"But no matter how much someone dresses up their narcissism in cute, pseudo-feminist aphorisms while flagellating themselves before the spirit of Marilyn Monroe, they're still functionally a cult leader." popculturemaniacs.com/forbidden-fr... #movies #MovieReview

"...by staring into the abyss, Borgli seeks to show us that we're not as different from these people as we might think, and even that we certainly know someone whose inner life is perfectly reflected by them." takeemtothemoviesaustin.reviews/the-drama/?r... #movies #MovieReview

"But as satisfying as the ending is, it cannot make up for the two hours of story that precede it, which struggles to engage, and offers few insights or entertainments or novel presentations." popculturemaniacs.com/alpha-review/ #movies #MovieReview

"[Zazie] Beetz hurls herself into the gonzo world cooked up by [director Kirill] Sokolov and co-writer Alex Litvak to great effect. The ferocity in her eyes erases any doubt of her ability to overcome any and all attackers" takeemtothemoviesaustin.reviews/they-will-ki... #movies #MovieReview

From Wednesday to Sunday, I was at the Boston Underground Film Festival, my third year in a row. It was a great time! Here's my round up of the best of the fest. takeemtothemoviesaustin.reviews/boston-under... #movies #BUFF2026

This is the dichotomy at the heart of Project Hail Mary; it tells a good story while managing to be fun and touching (in unequal measure), but feels like it wants to be important and topical, making its landing less than graceful takeemtothemoviesaustin.reviews/project-hail... #movies #MovieReview

My picks and predictions for tonight's Oscars. takeemtothemoviesaustin.reviews/oscars-2026/... #movies #Oscars #Oscars2026

"Your mileage will depend on how successfully you can surrender yourself and your expectations, allowing the film to sweep you along in its chaotic wake." takeemtothemoviesaustin.reviews/the-bride/?r... #movies #MovieReview

"There's no meaningful heightening of stakes until the all-out finale, which is almost wholly disconnected from all that came before, greatly diminishing its power." takeemtothemoviesaustin.reviews/undertone/?r... #movies #MovieReview

"Make no mistake; this is as much a comedy as it is a drama. Its genre spanning existence is best thought of as a delayed coming-of-age, kinky, queer romcom. A 'dom-com', if you will. And Melling's face is the key ingredient." takeemtothemoviesaustin.reviews/pillion/?ref... #movies #MovieReview

"But this whole movie feels like a marketing ploy designed to finally push her over the line to an Oscar win, even though it won't be this year (her honorary award is nice, but being "given" an Oscar is different)." takeemtothemoviesaustin.reviews/diane-warren... #movies #MovieReview

"You just need to sit back and let it wash over you, rather than expecting what came before to have much impact on what comes next. Live in the now, and the film is alright." popculturemaniacs.com/crime-101-re... #movies #MoiveReview

"...they are real people whom we want to succeed, even if all that means is never letting go of the joyous energy with which they pursue playing their cheesy, funny, yet heartfelt piano tunes in front of an audience." takeemtothemoviesaustin.reviews/nirvanna-the... #movies #MovieReview

"...successful remixes blend their inspirations smoothly into the plot...Verbinski's work is far more lumpy and uneven, resulting in a Frankensteined world that's borderline nonsensical instead of fantastical." takeemtothemoviesaustin.reviews/good-luck-ha... #movies #MovieReview

"A bit overwrought, somewhat overlong, and the romance undercooked, yes, but as a piece of visual-first storytelling, it's quite effective." takeemtothemoviesaustin.reviews/wuthering-he... #movies #MovieReview

"Technically, it's a mockumentary. However, don't think a brightly colored Christopher Guest comedy...[I]ts narrative approach and tone is more evocative of 2010's I'm Still Here as made by Gaspar Noé in Lux Æterna mode." takeemtothemoviesaustin.reviews/the-moment/?... #movies #MovieReview

"The debut feature screenplay from Steven Jon Whritner and third from director Kyle Kauwika Harris demonstrate an alignment with those who believe in direct adaptation, and is a great demonstration of the flaws in that approach." takeemtothemoviesaustin.reviews/the-huntsman... #movies #MovieReview

"It doesn't have all that much to say that you can't get more thoroughly explored elsewhere, including the final act of a another whole film. But Rami still goes hard enough, dials up the camp, and puts on a hellova show." takeemtothemoviesaustin.reviews/send-help/?r... #movies #MovieReview

