From #FantasticFest - ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER is a film at war with itself formally and tonally, a fascinating clash that makes it one of the most essential films of the 2020s. Read my full review via @butwhytho.net: butwhytho.net/2025/09/one-...

Out of #FantasticFest- THE STRANGERS: CHAPTER 2 improves on its predecessor, but its “2nd act of one long movie movie”/feature chase scene approach wears thin due to a lack of personality. Still, Madelaine Petsch is great. My review via @discussingfilm.net: discussingfilm.net/2025/09/24/t...

#GenV Season 2 Episode 4 is a fun caper that moves the story along incrementally, but there’s a nagging sense that the wheels are starting to spin here. Read my recap via @butwhytho.net: butwhytho.net/2025/09/gen-...

Bryan Bertino's VICIOUS will not work for those for need intensive logic in their horror films. However, as a simulation of the hell of depressive self-loathing, it's unforgettable. My #FantasticFest review via @butwhytho.net : butwhytho.net/2025/09/vici...

Liam Hersworth as Geralt looks like a WITCHER p*rn parody y’all cannot be serious

“A24 Prestige Television Texas Chainsaw Massacre with Glen Powell involved” These words are not in the Bible.

My new goal in life is to write for DEXTER

Anyways, he ain’t gonna be in RUSH HOUR 4!

Friendly reminder that empathy absolutely can be conditional if you spent your career spewing hatred.

It took DEXTER less than a season to pull the long lost brother card. I have no choice but to Stan.

lol DEXTER is some of the most fun I’ve had with a show in a while. I’ve had this idea of it as this hyper serious grimdarkfest but uhhh it’s kind of a serial killer farce? Highly recommend

SUCKER PUNCH FUCKING RULED CRINGE IS DEAD GIRLS ROCK NEED MORE FEMME FATALE POWER FANTASTIES AND I NEED THEM 𝗡𝗢𝗪

Betting big on THE SMASHING MACHINE turning out better than MARTY SUPREME

It is funny how Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is seen as the worst of the wrestler actors when in his early career he was consistently turning out pretty damn great performances.

PEACEMAKER Season 2 Episode 2 continues the momentum after the spectacular season premiere, putting a bigger focus on comedy this time around. Read my full recap via @butwhytho.net : butwhytho.net/2025/08/peac...

I, ROBOT is solid! Love the sleek, Apple Products version of the future, nice mainstream-facing cyberpunk story. I do think Will Smith was a little miscast, however. Works best when it’s an ominous Alex Proyas blockbuster rather than a “Will Smith movie”. Shout out Sonny.

#NowWatching I, ROBOT - First Viewing

#CaughtStealing sees Austin Butler in leading man mode and Darren Aronofsky shifting gears completely in a pulse-pounding blend of thriller/dark comedy. Quietly some of the most fun I’ve had at the movies in 2025. My review via @butwhytho.net: t.co/TONQBFSKDu

#NowSeated for THE BRUTALIST in IMAX. Spent this past week watching Brady Corbet’s previous two films which range from masterpiece to, uh, masterpiece. Can’t wait for what’s been described as the next Great American Motion Picture.

Started to watch IRREVERSIBLE last night for the first time until I decided I didn’t wanna watch something so unpleasant. Anyways, I threw on SPLICE instead.

BETTER MAN is a touching story of the perils of fame, addiction, and not being right with oneself. It’s also a musical where Robbie Williams is portrayed as a CGI monkey THE most convincing digital character I’ve ever seen. Utterly delightful. ELVIS (2022) level stuff.

It really shows how much of a misfire MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - DEAD RECKONING was that I feel less than nothing when I see that trailer for FINAL RECKONING.

#NowSeated for BETTER MAN. I don’t wanna rock, DJ, but something’s telling that me this movie’s gonna be making me feel so fine.

Watching 65 and just look at this late title card drop. Never seen a movie drop its title and premise at the same time, this is gonna be a ride.

As someone who outright hated 5CREAM and liked SCREAM VI to a certain degree, a Kevin Williamson-headed SCREAM sequel should be a dream. It’s a shame Spyglass had to silence their lead actress to get it done. Fuck SCREAM VII, Melissa Barrera Forever, Free Palestine. This is bigger than movies.

