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The Upside January 31, 2019 By: Button Hunter Friesen In the film industry, January is usually the month that big studios dump films that they have lost confidence in. A large majority of these films come and go without anyone noticing they even exist. One of the biggest films of this January is The Upside , which tells the unlikely true story of a wealthy quadriplegic hiring an ex-con to be his caregiver. Starring Bryan Cranston and Kevin Hart, this film isn’t as bad as its release date would suggest, but it also isn’t anything special enough to justify your attention or hard-earned money. Directed by Hollywood workman Neil Burger, The Upside is both structured and shot in the typical fashion that one would come to expect from studio comedies. Everything feels like it was assembled from a template and has been done dozens of times before by more competent directors. Burger middlingly works with the more emotional aspects of the film as any moment of dramatic tension can be seen coming from miles away and follows the usual cues of the genre. Even the tonal shifts become quite predictable and create an endless cycle of half-hearted storytelling. While it may have been unintentional, the one thing that Burger does well at is letting the actors do what they do best. Hart and Cranston take over every scene they appear together in and use their chemistry to distract from many of the film’s faults. Being as this is a remake of the 2011 French film The Intouchables , the story very much follows closely with the source material. The biggest thing that the script lacks compared to the original is a sense of emotional weight between the main characters. This problem mainly stems from a thin plot with lofty intentions that only offers tepid results. The writers try to tackle the racial and economic divide between the main characters but end up putting in so little effort that it feels disjointed and a waste of time. Insightful commentary is tossed aside for one-liners and sly remarks that end up feeling overly safe and tedious. Despite being over two hours long, the film continually runs into the problem of having too little to work with, especially from the two weak subplots; one being Hart trying to reconnect with his son and the other with Cranston battling his limitations to find love. Both the side stories felt quite empty and gave each actor little to work with. This resulted in a muddied overall narrative that fought and tore itself down rather than building to something meaningful. Probably the biggest saving grace for the film (and the only reason anyone would watch it) is the performances of the two leading actors. Kevin Hart does what he does best as Dell and shows that he is still a master of comedy, whether it be physical or through his fast-paced banter. Even though the script is mostly to blame, Hart does struggle with the dramatic parts that require him to slow down and break away from his usual tricks. Acting as the dry humor to Hart’s energy is Bryan Cranston as the extremely wealthy and depressed quadriplegic, Phillip. While he does serve up some funny remarks from time to time, Cranston more or less just goes through the motions and knows that he is above a project of this quality. Lastly, Nicole Kidman intermittently shows up as Phillip’s executive assistant, Yvonne. Kidman really feels out of place as her skills go unused on a character whose only purpose is to be a disapproving foil to Hart’s shenanigans. Except for Kevin Hart or Bryan Cranston, there really isn’t much in this film to make things interesting. There are some comedic elements that incite some chuckles, but more times than not a feeling of emptiness will lay dormant in your head. Best described as a filler movie to waste some time, The Upside is something you’ll watch and most likely forget about twenty-four hours later. More Reviews Materialists June 11, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Echo Valley June 9, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen The Life of Chuck September 8, 2024 By: Hunter Friesen Ballerina June 4, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

Inside March 14, 2023 By: Button Hunter Friesen Between the fishes in the aquarium and the pigeon with a broken wing on the patio, there’s plenty of on-the-nose symbolism surrounding Willem Dafoe’s character’s situation within Inside , a film that never lacks for imagery, but seldom brings it above the surface. “Cats die, music fades, but art is for keeps,” Dafoe narrates as he prepares to perform a high-stakes burglary within a luxurious Manhattan penthouse. The owner appears to be an uber-rich art collector, with several of his prized pieces fetching a high asking price on the black market. The initial snatch-and-grab goes off without a hitch, that is until Dafoe’s hacker accomplice mistakenly trips the alarm at the last minute. The apartment shuts down into defense mode, trapping Dafoe into a gilded cage filled with bountiful treasures, but no way to get them out. The resourceful thief must rely on his wits and resourcefulness to endure the isolation, as there’s no way to tell when he might be able to get out. In a cruel twist of fate, the apartment is filled with more paintings than food and running water, turning this once lavish paradise into a barren wasteland. With next to no other in-person cast members and taking place on entirely one set, Inside may as well be confused as a member of the pandemic-era club of tiny movies that were able to be filmed while abiding by the strict safety protocols. Such members include Sam Levinson’s misbegotten Malcolm & Marie , the James McAvoy & Sharon Horgan-starring Together , and Judd Apatow’s “I shed two tears every time I mention it,” The Bubble . Luckily, Inside is no nowhere near as infuriating or as limited as those films, but it may not be all that more memorable. Director/co-writer Vasilis Katsoupis, marking his narrative feature debut, displays a knack for crispy imagery. The sharp edges of the high-end furniture and décor give off the vibe of a cold prison, with the thief’s hierarchy of needs being changed by the day. The television has a CCTV feed, with one of the cameras being pointed at a cleaning lady eating her sandwich during her lunch break. The thief looks with lust toward the sandwich, with all the high-priced surrounding him worth nothing in comparison. Eventually, Inside becomes a game of Chekhov’s Symbol, as every perfectly framed image and use of color is required to profoundly mean something. It would have made for an interesting puzzle if the pieces weren’t so easy to put together and the ending picture was anywhere close to being worth more than the sum of its parts. Dafoe never lets the act of putting those pieces together seem dull, with his quiet intensity and surprisingly physical athleticism making for an interesting outwardly character study. Along with Cate Blanchett and Tilda Swinton, he has amassed one of the most interesting careers of the past few decades, seamlessly moving between large-scale Hollywood productions and offbeat indies. If anything, Inside serves as a nice appetizer of Dafoe before the main course is served by Wes Anderson and Yorgos Lanthimos later this year with Asteroid City and Poor Things / AND , respectively. The bluntness of Inside doesn’t make an immediately rewatchable experience, nor does the ho-hum narrative make for an immediate reason to see it in the first place. Katsoupis tries his best to make his film a work of art. But just like all the pieces hanging on the walls within the apartment, his work will quickly get tossed away in favor of anything that offers more sustenance. More Reviews Materialists June 11, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Echo Valley June 9, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen The Life of Chuck September 8, 2024 By: Hunter Friesen Ballerina June 4, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen 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 Materialists June 11, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Echo Valley June 9, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen The Life of Chuck September 8, 2024 By: Hunter Friesen Ballerina June 4, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

