Film critic Megan Loucks, better known as Wonder Meg, comes on THE MOVIES to share who she is using only four films.

The Lansing, Michigan native and I chat about an encyclopedia of topics: motherhood, growing up in a tight-knit family, the Snyder Cut fandom (Meg co-founded Justice Con, an virtual charity convention that brought together Snyder Cut, DCEU, and comic book fans to raise money for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention), a lifelong devotion to fantasy stories, pillow fort architecture, the art of physical media collecting and so, so much more.

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Meg's four films:

LA BELLE ET LA BETE (1946) dir. Jean Cocteau (watch on Max or YouTube)

DO THE RIGHT THING (1989) dir. Spike Lee (watch on Netflix)

EXCALIBUR (1981) dir. John Boorman (watch on Internet Archive)

LADY BIRD (2017) dir. Greta Gerwig (watch on Max)

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Follow Meg on Instagram, YouTube. Read her interview with THE PENGUIN production designer Kalina Ivanov on Wonder Watchlist & other reviews on InSession Film.

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Thanks once again to Universal Pictures Home Entertainment for shipping me a review Blu-ray copy of THE WOMAN IN THE YARD!

This has been a good way to catch up on movies I missed in the theaters. The teaser for this movie sucked me in right away because it's simple: a family living at a farm house, with no neighbors as far as the eye can see and almost as far as the foot can walk...but then they see a creepy veiled woman, dressed in all black, sitting at the end of the driveway.

There's the thinnest veneer of civility in our daily lives. All it takes to send us into paranoid or hostile spirals is one uninvited person approaching our space. Shit, we really are just animals, aren't we?

Now imagine this person carries herself with the kind of calm yet firm demeanor reserved only for folks who know they can back up what they say. They can overpower you at any time and the only reason this movie doesn't end in five minutes is strictly due to the fact that they're not just here to rob or pillage or fight. There's something deeper going on.

This Woman (Okwui Okpokwasali) is here for Ramona (Danielle Deadwyler). She's the matriarch of a young family: young teen Taylor (Peyton Jackson) and elementary-aged Annie (Estella Kahiha). Ramona's husband has just died in a car accident; the movie starts with her getting around on crutches.

Taylor's trying to be the man of the house with the limited resources a 14-year-old has: no groceries, no license, no electricity. Bills pile up; Ramona lies in bed, rotting in her own mind. It's within this scenario the Woman arrives, revealing she knows more about Ramona and her family than any stranger ever should.

The movie plays out like a wind-up toy, setting up all the necessary pieces and letting the tension play out, watching Ramona and the kids try to figure a method of escape or deterrence. As the Woman grows closer, almost at the pace of shadows cast by a gliding Sun, secrets are revealed and Ramona's state of mind continues to warp, influenced by the Woman's otherworldly presence. Collet-Serra crafts genre set pieces that work as metaphors for Ramona's deteriorating mental illness, though leave me focused more so on how this works within the movie's world rather than how Ramona's mind is reflected within these scares.

I've always appreciated Deadwyler's gusto in pursuing a wide variety of projects (this to I SAW THE TV GLOW to THE PIANO LESSON, TILL and the upcoming siege thriller 40 ACRES carves a wide swath). She plays so much internal strife within her eyes and expressions; there's a woman who's fighting not only to survive, but also stave off this nagging reminder that she never wanted this kind of life. This isn't the plan she had for herself. It's hard not to wallow in self-pity. Deadwyler carries all of this in a way that never feels maudlin, always relatable.

The movie doesn't overstay its welcome, coming in at a breezy 88 minutes. Some sci-fi elements threaten to overstuff the story and I wish they'd been developed more throughout the movie rather than explained within the climax. Regardless, the movie, much like most of Collet-Serra's filmography sits at a comfortable 5-6 out of 10, perfect for a lazy Saturday afternoon.

The Blu-ray release? I can't understand why I'd pick up a "Collector's Edition" without so much as a commentary. The two featurettes into the making of the movie and design of the Woman are nice, but in 2025, falls below the standard for home video ownership.

Streaming's already made Blu-rays rarer and more expensive; this sparse set of bonus features wouldn't make me feel any better about dropping $20 for the disc. It shouldn't entice you to do the same.

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This week, the Cannes Film Festival announced its lineup for their 78th edition. Taking place in the beachside town of Cannes, France from May 13-24, the festival opens up the movie lover's summer to the widest swath of exceptional global cinema, blockbuster premieres and the first glimpses of next year's Oscars contenders.

This episode sees me fumbling through pronunciations to share the movies announced and highlight the ones that look most rad (Ari Aster! Spike Lee! Julia Ducournau!). Pop a squat and let's look forward to the summer movie season!

For more information on the festival, click here!

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Sean Durkin's THE IRON CLAW got me to a place I've never been. Afterwards, I found myself crying in the movie theater bathroom. Of course, I'd already cried a handful of times in the theater, but this affected me on multiple layers, the ones I find myself hurting over in private.

I'm the oldest of three brothers, growing further apart with time and responsibility. I'm a father building his creative dream into reality while raising a family. I feel hindered by emotional, mental, spiritual? weights that lead me to believe I'll never break free of the behaviors that make me my worst self. Oh, and like the Von Erich wrestling family, I call Denton, Texas home. Sure, I've moved to Corpus Christi, but Denton is still home and I miss it dearly.

So, when you plop me in front of these elements, acted gloriously by a stellar ensemble (Zac Efron, Harris Dickinson, Jeremy Allen White, Stanley Simons, Holt McCallany, Maura Tierney, Lily James), and shot with beautiful glory and pain on full display? It's gonna wreck me and it does.

I haven't stopped thinking about this movie and it's my hope to get y'all to the same place.
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Music:
"Tom Sawyer" - Rush
"Live That Way Forever" - Richard Reed Parry

70 years into the Godzilla franchise, it seems improbable the best installment, of which there are 38, would end up being the newest, but stranger things have happened.

GODZILLA MINUS ONE sees a post-WWII Japan stumbling towards survival. It's not enough to sustain a thankless war and nuclear fallout, but now, a giant radiation-breathing lizard? If framed this way, it almost reads like a cruel joke, but for people like failed kamikaze pilot Koichi Shikishima (Ryunosuke Kamiki), it's all too real, a scene on a spiritual loop bathed in trauma and socially-imposed guilt.

