This weekend in “I contain cinematic multitudes”:

Evening bump: I wrote about THE SMASHING MACHINE. Good movie? Not exactly. Good Dwayne Johnson performance, though! #TheSmashingMachine moviemanifesto.com/2025/10/the-...

“The Rock, flamboyant wrestler, is gone; Dwayne Johnson, legitimate actor, is here... The movie that surrounds him is less assured, though it is occasionally striking.” Wrote about THE SMASHING MACHINE: #TheSmashingMachine moviemanifesto.com/2025/10/the-...

New piece: I wrote about THE SMASHING MACHINE. Dwayne Johnson is quite good, and the movie has its strong moments, but it's also oddly sluggish, with a handful of irritating clichés. Review here: #TheSmashingMachine moviemanifesto.com/2025/10/the-...

#NW Insisting based on Michael Sheen that this is secretly an UNDERWORLD movie

Dammit this is funny. Like, he thinks Habeas Corpus is a guy walking around Portland, burning flags and looting stores. He also runs the country, so that’s not great.

Did you girlboss too close to the sun?

THE LOST BUS (Greengrass, B-): What’s the story, morning lorry #TheLostBus letterboxd.com/moviemanifes...

To be a writer is to constantly struggle with your own choices, like wondering whether you should have instead headlined your ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER review with the pun “Revolutionary Mode” moviemanifesto.com/2025/10/one-...

ANEMONE (Day-Lewis, B-): There will be mud #Anemone letterboxd.com/moviemanifes...

#NW Curious about this one’s legacy SAVE TO DRAFTS

This weekend in “I contain cinematic multitudes”:

Evening bump: I wrote about Paul Thomas Anderson’s ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER. Good movie. #OneBattleAfterAnother moviemanifesto.com/2025/10/one-...

“While ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER hums with tension and excitement, its lingering impression—the quality that distinguishes it from other mighty epics—is its abiding warmth.” #OneBattleAfterAnother moviemanifesto.com/2025/10/one-...

Hi, I’m Jeremy, and I think Taylor Swift is a good musician who makes good albums.

New piece: I wrote about Paul Thomas Anderson’s ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER. I wish I had a hotter take, but it’s phenomenal: funny, kinetic, and heartfelt, with a brain to match its brawn. Terrific performances, especially DiCaprio. Review: #OneBattleAfterAnother moviemanifesto.com/2025/10/one-...

I understand analyzing box office data broadly, because it can influence what types of movies are (and aren’t) made. But when it comes to individual films, I don’t care how much money a movie makes; I just care whether it’s good.

THE HISTORY OF SOUND (Hermanus, B): Drawl of us strangers #TheHistoryofSound letterboxd.com/moviemanifes...

I try not to get attached to fictional characters, but if anything happens to Alison Oliver on #Task I am going to hurt someone

This weekend in “I contain cinematic multitudes”:

Finally watched That Episode of #Peacemaker, and my cold take is that the first big reveal is less interesting than the second big reveal, and that both are less interesting than the opening credits.

Evening bump: I wrote about A BIG BOLD BEAUTIFUL JOURNEY. Cute movie! We need more romances with big stars. #ABigBoldBeautifulJourney moviemanifesto.com/2025/09/a-bi...

New piece: I wrote about A BIG BEAUTIFUL JOURNEY, starring Margot Robbie and Colin Farrell. Is its story painfully engineered? Sure. Is it also generally imaginative and enchanting? Very much so. You’re all monsters. Review here: #ABigBoldBeautifulJourney moviemanifesto.com/2025/09/a-bi...

Evening bump: I wrote about HIM. It’s the worst movie I’ve seen in theaters this decade. #Him #HimMovie moviemanifesto.com/2025/09/him-...

“Movies dramatize and embellish real-life experiences, and the obsessive character of modern sports... naturally lends itself to an outsized treatment. So the problem with HIM isn’t that it’s absurd. The problem is that it’s stupid.” #Him #HimMovie moviemanifesto.com/2025/09/him-...