The Batman March 7, 2022 By: Button Hunter Friesen It can be quite difficult these days to parse through the DC Cinematic Universe. While Marvel has been steady as she goes for nearly a decade and a half, DC has puttered along, shooting misfire after misfire. Man of Steel was certainly not the way things should have started, and neither was Justice League the way things should have come together. And then there’s the whole debacle around Zack Snyder’s Justice League (is it canon, or just a director’s cut?) and The Suicide Squad , which is somehow both a reboot and a sequel. Somewhere during their productions, Warner Brothers decided they should differentiate their slate from Marvel by producing smaller-scale, filmmaker-focused films (no disrespect to Marvel, but there isn’t a single film in their universe with a clear authorial voice). First came Todd Phillips' Joker , which, for better and for worse, made quite the statement. The next is Matt Reeves’ The Batman , which steps outside of the current cinematic universe hellscape and exists on its terms as an ultra-dark and ultra-noir-inspired thriller. Batman has been fighting crime for close to two years now, with not much to show for it. The streets are still filled with garbage, both in the form of flesh and debris. The criminals may fear Batman, but not enough to stop committing crimes altogether. So, the endless cycle of carnage continues. That is until a new face appears on the block in the form of The Riddler, who’s brutally murdering Gotham’s top officials, and also murders their reputations by exposing their scandals to the public. As his name would suggest, the culprit leaves behind riddles addressed “To the Batman,” made to mock The Caped Crusader as he pieces together this intricately pieced puzzle. Just like Phillips took (a little too much) inspiration from Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver and The King of Comedy when crafting his character study of the mentally insane for Joker , writer/director Matt Reeves borrows heavily from the work of David Fincher, particularly Se7en and Zodiac . The Riddler may as well be the Zodiac killer, as Paul Dano’s performance channels the character’s brilliance and insanity. The tension he builds is unparalleled and makes you feel that you're witnessing someone who’s truly gone off the deep end. And with a runtime just five minutes shy of three hours, The Batman has plenty of time to unravel its grand mystery. It’s a thickly layered plot tracing corruption back to the days of Thomas Wayne. The best compliment that I can give any comic book movie is that even if you replace the superheroes with regular people, you still have an interesting story to tell. It’s something that Christopher Nolan was able to accomplish with his Dark Knight trilogy, as well as Sam Raimi with his Spider-Man films. Things may get lost in the shuffle from time to time here, and the ending may leave a bad taste in your mouth, but there’s a lot to love on the page. But with Robert Pattinson as Batman, it’s hard to imagine him not in this movie, as he delivers yet another undeniable performance. Nearly every actor cast as Batman has had their fair share of naysayers, from Michael Keaton to Ben Affleck. With this role, Pattinson is finally able to show the general public his true talent, with most casual moviegoers remembering him only as the sparkly vampire from the T wilight series. Pattinson has always excelled at playing uncomfortable characters, with his work on Good Time and The Lighthouse being prime examples. There’s a restless edge to his version of Batman, something that's been eating away the character’s soul after years of sleepless nights. And in those nights, DP Greig Fraser, hot off his Oscar nomination for his work on Dune , crafts some immaculate imagery. Silhouettes and shadows haunt the dark city streets, with the neon lights drenched in rain providing stark contrast. This is not just one of the best-looking comic-book movies, it’s one of the best-looking movies ever. Fraser does get help from Production Designer James Chinlund, who seamlessly merges New York and Chicago architecture to make Gotham the cesspool that it is. At its core, The Batman is not much of a Batman movie, and that’s what makes it so great. Reeves has taken all the familiar trappings and given them a fresh new look. It may only be March, but the bar for the rest of the films this year just got raised a bit higher. And unlike every other DC film to come out in the past couple of years, I’m excited to see where this story goes next. More Reviews Materialists June 11, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Echo Valley June 9, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen The Life of Chuck September 8, 2024 By: Hunter Friesen Ballerina June 4, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen 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 Materialists June 11, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Echo Valley June 9, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen The Life of Chuck September 8, 2024 By: Hunter Friesen Ballerina June 4, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen 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 Materialists June 11, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Echo Valley June 9, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen The Life of Chuck September 8, 2024 By: Hunter Friesen Ballerina June 4, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

Joker: Folie à Deux October 1, 2024 By: Button Hunter Friesen Imagine you’re Todd Phillips. At the beginning of the summer of 2019, Avengers: Endgame has become the highest-grossing movie of all time, putting the comic book genre at the peak of its power and cultural relevancy. You have your own comic book movie releasing later in the fall, one that will be a soft “fuck you” to all the genre contemporaries that built themselves upon a pile of special effects, and not the ideas and controversy that you’re bringing to the table. The premiere of the film at the Venice Film Festival, one of the most prestigious in the world, is all set, and everyone is going to lose their minds at the edginess you’re about to unleash. Instead, your worst fears become realized: people love the movie. The jury at Venice gives it the top prize, the Golden Lion, a historic occasion for this type of film. Apart from more than a few naysayers, critics are hailing it as a revolutionary film for the time. More than a billion dollars flood in from the box office, and awards rain down from the sky. Everywhere you turn, people are clamoring for more. It’s all wrong. People shouldn’t be enjoying the movie, at least not like this. You had to deal with this in the Hangover franchise, and now it’s time to take the same steps here to correct the course. That’s right, Joker: Folie à Deux is the new The Hangover Part III , a movie filled with so much contempt for its fans that you wonder why it even bothered to please them in the first place. Of course, I could be talking out of my ass about this whole situation. But based on Phillips' desire to always be a subversive rebel and subconscious disdain for success, there’s no other way to explain how much this sequel tries to talk down to those who worshipped at the altar of its predecessor. Mathematically, that would mean that all the previous detractors would be won over. But the work within Folie à Deux simply isn’t good enough for them. Sure, it still looks pretty, with Lawrence Sher returning as the cinematographer to deliver some immaculately grimy shots. Instead, it’s just the same joke being told again. And no matter how much you try, it’ll never be as funny the second time around. To give Phillips some credit, this isn’t exactly the same old joke again. Yes, Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) is still a disillusioned and misunderstood figure within Gotham City, now locked up in Arkham Asylum for the past five years after he murdered all those people. The trial of the century is coming up, and his court-appointed lawyer is mounting the defense that Arthur and Joker are two totally different people. It’s also the defense that Phillips finds himself the most tied to, siding against the people who worshipped Joker and belittled Arthur. Joker isn’t cool, he’s a murderer who stands for nothing but chaos, all while Arthur sits alone waiting for the tiniest amount of compassion. And we pass him over every day, opting to tune in to revel in the juicy details about the violence and misery enacted by someone who doesn’t deserve an ounce of our attention. Furthering the case of Arthur’s split personality is his increasingly frequent outbursts into song and dance. Each of them serves as the creative outlet to which words can’t do justice, although the prospect of a $200 million dark comic-book musical is much more realized on paper than here. “Dour” would be the word of choice to describe each set piece, with Phoenix and Lady Gaga, appearing here as Joker’s #1 fan Harley Quinn, providing the only semblance of passion. After a while, they all start to blend together into one meh soup, a symptom of the on-the-nose messaging and Phillips’ inability to craft a catchy setpiece. It’s much easier to appreciate them within the franticness of a trailer rather than the methodicism of the final product. There is something to be said about this movie’s dedication to adhering to its DNA despite all the scope and scale placed upon it. It desperately wants to do something different, although it’s not quite sure what that is. It’s played both sides, but instead of doubling its profits, it exponentially multiplied its losses. More Reviews Materialists June 11, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Echo Valley June 9, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen The Life of Chuck September 8, 2024 By: Hunter Friesen Ballerina June 4, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

