a nontraditional and modern approach to a story that has become more relevant in the centuries since. 3. Monster Hirokazu Kore-eda brings Rashomon into the modern age with Monster , a movie that is both more gentle and deadly than its title implies. For the first time in his career, the revered Japanese auteur doesn’t write the script, deferring that duty to Yûji Sakamoto. While I hope this separation of responsibilities doesn’t become a trend, Kore-eda crafts an endearing story about differing perspectives and the misconceptions we surround ourselves with. 2. Asteroid City At this point in his filmography, you’ve probably made up your mind about Wes Anderson. I’m somewhat of an apologist, with those instantly recognizable production qualities and whimsical tones being music to my ears (and eyes). Asteroid City is another healthy dose of what I’m come to love, with the bonus of seeing an auteur continue to find new ways to channel what they do best. Full Review 1. The Zone of Interest Sickening in the most calculated way possible, The Zone of Interest is Jonathan Glazer's ode to Stanley Kubrick. He answers the question of how evil can exist unchecked, holding all of your senses in a sterilized vice. Be sure to soak it all in during your first watch, because I doubt you'll ever want to view the world this way again. Full Review More Reviews One Battle After Another September 24, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen A Christmas Party September 23, 2025 By: Tyler Banark Him September 18, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Swiped September 19, 2025 By: Tyler Banark Hunter Friesen

Another Simple Favor May 1, 2025 By: Button Hunter Friesen On the set of the 2004 film adaptation of The Phantom of the Opera , a fellow actress loudly complained that Minnie Driver was playing her character up way too much. Sitting within earshot, director Joel Schumacher glanced up from his newspaper and said, “Oh, honey, no one ever paid to see under the top.” Although they have never worked together professionally and there’s no online record of them personally knowing each other, I would bet dollars to donuts that fellow director Paul Feig has that quote plastered above his office doorframe and repeated it several times throughout the production of Another Simple Favor . None of us is here to witness realism, or a masterclass examination of the human condition. No, we’re all here for the ludicrousness of the murder mystery plot, the luxuriousness of the Italian setting (complete with Italian stallion hunks and mafiosos), and the gaudy costumes worn by lead actress Blake Lively. It’s too bad for Feig that Paolo Sorrentino already beat him to the punch earlier this year with the Naples-set Parthenope , which will most likely be crowned as the year's most beautiful film. But Feig still makes good on his promises, planting his flag on the island of Capri and bringing two vibrant actresses along with him. The story picks up five years after the events of A Simple Favor . Stephanie Smothers (Anna Kendrick) has turned all those chaotic twists and turns into a true-crime novel. But interest amongst buyers has been low, and her son has a full-blown case of teenage angst. She needs a spark, something to get her out of the doldrums. That arrives in the form of Emily (Lively), fresh out of prison on appeal and insistent on Stephanie serving as her Maid of Honor at the destination wedding she’s hastily thrown herself into. The celebration includes ex-husband Sean (Henry Golding), Emily’s fiancé Dante (Michele Morrone, a camp legend for his work in the 365 Days trilogy), and a heated rivalry between the island’s mafia families. It’s all the ingredients necessary for a killer cocktail. Feig and screenwriters Jessica Sharzer and Laeta Kalogridis understand that the only thing worse than finding yourself ensnared in a revenge plot is to be unsure if the plot even exists. Apart from some offhanded threats about legal action from Emily, there’s not a good reason for Stephanie to jetset off with the woman who previously tried to kill her. But having the characters use their head wouldn’t make for a fun movie, and there is a flirtatious bond between Emily and Stephanie that prevents them from being apart. Kendrick and Lively charge up that magnetism even more in their second go-around, serving a c-word I’m not allowed to say that does get tossed around quite a bit here. I almost wish the whole movie had just been the two of them sitting on opposite sides of prison glass, exchanging catty remarks. In addition to the elements I described earlier, there’s a subplot about an FBI investigation into Emily’s criminal aunt (Allison Janney). Its entirety is what I mostly blame for this runtime being a smidge north of two hours, a nearly unforgivable sin that made me internally recreate Elaine’s reaction