You'd then think the movie would follow the MOBY DICK route of having Koichi go through hell and back to kill this creature, to redeem himself in the eyes of his country's leaders and personal shame, but what GODZILLA MINUS ONE avoids is the notion that one is only responsible to their trauma. Sure, he's gonna carry the wounds of the past forever, but life doesn't amount to an endless self-flagellation. There's way more to enjoy under the sun than can ever be numerated or experienced.

For a film whose genre's defined by its level of destruction and explosive, monstrous action to firmly plant its flag in the side of hope and revival is a necessary breath of balance and grace. Did the lizard chomp boats like chew toys? Yep. Did I also find myself crying at the end? You bet your ass. It's a great time to be a Godzilla fan.

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Music:

"Take Me Home" - Sophie Ellis-Bextor (Hi, Resa!)

Tuesday night's alright for sickos, baby! One of my favorite movies of last year is Emerald Fennell's SALTBURN, a sordid descent into glamorous hell, guided by an ill-placed, unfettered id. When you've got such talents as Barry Keoghan, Jacob Elordi, Rosamund Pike, Archie Madekwe and Richard "I'm an international treasure" E. Grant, how can this fetishization of beauty not elicit something to keep folks talking?

Judging from the flurry of thinkpieces and TikTok clips derived from this sucker, the answer seems simple: "It won't, simply can't, be ignored."
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I didn't watch a movie in theaters from May 31 to November 25.
This list reflects that reality.
You might think that's a negative, but I don't see it that way. Be honest: did you really wanna hear yet another person talk about OPPENHEIMER, POOR THINGS or THE ZONE OF INTEREST for the umpteenth time? Nah, buds. I'm a different breed. Strap in.
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65 dir. Scott Beck and Bryan Woods (Netflix)
A THOUSAND AND ONE dir. A.V. Rockwell (Amazon Prime)
ARE YOU THERE, GOD? IT'S ME, MARGARET. dir. Kelly Fremon Craig (Starz/Rental/Honestly, just go buy it. What's $15 these days, a lunch and a coffee?)
INFINITY POOL dir. Brandon Cronenberg (Hulu)
JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 4 dir. Chad Stahelski (Starz/Rental/Honestly, just go buy it. Do it because you love dogs.)
LIVING WITH CHUCKY dir. Kyra Elise Gardner (Amazon Prime/YouTube/MOTHERFUCKING TUBI, HELL YEAH)
M3GAN dir. Gerard Johnstone (Amazon Prime)
RYE LANE dir. Raine Allen-Miller (Hulu)
SALTBURN dir. Emerald Fennell (Amazon Prime)
SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE dir. Joaquim Dos Santos, Justin K. Thompson and Kemp Powers (Netflix)

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Jesus, I'm going into Year 3 of this show? That's wild. Even wilder when you look at 2023 and realize I could visualize my podcast output as a donut: nothing between April and December. I'm not proud nor happy about that, but that's what New Year's Resolutions are for, right?

So here's my annual state of the union. This episode goes into a little more detail about my goals for the show in 2024, along with the inevitable rants I'll fumble through to give this shitshow of an old year some goddamned closure (I type this on Dec. 31, 2023, before the recording, my saltiness influenced by motherfuckers shooting off fireworks in their backyards, surrounded by flammable trees and children).

Here's my first goal: lower my blood pressure. Number 2: Be slower to anger. Or faster to angry action. I don't know; listen to the episode and you'll hear how I wake up tomorrow.---

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Merry belated Christmas, friends! How better to celebrate the season than to talk about a swarm of scaly ne'erdowells fucking up a sleepy American town?

Joe Dante's GREMLINS has only gotten stronger with age, celebrating the hard work necessary to work with a metric fuckton of puppets, the resilience and kindness of the American working class, and our gleefully nasty collective desire to watch a living representation of our id burn our world to the ground.

Just look at this powerhouse trio: Steven Spielberg, Joe Dante & Chris Columbus. How in the world would this NOT have been a banger?

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Making of GREMLINS Part 1:

Making of GREMLINS Part 2:

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"Evil Dead Rise" meets me as a tempered 30-year-old, married with two kids.

Fede Alvarez's "Evil Dead" met me at 20, boundlessly obsessed with what could be achieved with a fire tanker's worth of blood.

Sam Raimi's "The Evil Dead" stunned me at age 11, the gnarliest movie I'd seen up to that point.

I've grown up loving this franchise, so when I say Lee Cronin's installment left me wanting so much more than I got, take those words with a mine of salt. Even a 6/10 Evil Dead installment has the power to grab your sensibilities, stuff them in a burlap sack, alongside a scorpion and starving monkey, and shake the shit out of it until - something - spills out. Dead by dawn, indeed.---

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Steven Soderbergh is one of my favorite directors. That's not to say he's made my favorite movies, but rather, I admire the way he goes about selecting projects, his efficiency in getting projects done (He sometimes completes multiple movies in the same year!) , his penchant for big indulgent swings.

And God, what a swing THE GOOD GERMAN is. The guy famous for the OCEAN'S ELEVEN remake and expanded trilogy decides to make his own film noir, researching '40s noir so heavily that he employs the same lenses, lighting techniques, methods of performance. The movie's detractors call this a pastiche. They're not wrong, but when I hear "pastiche," I think "lazy ripoff." Ain't nothing about this fucker lazy.

Jake Geismer (George Clooney) arrives in post-WWII Berlin to find a city in ruins, split among the Allies for the spoils on the eves of the Potsdam Conference, where Harry S. Truman, Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin will meet to discuss how to handle the aftermath of the war. Geismer's there to report on the conference, but becomes embroiled in a murder mystery involving his ex-flame Lena (Cate Blanchett), her new beau, an Army man-turned-smuggler named Tully (Tobey Maguire) and multiple government conspirators. All in a film's work for a noir protagonist.

Look, even if a black-and-white '40s style noir isn't your thing, that cast? The director? It's a bounty of riches to play with. I'm not gonna say the movie's a masterpiece or anything, but if you think I wouldn't prefer this kind of project over the next Aquaman or Trolls movie, you're out your fuckin' mind.---

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Welcome back to The Movies! God, it feels good to type this. It's been more than seven months since the last episode, so THIS episode serves to explain a few things: where I've been, where I find myself now and where I hope to bring the podcast along in the future. It's a good ol' fashioned rambling ranty episode, so if you're into that, hang on tight and enjoy the ride!