Cannes 2022: 50 Films That Could Premiere April 4, 2022 By: Hunter Friesen Just as the 2021 awards season concludes, it's time to get excited and speculate about another film festival. Often considered the most prestigious festival in the world, the Cannes Film Festival is where many renowned international auteurs show off their work. Last year's edition was the first one since the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered the 2020 edition, with Spike Lee's jury awarding the coveted first place Palme d'Or to Julia Ducournau's Titane , making the French director only the second woman to direct a Palme d'Or winning film (Jane Campion did it first in 1993 for The Piano ). Even though it often contains a small selection of American titles, Cannes still plays a sizable role in the Oscar race. Along with Titane , last year's festival saw the launches of players such as The Worst Person in the World and Drive My Car . In prior years, Parasite, Amour, The Tree of Life , and even Pulp Fiction began their awards season journeys on the Croisette. The 2022 edition is an extra special one for the festival, as it will mark the 75th edition in festival history and will be the first one overseen by newly elected president Iris Knobloch. Festival Director Thierry Frémaux will unveil his selection in ten days on April 14th, which could include more than the usual 20 titles in the main competition due to the festival's anniversary celebration and the overwhelming supply of filmmakers with exciting new products. Attention will be placed on Frémaux on how he responds to the criticism the festival has received in the past about gender parity. This year, there's plenty for him to choose from, with Kelly Reichardt, Rebecca Zlotowski, and Joanna Hogg each having films in the pipeline. Speculation also abounds that Frémaux is hunting for either Marion Cotillard or Penélope Cruz to serve as this year's jury president. One thing for certain is that Frémaux will not be selecting any Netflix films within his lineup, as the streamer and the French film industry still remain far apart from making a distribution deal that would satisfy both parties. Because of that, no Netflix titles will be included in this article. Certain other films that are already confirmed or heavily speculated not to appear at the festival include Alejandro G. Iñárritu's Bardo and Luca Guadagnino's Bones and All , which have their eyes set on a Venice premiere. Claire Denis' The Stars at Noon and Nuri Bilge Ceylan's On Barren Weeds will also not make an appearance as they remain deep in post-production. And festival veterans Abderrahmane Sissako with The Perfumed Hill and Jessica Hausner with Club Zero are also unlikely to turn up as their films are still grappling with production delays from the pandemic. So without further ado, I'll delve into 50 films that have the potential to premiere at Cannes. They are sorted into three categories based on their likelihood, which stems from a combination of factors that are explained in each summary. ALREADY CONFIRMED Elvis Australian Baz Luhrman has continually supplied a stylistic jolt to Cannes since his feature debut, Strictly Ballroom , won the 1992 Award of the Youth. Moulin Rouge! kicked off its Oscar run at Cannes in 2001, and The Great Gatsby opened the festival in 2013. After a nine-year break, Luhrman is back with his biopic about The King of Rock and Roll. Three Thousand Years of Longing Mad Max: Fury Road writer/director and president of the 2016 jury, George Miller, will be opening the festival with his Tilda Swinton and Idris Elba starring fantasy film. Three Thousand Years of Longing is said to be a high-budget arthouse piece as it tells the story of a scholar encountering a Djinn who offers her three wishes in exchange for his freedom. Top Gun: Maverick Leave it to Tom Cruise to provide the necessary glitz and glamor that thrives on the Croisette. Cruise and director Joseph Kosinski will be debuting their long-gestating and habitually delayed sequel to the 1986 smash hit. The premiere will line up nicely with the film's release across Europe. VERY LIKELY Armageddon Time After taking brief detours into Amazonia ( The Lost City of Z ) and space ( Ad Astra ), writer/director James Gray returns to the Big Apple for his semi-autobiography that will somehow feature Donald Trump and his late father. Cannes has long been an admirer of Gray's work, debuting four of his films (all of which featured Joaquin Phoenix). While Armageddon Time may not feature Phoenix, it does have a prominent cast of Anne Hathaway, Jeremy Strong, and Anthony Hopkins. Broker After making his English-language debut with The Truth , Japanese auteur Hirokazu Kore-eda will be making his Korean-language debut with Broker . The title comes from the act of people leaving their unwanted babies in boxes outside of anonymous homes. Thematically, it sounds similar to Kore-eda's previous films Nobody Knows and Like Father, Like Son , both of which debuted at Cannes, with the latter winning the Jury Prize. Kore-eda's last film to debut at Cannes, Shoplifters , won the Palme d'Or, so a return to the festival is nearly inevitable. Brother and Sister The native Arnaud Desplechin has competed for the Palme d'Or six times and has won the SACD Prize within the Director's Fortnight in 2015 for My Golden Days . The question of when he will finally be rewarded on the main stage may be starting to percolate. His drama stars Marion Cotillard and Melvil Poupaud as siblings reuniting after the death of their parents. The one wrinkle in the film's awards prospects depends on whether Cotillard takes up the jury presidency, which would force this film to play out of competition. No matter the capacity, Desplechin's film will surely make an appearance. Crimes of the Future Cannes has been the birthplace of five of David Cronenberg's films, with Crash wreaking havoc with vehicular-related sex 25 years before Titane . Cronenberg hasn't directed a feature since 2014's Maps to the Stars , which won Julianne Moore the festival award for Best Actress. Speaking to Now Toronto last October, Cronenberg clearly stated he wanted the film to premiere at Cannes, a feeling Fremeaux likely shares as Crimes of the Future also packs a talented cast of Viggo Mortensen, Kristen Stewart, and Léa Seydoux. Decision to Leave Park Chan-wook's newest film was 2021 Cannes destined but just wasn't ready in time. Chan-wook will always have a spot reserved for him at Cannes, as he won the Grand Prize of the Jury for Oldboy In 2003 and tied for the Jury Prize for Thirst in 2009. It's been six years since Chan-wook's last feature, The Handmaiden , and his next feature will take him into the detective genre with a story following an investigation of a man's mysterious death and his equally mystifying wife. R.M.N. Romanian Cristian Mungiu is one of the most revered filmmakers in the festival's history, having won the Palme d'Or, Best Screenplay, and Best Director prizes on separate occasions. His next film will be a "plea for tolerance" that revolves around a small village in Transylvania where xenophobia takes over when a bakery hires two foreigners. Tchaikovsky's Wife While the Cannes leadership has ruled that they will not welcome any members of the Russian delegation or those linked to the government, that rule does not apply to Russian auteur Kirill Serebrennikov, who has had his own problem