to The English Patient . I was never going to be the target audience for this type of film. However, those in that zone seemed to have a wonderful time with it. Unfortunately, once this film debuts on Amazon Prime, their shared theatrical experience will not be shared by everyone else. Like the characters in the film, I recommend cuddling up with a bottle of wine and the minimum amount of brain cells to comprehend the sights and sounds flashing in front of you. More Reviews One Battle After Another September 24, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen A Christmas Party September 23, 2025 By: Tyler Banark Him September 18, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Swiped September 19, 2025 By: Tyler Banark Hunter Friesen

Saltburn November 17, 2023 By: Button Hunter Friesen Writer/director Emerald Fennell has wasted no time cashing in her blank check to make Saltburn , a feature-length Calvin Klein ad that slots nicely in the recent "eat the rich" movie trend (see Triangle of Sadness , Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery , and The Menu just last year). Fennell somehow molds all three of those features into one product, creating something that loves to push your buttons and make you squirm just as much as it wants you to laugh out loud. Sometimes you don’t whether to laugh or look away, making this one of the most outlandishly memorable films of the year, both for good and bad reasons. Fennell shifts her sophomore feature away from the American setting of Promising Young Woman to her native England, specifically the most British place there is: Oxford University. The freshman class of 2006 has descended upon the campus and the class divides have already been set. Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan) finds himself on the lonely side of the have-nots, while people like Felix Catton (Jacob Elordi) and Farleigh Start (Archie Madekwe) sit atop their ivory towers. The silver spoon kids aren’t necessarily assholes, but there is an aura of “you and I are not equals” that permeates from them. Oliver desperately wants to be part of that clique, and, luckily for him, he gets a foot in the door through Felix, who seemingly takes him under his wing out of pity. Elordi and Keoghan look as if they’re ready to remake the Schwarzenegger/DeVito starring Twins in these opening sections. Keoghan is only a little more sociable than his homicidal character in Yorgos Lanthimos’ The Killing of a Sacred Deer , but he’s just as carnivorous as he lusts after Felix’s body and lifestyle. It’s hard to blame him when someone like Elordi is standing right in front of you, a golden child who knows he can turn the whole room when he walks in. It’s no wonder why Sofia Coppola cast him as Elvis Presley in this year’s Priscilla . Felix’s ultimate gesture of kindness is inviting Oliver to his family’s sprawling estate, Saltburn, for the summer. There he meets the rest of the Catton aristocracy: aloof father James (Ricard E. Grant), caustic mother Elspeth (Rosamund Pike), and uncontrollable sister Venetia (Alison Oliver). Everything about the house is so sumptuous as it seemingly exists in a plane outside of mortal existence. “Time to Pretend” and “Mr. Brightside” rock the soundtrack as Oliver and the group play tennis in suits/dresses, swim in the private lake, and host parties where the minimum guest list is 200 names. For Oliver, it’s going to be impossible to go back to a regular life once he’s had a taste of the next level. Both he and Fennell ask: Do these nobles deserve the life they have, especially if all they had to do to earn it was be born? The comparisons to The Talented Mr. Ripley are aplenty, but I doubt even the misanthropic callousness of Patricia Highsmith would dare to try and reach the levels of provocation that Fennell instills within her answers. Most of it feels like substance, but some of it feels like it's here just for shock value. That’s not necessarily a bad thing as there are deeds done that you must see to believe. Let’s just say vampirism, bathtubs, and grave plots will have a whole new context when you walk out. Fennell also gets dangerously close to overplaying her hand the further down the rabbit hole she takes us. Things do get a little too outlandish for believability, undermining much of the intricately layered suspense built up over the last few hours. Keoghan, along with Linus Sandgren’s gorgeous 1.33:1 cinematography, paves over many of those faults. Their work in the final sequence makes it one of the best of the year as the knife gets twisted one final time for good measure. Saltburn ’s brain might not always equal its bite, but there’s so much self-assured showmanship that I was glad to get lost in this maze. Between being an Academy Award winner and displaying a strong disinterest in subtly, it’s hard to pin down exactly where Fennell will be pointing her darkly sharp pen and camera next. That’s just the way I want it to stay, as there’s always room for someone to push boundaries by going for broke with each step up to the plate. More Reviews One Battle After Another September 24, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen A Christmas Party September 23, 2025 By: Tyler Banark Him September 18, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Swiped September 19, 2025 By: Tyler Banark Hunter Friesen

