Movie Trailer Reviews

Director: Takashi Yamazaki Writers: Takashi Yamazaki Starring: Minami Hamabe, Ryunosuke Kamiki, Sakura Ando Runtime:  2 Hour 4 Minutes Synopsis: Post war Japan is at its lowest point when a new crisis emerges in the form of a giant monster, baptized in the horrific power of the atomic bomb. The Crew reviews Godzilla Minus One. Like what you hear? Subscribe so you don't miss an episode! Follow us on Twitter: @Phenomblak @InsanityReport @TheMTRNetwork   Our shirts are now on TeePublic.  https://teepublic.com/stores/mtr-network   Want more podcast greatness? Sign up for a MTR Premium Account!  

Director: Sean Durkin Writers: Sean Durkin Starring: Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White, Harris Dickinson, Maura Tierney, Holt McCallany Runtime:  2 Hour 12 Minutes Synopsis: The true story of the inseparable Von Erich brothers, who made history in the intensely competitive world of professional wrestling in the early 1980s. The Iron Claw has an absolutely fantastic cast and set of performances and tells the very tragic tale of the Von Erich family. This is definitely a heartbreaking story but it's also a script that doesn't do the full story justice. There's a lot of focus on the tragedy that seems to follow this family around but does so by sacrificing a lot of the context and story. To be fair that context would probably make the story even more heartbreaking but it would have taken the Iron Claw from a good movie with great performances, to a great movie with even greater performances. This is the difference between a film that gets award season buzz for an actor (e.g. Zac Efron) and a movie that gets the ful

Director: Yorgos Lanthimos Writers: Tony McNamara, Alasdair Gray Starring: Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo, Willem Dafoe, Ramy Youssef Runtime:  2 Hour 21 Minutes Synopsis: The incredible tale about the fantastical evolution of Bella Baxter; a young woman brought back to life by the brilliant and unorthodox scientist, Dr. Godwin Baxter. Kriss, Ro & Brandon discuss and review the film Poor Things. There's a lot to really enjoy about this film, chief among them is Emma Stone once again showing what an outstanding actress and performer she is. It's not a slight to the other performers in this film to say that Emma Stone carries this film because the story truly revolves around her character, Bella Baxter. But what Emma Stone is asked to do and is able to do is what makes this film. Not too many actresses could have pulled this off and she does it in a brilliant way. This film isn't perfect but is definitely a great modern telling of the story of Frankenstein (or rather the aftermath of the Frankenstein story) that is

Director: Bishal Dutta Writers: Bishal Dutta, Ashish Mehta Starring: Megan Suri, Neeru Bajwa, Mohana Krishnan, Betty Gabriel Runtime:  1 Hour 39 Minutes Synopsis: An Indian-American teenager struggling with her cultural identity has a falling out with her former best friend and, in the process, unwittingly releases a demonic entity that grows stronger by feeding on her loneliness. Kriss, Ro and Brandon discuss the film It Lives Inside. While 2023 has been a good year for horror films, It Lives Inside represents the rare miss of a film that should have been and could have been so much more.  Like what you hear? Subscribe so you don't miss an episode! Follow us on Twitter: @Phenomblak @InsanityReport @TheMTRNetwork   Our shirts are now on TeePublic.  https://teepublic.com/stores/mtr-network   Want more podcast greatness? Sign up for a MTR Premium Account!  

Director: Michael Mann Writers: Troy Kennedy Martin, Brock Yates Starring: Adam Driver, Shailene Woodley, Giuseppe Festinese Runtime:  2 Hour 4 Minutes Synopsis: Set in the summer of 1957, with Enzo Ferrari's auto empire in crisis, the ex-racer turned entrepreneur pushes himself and his drivers to the edge as they launch into the Mille Miglia, a treacherous 1,000-mile race across Italy. Once you realize that Michael Mann was a producer on Ford v Ferrari, the "I can do it too" mentality that oozes out of Ferrari makes sense. The problem is, all the charm and intrigue that Ford v Ferrari had is completely missing from Ferrari. Adam Driver is a great actor who is routinely misused by directors and scripts and Ferrari is no exception. Christian Bale and Matt Damon played well off of each other in Ford v Ferrari and made for a compelling story. In Ferrari, Driver is not only boring but Penélope Cruz is criminally underused, leaving Driver without a strong second to play off of. That then leads to the second issue