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There's a moment in the opening sequence of JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 4 where Lawrence Fishburne facilitates a ripoff of a shot in LAWRENCE OF ARABIA. Yes, THAT shot. The most iconic in the movie and one of the most iconic in film history. No spoilers, obviously.Of course, director Chad Stahelski knows he's aping one of the all-time grand epics. But that's the point. That shot points his metaphorical bat to right-center field, and such as Babe Ruth did, it signals the home run to come.I speak not in hyperbole, because this is one of the rare occasions where grandiosity is earned. Taking the legendary hitman John Wick (Keanu Reeves) through a ballet of death on an odyssey of freedom leads to a movie that simply overwhelms with how many pieces whiz and crash and break around its hero, and do so to a masterfully maximalist degree.The beauty is undeniable. The action dropped my jaw and held it there. At the end of it all, it's very simple: JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 4 is one of the greatest movies ever made.---------------------------Review THE MOVIES on Apple Podcasts & I'll read it on the next episode!

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Just because ANORA wears the Oscars' Best Picture crown doesn't mean the movies nominated turn to dust. In fact, as the Best Picture nominees slowly trickle out to home video, discussing them feels more pertinent. A movie's lifespan isn't limited to the awards calendar, especially when it comes to WICKED.

Jon M. Chu's fantasy musical, based on the Broadway show, vacuumed up the world's cash to the tune of nearly $750 million, a testament to the musical's 20+ year success. This thing's been around long enough on its own to discuss it in generational terms.

But WICKED owes it all to THE WIZARD OF OZ, being a prequel exploring the college years of Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) and Galinda (Ariana Grande), who will be known later in life as the Wicked Witch and Good Witch, respectively.

Grande's lovably bubbly narcissism makes me laugh. Even the camera can't stop following her hair flips and flighty trots across the sets. Erivo seems incapable of playing a false note. They carry years worth of pain behind a restrictive, poised demeanor, presenting confidence as a defense tower.

Our technicolor understanding of the land of Oz is muted by a change in perspective. We're not from Kansas anymore, Toto. Director of photography and frequent Chu collaborator Alice Brooks gives Oz a more tactile, European feel, at times flooding the background with natural light that gives the sets a lived-in presence. This isn't a Marvel Studios CGI nightmare (for the most part).

But this idea of a realistic Oz, marked by more serious ventures into ANIMAL FARM-esque allegories for fascist subjugations within a caste system, doesn't always gel with the magic or whimsy WIZARD OF OZ is known for. It feels as though each creative grabbed their own idea of what WICKED should be and stretched it in said direction. The result is something that doesn't coalesce but I'll be damned if I say I didn't have fun with it.

Though I'm still stunned Chu got a Critics' Choice Award for Best Director. Go home; y'all are drunk.

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It's an exciting time here at The Movies!

I reviewed LIVING WITH CHUCKY a few episodes back, but today, I get to talk with the director, Kyra Elise Gardner! We chat about the process of turning her 2017 short THE DOLLHOUSE into a full feature, the nature of collaborating with others on such a personal project, the way making the movie has affected her outlook on her childhood w/a father in the film industry and so much more!

Infinite thanks to Emma Griffith for facilitating the interview and, of course, Kyra for taking the time out of her busy music-video-and-indie-horror-directing schedule to chat!

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LIVING WITH CHUCKY is Kyra Elise Gardner's documentary detailing not only the history of the CHILD'S PLAY horror franchise (about a serial killer who possesses a doll via voodoo to keep from dying, and if you think that's weird, that's the tip of the iceberg) but also celebrating the families, both biological and found, who've bonded through the fulfilling yet arduous experiences of making these goofy counterculture masterpieces. Yeah, I said it: masterpieces. @ me if you must.

25-year-old Kyra Gardner is the daughter of animatronics, special effects, producer and makeup guru Tony Gardner, who entered the franchise with 2004's SEED OF CHUCKY and has remained ever since. She's grown up with Chucky dolls littered about her house and her dad gone for weeks, sometimes months, at a time to work on these films. So in a way, this documentary is a way for her to stitch together parts of her childhood and formally introduce herself to the people who've impacted her life so greatly for so many years.

It's part horror franchise history, part family therapy, and all a joyful example of how art inspires and bonds us weirdos together. ---------------------------Review THE MOVIES on Apple Podcasts & I'll read it on the next episode!

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MALUM sees director Anthony DiBlasi reimagining his 2014 film LAST SHIFT, where a rookie cop undergoes some supernatural hazing on her first night in a decommissioned police station. Almost a decade later, DiBlasi, with the backing of Welcome Villain Films, expands on the story, introducing more lore and gore to wonderfully deranged effect, sending this claustrophobic thriller into a surreal excursion through demonic realms.

When Jessica Loren (Jessica Sula) volunteers to work her first shift at a decommissioned police station, infamously the place where her hero cop father Will (Eric Olson) gunned down his fellow officers, she reveals secrets regarding his last case: a rescue of teenage girls from a murderous cult. Let's just say the cult isn't too happy. Let's also just say that they know where Jessica works.

This movie's a stellar one-location chiller. It's a haunted house featuring gnarly special effects, anchored by a lead who tries to remain poised despite the barrage of murderers and demonic shit flying her way. DiBlasi confidently moves his camera through the narrowest corridors, lighting our journey with, often, nothing but a flashlight and a prayer. The tension builds and the secrets unfurl at just the right pace to a fantastically fucked conclusion. This is 93/7% grade horror, lean and mean, but not without its cheeky winks to camera. I dig this.---------------------------Review THE MOVIES on Apple Podcasts & I'll read it on the next episode!

