Movie Review: A House of Dynamite

Movie Review: A House of Dynamite

  A House of Dynamite marks the first film from director Kathryn Bigelow since 2017’s Detroit. Bigelow’s return has her looking at the current political landscape as a mysterious missile heads towards the United States. The result is a tense and interesting film, though not one of Bigelow’s best. Working from a script by Noah Oppenheim, A House of Dynamite picks up on a seemingly normal day in Washington, D.C. White House staffers come into…

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CIFF 2025 Movie Review: The Voice of Hind Rajab

CIFF 2025 Movie Review: The Voice of Hind Rajab

  The Voice of Hind Rajab undoubtedly tells an important story and is one that everyone should know about, especially those who do not know about what is and was going on in Gaza. However, how the story is told is very underwhelming, making this harrowing film far less interesting and affecting. The Voice of Hind Rajab is based on a true incident that happened in Palestine. It takes place inside a Red Crescent building…

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CIFF 2025 Movie Review: The Secret Agent

CIFF 2025 Movie Review: The Secret Agent

  Wagner Moura gives one of the best performances of 2025 in The Secret Agent, Kleber Mendonca Filho’s slow-burning and captivating Brazilian thriller. Set in 1977 Brazil during the Carnivale celebration, The Secret Agent finds Moura playing Marcelo, a technology expert who secretly returns to his hometown to reunite with his son, with plans to escape the country as a corrupt government system is hot on his tail. Why is the government after Marcelo? That…

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The Most Exciting Movies Playing at the 2025 Chicago International Film Festival

The Most Exciting Movies Playing at the 2025 Chicago International Film Festival

The 2025 Chicago International Film Festival kicks off this week! This was the first festival that I attended back in 2008, and I have attended it every year since. It is a great film festival that does not receive the same level of love and attention as some higher-profile festivals, but it deserves to be mentioned as one of the best in North America. It highlights numerous unique movies from around the world and showcases…

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Movie Review: One Battle After Another

Movie Review: One Battle After Another

Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another is an example of a master filmmaker in complete control of his technique and the story he wants to tell. Adapted from Thomas Pynchon’s novel Vineland, One Battle After Another is a timely and passionate film that looks at the state of the world while also being action-packed and thrilling, with a deeply felt emotional core and a perfect ensemble. One Battle After Another hits the ground running…

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From the Collection: Shoeshine

From the Collection: Shoeshine

Vittorio De Sica’s 1946 film Shoeshine has been added to the Criterion Collection. An international breakthrough for neorealism, Vittorio De Sica’s Academy Award–winning film is an indelible fable of innocence lost amid the hardscrabble reality of 1940s Italy. On the streets of Rome, two boys—best friends Giuseppe (Rinaldo Smordoni) and Pasquale (Franco Interlenghi)—set out to raise the money to buy a horse by shining shoes. When they are inadvertently caught up in a robbery and…

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Movie Review: The Conjuring: Last Rites

Movie Review: The Conjuring: Last Rites

  The Conjuring: Last Rites details the final case of Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson and Verg Farmiga). It takes place in 1986 and brings the Warrens to Pennsylvania, where they face a terrifying evil that is possessing the Smurl family. But the evil they face is different than anything they faced before and puts the Warrens and the Smurls in grave danger. The Conjuring: Last Rites is the grand finale for the Warrens…

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Movie Review: Caught Stealing

Movie Review: Caught Stealing

  Throughout director Darren Aronofsky’s career, he’s established himself as a director who handles heavy subjects with a visceral vision. Movies like Requiem for a Dream, Black Swan, mother!, and The Whale deal with hard subjects like addiction and loneliness, and Aronofsky has never held back from the harshness of these subjects. His movies, to this point, have been well-made, but intense and at times shocking. Aronofsky’s newest film, Caught Stealing, is far and away…

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Movie Review: Nobody 2

Movie Review: Nobody 2

  2021’s Nobody was one of the biggest surprises of that year. In a post-pandemic cinematic experience, seeing funny-man Bob Odenkirk turn into John Wick for 90 minutes was more fun and entertaining than I ever expected. Nobody 2 fails to conjure up the same spark that the first film did. It does feature bone-cracking action and a slew of dead bodies, but the magic of seeing Odenkirk become a super assassin has vanished, despite…

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Movie Review: Highest 2 Lowest

Movie Review: Highest 2 Lowest

  Reviewing a remake is always tough. As much as we try to watch the film for what is present on the screen, it’s hard not to think about the original source material, similar to watching a movie based on a book you’ve read. We expect how the plot will unfold, we already know the basis of the characters, and we are aware of any twists that may take place. Spike Lee’s Highest 2 Lowest,…

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