with Putin's government. Serebrennikov recently left the country after a three-year travel ban, which forced him to miss the premiere of Petrov's Flu last year. His next film will look at the tempestuous relationship between Pyotr Tchaikovsky, the most famous Russian composer of all time, and his wife, Antonina. Word has been mum about the film's production status, but the festival will reserve a spot for Serebrennikov if he is ready. Tori and Lokita There isn't a safer bet out there than predicting that the Dardenne brothers of Jean-Pierre and Luc will debut their film at Cannes. The Belgian duo has debuted eight films at Cannes, with 1999's Rosetta and 2005's L'enfant both winning the Palme d'Or. They've also won the Best Screenplay ( Lorna's Silence ) and Best Director awards ( Young Ahmed ), as well as the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury on three separate occasions. Their newest feature will tell the story of a friendship between two young people after traveling from Africa and becoming exiled in Belgium. Production began last summer, giving the brothers plenty of time to prepare for another Palme d'Or run. Triangle of Sadness This was one of the more puzzling omissions from the 2021 lineup announcement, especially since Swedish superstar Ruben Östlund recently won the Palme d'Or with The Square in 2017 and the Un Certain Regard Jury Prize in 2014 for Force Majeure . Rumors swirled that Östlund's film might show up in Venice, but it turned out the film just wasn't ready. Östlund's been working on trimming the movie down from its current three-hour runtime and seems destined to bring his trademarked sense of social satire to Cannes. White People Robin Campillo will likely return to the festival that awarded 2017's BPM (Beats Per Minute) with the Grand Prize of the Jury along with the Queer Palm. He also has the Palme d'Or sitting on his trophy shelf for 2008's The Class . His newest film will also be set in recent history as it follows the upbringing of a young boy during the French colonial rule of Madagascar in the 1960s/1970s. LIKELY Children of Others Rebecca Zlotowski has been a staple of the sidebars, competing in Critics' Week, Un Certain Regard, and Directors' Fortnight. Will this be the time she finally graduates to the main competition? Benedetta star Virginie Efira will lead her next film as a childless woman who forms a deep bond with her boyfriend's young daughter. Chronicle of a Temporary Affair A recent triple nominee by the César Awards for writing, directing, and producing The Things We Say, the Things We Do , Emmanuel Mouret is ready to make an appearance at the festival he hasn't been to since 2006. His new film will be a romantic drama centered around a single mother and married man who have their purely physical relationship tested when their feelings towards each other begin to deepen. Close Belgian Lukas Dhont made quite the splash in 2018 with his feature directorial debut, Girl , which went on to win several prizes such as the Queer Palm and the Golden Camera for best debut feature. That acclaim should reserve him a spot in either the main competition or the sidebars for the premiere of his new film, which takes a similar look at adolescence and sexuality. Disappointment Blvd. Ari Aster has become a star of independent cinema since his debut at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival with Hereditary . He quickly turned around another feature of "elevated horror" with Midsommar just a year later. His next film, titled Disappointment Blvd. , is described as a "four-hour nightmare comedy." Whether that description turns out to be true is still a mystery, but what's not a mystery is that Joaquin Phoenix, a recent Cannes winner for Best Actor in 2017, will lead it. A Cannes birth would be a huge step up for Aster, considering his relative newcomer status. But that status may also keep him relegated to one of the sidebars, similar to how Robert Eggers debuted in Directors' Fortnight in 2019. Dodo Athens-born Panos Koutras' last feature film, Xenia , played at Cannes in 2014 as part of the Un Certain Regard. It's a decent possibility that he'll be invited back to the sidebar as his new film tells the story of a family who finds an extinct dodo bird living in their house, which spurs a series of events that push the boundaries between reason and madness. Don Juan Virgine Efira appears again, this time with director Serge Bozon for a musical rendition of the classic tale of a theater actor (played by Tahar Rahim) who can't get over his ex-fiancée (Efira). Bozon has been to Cannes twice before, with his most recent venture for Tip Top in 2013, netting him a Special Mention in the Director's Fortnight. Emily Frances O'Connor, who played the adopted mother to Haley Joel Osment's robot boy in A.I. Artificial Intelligence , makes her directorial debut with a biopic about famed British author Emily Bronte. Most recently seen in Death on the Nile , Emma Mackey will play the writer, who met her untimely demise at the age of 30. Enys Men Mark Jenkin is still a fresh face on the international film scene, with only one feature film to his name (2019's stylishly constructed Bait ). His sophomore feature will surely repeat the same dazzling sensibilities as it tells a sci-fi/horror story set in a small Cornish fishing village. A midnight screening or one of the sidebars would be a likely landing spot. Final Cut Michel Hazanavicius took Cannes by storm in 2011 with The Artist , which went on to win the Academy Award for Best Picture and Best Director. He's had two films at Cannes since, The Search and Godard Mon Amour , both of which disappointed. Now he's returning to his comedic roots with a French remake of the 2017 Japanese film, One Cut of the Dead . Bérénice Bejo will reteam with Hazanavicius, which follows a film crew who are attacked by zombies. It will be interesting to see if Hazanavicius can emulate the long-take mastery on display in the original. The film was initially planned to debut at Sundance earlier this year but was quietly pulled once the festival announced that it would be going virtual. Perhaps this film will get a closing night slot similar to how the festival closed last year with Jean Dujardin in OSS 117: From Africa with Love ? Untitled Hamlet Adaptation & Holy Spider Two things we know Cannes loves are Shakespeare and Noomi Rapace. So having both in one project would be a dream come true. Rapace will play the titular character in Border director Ali Abbasi's adaptation of the tragedy about the Danish prince, with Sjón, co-writer of the upcoming The Northman , writing the script. Filming began in the fall, so it's unknown if the film will be ready in time. But even if that project doesn't get to the finish line in time, Abbasi also has Holy Spider in post-production. The crime-thriller follows a man named Saeed, who murders several women in order to "cleanse" the holy Iranian city of Mashhad. God's Creatures Set in a rain-soaked village like the one in Ammonite , Emily Watson stars as a mother who lies to protect her son (Paul Mescal), which sets off a chain of unexpected repercussions. A24 has distribution rights, which begs the question of how many films they will bring to the festival. Last year they hit their high with four films ( After Yang , Lamb, Red Rocket , and The Souvenir Part II ), so there's precedent for the distributor to show off a handful of their products. L'immensità Emanuele Crialese hasn't been to Cannes since he competed in the Critics Week for Respiro in 2002. He may have a ticket back twenty years later as he brings international acting royalty (and recent Oscar nominee), Penélope Cruz, with him. Cruz stars as a mother looking after her children in the social turning point of 1970s Italian society. This film falls into the same situation as Marion Cotillard's film, as Cruz is also rumored to be in the running for the jury presidency. Lightyear It's a partnership that may seem a little strange on paper, but the collaborations between Pixar and Cannes have always borne fruit. Up opened the festival in 2009, and Inside Out was one of the most acclaimed titles of the 2015 edition. Soul was even given the honorable laurels for the 2020 edition. So, it wouldn't be a surprise if Pixar takes Lightyear overseas to generate buzz ahead of the film's worldwide release in June. Love Life Japanese director Koji Fukada was last seen in Cannes in 2016, winning the Un Certain Regard Jury Prize for Harmonium . His four-hour drama, The Real Thing , was bestowed the laurels as