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No, I didn't make a typo. THE THIRD SATURDAY IN OCTOBER should, according to what I was told in the press email, be watched - AFTER - THE THIRD SATURDAY IN OCTOBER PART V.I talked about PART V being my cinematic comfort food; this continues my personal legacy by replicating the way I watched the NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET movies: out of order. I caught DREAM WARRIORS first on IFC. I can only imagine how limited a '70s/'80s kid source of movie knowledge and access must've been. Hell, I had Netflix sending me DVDs. Back then, you're limited to not only the stock of what was in the video store, but also the flow of strangers renting said movie. If you needed to watch FRIDAY THE 13TH: THE FINAL CHAPTER, but all your store has is THE NEW BLOOD cause Jerry Lee is late to return the other movie, you're fucked.I write all this to say that Jay Burleson understands me, and I wildly presume he understands many of you as well. The folks who can't get enough guts and cheese in your slashers. The people who worship at the altar of Craven, Carpenter and Cunningham. Yeah, friends.And then you got Darius Willis as this movie's bad-as-a-mothafucka Dr. Loomis, Ricky Dean Logan. Just saying, he wouldn't have let Michael Myers even get to HALLOWEEN II.God bless you, Make Believe Seattle Film Festival, for introducing me to this double-feature. This should become a Halloween staple.---------------------------Review THE MOVIES on Apple Podcasts & I'll read it on the next episode!

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My coverage of the Make Believe Seattle Film Festival continues with a slasher throwback double-feature!Jay Burleson's "The Third Saturday in October Part V" pays homage to '70s/'80s slasher sequels of the less-good variety, the "A New Beginning," "The Dream Child" kind. When a serial killer, infamous for surviving his execution, returns to a small Alabama town (for like the 4th time), a group of friends enjoying the college football game of the year are his next target.It's gory. It's goofy. It's my cinematic comfort food. AND it's self-aware? Come on, what more can you ask for?---------------------------Review THE MOVIES on Apple Podcasts & I'll read it on the next episode!

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Make Believe Seattle is a genre film festival celebrating their inaugural year this weekend (March 23-26)! Thanks to Ted Geoghegan, I have the opportunity to cover six titles for this year's run, releasing the reviews as a miniseries on THE MOVIES.

First up is the festival's Opening Night selection, Jake Van Wagoner's ALIENS ABDUCTED MY PARENTS AND NOW I FEEL KINDA LEFT OUT.

Don't worry. It also took me a couple tries to say that title right out loud.

The movie follows Itsy (Emma Tremblay), an aspiring teenage journalist frustrated by her family's move from the city to remote Utah town Pebble Falls, where the only kind of action comes in the form of snapping photos of dilapidated signs and cars.

That is, until she meets Calvin Kipler (Jacob Buster), a classmate convinced his parents were abducted by aliens 10 years prior. I don't say "convinced" with the mental image of Charlie Kelly gesticulating wildly at a string-covered board. Calvin's made a full-blown spacesuit and wears it to school. He refers to people he trust as "friendlies." Star Trek's Vulcan "V" hand sign is not a pop culture gesture to him; it is intergalactic custom. This kid makes Randy Quaid from INDEPENDENCE DAY seem like Scully and Mulder.

Seeing an opportunity to write a story about Calvin that'll win her a summer semester abroad at NYU, Itsy befriends the spaceman. At first, she focuses only on the story, but starts to warm up to Calvin, maybe moreso than expected.

It's pretty easy for me to fall for Calvin too. Buster's performance is magnetic, drawing me and Itsy in with wit and goofball charm. As the story progresses, so does his emotional range, and I can attribute most of his moments that don't work to the strength of the screenplay/direction, which sometimes neuters the heavier portions of his story.

However, this isn't a heavy movie. Calvin and Itsy's problems seem relatable enough even to young kids, and watching them fidget with and tweak gizmos inside Calvin's glorified shed of a research lab reminds me of the best times I spent dicking about trying to invent shit that would change the world (mainly a working web-shooter, but I digress). There's fun to be had and majesties to gawk at. After all, there's something about a night lit up with stars that seems not just ripe, but also infinite with possibility, with dreams.

Does this thing suffer the effects of a limited budget? Yeah; any driving scene's got a rough green screen effect. Props often feel cobbled together from thrift shops and junkyards. Sometimes, the space VFX looks like something copied and pasted from After Effects, but when this stuff works, it's got an Amblin-inspired, DIY charm. What can I say? I like my sci-fi scrappy. Give it a watch!---------------------------Review THE MOVIES on Apple Podcasts & I'll read it on the next episode!

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I'm a fan of metaphorical comparisons, so let's launch this one: I think Radio Silence (directing duo Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett) wants SCREAM VI to be the franchise's THE LAST JEDI, when it's really THE RISE OF SKYWALKER.

Characters are brought back for little reason other than their actor is free. The franchise's legacy is discussed to such an arduous extent that the characters literally talk about themselves as part of a franchise. These aren't characters; they're mouthpieces for Redditer theories and YouTube thinkpieces. What small arcs are originally crafted are mostly abandoned in service of repeating plot beats from previous movies or jabbering on about the "rules" of not only horror movies, but every movie?

There's so much navel-gazing that it may as well devolve into the black hole bagel in EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE, a grand vision ultimately leading to nothing. The reason SCREAM works is because its whodunnit is crafted with the rules of mysteries, giallo thrillers and slasher movies in mind. SCREAM works, arguably better, without characters explaining the rules to you. It's just a damn good horror flick.

And much like THE RISE OF SKYWALKER, SCREAM VI seems to think the reason people like these movies is because they've watched the same movie before. Friends, I disliked this year's THE OUTWATERS, but at least I can say I've NEVER seen anything like that before. When we're getting movies like INFINITY POOL & BARBARIAN, WE'RE ALL GOING TO THE WORLD'S FAIR & TERRIFIER 2, how can the '90s slasher formula still be considered the horror rule book? Unfortunately, I think the SCREAM franchise is simply just content with recycled ideas and approaches.

But please, stop having your characters pretend these movies are anything different than throwbacks. It'd at least be honest. ---------------------------Review THE MOVIES on Apple Podcasts & I'll read it on the next episode!

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THE WORST ONES is an eye-catching title. It conjures, in my mind, that scene from Guy Ritchie's THE GENTLEMEN when Colin Farrell gives four shithead teens a verbal and physical lashing in a restaurant. These kids are boisterous and braggadocious as fuck until challenged by someone who clearly knows what they're doing. That's when the insecurity all spills out. That's the tragedy and comedy of it all.