Bros September 9, 2022 By: Button Hunter Friesen Bros had its World Premiere at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival. Universal Pictures will release it in theaters on September 30. In the words of Natalie Portman, Bros is “so gay.” As the first mainstream studio-released romantic comedy to feature a predominantly LGBTQ+ cast, Bros deserves a great deal of respect. Because after years of being sidelined as the “gay best friend” in films such as My Best Friend’s Wedding, Mean Girls, and The Devil Wears Prada , the time is now for stories that are told by, and for, them. Especially stories that aren’t just about homophobia and gay pain. No, stories celebrating gay culture, warts, and all. Stepping in to fill that void is co-writer and star Billy Eichner, delivering pound-for-pound one of the funniest comedies in years. Eichner stars as Bobby Leiber, your typical pessimistic New Yorker who only has time for himself and is not afraid to point out all the things wrong with other people. He’s cultivated a pretty good life for himself by writing a string of children's books, hosting a successful podcast, and acting as the director of the nation’s first LGBTQ+ history museum. But for all his accomplishments, Bobby still hasn’t been able to conquer love, which is illustrated to us by a rather unseemly Tinder hookup that seems to be the peak of his romantic life. All that changes when he meets Aaron (Luke Macfarlane) at a gay club, one that also features a 65-year-old that looks as if “they injected steroids into Dumbledore.” While Bobby’s usual demeanor involves him seeming like he has a stick up his you-know-what, Aaron just goes with the flow (mostly because he’s too scared to act on his own). And in typical rom-com fashion, these opposites attract. What follows is a string of awkward dates that lead to the good times, followed by a falling out that leads to the bad times, which all culminate in a lovely final moment that puts a nice ribbon on everything. Sure, you could have read that last sentence and thought to yourself: “What the hell? He just spoiled the movie for me!” And to that, I would say: “Well, what did you expect from a studio rom-com?” Because for all the gay pride it’s (rightfully) waving around, Bros is still another entry in a genre whose clichés have some of the most well-worn in cinema. Even worse, it exudes some of the worst characteristics of its producer, Judd Apatow, who I still haven’t forgiven for pandemic-set The Bubble . Director Nicholas Stoller, also serving as co-writer with Eicher, seems to have been taught at the school of Apatow as he lets a few scenes play out too long, which in turn makes the movie feel much longer than its stated 115-minute runtime. Even with that macro-level problem, Eichner’s script is still able to do wonders on several micro-levels. Take, for instance, Bobby’s dismissal of Hollywood’s sudden openness to queer culture now that they’ve found a way to profit from it. There’s a very clear dig at the “bravery” straight actors exude when playing gay characters in films such as Brokeback Mountain and The Power of the Dog . And in keeping with the country theme, there’s also a running gag about Aaron’s love for Garth Brooks that pays off in spades near the end. Eichner and Macfarlane have a natural chemistry together, which makes their bits the best parts of the film. Fortunately, there are a lot of those bits, which are often peppered with one-liner zings about their different upbringings and personalities (“They’re like grownup gay Boy Scouts and I’m whatever happened to Evan Hansen!”). Eichner alluded to a possible sequel during the post-screening Q&A for the TIFF world premiere, which, based on how this story ends, I would wholly welcome. While it breaks boundaries for its wonderful representation of LGBTQ+ actors, Bros can’t always break new ground for the rom-com genre. Still, it’s one of the funniest studio romantic comedies of the past few years and delivers more than enough feel-good moments to make its mark as a cultural moment. More Reviews One Battle After Another September 24, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen A Christmas Party September 23, 2025 By: Tyler Banark Him September 18, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Swiped September 19, 2025 By: Tyler Banark Hunter Friesen