part of the 2020 pandemic festival. His new drama explores the themes of loss and loneliness as a mother must reconnect with her long-lost husband. Misanthrope Damián Szifron last made an appearance in 2014 with Wild Tales , which generated strong buzz and went on to get a BAFTA nomination for Best Foreign Language Film. He'll be making his English-language debut with a starry cast consisting of Shailene Woodley, Ben Mendelsohn, and Ralph Ineson. Woodley will star as a cop the FBI recruits to track down a murderer. Music No, it's not the maligned Golden Globe-nominated film by Sia. This Music comes from Angela Schanelec, who last played at Cannes in 2004 with Marseille . Since then, she's debuted chiefly her work at the Berlin Film Festival. The film was held out of this year's Berlin lineup, making way for speculation that she's ready to make a return to the Croisette. The plot summary by itself is all that is needed to spawn interest: "A boy grows up with his step-parents in Greece. At the age of 20, he unwittingly murders his father. While serving his sentence, he falls in love and has a child with a woman who works in the prison. They are both unaware of the fact that she is his biological mother. Twenty years later, he lives in London with his daughter and is beginning to lose his eyesight." No Return For his sophomore feature, 2016 Critics Week winner Davy Chou is telling an international story set in South Korea and France. An adopted young French woman returns to her native Korea to track down her biological parents, with surprising results. A sidebar selection is quite likely. One Fine Morning There's no way to stop Léa Seydoux now as she had four films at Cannes last year and looks poised to bring multiple films again this year. Along with Cronenberg's feature, Seydoux will also star in Mia Hansen-Løve's newest film as a woman trying to take care of her senile father. Seydoux caught COVID-19 during the film's production last year, which caused her to miss the premiere of the four films she starred in. With Bergman Island garnering acclaim last year, Hansen-Løve will likely be invited back. Revoir Paris Can Virginie Efira replicate what Nicole Kidman did in 2017 and Léa Seydoux did last year and bring at least three movies to the festival? She very well could, as she also stars in Cannes veteran Alice Winocour's thrilling story about a journalist who gets caught up in a terrorist attack in Paris. Winocour was last seen at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2019 for her Eva Green-led Proxima , so it may be time she returns home. Rheingold Fatih Akin was last seen at Cannes competing for the Palme d'Or in 2017 with In the Fade , which won star Diane Kruger, the Best Actress prize. He'll likely be back this year as he tells the true story of German hip-hop rapper Giwar Hajabi, who goes by the stage name Xatar. Scarlet Only appearing once at Cannes with the documentary Futura in 2011, Pietro Marcello has been a Venice Film Festival player throughout his career. He could be swayed back to the north as his newest film will mark his French-language debut and star Louis Garrel and Noémie Lvovsky. According to the logline, the story will be centered on the emancipation of a woman over twenty years, between 1919 and 1939, a time of great inventions and great dreams. Showing Up France has appreciated Kelly Reichardt's work more than her native America, as her most recent film, First Cow , was named the best film of 2021 by the prestigious magazine Cahiers du Cinéma . She typically debuts her films at either the Sundance or Telluride Film Festivals, but rumors abound that Fremeaux is pushing heavily for her to make the trek across the pond. Michelle Williams reunites with Reichardt as she takes on the lead role of an artist preparing for a career-defining exhibition of her work. The Eternal Daughter While Joanna Hogg was waiting for The Souvenir Part II to debut at Cannes last year, she went ahead and secretly shot her newest film in Wales, which tells the story of a middle-aged daughter and her elderly mother who confront long-buried secrets when they return to their former family home, now a nearly vacant hotel. A24 has worldwide rights to the film, and Tilda Swinton stars (her third consecutive collaboration with Hogg). The Souvenir Part II was one of the most acclaimed films of the 2021 festival, making it likely for Hogg to return with another arthouse delight. The Natural History of Destruction Controversial Ukrainian filmmaker Sergei Loznitsa has explored the Ukraine-Russia situation for years through his narrative and documentary features, with 2018's Donbas debuting at Cannes to wide acclaim. With the conflict between the two countries at the forefront of the world's attention, Loznitsa could make quite the statement with his newest documentary, which will look at the consequences of the allied bombings of German cities at the end of World War II. Cannes has never been shy of controversy, with Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11 receiving a 20-minute standing ovation and the Palme d'Or in 2004, so it wouldn't be strange for Loznitsa to show up. UNLIKELY, BUT POSSIBLE Asteroid City If Asteroid City does go to the French Riviera, then Cannes would replace Berlin as the film festival to debut the most Anderson films. Moonrise Kingdom opened the festival in 2012, and The French Dispatch sat on a shelf throughout the pandemic to ensure it debuted at the 2021 edition. Cannes thrives on star power to fill its historic red carpet, and Anderson's films have plenty to spare. His newest cast will feature no less than Tom Hanks, Scarlett Johansson, Margot Robbie, Bryan Cranston, Bill Murray, Adrien Brody, Tilda Swinton, and Jeffrey Wright. However, considering the awards disappointment of The French Dispatch , it seems that Anderson might pivot towards either Venice or New York for better prospects. Eureka A part of the New Argentine Cinema movement, Lisandro Alonso and his films have moved at a deliberate pace. He's only directed six feature-length films since 2001, with nearly all of them playing at Cannes. His most recent film, Jauja won the FIPRESCI Prize as part of the 2014 Un Certain Regard selection. He'll be reteaming with Viggo Mortensen for a story about a man on the search for his daughter after she has been kidnapped. No word has been given on production status, so it remains a mystery if the film is ready. Jean-Luc Godard Projects No introduction can do justice to the enormous impact Jean-Luc Godard has had on the art of filmmaking. He hasn't stopped making movies since his feature debut of Breathless in 1960, with his previous films, the radical The Image Book (which won the first Special Palme d'Or) and Goodbye to Language , playing in competition. There are conflicting reports on whether Godard's next two films, Funny Wars and Scenario , will be his final ones. Still, they could unintentionally become that since the French auteur recently turned 91. There's also little word on the production status of the films, with the only known details being that they will share the same essay-like qualities of his past works. No matter when they're ready, Cannes will welcome them with open arms. Nope French audiences have embraced the work of Jordan Peele just as Americans have, as Get Out was named the fourth-best film of 2017 by Cahiers du Cinéma . That acclaim fuels speculation if the French festival would invite him over to premiere his newest film. Peele has only played Sundance and SXSW, so Cannes would be a huge step up for him. Similar to Top Gun: Maverick and Elvis , an out-of-competition slot may be possible to help boost awareness for the horror film ahead of its July release. Passages Similar to Kelly Reichardt, Ira Sachs is one of the most lauded American filmmakers in France. He was invited to Cannes in 2019 for Frankie , which starred acting queen Isabelle Huppert in the titular role. Unfortunately, Sachs' film didn't perform well under the bright lights, receiving the lowest reviews of his career. He's currently rushing to finish post-production work on his new film, which stars Ben Whishaw and Franz Rogowski as a gay couple whose relationship is tested when one of them has an affair with a woman (Adèle Exarchopoulos). Even if Sachs can finish the film in time, will he return to the festival that marked a low point in his career? Poor Things Coming off the blazing Oscar success of The Favourite , all eyes are on what Yorgos Lanthimos will do next. He's keeping his partnership with leading lady Emma Stone and