Lise Akoka & Romane Gueret's movie balances on a similar tightrope. There are both meta and autobiographical notes to it all, as the duo actually worked with hundreds of children in casting sessions. They wear working-class backgrounds on their sleeves, choosing to take street-level approaches to their French cities instead of harping on Parisian glamour or artistic majesty. Not to say they do so in defiance of art or majesty. I think the movie, looking at how working on a film set molds these four kids from a rough neighborhood, defies any, if even well-meaning, stereotypical approach to folks from "the hood." There's art and beauty and majesty lying in wait within each one of us.

Sometimes, all you need is the right opportunity to start letting that stuff out.

---------------------------Review THE MOVIES on Apple Podcasts & I'll read it on the next episode!

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These guys, Beck and Woods, love themselves a concept. They write A QUIET PLACE, where making any noise sentences you to monstrous death, so in order to survive the movie, you've gotta shut the absolute fuck up.Now, they return, not only as writers, but also directors with 65, which plays like a 10-year-old's trip down the rabbit hole."DUDE. Who'd win in a fight, a spaceman or a dinosaur?""Dinosaur all day!""But the space guy has a laser shotgun and tiny marble grenades!"Argue this over the span of two recesses & this movie's foundation is already set. What's left is a charter pilot's (Adam Driver) attempt to survive after an asteroid crash leaves him stranded on Earth in the Cretaceous Period. His only remaining companion? A 9-year-old girl (Ariana Greenblatt) who doesn't speak his language.So let's update the question. Who wins: a stranded spaceman & a 9-year-old girl, equipped with laser shotgun and a pocket full of marble grenades or a valley full of dinosaurs who only know the thoughts "hunt, kill, eat"?The correct answer is us, the moviegoers, because this movie relentlessly rules. ---------------------------Review THE MOVIES on Apple Podcasts & I'll read it on the next episode!

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This episode exists because last December, my best friend Dakota messaged me a picture of a platinum blond, bearded, trench-coat donning BADASS Mark Hamill. He followed the pic with "do this review!"

Challenge accepted.

So here, we have SLIPSTREAM, a 1989 venture from Steven Lisberger (best known for directing 1982's TRON), about a post-apocalyptic future where nature's revenge on humanity's pollution has led to earthquakes, floods and an uncontrollable river of wind called the Slipstream. In this world, a man accused of murder (Bob Peck) is chased by two bounty hunters (Mark Hamill & Kitty Aldridge). When a ne'erdowell scrapper (Bill Paxton) hijacks the bounty from the couple, he finds himself bonding with the accused, learning secrets and embarking on a grand adventure through the wastelands, skysurfing the Slipstream.

Did I mention we also get Ben Kingsley, F. Murray Abraham & Robbie Coltrane (motherfucking HAGRID) in this?!

This reads a lot cooler than the movie, which feels like a DUNE-sized saga crammed into 90 minutes. I should have David Rosen (of the awesome Piecing It Together podcast) dissect every influence imaginable in this thing: STAR WARS, BLADE RUNNER...hell, I know WATERWORLD came out in '95, but this feels like a cousin. The world never feels fully realized; The piece about explaining humanity through its most basic essence comes almost as an afterthought to the chase; The characters are paper-thin, while spouting dialogue that should be left in Chapter 3, not damn near the end of the movie. It exemplifies the kind of film that seems to throw its budget to the wind and hopes it'll all find its way.

Maybe in that sense, it's like David Cronenberg's SCANNERS to me. Great ideas, average to bizarre execution.

But that Elmer Bernstein (Airplane!, An American Werewolf in London, Ghostbusters) score is FIRE.

And also, Mark Hamill really does rock that platinum blond. He should do that again.---------------------------Review THE MOVIES on Apple Podcasts & I'll read it on the next episode!

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THE LUCKIEST MAN IN AMERICA stars Paul Walter Hauser as Michael Larson, an ice cream truck driver who travels from Ohio to California with hopes of contesting for the Big Bucks on PRESS YOUR LUCK.

What follows is a lucky streak that'll put Larson in the history books...that is, if the game show execs don't discover his secret and pull the plug.

Director/co-writer Samir Oliveros has crafted a story for the outsiders, the people uncomfortable walking the tried-and-true paved paths to success. Michael's an anxious guy; he's got everything on the line and a history of increasingly risky methods of making it work. From the lighting to the sound design to Hauser's performance, the movie delves into Michael's interior, turning game show glitz against him, putting me in the perspective of a guy who sees his window of fame and quick cash shrinking by the second. The beast of a game board hums and growls, ready at any second to snap its jaws and send Michael back north. But much like an avid lion tamer, Michael's got some tricks up his sleeve and for once, the wild card has a foolproof plan, steeped in his authenticity. It makes for a brilliant character arc and gives THE LUCKIEST MAN IN AMERICA its tender, beating heart.

THE LUCKIEST MAN IN AMERICA is now available to watch at a theater near you. And when you return home, go catch Samir Oliveros' debut BAD LUCKY GOAT for free on Tubi. It's a goddamn gem.

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ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA is exactly what you think it is: a big, dumb roller coaster ride where you whiz past crowds of aliens on the way to save your family [I mean, Ant-Man (Paul Rudd), the Wasp (Evangeline Lilly), Cassie (Kathryn Newton from what must be Earth 615, because where's Emma Fuhrmann from AVENGERS: ENDGAME?), Janet van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer) & Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) aren't your real blood, but they make you feel at home.].There's a big bad in Kang (Jonathan Majors), known in this Quantum Realm as The Conqueror. He's dope, and Majors flexes different muscles than he does in LOKI. The range grows ever stronger.Throw in some life lessons about standing up for the little guy and this movie rejoices in the spirit of a matinee, a B-movies, a Saturday morning cartoon. Make superheroes fun again! Fuck the continuity. ALL my homies hate continuity.Sidebar: A huge thanks to my friend Kami for asking me to cover this movie! ❤️---------------------------Review THE MOVIES on Apple Podcasts & I'll read it on the next episode!

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AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER is the next step in James Cameron's crusade to take over the box office, one blue Smurf-cat at a time. This sequel sees Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) & Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) raising a family of four and leading the Forest People. When a familiar foe returns for revenge, the family's forced to run, finding refuge among the Sea People. In learning these new customs and fighting off intruders, the family finds, as Jake Sully says, that they are a fortress.Or some shit like that. As a writer, Cameron's hit or miss. At his best, he can infuse a simple story with characters that leap off the page. He can keep a pulse pounding even as the story grows damn near beyond comprehension. But when Cameron's off? The story bloats like a beached whale with paper-thin characters to carry.High praise for a box-office titan, eh?---------------------------Review THE MOVIES on Apple Podcasts & I'll read it on the next episode!