Director: Blitz Bazawule Writers: Marcus Gardley, Alice Walker, Marsha Norman Starring: Fantasia Barrino, Taraji P. Henson, Danielle Brooks, Colman Domingo, Corey Hawkins Runtime: 2 Hour 20 Minutes Synopsis: A woman faces many hardships in her life, but ultimately finds extraordinary strength and hope in the unbreakable bonds of sisterhood. Ro, Kriss and Brandon review the 2023 adaptation of The Color Purple. There is a wild  swing in opinions and views on this film. It's definitely a "your mileage may vary". Listen as the crew gives their opinions (and jokes) on this film.  Like what you hear? Subscribe so you don't miss an episode! Follow us on Twitter: @Phenomblak @InsanityReport @TheMTRNetwork   Our shirts are now on TeePublic.  https://teepublic.com/stores/mtr-network   Want more podcast greatness? Sign up for a MTR Premium Account!  

Director: Hayao Miyazaki Writers: Hayao Miyazaki Starring:  Runtime:  2 Hour 4 Minutes Synopsis:  Already acclaimed as a masterpiece in Japan, Hayao Miyazaki’s new film begins as a simple story of loss and love, and rises to become a staggering work of imagination. Already acclaimed as a masterpiece in Japan, Hayao Miyazaki’s new film begins as a simple story of loss and love, and rises to a staggering work of imagination. Coming after the maker of Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke announced his retirement, The Boy and the Heron is an especially precious gift, and possibly the final film we will see from one of cinema’s greatest artists. As a boy, Miyazaki read Genzaburo Yoshino’s novel How Do You Live? and embraced it as his favourite. This film was initially announced as an adaptation of that book, but Miyazaki uses it instead as one of many layers in a dazzling tapestry that draws even more upon his own youth. During the Second World War, young Mahito Maki (Soma Santoki) suffers a heartbreaking famil

Director: Alexander Payne Writers: David Hemingson Starring: Paul Giamatti, Dominic Sessa, Da'Vine Joy Randolph Runtime:  2 Hour 13 Minutes Synopsis:  Paul Giamatti stars in Alexander Payne’s latest about the bond that forms between a strict professor and a belligerent student he’s stuck supervising over the winter holiday at an elite boarding school. Barton men don’t lie. This is just one of the many rules Professor Hunham (Paul Giamatti) takes much too seriously as he hands out poor grades at an elite boarding school in 1971. As he dismisses the politics that come along with educating the children of people in high places, he’s punished by the headmaster who gives him a most undesirable assignment for the winter break: to stay at the school and supervise the students who are unable to go home. Hunham resolves to have the students suffer with him, forcing them to start studying next semester’s curriculum ahead of time. Among them, 15-year-old Angus (Dominic Sessa), bright but belligerent, makes a ruckus.

Director: Justine Triet Writers: Justine Triet, Arthur Harari Starring: Sandra Hüller, Samuel Theis, Swann Arlaud, Milo Machado Graner Runtime:  2 Hour 31 Minutes Synopsis:  The much-lauded winner of this year’s Palme d’Or, Justine Triet’s fourth feature has cemented her status as one of today’s great filmmaking talents. Unfolding over two-and-a-half hours like a compulsively readable novel, the riveting Anatomy of a Fall is both a dissection of an intimate relationship and of the judiciary process. Sandra (a ferocious, magnetic, and edgy Sandra Hüller, also at the Festival in Jonathan Glazer’s The Zone of Interest) is a successful German writer who lives in the French Alps with her husband Samuel (Samuel Theis) and their visually impaired son Daniel (Milo Machado Graner). A brilliant, decibel-bursting opening scene suggests tensions in their isolated chalet, so when Samuel is discovered dead in the snow beneath one of their windows, suspicion is quickly aroused. Did he take his own life, or was he pushed to

Director: George C. