Release Date: 10/03/25 [Cinemas] Genre: Action. Biography. Drama. History. Sport. MPAA: Rated R. Distributor: A24. The Verdict: A Maybe Benny Safdie’s new film, The Smashing Machine, premiered at the Venice Film Festival to a 15-minute standing ovation and considerable buzz. On the surface, this might seem like a major achievement—particularly for Dwayne Johnson, who plays real-life UFC fighter Mark Kerr. Johnson’s performance, showing both physicality and vulnerability, is

Release Date: 11/26/25 [Cinemas] Genre: Comedy. Crime. Drama. Fantasy. Romance. MPAA: Rated PG13. Distributor: A24. The Verdict: A Maybe We’ve all pondered what happens when we die, and I’m sure we’ve all seen movies that explore this question; many come to mind, but the one that’s most precinct while watching Eternity is Albert Brook’s Defending Your Life . The dark comedy’s romance feels like a blueprint towards the love triangle in the center of Eternity . Larry, one day

Director: Colin Hanks. Runtime: 113 Minutes. The Verdict: A Must-See If you’re a fan of John Candy – if you ever saw him light up a screen, big or small, with warmth and hilarity – you’d want a documentary about him to reflect that same larger-than-life spirit. ​ I Like Me , a new Prime Video documentary about the legendary actor and comedian, does exactly that. It confirms what fans already know: this was a man bursting with life and laughter, the kind who lifted everyone a

Release Date: 11/07/25 [Netflix] Genre: Drama. Fantasy. Horror. MPAA: Rated R. Distributor: Netflix. The Verdict: A Must-See Guillermo del Toro’s films have always occupied worlds of monsters and men, giving his monster’s unbearable sense of humanity, and the men of his movies a downward spiral into evil madness. As a filmmaker whose formalism is so baked into the fabric of what we interpret as “gothic cinema”, it almost feels like destiny for Del Toro to tackle Mary Shelley

Release Date: 11/07/25 [Cinemas] Genre: Action. Adventure. SciFi. Thriller. MPAA: Rated PG13. Distributor: 20th Century Studios. The Verdict: A Must-See Predator: Badlands is your basic boy-meets-girl movie – if the boy is an intergalactic monster hunter and the girl is half a cyborg leftover from the Alien franchise. ​ The third feature film from director Dan Trachtenberg opens with a young runt of a Predator named Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi) dueling with his b

Release Date: 10/31/25 [Cinemas] Genre: Thriller. MPAA: Rated R. Distributor: IFC Films. The Verdict: A Must-See There's a wealth of information presented during the opening title cards of  Violent Ends  that fills us in on the crime family dynamic that unspools over the following 111 minutes.   A family business that have split their operations between the drug trades of cocaine and meth, the Frosts expanded their fortune in 1980s rural America when the worst farming crisis

Release Date: 11/07/25 [Cinemas] Genre: Biography. Drama. History. Sport. MPAA: Rated R. Distributor: Black Bear. The Verdict: A Must-See When we’re first introduced to Christy (Sydney Sweeney), she’s in the middle of a raggedy amateur boxing ring in front of a sparse crowd of locals. It’s got the feel of a backyard brawl with low stakes and loose rules. With just one punch, Christy knocks out her competition and surprises herself with her power. It turns out, Christy is a h

Release Date: 10/24/25 [Cinemas] Genre: Biography. Comedy. Drama. History. Music. Romance. MPAA: Rated R. Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics. The Verdict: A Must-See In March of 1943, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! opened on Broadway and stood to become the biggest opening ever on Broadway. This was the first of many collaborations of many for Oscar Hammerstein II and Richard Rodgers; however, there is one man’s life who precedes this iconic artistic collaboration. Lo

Release Date: 12/05/25 [Cinemas] Genre: Biography. Drama. History. MPAA: Rated PG13. Distributor: Focus Features. Seen for Twin Cities Film Festival 2025 The Verdict: A Must-See In Elizabethan England, the names “Hamnet” and “Hamlet” were interchangeable variations of the same name, spelled differently but pronounced almost identically, much like Catherine and Katherine, or Zach and Zack today. Though much of William Shakespeare’s personal life remains a mystery, one thing i

Release Date: 10/22/25 [Hulu] Genre: Horror. Thriller. MPAA: Rated R. Distributor: 20th Century Studios. The Verdict: A Maybe The Hand the Rocks the Cradle is apparently a remake, I was painfully unaware of this fact and watched as an original.    The story follows a lawyer, Caitlin (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) that takes maternity leave to take care of her newborn and is instantly overwhelmed. A woman she met at her law firm, Polly (Maika Monroe), indicated she has a past in