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The universe has a sense of humor. I know this because right now, in theaters, I have the opportunity to find a marquee where the phrases COCAINE BEAR and JESUS REVOLUTION can sit side by side.

What a time to be alive.

And for a title so brashly blatant (here I go with the alliteration again, Lord) as COCAINE BEAR, I'd expect for the movie to be as simple as humanly possible. It's a bear. It does coke. It goes on a woodland rampage.

Simple.

I don't need a story about a single mom (Keri Russell) clashing with her preteen (Brooklynn Prince in a role that never ceases to make me feel old, because wasn't she just playing a precocious first-grader in THE FLORIDA PROJECT like...yesterday?) only for said girl to be kidnapped by the Cocaine Bear. I don't really need a story about a sad sack drunkard son of a mob boss (Alden Ehrenreich) whining about his ex to his best friend (O'Shea Jackson Jr.) while they track down the missing coke. I really don't need to know the escapades of a trigger-happy park ranger (Margo Martindale). Hell, if we can just let mob boss Ray Liotta spend 90 min as aviator-wielding Captain Ahab facing off against a drugged-up psycho black bear, I'd be set.

But sometimes, we just don't get what we want. We get far, far less.

And sometimes, people bring infants to the 10:45pm screening.

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Zach Cregger's BARBARIAN is one of those rare movies you simply just have to see. Describing it really doesn't do it justice. I mean the logline is simple - a lady goes to the Airbnb from Hell - but like a good Stephen King story, the magic lies in the how. (As I type, this would make a really good double-feature with last year's THE BLACK PHONE. The King connection rings loud and strong.)

If you've heard anything about this, you know folks tell you to go in knowing as little as possible. As such, I'm not gonna spoil the flick right away. If you simply just HAVE to hear what Daniel thinks of a movie before you check it out, I got you. But seriously, go see this bonkers fuckin' movie. It's on HBO Max!

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Welcome back to IN FOUR FILMS, the show where film lovers share the movies that make them who they are! Today, I've the enormous pleasure of welcoming Leah Carlson-Downie, pop culture writer and podcaster extraordinaire. If you're a fan of vampires and Oscar Isaac, Fang Club and Oscar's Podcaast are the shows for you.Leah's picks span genres, decades; She's a renaissance woman, educating herself on cinema to its deepest profundities. This is a woman with smarts, taste and a wicked sense of humor. Stay tuned for a fun-as-fuck episode!SOME LIKE IT HOT (1959) dir. Billy Wilder1776 (1972) dir. Peter M. HuntYOU'VE GOT MAIL (1998) dir. Nora EphronWALK HARD: THE DEWEY COX STORY (2007) dir. Jake Kasdan---------------------------Follow Leah on:Twitter & Instagram - @TheMingtacularFang Club (BREAKING DAWN Parts 1 & 2 Episode)Oscar's Podcaast (EX MACHINA Episode)INTERVIEW WITH A VAMPIRE TV Recap ---------------------------Review THE MOVIES on Apple Podcasts & I'll read it on the next episode!

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INFINITY POOL is what happens when Brandon Cronenberg turns HOTEL CALIFORNIA into A CLOCKWORK ORANGE. Married couple James & Em Foster (Alexander Skarsgard & Cleopatra Coleman) travels to a luxury island resort, becomes friendly with another couple, Gabi & Alban Bauer (Mia Goth & Jalil Lespert) who invite them to spicy off-resort adventures, and as is the case for those who fuck around, they find out. What follows is a swirly slide of moral depravity and soul-exorcising sin. It's a beautiful, fucked-up horror picture. INFINITY POOL is A Daniel Berrios Movie (trademark).Deftones' CEREMONY music video directed by Leigh Whannell: ---

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LANDLOCKEDtells the story of Mason (Mason Owens) returning to his childhood home, a year after his father's death, to claim any items of value before the house's demolition. He finds an old VHS camera, looks through the viewfinder and sees himself as a child playing in the room. There's no tape. Wherever Mason points, a memory plays, even events he wasn't present for. He grows obsessed with recording these memories, even as he captures mysterious spectres staring at him in the background.

Writer/director Paul Owens integrates his family's home videos into this narrative, going so far as to cast himself, his brothers and father in the film. It creates a layer of authenticity that speaks to Owens' possible fears of loss, the deterioration of not only the places, things and people we love, but also our memories of these experiences. Everything fades to time and it's our biology to run away screaming.

The movie meanders for too many scenes of Mason quietly recording home footage, stretching what would be a well-paced short to feature length. However, for those who love it, I assume these glimpses of memory serve as an extension of grace, a way for at least one of us to get to relive the past with as close to perfect accuracy as possible.

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Reviews I mention:

Shaun Huhn (CineNiche)

Katelyn Nelson (Daily Grindhouse)

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M3GAN takes the concept of the killer doll movie into the 21st Century, improving on plastic and AA batteries with ever-learning AI, a world-class wardrobe and a fuckton of sass. What starts out as an emotional therapy robot for recently orphaned Cady (Violet McGraw) turns horrific as M3GAN (Amie Donald & Jenna Davis) takes her directive to protect Cady at all costs way too literally. M3GAN creator and aunt-turned-guardian Gemma (Allison Williams) is the only one who starts to see the cracks in M3GAN's otherwise flawless exterior, worrying for Cady's safety.

Yes, this sounds like a Chucky ripoff, but director Gerard Johnstone and crew, operating from an Akela Cooper (Malignant) script, know the exact approach needed for this kind of movie: a winking, gleeful romp that blissfully indulges in stupidity. It's a goddamn ridiculous blast and man, is this movie (and this year) so much better for it. Long live the new titanium flesh.

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Welcome back to another episode of "In Four Films," the segment where film lovers discuss the four movies that make them who they are! 

Today features an ever-occupied lady: Amanda Guarragi, editor-in-chief of Candid Cinema. She's also part of Geek Bomb, Cinemania World, The Suit Up Geeks, 1st Reviews - she's EVERYWHERE. Regaling me with stories of watching Scorsese and Fincher flicks at inappropriate ages, tearfully meeting Rob Reiner at TIFF & how Ben Affleck's influence got her into film school, she was nothing but warm, funny and open. If you don't already know her, you should.---------------------------Amanda's four films are: The Aristocats (1970) dir. Wolfgang ReithermanWhen Harry Met Sally (1989) dir. Rob ReinerThe Departed (2006) dir. Martin ScorseseGone Girl (2014) dir. David Fincher---------------------------Follow Amanda on: - Twitter/Instagram/Letterboxd - amxndareviews

- YouTube- Her "Avatar: The Way of Water" review ---------------------------

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It's one of my favorite times of the year, the moment where I reflect back on last year's movies that swirled around fondly in my brain and celebrate them! These are the 2022 movies that stuck with me, in alphabetical order.------------------------------AmbuLAnce dir. Michael BayThe Banshees of Inisherin dir. Martin McDonaghBardo: False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths dir. Alejandro Gonzalez InarrituBodies Bodies Bodies dir. Halina ReijnEverything Everywhere All At Once dir. DANIELSThe Northman dir. Robert EggersPinocchio dir. Guillermo Del ToroShe Said dir. Maria SchraderTár dir. Todd FieldThe Whale dir. Darren Aronofsky--------------------------------

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Samir Oliveros directs THE LUCKIEST MAN IN AMERICA, a comedy starring Paul Walter Hauser as a man who, in 1984, takes game show execs and a studio audience for the thrill of a lifetime as he aims to pocket the most money ever won on PRESS YOUR LUCK. The execs say he must be cheating. The audience cheers him on, a bumbling working-class zero given the opportunity of a lifetime.

I interviewed Oliveros about this kind of person, someone who doesn't wish to walk the safe, paved paths to success, instead carving out their own swath of the jungle. Where do the spirits of a guy chasing a game show streak and a Colombian filmmaker pursuing storytelling as a living with - limited - resources intersect? Let's find out.

THE LUCKIEST MAN IN AMERICA is available to watch on the big screen in a theater near you. Do your own spirit some good and give it a watch.

After you've returned, pop on Oliveros' debut, the quirky microbudget comedy BAD LUCKY GOAT, on Tubi. It's about a brother and sister who strike a goat with their dad's truck and have to scrounge up the money for the repair before he finds out. It plays a great balance of chilled-out island life against the desperation of someone who's seemingly going for broke to tell this story as if they'll never get another shot. Lots of playful camerawork, vibrant colors, and a bickering lead duo for the books.

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Welcome to Season 2 of The Movies! December 26, 2021 saw me publish the very first episode of this show, a review of George Clooney's THE TENDER BAR (which I still highly recommend). It's been a whole year and 60 episodes later. Jesus.This inaugural episode is a mix of thank-yous and what-to-expects, so hop in and let's kick this season off with a bang! More reviews! More interviews! Better audio quality! Fat stacks of cash! World peace! Sky's the limit.---

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Merry Christmas Eve and welcome back to "In Four Films," the segment where we learn about fellow film lovers through the four films that make them who they are. On today's episode, multi-hyphenate, historian, managing editor of Oscars Central and overall Renaissance woman Nicole Ackman comes onto The Movies to talk ANASTASIA, TITANIC, THE GREAT GATSBY (Baz Luhrmann's version) and Greta Gerwig's LITTLE WOMEN. This episode runs longer than it took the actual Titanic to sink, so grab some snacks, strap in and enjoy an education from a lady who enjoys quippy lovers and the failings of American capitalism like no other.

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Ending Song: Maisie Peters - "Not Another Rockstar" |

Follow Nicole everywhere:

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Darren Aronofsky's THE WHALE, adapted from Samuel L Hunter's play, by Hunter himself, shows a week in the life of Charlie (a magnificent Brendan Fraser), a reclusive English teacher who, during years of grieving his lost love, Alan, harms himself by overeating. Charlie's gained hundreds of pounds, requiring mobility devices to get around his apartment; He doesn't even step out to his front porch. When best friend and home nurse Liz (Hong Chau as the movie's MVP) informs Charlie his high blood pressure and heart health is fatal, he reaches out to estranged daughter Ellie (an antipathetic-as-nuclear-armageddon Sadie Sink) to try to patch things up before it's too late.

But I don't think that's really the reason. For someone who begs others so much for honesty, Charlie's a habitual liar. And I think that's where the movie really gets interesting...

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WILDCAT follows British veteran Harry Turner as he, suffering from chronic depression and PTSD, escapes all facets of his regular life and moves to a Peruvian section of the Amazon. There, he teams with American conservationist and ecologist Samantha Zwicker to help raise a baby ocelot. Sure, this documentary has cute, fuzzy cats, but what makes this special to me? It's a movie about, as my wife puts it, the healing effects of parenting. As Harry and Samantha raise baby Keanu for 18 months, until his release and reintroduction into the wild, the process allows them opportunities to face and work through their own problems, their trauma.---

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Silverio Gama (Daniel Gimenez Cacho) is a multi-hyphenate. Not only is he an acclaimed journalist and documentarian, he also finds himself caught between multiple identities. Is he a champion of Mexican culture, a shining example of national pride? Or is he an Americanized bridge between two countries, useful for political maneuvering? Is it more likely he's just something else entirely? This labyrinthine odyssey through his psyche, insecurities and idiosyncrasies is what BARDO follows, and man, I can't use the term "fever dream" as a higher compliment.

- Carlos Aguilar's NYT feature on Daniel Gimenez Cacho described by the Three Amigos

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Guillermo del Toro & Mark Gustafson's PINOCCHIO is not the Disney version. It's a meditation on damn near everything Del Toro's been talking about for decades: the virtues of disobedience in a corrupt society, the all-consuming, ceaseless effects of violence, the cyclical forging of sons through their fathers and fathers through their sons, the celebration of misfits and their unique perspectives on the world and the systems that control them. Plus, it's done in painstakingly detailed stop-motion? Like took-more-than-two-and-a-half-years-to-shoot-detail. It's fuckin' magnificent.

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Romance and Christmas go together like hot chocolate and candy canes. What doesn't go together so well, in SOMETHING FROM TIFFANY'S, are car accidents and identical packaging, because those phenomena allow Rachel (Zoey Deutch) to receive a Tiffany's engagement ring (It's fucking huge) intended for Ethan's (Kendrick Sampson) girlfriend. Now, Ethan has to tell Rachel, who, by the way, he's just met yesterday, that her ring is not hers and that her boyfriend, Gary (Ray Nicholson), totally just coasted on his grand gesture. But Rachel's so sweet and giving. Her smile just beams from cheek to cheek and she loves so dearly and maybe, Ethan's feeling more like he actually wants Rachel inste-oh, here we go.

