My wrap-up of the 2025 IFFBoston Fall Focus Festival, where I saw fourteen films over two non-consecutive weeks, comprised of the buzzy titles from other festivals over the year. takeemtothemoviesaustin.reviews/iffboston-fa... #movies

"The filmmaking team has an excellent sense of how to fray your nerves, but is far less adept at turning that into anything narratively or thematically satisfying." popculturemaniacs.com/dream-eater-... #movies #MovieReview

"No one is better than director Yorgos Lanthimos at melding dark foreboding with absurdist humor and creative visuals. Bugonia is uncomfortably hilarious from start to finish..." takeemtothemoviesaustin.reviews/bugonia/?ref... #movies #MovieReview

takeemtothemoviesaustin.reviews/new-hampshir... #movies #NHFF

"In a year more focused on weaving complex tales of the horror of humanity, Black Phone 2 solidifies the series' villain as a monster fit for your nightmares for years to come." takeemtothemoviesaustin.reviews/black-phone-... #movies #MovieReview

"Given the popularity of the horror genre and humanity's love of dogs, it was only a matter of time before some enterprising young filmmaker attempted to combine them." takeemtothemoviesaustin.reviews/good-boy/?re... #movies #MovieReview

"Instead of being asked to root for an artist whose creation was stolen, or a nepo baby whose privilege allows him to spit in the face of the system...we're given an altruistic, female Sam Altman." takeemtothemoviesaustin.reviews/tron-ares/?r... #movies #MovieReview

"There's one scene at the end that shows the aftermath, but even that is played for warmth and amusement, to send us out into the world feeling good about what transpired, despite the credits quickly complicating it." takeemtothemoviesaustin.reviews/roofman/?ref... #movies #MovieReview

"...the dialog often resorts to blunt revelation to move the plot forward and give insight into the character. Most character details initially left for the audience to infer are later spelled out explicitly, lessening their power. " popculturemaniacs.com/anemone-review #movies #MovieReview

"Any doubts of Johnson's acting abilities should be put to bed by his turn as Mark Kerr. If only the rest of the movie was on his level." takeemtothemoviesaustin.reviews/the-smashing... #movies #MovieReview

"PTA is not at all interested in how the politics...map onto the modern left-right divide, preferring to highlight the terrifying way power is wielded by people in a position of authority who have a grudge and an excuse." takeemtothemoviesaustin.reviews/one-battle-a... #movies #MovieReview

"The story gives them both an opportunity to reckon with these fundamental experiences, elevating their emotional journey from trite to thoughtful. If only those took up more of the runtime." takeemtothemoviesaustin.reviews/a-big-bold-b... #movies #MovieReview

"[W]e're left with a misshapen Christmas classic, a heartwarming comedy that stumbles in its attempts to outrun its cliches, and a warm hug of a film that carries a whiff of personal resentment." takeemtothemoviesaustin.reviews/the-baltimor... #movies #MovieReview

"Chainey's debut feature successfully gives us what we wanted, but fails to mean it." popculturemaniacs.com/rabbit-trap-... #movies #MovieReview

"Such a turn is pulled off with aplomb by the combination of stellar, confident camerawork from cinematographer Patrick Scola and [Théodore] Pellerin's spellbinding performance." takeemtothemoviesaustin.reviews/lurker/?ref=... #movies #MovieReview

"It continues the trend of this year's top horror films being as emotional as they are scary, striking fear deep into your soul after softening it up by provoking your empathy." takeemtothemoviesaustin.reviews/the-long-walk/?ref=bsky #movies #MovieReview

"It demonstrates that Lily James is more than a love interest, proves that Sam Worthington can be a truly scary heavy, and reaffirms that Ahmed is deserving of so much more recognition than he's received." popculturemaniacs.com/relay-review/ #movies #MovieReview

"While Coen and Cooke capably ape the genre, they can't get out of their own way when it comes to the plot, reducing the proceedings to a muddled mess." takeemtothemoviesaustin.reviews/honey-dont/?... #movies #MovieReview

"How did they bring Toxie into the modern era? Simple: they jettisoned most of what made the original so distinct." takeemtothemoviesaustin.reviews/the-toxic-av... #movies #MovieReview

"Accompanied by a propulsive, crunchy, bass heavy score from Idles, once the action starts, the only chances you have to breathe are imbued with an inescapable weight." takeemtothemoviesaustin.reviews/caught-steal... #movies #MovieReview

"So The Roses coming at the end of the summer is a perfect mirror image; while also an anti-romcom of sorts, leaning hard into its darkly comedic premise, it’s perfectly comfortable with what it is." popculturemaniacs.com/the-roses-re... #movies #MovieReview

"Intentionally or not, for a filmmaker who's been working for forty years, this story cannot help but speak to his own view of his legacy, and the direction he hopes to take it." takeemtothemoviesaustin.reviews/highest-2-lo... #movies #MovieReview

"This is a midnight movie to its core, a sci-fi splatter-fest drenched in enough neon paint and goo to empty a warehouse (or at least a small hardware store)." popculturemaniacs.com/jimmy-and-st... #movies #MovieReview

"I'm sympathetic to the challenges inherent in low-budget filmmaking, but the best examples do a wonderful job hiding that reality, or at least distracting you from it. Strange Harvest does neither." popculturemaniacs.com/strange-harv... #movies #MovieReview

"Each [thread] dovetails quite nicely with the broader theme of generational vandalism, of how the older generations fail the younger at the best of times, but more often very literally steal their future for short-term power." takeemtothemoviesaustin.reviews/weapons/?ref... #movies #MovieReview