Release Date: 10/30/25 [Shudder] Genre: Horror . MPAA: Rated NR. Distributor: Shudder. The Verdict: A Mistake As an indie horror fan who grew up in and around the haunted attraction industry, the Hell House LLC franchise has been near and dear to my heart. The first movie is entirely unsettling and fun as hell. Each sequel that followed stayed true to the bones of what made the first film work. At least, until now. Hell House LLC: Lineage is not the final boss it wants to

Release Date: 10/24/25 [Cinemas] Genre: Horror. Thriller. MPAA: Rated R. Distributor: Neon. The Verdict: A Maybe Disclaimer: The writer of this review was a financial contributor to the Kickstarter initiative, which helped Shelby Oaks come to life. Additionally, the writer has been a fan, champion, and subscriber to writer/director Chris Stuckmann’s YouTube channel for over a decade. Recognition of this disclosure is critical to alleviate any bias; this writer has separat

Release Date: 10/24/25 [Cinemas] Genre: Biography. Drama. Music. MPAA: Rated PG13. Distributor: 20th Century Studios. The Verdict: A Must-See Scott Cooper’s Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere offers a restrained yet deeply affecting look at a defining period in Bruce Springsteen’s life. Rather than tracing the arc of a legend, Cooper narrows the focus to a moment of quiet crisis—when fame’s echo grows louder than the voice that started it all. Through striking black-and-w

Release Date: 10/29/25 [Cinemas] Genre: Thriller. MPAA: Rated R. Distributor: Lionsgate. The Verdict: A Must-See Imagine the uncomfortable and tense feeling when you have a politically charged disagreement with a family member at a gathering. Now, imagine that family member is not someone who you see occasionally at a holiday gathering but instead, your immediate family member, like your son, and he brings home a woman who you fundamentally and morally disagree with their po

Release Date: 10/24/25 [Cinemas] Genre: Comedy. Crime. SciFi. MPAA: Rated R. Distributor: Focus Features. Seen for LFF 2025. The Verdict: A Must-See God is a woman, and her name is Emma Stone. Seriously, I know I’m late for the party. But Stone’s undeniable talent in Yorgos Lanthimos’ sci-fi comedy Bugonia is what finally helped me see what made her a two-time Oscar winner and one of America’s favorite sweethearts. In her mid-30s, she is officially done playing kiddie roles

Physical Media Release Date: 12/12/25. Label: Kino Lorber. Form of Release: 4K UHD. The Verdict: A Must-Buy It’s the ultimate Monster Mash when Frankenstein’s Monster, Dracula and the Wolf Man meet Bud Abbott and Lou Costello in this silly spooky fun caper classic for Monster-lovers of all ages! Abbott and Costello, as railroad baggage clerks, receive a strange shipment—the last remains of Dracula and Frankenstein’s Monster. But this deadly duo is still very much alive. So w

Physical Media Release Date: 12/12/25. Label: Kino Lorber. Form of Release: 4K UHD. The Verdict: A Must-Buy You’ll shiver…You’ll shudder…You’ll shout with laughter! Comedy legends Bud Abbott and Lou Costello encounter one of Universal’s most unforgettable Monsters in Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man. Recent detective school graduates Bud and Lou are minding their new business when accused killer Tommy Nelson (Arthur Franz) bursts into their office. Proclaiming his

Release Date: 11/14/25 [Cinemas] Genre: Crime. Thriller. MPAA: Rated PG13. Distributor: Lionsgate. The Verdict: A Maybe Now You See Me is a guilty pleasure of mine, I’m well aware that terminology is fronted upon these days but that’s honestly how I’d represent my enjoyment of the series thus far. The Now You See Me trilogy is magic and heist mixed into one - what could be better (I suppose Ocean’s with magic, but that’s not the point). It’s been nearly ten years since th

Release Date: 11/07/25 [Cinemas] Genre: Action. Drama. Horror. Thriller. MPAA: Rated R. Distributor: Lionsgate. Seen for SXSW 2024. The Verdict: A Must-See I Wish You All the Best provides a new coming of age perspective, a genre that holds the throne for some of the most important films ever made such as The Breakfast Club , The Perks of Being a Wallflower , and Booksmart .  Director / Writer Tommy Dorfman delivers a sincere narrative that captures a non-binary perspective

Release Date: 11/04/25 [Cinemas] Genre: Comedy. Drama. Romance. MPAA: Not Rated. Distributor: Entertainment Squad. Seen for SXSW 2025. The Verdict: A Must-See G.G. Hawkins’ I Really Love My Husband is a cautionary tale about falling just to fall to force yourself to be happy. A beautiful setting contrasts well with the fantastic range of performances, as we witness a wide range of emotions expose themselves on Teresa and Drew's belated honeymoon celebration.    Madison Lane