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Maria Schrader's "She Said" recounts the New York Times investigation of Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein's myriad of abuses against women: sexual assault, rape, harassment, bullying and the NDA-equipped settlements used to legally silence the victims. Megan Twohey (Carey Mulligan) & Jody Kantor (Zoe Kazan) break the story, trying to persuade ex-Miramax employees like Zelda Perkins (Samantha Morton) and Laura Madden (Jennifer Ehle) to go on the record. This is just one of those stories; Once one person comes forward, within seconds, the floodgates burst into splinters. It's one of the year's best films. | End Song: "Black Me Out" - Against Me!

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Ralphie's back in A CHRISTMAS STORY CHRISTMAS, the sequel to the 1983 classic! However, it's no longer Ralphie; it's Ralph (Peter Billingsley), grown-ass struggling writer, husband and father of two kids, Parker. Why's everybody named Parker out here struggling in the big city? Anyway, when Ralph learns of his father's death, he bears the additional responsibility of making sure his family's Christmas is the best it's ever been. Sure, he's jobless and usually tends to respond to adversity in bumbling form, but he's got this! I mean, this time, he really has no other choice...

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Happy Thanksgiving! This episode fulfills a request made by my friend Matt (Twitter handle: @DarthRandal92), who's a MASSIVE Kevin Smith fan. He wanted me to cover 1994's CLERKS, but I didn't quite see that review alone as a fitting "thank you" for Matt's listenership and support over this year, so I watched/reviewed ALL FOURTEEN KEVIN SMITH FLICKS. Twas a large project, but I became a Kevin Smith fan in the process, so thank you, Matty. This one's for you. <3--------------------------------------KEVIN SMITH'S FILMOGRAPHYClerks (1994) Mallrats (1995) Chasing Amy (1997) Dogma (1999) Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001) Jersey Girl (2004) Clerks II (2006) Zack and Miri Make a Porno (2008) Cop Out (2010) Red State (2011) Tusk (2014) Yoga Hosers (2016) Jay and Silent Bob Reboot (2019) Clerks III (2022) -----------------------------------------

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I missed Leigh Whannell's newest film, WOLF MAN, in theaters. Bit of a bummer since he's a director who's earned my highest personal honor of earning my view purely off of goodwill - no trailer, no social media post needed.

So what was I to do? Nothing, but that's where Universal Pictures stepped in and (thankfully) sent me a review copy of the WOLF MAN Blu-ray (Seriously, y'all. Thank you.)

WOLF MAN changes quite a bit from the original source material. The werewolf transformation develops not as a curse but rather, a disease, an infection. Instead of a fur-covered beast with extended snout, David Cronenberg's THE FLY inspires a look that stems from the idea of two separate genomes warring within the same body. It's more akin to the creatures in Alex Garland's ANNIHILATION.

But where WOLF MAN differs the most is in its family story. Christopher Abbott plays Blake, husband to Charlotte (the seriously-needs-a-goddamned-Oscar-as-of-like-yesterday Julia Garner) and father to Ginger - nickname Snaps? - (Matilda Firth). After his father's death, Blake inherits the remote Oregon farm in which he spent his childhood (complicated at best, emotionally abusive at worst).

Upon arrival, Blake and family are attacked by a mysterious creature. Blake sustains a scratch wound and if you've seen a werewolf movie, you know that in here lies the inevitable. It's just a matter of time.

But the real tragedy of WOLF MAN doesn't just lie in the creature of it, but rather the character. Blake desperately tries to be a kinder, less angry father and husband than the example he experienced. But old environments bring that nature-nurture battle back to a head. Some wounds may simply be too deep to overcome.

This movie may be paced a little wonky and some of the ideas are executed a little too silly for its own good, but goddamn, did this hit hard for this father of a 4 and 1.5 year old.

On the director's commentary, Whannell talks about the need to follow one's own barometer for success. If you laugh or cry or fear your own material, it'll translate. And I'm so happy to report Whannell, for me, at least, is 3 for 3.

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A few years ago, I wrote, regarding their involvement in AVENGERS: ENDGAME, that the Russo Brothers had the most thankless, difficult job in Hollywood. I mean, putting a bow on a decade's worth of loosely connected movies with a library's worth of characters? Tough. But Ryan Coogler has BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER.

Chadwick Boseman's death serves as an atom bomb to this movie and no conversation about this will ever be able to avoid the art-imitating-life parallel.

So Coogler has to honor Boseman and his character, T'Challa, as heroes in their own rights. He's gotta follow up one of the most successful movies of all-fucking-time. He's gotta fit his pieces within the Marvel paradigm. And, y'know, it's still gotta rule as a superhero movie.

I'm not saying the end result is perfect, but would you really rather have the Russos doing this? I didn't think so.

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Welcome to another segment of "In Four Films," the interview show where you learn about critics, writers and film-lovers through the four movies that make them...them! Today, Morgan Roberts (whose work can be found on Filmotomy, The Cherry Picks, In Their Own League) joins the show, talking all things Catholic and mumblecore. More specifically, her movies are:
The Trouble With Angels (1966) dir. Ida Lupino

Beauty and the Beast (1991) dir. Gary Trousdale & Kirk Wise

Your Sister's Sister (2011) dir. Lynn Shelton

Lady Bird (2017) dir. Greta Gerwig

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Follow Morgan on Twitter: @msmlroberts | Subscribe to Morgan's Movie Musings on Substack: https://msmlroberts.substack.com/

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THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN is a break-up story. Not of lovers, but of friends, which is even sadder, somehow? Especially with Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson as the leads. Maybe it's because these kinds of breakups aren't so common. Maybe it's because this doesn't occupy as much cultural real estate as romantic break-ups. I guess, then, that Martin McDonagh's doing us all a favor writing and directing this thing. It partially opened up a few wounds, some self-inflicted. Who would've thought a silly movie with donkeys, severed limbs and the English replacement of "eh" instead of "uh" would be able to bum me out (in a good way)? Not I...not I.

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