screenwriter Tony McNamara for Poor Things , which will be set in Victorian England and about a mad scientist who brings a woman back to life. Willem Dafoe, Mark Ruffalo, and Margaret Qualley mix into the supporting cast. Lanthimos' unique arthouse sensibilities have matched well with Cannes in the past, with Dogtooth, The Lobster , and The Killing of a Sacred Deer , all winning various prizes. Now that Oscar buzz follows Lanthimos wherever he goes, Searchlight Pictures will have to decide to send the film to a festival with an already established fandom for Lanthimos or wait and debut it in the fall with the rest of the Oscar bunch. TÁR Writer/director Todd Field hasn't made a feature film since 2006's Little Children . He's remained a mystery ever since as fans wondered if he would ever make a return to filmmaking. Fortunately, prayers have been answered as Field recently finished production on TÁR , with Cate Blanchett playing the titular character as the first-ever female chief conductor of a major German orchestra. Blanchett is a Cannes favorite as she's been a part of numerous festival darlings ( Carol and Babel ) and also served as the jury president in 2018. Being that the film is scheduled to release stateside in October and Blanchett's perennial Oscar status, a premiere at one of the fall festivals seems more likely. The Son Florian Zeller didn't know he would become an Oscar winner when he debuted The Father at the pre-pandemic Sundance Film Festival in 2020. After that success, he's wasted no time adapting another one of his plays. He again partners with screenwriter Christopher Hampton on The Son , which stars Hugh Jackman, Vanessa Kirby, Laura Dern, and recent Best Actor winner Anthony Hopkins. With the universal acclaim he received for The Father , Zeller may want to make a splash at his native festival. But being that Zeller and the film look to be prime Oscar contenders this year, Sony Pictures Classics may hold it for a few months until the fall festivals are in full swing. The Way of the Wind There's no way to figure out when a Terrence Malick film will be released. All you can do is wait and pray. Malick premiered his last movie, A Hidden Life , at Cannes in 2019, and he also won the Palme d'Or for his magnum opus The Tree Of Life in 2011. He once again has saddled himself with another weighty topic, as The Way Of The Wind will tell several episodes of the life of Jesus Christ, led by a cast of Mark Rylance, Ben Kingsley, Joseph Fiennes, and Matthias Schoenaerts. Several of Malick's films have been delayed for years as he endlessly tinkers in the editing room, so there's no telling when this film will be seen. The Whale Darren Aronofsky has been missing since Mother! proved divisive back in 2017. Now he's ready to return with a film that seems even wackier. Brendan Fraser plays a 600 lb recluse who attempts to reconnect with his teenage daughter. Aronofsky hasn't been to Cannes since he debuted Requiem for a Dream in 2000. He's had a stable relationship with the Venice Film Festival ever since and could end up keeping with tradition and taking this film there. But after the tumultuous release of Mother! and the potential oddity of this story, maybe Aronofsky will return to the festival that launched one of his greatest hits. What Happens Things got scary for a moment back in September when it was reported that Andrey Zvyagintsev was put into a medically induced coma after sustaining heavy damage to his lungs due to a severe case of COVID-19. It was reported a month later that he was out of a coma and recovering in Germany. Zvyagintsev won Best Screenplay at Cannes in 2014 for Leviathan and the Jury Prize in 2017 for Loveless . The Russian master's newest film, which was shot in the United States and will be his English-language debut, will tackle the lofty topics of "life, nature, human relations, the modern man, and the fragility of human life." We'll have to wait and see if Zvyagintsev will be healthy enough to travel to the festival he has called home since 2007. Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family, no matter the answer. Women Talking Due to an accident that gave her a series of concussions, acclaimed filmmaker Sarah Polley hasn't made a feature film in over a decade. Luckily, she's returning with a starry cast consisting of Jessie Buckley, Rooney Mara, Claire Foy, Frances McDormand, and Ben Whishaw. Polley will transport the cast to Bolivia, where they tell the story of a Mennonite religious colony being plagued by repeated sexual assaults by the men. Brad Pitt's Plan B and McDormand are attached as producers, so time will tell if they decide to hold the film until it's ready for an awards launch at the fall festivals. Zone of Interest Under the Skin was rated as one of the best movies of 2014 and one of the best of the 2010s by numerous critics groups. Despite the film's universal acclaim, writer/director Jonathan Glazer hasn't made a feature since. He's returning by partnering with A24 for an adaptation of Martin Amis' novel about a Nazi officer who becomes enamored with the wife of a concentration camp commander. Based on Glazer's filmography, it's safe to say that there's much more behind the curtain. Regular Paweł Pawlikowski DP Łukasz Żal will lens the film, who will surely find beauty within the harsh circumstances. More Reviews Materialists June 11, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Echo Valley June 9, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen The Life of Chuck September 8, 2024 By: Hunter Friesen Ballerina June 4, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

Tyler's Takes: 'Terrifier' is a Terrifyingly Awful Franchise October 31, 2024 By: Tyler Banark With today being Halloween, some people may be out trick-or-treating, partying, or settling in to watch a movie that ought to give them a good spook. The Terrifier movies have recently sparked considerable debate in the horror genre and have made for must-watches leading up to the holiday. Created by Damien Leone, these films follow Art the Clown, a sadistic and mute killer with a penchant for gruesome murders, as he terrorizes his victims in ruthless and graphic ways. While these movies have gained a cult following, there is a solid case to be made for why the Terrifier films are fundamentally flawed, relying heavily on shock value over substance. Some fans praise their audacious gore and chilling antagonist. Still, they fall short due to several recurring issues: a lack of narrative depth, excessive reliance on graphic violence, shallow character development, and underwhelming storytelling. The Terrifer movies are distasteful to the point where I didn’t bother watching the third one, so this will focus on the first two movies, mindless terror that doesn’t care for their audience. One of the most prominent critiques of the Terrifier series is its reliance on gore and shock as its primary source of horror. While horror is a genre where blood and violence are often used to drive fear, Terrifier takes this to such an extreme that it loses effectiveness. The graphic, drawn-out torture scenes and relentless bloodshed feel gratuitous rather than serving any narrative purpose, overshadowing any plot that might add weight or substance to the horror. Horror movies often employ gore effectively to enhance fear, yet Terrifier appears to use it as the central element, leaving audiences feeling numb rather than scared. Terrifier 2 received notoriety for scenes so violent and extreme that they reportedly led to physical reactions from audiences, including fainting and vomiting. While this attention-grabbing tactic may appeal to some viewers looking for intense thrills, it reflects a shallow approach to horror. Many horror enthusiasts seek out intelligent, suspenseful, or psychologically imaginative films that engage on multiple levels; Terrifier , however, lacks this nuance. In classic horror, gore emphasizes stakes or builds atmosphere. Films like Halloween or The Texas Chain Saw Massacre use violence as a component of a larger story, moving the plot along and adding that fear factor that’ll resonate with fans over time. Another major criticism of the Terrifier films is their need for more substantial plot and character development. Both movies present bare-bones narratives with little complexity or depth. The premise of Terrifier follows Art the Clown as he terrorizes unsuspecting victims on Halloween night. There’s minimal context or background given to either Art or his victims, resulting in a superficial and uninspired story. The