Posts in 2025
MOVIE REVIEW: Forge

What isn’t problematic is Forge’s suave and efficient screenplay from Jing Ai Ng, making her feature debut after an eight-year resume of promising short films. The smoothness comes from scaffolding the idiosyncrasies of the underground art world, fueled by favors and authenticity. By empowering the prowess of the Coco character, Ng showcases this titular crime’s uniqueness, where not just anyone can pull it off.

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MOVIE REVIEW: Tuner

When done right, there’s sensory excitement between noises that rattle seats and silences that destroy our nerves. Tuner, the narrative directorial debut for Oscar-winning Navalny documentary filmmaker Daniel Roher, recognizes this second type of potential power and seizes it for a nifty thriller that deserves just as many big screens as the summer blockbusters it is poised to swim against.

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MOVIE REVIEW: Magic Hour

The seismic disclosure recolors the sentiment, setting, and stakes of Magic Hour instantly. Marshall and Erin’s mother (fellow treasure and TV vet Susan Sullivan) are doing their best to provide Erin with this remote getaway of calm solace and granted space. Other people enter Magic Hour to guide Erin through her pain, but the one figure she’s responding to and divulging her worries to the most remains the present spectre of Charlie.

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PODCAST: Episode 231 of "The Cinephile Hissy Fit" Podcast

For their 231st episode, two decadent film critics, two old sport dads, and partying school teachers, Will Johnson and Don Shanahan, finally have, for what seems like the first time in a while, found a movie they truly feel opposite on to a nearly hate vs. love level, and it might not be from a place you typically expect. The loaded argument in question surrounds Baz Luhrmann's sparkly and loud blockbuster adaptation of The Great Gatsby

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MOVIE REVIEW: Omaha

The title of the film reveals the desired end destination for Magaro’s matriarch. The pleasant Nevada weather allows the windows to be rolled down and burned CDs to blare old family favorite songs. Smiles sneak in to make Omaha a proper road movie with a glimmer of hope. Yet, for every blissful moment of optimism granted by the long highway carrying them to the Great Plains, reality remains inescapable in both the rear-view mirror and the windshield aimed forward.

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MOVIE REVIEW: Fuze

Put a good cast to root for in any a disaster scenario, and we’re intrigued. Hire Hell or High Water director David Mackenzie, and we’re filling up the popcorn bucket to witness something with edge. Unfortunately, Fuze erratically combines multiple tonal narratives and throws in an extremely misguided third plotline to smear whatever doesn’t explode when the bomb detonates.

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PODCAST: Episode 230 of "The Cinephile Hissy Fit" Podcast

For their 230th episode, two golden critics, two statuesque dads, and centrist school teachers, Will Johnson and Don Shanahan, continue their return from a short sabbatical with a special editorial episode. The recent 98th Academy Awards came and went recently. While the two-horse battle between One Battle After Another and Sinners, made for decent Oscar drama, our podcast hosts didn't watch the show and found themselves over what they used to love

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PODCAST: Episode 229 of "The Cinephile Hissy Fit" Podcast

For their 229th episode, two returning critics, two better-rested dads, and two science-loving teachers, Will Johnson and Don Shanahan, return from a two-month sabbatical for a love-fest on the leader in the clubhouse for the movie of the year. They're talking about the instant sci-fi classic of Project Hail Mary, starring Ryan Gosling, who's quietly becoming one of our hosts' most dependable and favorite performers. For this big return, the haters stayed home

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PODCAST: Episode 228 of "The Cinephile Hissy Fit" Podcast

For their 228th episode back in February, two underground revolution critics, two stoner dads, and two small beers teachers, Will Johnson and Don Shanahan, drive their podcast over the West Texas hills of the Oscar race to offer their praise and criticism of Paul Thomas Anderson's One Battle After Another. The movie is the current front-runner for Best Picture and PTA is more than due after 28 years of previous nominations in several categories.

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MOVIE REVIEW: Heads or Tails?

At the 57-minute mark in Heads or Tails?, Reilly’s transported icon speaks the promise again to say, “Mark my words, boy, this is going to be quite the story.” At that point, with only 50 minutes to go of running time, there’s a good chance that, outside of the charismatic involvement of Reilly, you haven’t felt or fallen for the ensured charm of the film.

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MOVIE REVIEW: A Love Like This

Without that type of dramatic weight that pushes harder than a liar’s loose regret, the most performance range we get out of Emanuelle Chriqui and Hayes MacArthur is a minor shift and transformation towards a balanced plane of apology when disagreements create a verbal blow-up. The pain registers differently between the two as the reservation clock is running out.

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