Movie Rec of the Day: THE COFFEE TABLE | d. Caye Casas A pitch black, single location horror-comedy with one of the most unthinkable inciting incidents of all time. 90 minutes in the worst situation imaginable. Peak bad vibes cinema. Now streaming on Tubi.

WICKED (Part I) deserves its accolades. Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo put every fiber of their being into their performances. Exploding with color, contrary to the marketing, the film hits an emotional stride in its third act that puts you under its spell. Cinema as magic.

My big movie conspiracy is that they purposefully scheduled WICKED: PART ONE right after the election because the Oscar voters love a “movie we need right now”.

DUNE: PROPHECY first episode is good! If you're expecting the total cinematic transportation of the Villeneuve films, look elsewhere. This is more talky Bene Gesserit scheming, which has been a favorite aspect of mine from the novels so this was like catnip to me.

HERE (2024) isn’t entirely successful at what it tries to do. Feels a lot longer than it is, too many strange detours (Ben Franklin? Lol). Robert Zemeckis is still so gifted at sentimentality that I felt moved to tears at many moments. A shaggy, open-hearted trip through time.

Now Seated for Robert Zemeckis’ HERE

Watching old school ‘Dragon Ball’ (not even Z) has been such a balm to my soul recently.

#NowWatching AZRAEL

Haven’t used this app in a while but I’ve got the feeling I’ll be on here a lot more.

Even taking into account the messiness resulting from a compromised runtime, Ridley Scott's NAPOLEON is the stuff that epic cinema is made of, a technical marvel supplemented by a wicked sense of humor that pokes constant fun at its subject. Review below! https://t.co/f4d9bp7oQV

My Top 20 of 2023 So Far… do I pass the vibe check?

I’d be much more inclined to use this app if anyone else I knew actually frequently used it.

Working a M-F again has me saying things like “Golly, thank God it’s Friday!”

#NowWatching ‘GRAN TURISMO: BASED ON A TRUE STORY’

Five Below: The Common Man’s Paradise

My girlfriend’s honest reaction to ‘OLDBOY’ last night: “Well, that was a movie!”

I only really get to play around 1 hr of video games a day, if I’m lucky, so finding a game that’ll really hold my attention is difficult. ‘FINAL FANTASY XVI’ and its blend of shonen anime and medieval fantasy has its hooks DEEP into me.

Now that the other site is getting rid of blocking I’m going to be on here more. So here’s a formal introduction: Hey! My name is James Preston Poole. I write, talk about movies and media a lot, and live for the banter. Even if we don’t know each other feel free to interact (respectfully!)

My review of ‘BLUE BEETLE’ is up! A cyberpunk-tinged, character-first origin story that uses its back to basics approach as a grand strength. Check this one out!

Review: 'Blue Beetle' Is A Heart-Filled Shot In the Arm For DC Films - By @jamesprestonpoole.bsky.social #BlueBeetle #BlueBeetleMovie #BlueBeetleBattalion #DCEU #DCU #DC #XoloMariduena #JaimeReyes https://thecosmiccircus.com/review-blue-beetle-is-a-heart-filled-shot-in-the-arm-for-dc-films/

Being a picky eater growing up makes for some odd adult experiences. Like trying corn on the cob for the first time at 27 years old.

Disney’s ‘HAUNTED MANSION’ retread mostly nails what it sets out to do. When jokes fall flat, a wacky ghoul or Lakeith Stanfield’s layered performance are there to pick up the slack. Check out my review below!

‘TENET’ is about Neil going on one last adventure with a man who he’s admired all his life- The Protagonist. Neil looks a lot like Chris Nolan and the Protagonist is explicitly 007-coded. Is ‘TENET’ about Nolan letting go of making a Bond movie by making one?!

Just rewatched ‘AD ASTRA’. It’s a shame really about the tacked-on voiceover and hasty reshoots to add Liv Tyler, because otherwise this is a jaw-dropping, unabashedly Freudian odyssey where human error and instinct are more terrifying than any extraterrestrial. Whew.