"[M]ost of its one hundred twenty-seven minute runtime...is focused on constructing a world that begs so many questions. As it becomes clear that Fischbach intends to leave them all dangling...your engagement level drops." popculturemaniacs.com/iron-lung-re... #movies #MovieReview

"As Raven's investigation progresses, Bekmambetov...spins it into a full blown action movie, complete with broader implications for their world and the systems that comprise it. The tension breaks, and with it, our investment. " takeemtothemoviesaustin.reviews/mercy/?ref=b... #movies #MovieReview

"It's easy to forget the utility of religion when we're surrounded by public figures who strive to exert their selfish will on the broader public by donning the trappings of faith." takeemtothemoviesaustin.reviews/the-testamen... #movies #MovieReview

"It seems fitting that the first movie to causally refer to the Infected as 'zombies' cannot allow its past to die." takeemtothemoviesaustin.reviews/28-years-lat... #movies #MovieReview

"But there are enough good (or at least intriguing) ideas here to pull you in, making it that much more disappointing that [writer/director Zak Hilditch's] latest film fails to pull them off." popculturemaniacs.com/we-bury-the-... #movies #MovieReview

"[Cinema is] a magic trick, one whose secrets are easily uncovered, and yet whose power cannot be escaped." takeemtothemoviesaustin.reviews/resurrection... #movies #MovieReview

"The stew that emerges feels like a sports movie version of Uncut Gems, but if Howard Ratner was actually good at what he did." takeemtothemoviesaustin.reviews/marty-suprem... #movies #MovieReview

"Much of the first chunk (an hour, in this case) driven by reminding you what happened last time. Many scenes and sequences feeling incredibly drawn out. And the narrative feels limited by the rules of the prior films." takeemtothemoviesaustin.reviews/avatar-fire-... #movies #MovieReview

"The problem is that while it thinks it's Gone Girl, The Housemaid has far more in common with the worst direct-to-Netflix fare or a late-career James L. Brooks movie." takeemtothemoviesaustin.reviews/the-housemai... #movies #MovieReview

"[Broadcast News] is the key to his biggest failures, as he's repeatedly attempted to recapture its core idea of "reveal the inner workings of ____ while focusing on the lives (and romances) of its leads"." takeemtothemoviesaustin.reviews/ella-mccay/?... #movies #MovieReview

"The air of unearned self-seriousness in the middle of a fantastical world even undermines the beauty of 'For Good', although the quality of its writing ensures it at least conveys its message successfully." takeemtothemoviesaustin.reviews/wicked-for-g... #movies #MovieReview

"After Jackman's disappointing debut Bonus Track, a queer coming of age mumblecore throwback, such a stylized story was an unexpected delight." popculturemaniacs.com/100-nights-o... #movies #MovieReview

"Because sitting alongside the tired, trite dialog you've heard a million times before, are quick, snappy, sarcastic retorts that feel more becoming of a Marvel movie than an adult drama about the rot in men's souls." takeemtothemoviesaustin.reviews/nuremberg/?r... #movies #MovieReview

"There will always be a place in my heart for stylized, grimy, insane action flicks (see Jimmy and Stiggs). But it's hard to get past how the best parts of this entry are a retread of the first film, and inferior executions of it at that" popculturemaniacs.com/sisu-road-to... #movies #MovieReview

"[Director Chloe] Zhao has brought together a staggering work of immense beauty, easily amongst the best of the year, and showing that her time in the System has sapped exactly none of her creative power." takeemtothemoviesaustin.reviews/hamnet/?ref=... #movies #MovieReview

"...the vision of Minka is accompanied by a smaller, disproportionate duplicate that seems to shrink as the scene progresses, an image that neither you nor Liz may understand, but will be hard to stop thinking about regardless." popculturemaniacs.com/keeper-review/ #movies #MovieReview

"While the set pieces throughout are fun and creative, the ending feels like an afterthought, a 'yada yada' to achieve Wright's desired conclusion without doing the work to make it a natural evolution. " takeemtothemoviesaustin.reviews/the-running-... #movies #MovieReview

"Ramsay's adaptation of Ariana Harwicz's novel feels like a rebuttal to the deluge of recent movies and TV and books and podcasts and TED talks that assume every parent at least sometime secretly regrets having kids." takeemtothemoviesaustin.reviews/die-my-love?... #movies #MovieReview

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