Late to this week’s #TheMorningShow, but I don’t think this is the kind of meta storytelling the series is aiming for.

New piece: I wrote about the Jordan Peele-produced HIM. I tend not to offer extreme opinions on movies, either positive or negative. So when I say this is the worst thing I’ve seen in theaters this decade, I hope it means something. Review here: #Him #HimMovie moviemanifesto.com/2025/09/him-...

#NW Hoping this isn’t the sixth TWILIGHT movie.

WHO BY FIRE (Lesage, B-): What I burned on my summer vacation letterboxd.com/moviemanifes...

Finished #BlackRabbit on Netflix. It’s overplotted, and its many hairpin turns feel increasingly preposterous. But it’s *very* funny, its story of two brothers’ parasitic relationship is oddly moving, and the acting is perfect—possibly Jason Bateman’s best work (Jude Law is great too). Good show.

Tfw you realize there are no more #AlienEarth episodes after tonight:

Please don’t put in the newspaper that I think Henry Kissinger was an extraordinarily generous friend.

THE SURFER (Finnegan, C+): Bringing out the dread letterboxd.com/moviemanifes...

#NW Crossing my fingers that Julia Garner shows up at some point.

Will try to write about both of these, but one and only one is much better than you’ve heard!

This is my screening for a new motion picture featuring Margot Robbie and Colin Farrell. We need to make movie stars a real thing again.

Evening bump: I wrote about THE LONG WALK, a dystopian movie that resonates more than it probably should. #TheLongWalk moviemanifesto.com/2025/09/the-...

This weekend in “I contain cinematic multitudes”:

“The U.S. is a land of turmoil and suffering. Shortfalls in productivity have led to a crippling economic depression. The military persecutes citizens who dare voice their dissent. To clarify, the movie is a work of fiction, not a documentary.” #TheLongWalk moviemanifesto.com/2025/09/the-...

New piece: I wrote about THE LONG WALK, a reasonably engrossing, kinda ridiculous Stephen King adaptation that seems less and less silly with each passing day in Donald Trump’s America. David Jonsson is the real deal. Review here: #TheLongWalk moviemanifesto.com/2025/09/the-...

Ah, I see, Disney preempted Jimmy Kimmel’s show *to protect him*, very considerate, Bob Iger a true players’ coach

A WORKING MAN (Ayer, C): Lock, crock, and two croaking barrels letterboxd.com/moviemanifes...

#NW I’ve always maintained that “just turn your brain off” is a terrible way to watch movies, but tonight, fuck it, I’m turning my brain off.

So the president and his FCC chair openly discuss punishing a network based on a late-night talk show host’s comments, and then the network responds by suspending the show, and I dunno I just think this all seems kinda bad!

Name a piece you wrote explaining why Rotten Tomatoes is terrible for film criticism, wait sorry did I get the prompt wrong or moviemanifesto.com/2023/03/stop...

THE BALTIMORONS (Duplass, B-): Chesapeake bray #TheBaltimorons letterboxd.com/moviemanifes...

If you were worried that #TheMorningShow might be less didactic this year, the Season 4 premiere is here to put your fears to rest.

“You wouldn’t know the name of Paul Revere’s horse if he took a crap on your lawn.” “She... It was a mare.” As an actor, Robert Redford was a force of beautiful star power. But my favorite thing he ever did was directing QUIZ SHOW, an effortlessly entertaining, perfectly constructed movie. RIP.

#AlienEarth, secret RESERVOIR DOGS remake.

Finished #TheGirlfriend. I dislike the term “guilty pleasure,” so instead I’ll just say that (a) the writing is completely preposterous, (b) the execution is thoroughly entertaining, and (c) Olivia Cooke wears some truly fabulous outfits. Not a great TV show, but I was not bored.