"The force drawing them together results in unique opportunities for disturbing and disgusting imagery, making manifest the damage inflicted by focusing on your partner to the exclusion of every other part of your life." takeemtothemoviesaustin.reviews/together/?re... #movies #MovieReview

"it focuses on the performance we all accept as inherent in dating. Neither of them are comfortable putting their true selves or desires forward. Of course, that (self-)deception...ensures the conflict cannot possibly come to an easy end." popculturemaniacs.com/oh-hi-review/ #movies #MovieReview

"[Director Eva] Victor is most interested in the aftermath, about the way no one knows how to deal with anyone's trauma (including their own)...and the ways that "progress" is rarely a clean and expected process." takeemtothemoviesaustin.reviews/sorry-baby/?... #movies #MovieReview

"But even then, no one is really able to plan for what transpires. They're reduced to reaction and opportunism, both which bolster the former point about the impact of experiencing the world exclusively through the internet." takeemtothemoviesaustin.reviews/eddington?re... #movies #MovieReview

"Its title hints at what makes 40 Acres surprising - its rote but capable wielding of genre hides a more well-considered script." popculturemaniacs.com/40-acres-rev... #movies #MovieReview

A tier of movies which is pretty damn good, not exceptional but notable anyways. And which I haven't reviewed previously. takeemtothemoviesaustin.reviews/tidbits-2025... #movies

My mid-year check-in post! takeemtothemoviesaustin.reviews/usaw-2025/ #movies

"There's nothing wrong with copying killer shots...to be clear. But a summer blockbuster being sold as this big and bold should have some tricks up its sleeve to break out during the finale if it wishes to really wow us." takeemtothemoviesaustin.reviews/f1/?ref=bsky #movies #MovieReview

"But it's how the Infected and Kelson are deployed that is truly memorable, both of which complicate our feelings on what had become accepted knowledge, and bind us all together more tightly than before." takeemtothemoviesaustin.reviews/28-years-lat... #movies #MovieReview

"This little five minute scene is so simple, so small, and yet immediately seeds Lucy's worldview, while Song also shows us we were wrong to ever doubt her." takeemtothemoviesaustin.reviews/materialists/ #movies #MovieReview

"That such an enjoyable film is surpassed by so many of his other movies speaks to why he's one of my favorite directors; even his "lesser" works are the envy of other filmmakers." takeemtothemoviesaustin.reviews/the-phoenici... #movies #MovieReview

"...most viewers probably guessed the ultimate finale before the movie began, so the action needs to keep our attention while leading us there. Repetition is not the way to do it." popculturemaniacs.com/dangerous-an... #movies #MovieReview

"Whereas the first John Wick convinced us Keanu was a bad ass by showing him being a bad ass, Ballerina is concerned about our willingness to buy Ana de Armas as an action star." takeemtothemoviesaustin.reviews/ballerina/?r... #movies #MovieReview

"For a while, it proceeds as a stylish and constantly laugh out loud domestic comedy...But this is a genre film; that title isn't for nothing, nor are the Moon shots." popculturemaniacs.com/sister-midni... #movies #MovieReview

"Instead of a few intense set pieces, the brutality punctuates smaller moments, shifting the scene and making the coming danger clear as day, while slowly revealing to us what's going on." takeemtothemoviesaustin.reviews/bring-her-ba... #movies #MovieReview

Few comedians in the modern era could get a film released that includes a toad induced psychedelic trip in which they go to Subway, ask their former friend to make them a sandwich, just wait around for a bit, and then it's over. takeemtothemoviesaustin.reviews/friendship?r... #movies #MovieReview

"The irony, of course, is that this is a lawless land, stripped of all the normal trappings of a society, which is why [Braiyuk] thrives. As they say, “In a mad world, only the mad are sane”. But it keeps us at a distance from him." popculturemaniacs.com/steppenwolf-... #movies #MovieReview

"The filmmakers are keenly aware that you knowingly walked into a Final Destination movie, as well as how well-versed audiences tend to be in film language. They use this to have enormous fun playing with your expectations." popculturemaniacs.com/final-destin... #movies #MovieReview

"The loud, in your face athleticism of his camera and corresponding fantastic sound design effectively carry you through the down moments of the plot... Which is fortunate, as he's yet to blossom as a writer." takeemtothemoviesaustin.reviews/hurry-up-tom... #movies #MovieReview

"In trying to give the series and Cruise an appropriate send-off, it spends far too much time worshiping at the altar of Mission: Impossible lore...Every word is uttered with a gravity that threatens to collapse in on itself..." takeemtothemoviesaustin.reviews/mission-impo... #movies #MovieReview

"[Toubia's] occasional attempts to highlight the incongruity of a modern woman in a magical world are disastrous, such as unenthusiastically exclaiming 'Nailed it' upon completing a spell meant to break a curse." popculturemaniacs.com/rosario-revi... #movies #MovieReview

“Before the end of the summer, [Cécile’s] heart will bear the weight of grave responsibility, forcing her to grow up in an instant, ready or not.” takeemtothemoviesaustin.reviews/bonjour-tris... #movies #MovieReview

"[I]t should come as no surprise that Cronenberg's chosen to interrogate his grief over the loss of his wife Carolyn after nearly forty years of marriage by inventing a technology that allows him to vicariously visualize her remains..." popculturemaniacs.com/the-shrouds-... #movies #MovieReview

"The central set piece of the whole film is like nothing I've ever seen, an orgasmic explosion of the glory and power and beauty of music that had me in tears." takeemtothemoviesaustin.reviews/sinners/?ref...

"The data he leverages into a trial run as an asset is digitally dropped into his lap at nearly the perfect moment...It's just the first of the myriad glaring contrivances that prompt questions the movie has no interest in answering." popculturemaniacs.com/the-amateur-... #movies #MovieReview