result is a narrative that feels cold and detached, with victims who are reduced to mere props in a series of violent set pieces rather than characters with agency or humanity. The lack of development makes Art feel like a one-dimensional antagonist without the psychology that makes other horror villains memorable. Some horror movies thrive on the simplicity of their villains, Art the Clown symbolizes the dangers of reducing a character to mere shock and brutality. Art is undoubtedly memorable with his unsettling appearance and mime-like mannerisms, but he lacks the layers that make other horror villains iconic. Characters like Freddy Krueger, Michael Myers, and even Leatherface are physically menacing, but they have a history or mythos that explain their descent into violence, making them not only terrifying but also intriguing. Art exists as a terrifying enigma without a clear backstory, purpose, or motivation. His violent actions are unprovoked and directionless. The horror genre is known for its inventiveness and ability to push boundaries. It often uses subtext, metaphors, and symbolic elements to explore real-world fears and anxieties. Classic horror movies like Psycho or The Shining , or even modern horror successes like Hereditary or Get Out , have been praised for engaging audiences on intellectual and emotional levels. However, Terrifier lacks such artistic ambition, opting for cheap thrills and extreme violence as its main draws, limiting its relevance within the horror genre. Leone’s films provide neither a fresh perspective nor any meaningful exploration of societal fears. The series feels dated by focusing on a purely visceral approach, evoking early slasher tropes without significant twists. It’s a simplistic throwback, devoid of creativity and artistry, and failing to elevate itself to the level of genre-defining horror. The ethical questions surrounding gratuitous violence are also a point of contention in the Terrifier movies. It takes this to another level by normalizing depictions of extreme torture and murder that border on exploitation. When violence is shown with such detail and with such little justification or context, it risks crossing into unethical territory. Horror filmmakers have long walked a fine line between terrifying audiences and respecting their limits. Movies like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre or Saw may have been graphic, but they often came with a purpose—social critique, commentary on survival, or explorations of morality. Terrifier , however, seems to revel in violence for its own sake, potentially desensitizing audiences to extreme images and blurring the line between entertainment and sadism. Effective horror often relies on psychological tension, suspense, and an atmosphere of dread that keeps viewers on edge. Movies like Halloween and The Silence of the Lambs masterfully build terror by cultivating anticipation and fear of the unknown. The Terrifier films largely abandon this approach, choosing shock over suspense. Rather than building tension through careful pacing and eerie setups, the movies jump into graphic scenes that feel disjointed from any broader, sustained narrative. The absence of subtlety is especially apparent in Terrifier ’s portrayal of Art’s murders, which are conducted in full view of the camera, leaving little room for suspense. This approach undermines the potential for psychological horror, making the movies feel less like an exploration of terror and more like a visual assault. The Terrifier movies represent a missed opportunity to offer something unique or relevant in horror. While they may attract viewers seeking extreme thrills, these movies fail to deliver the storytelling that defines excellent horror cinema. An over-reliance on gore, weak character development, an unengaging antagonist, pacing issues, and a lack of innovation kills these movies in the excessive fashion Leone gives audiences over and over again. You can follow Tyler and hear more of his thoughts on Twitter , Instagram , and Letterboxd . More Reviews Materialists June 11, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Echo Valley June 9, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen The Life of Chuck September 8, 2024 By: Hunter Friesen Ballerina June 4, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

Chaos Walking March 11, 2021 By: Button Hunter Friesen Like The Hunger Games, Harry Potter , and Percy Jackson , Chaos Walking is the newest attempt to establish a lucrative franchise based on a series of popular teenage-audience books. But unlike those successful series, this Lionsgate release is more likely to fall in line with the other failures such as The Golden Compass and The Mortal Instruments . Haven’t heard of this movie? Well, I wouldn’t blame you since Lionsgate has attempted to bury this money pit in the middle of the pandemic to save themselves from further embarrassment. Filmed in 2017 and originally to be released in early 2019, the film underwent extensive (and expensive) reshoots after the first cut was deemed unwatchable. It was shelved for nearly two years until crawling its way back from the grave into newly reopened theatres. So, is this movie as terrible as its reputation precedes it? No, but that’s not to say it isn’t bad. Similar to all YA novels, Chaos Walking takes place in a dystopian space colony in 2257. This planet is like Earth, except that there is something in the atmosphere called The Noise. An introvert's worst nightmare, The Noise makes it where the thoughts of men are heard aloud, and is something our hero, orphaned Todd (Tom Holland), still has yet to control. Everything he thinks is broadcast to anyone within earshot, restricting any sense of privacy. No one knows why this is happening, and why women are not affected. The colony Todd lives in also has no women there, as he is told the Spackle - the native inhabitants of the planet - killed off. Obviously, what you’re told isn’t always what actually happened. Everything changes when a scout, Viola (Daisy Ridley), crashes on the planet. The leader of the colony decides to use her as bait to attract her command ship so he can ambush it and leave this godforsaken land. Naturally, Todd develops a crush on Viola, agreeing to help her escape to a deserted colony fitted with a communicator that she can use to warn her rescuers. If you wanted to know what Tom Holland was thinking all the time, this will be a supreme disappointment to you. The character is very bland, and so are his thoughts, which consist solely of him saying his name to calm himself down and suppressing his budding feelings for his newfound partner. Holland tries to use his Peter Parker charm to make the character at least bearable, but the script makes his efforts a waste. The word bland is the best way to describe everything about this movie. It might be a weird movie, but that doesn’t mean it’s interesting. There’s a lot of semi-world building here as we are introduced to all sorts of details about the planet and its backstory. I say semi because the movie never gives away too much information, as they want you to pay more for that in the sequels, which are never going to happen. It’s also done at a rapid pace, moving from one location to another like we’re just skimming through the pages. Adapting his book, writer Patrick Ness seems more interested in setting up sequels than establishing an interesting base. Take for instance the Spackle, who look like all-black Martians and rightfully fought back against the colonizing humans. In this movie, we see them for one three-minute action scene. After that, they disappear completely and are never mentioned again. I was told by a friend that the Spackle are reintroduced in the third book, a fact that I audibly groaned at. I want to learn about these natives now, not these boring humans! Even for a $100 million (+ reshoots) blockbuster, Chaos Walking is sparsely light on meaningful action. Director Doug Liman had the potential to mash the sci-fi and western genre into something off the beaten path, but he instead stays in the same lane as his contemporaries. Like Star Wars , the guns shoot plasma so the wounds are bloodless and any serious violence is cut away from. The one unique feature is the movie’s questionable hatred towards animals, as a horse is violently put down and a dog is drowned in the frame. I’m glad no one in the cinema could hear my thoughts while watching this movie because my head was full of a lot of questions and negative comments. By next month, Chaos Walking will feel like a distant memory, a fact that we should all rejoice in. It was nice to be back in the cinema after a long while, I just wish it wasn’t for this. More Reviews Materialists June 11, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Echo Valley June 9, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen The Life of Chuck September 8, 2024 By: Hunter Friesen Ballerina June 4, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

Parthenope February 7, 2025 By: Button Hunter Friesen It may only be February, but Paolo Sorrentino’s Parthenope could very well take the cake as the most beautiful film of 2025. Early on in the famed Italian auteur’s newest film, the streets of Naples circa 1968 are basked in the golden sunlight reflected off the water of the Mediterranean Sea. Men, women, and children populate every corner and avenue, all dressed in the works of Anthony Vaccarello, creative director of the luxury fashion house Yves Saint Laurent. At this moment, you understand exactly what Kate Hudson was singing and dancing about in Rob Marshall’s film adaptation of Nine . In those same waters eighteen years earlier, the titular Parthenope was born. Her godfather, the shipping tycoon boss of her father, gifted her a chariot from Versailles as a crib so that she could travel the world as she slept. He also insisted that the family name her after the mythological name of coastal Naples, bestowing her with thousands of years of blessings and curses. Like the streets in that opening, one of those blessings is her unparalleled beauty. Men start drooling like cartoon characters before going into a catatonic state just at the sight of her, and women understand that she puts them all to shame just by comparison. One of those slobbering dogs is Sandrino (Dario Aita), the son of her family’s maid. He’s fawned over her his entire life, even succumbing to sniffing her drying bathing suit just to get closer to a goddess. Despite Parthenope being aware of the power her beauty possesses, she isn’t sure how to best wield it. She keeps those ogling men at bay, all of them treating her as a trophy to acquire. They all ask her what she’s thinking, but they never listen to her response. When she rejects the advances of a rich man who makes inquiries from his helicopter, he lashes by saying “You’re not a big deal.” Film acting initially seems to be the best use of her talent, although the fate of every actress is never pretty. She eventually lands in academia, specifically anthropology, a natural fit considering her voracious reading habits and need to always have a ready answer for those inquisitive men. Academia is where Sorrentino steadies the sights of his screenplay for the rest of the runtime, ruminating on the complexities of love, youth, and beauty. As evidenced by his previous works of Youth and The Great Beauty , these are not newfound themes for Sorrentino. What’s new for the director is centering his epic tale on a woman, specifically in a time and place when women were rarely given the chance to do so. When Parthenope asks her father what would help lift him of his depression, he selfishly looks her up and down and responds that a grandchild might help. While all of its ideas are communicated through the utmost sensuality in both the setting and performances, much of Sorrentino’s dialogue gets lost in its flowery translation. Their prettiness is what also makes them vapid, a contradiction to the ultimate goal of this story. It’s why the more direct conversations between Parthenope and author John Cheever (Gary Oldman), soaking his new novel in alcohol and repressed homosexuality, leave a more lasting impression despite their brevity. There is also the dichotomy between a writer/director insisting that a woman is more than just her beauty, only to indulgently lens her as if she’s beckoning you to buy the newest line of perfume. Newcomer Celeste Dalla Porta is radiantly beautiful and intriguing in the lead role, imbuing Parthenope with much more depth than the script reluctantly presents. Even if this amounts to style over substance, the performances and overwhelming seductiveness are temptingly attractive. For Sorrentino, the style is just as much the substance as the substance itself. More Reviews Materialists June 11, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Echo Valley June 9, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen The Life of Chuck September 8, 2024 By: Hunter Friesen Ballerina June 4, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen

The Friend March 28, 2025 By: Button Hunter Friesen I first saw The Friend as part of the Toronto International Film Festival back in September, squeezing it into my schedule on the final Saturday, making it the second-to-last film in my 37 film bonanza. I rushed over to the Scotiabank Theatre from the premiere of The Deb , scarfing down a corn dog as the festival volunteer rattled off the perfunctory introductory remarks. I then scurried out of the theater as soon as the credits began, my body and mind in go mode as I went a few blocks to catch the Midnight Madness screening of The Shadow Strays . What I just described in that four-ish hour chunk illustrates the sins of my gluttony when it comes to film festivals. In the race to see everything, many films become boxes to check off. The Friend was one of those films, largely due to the fact that it didn't grab me right away, making it easy to shrug off. But in the six months since then, it's lingered moderately well, raising my guilt as to how I originally treated it. If your best friend were to die and their will stipulated that you adopt their miniature horse, would you be able to do it? Let's also preface that question with the fact you're not a pet person, and you have a rent-controlled apartment in Manhattan that prohibits animals in the building. This is the central question posed to Iris (Naomi Watts) after her best friend Walter (Bill Murray) suddenly dies from suicide. Now, Walter didn't own a literal miniature horse in New York City. No, that would be absurd. But he did have a 185-pound Great Dane named Apollo that he adopted in a spur-of-the-moment decision while he was out on a jog. Now with Walter gone, the dog has no master and will be indefinitely impounded if Iris doesn't step up to the plate. Suddenly coming home with a horse-sized dog is not a surprising move for Walter. He's also got three ex-wives - Elaine (Carla Gugino), Tuesday (Constance Wu), and Barbara (Noma Dumezweni) - as well as numerous flings with current and former students. He's the Bill Murray type, the life of every party and a lovable headache for everyone who gets close to him, Iris included. Murray's casting is pretty spot-on compared to the description from Sigrid Nunez's novel (she also wrote What Are You Going Through , the basis for the recent Pedro Almodóvar film The Room Next Door ), and his larger-than-life presence is always felt despite his limited screentime. For as much as The Friend would seem like the typical "dog helps a depressed human land back on their feet" kind of film, the writer/director duo of David Siegel and Scott McGehee flip much of that script. Dogs may be known as man's best friend, which would also mean we're their best friend. You'd be depressed if your best friend unexpectedly committed suicide, so why wouldn't a dog? Apollo is played by the canine actor Bing, who showcases his immense skills as a thespian. Bing/Apollo doesn't have the wet eyes of your usual cinematic dogs, something that always felt like a bit of a cheat code to our hearts. His face is blank as he solemnly stares at Iris whenever she tries to command him, his sighs are heavy every time he plops down in her bed. Things still move in a pretty predictable pattern. Iris' initial frustrations eventually become opportunities for her to embrace the chaos and redefine her life. Watts is at her usual best, working with a sturdy supporting cast and a few standout cathartic scenes. Dog lovers are very much the target audience for this story, and I'm sure they're going to eat it up. But even if you're someone like me who is neither a pet person nor found myself immediately hooked by what's being sold, allow it to linger in the days and weeks that follow. Like adopting an animal, this is a long-term investment. More Reviews Materialists June 11, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Echo Valley June 9, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen The Life of Chuck September 8, 2024 By: Hunter Friesen Ballerina June 4, 2025 By: Hunter Friesen Hunter Friesen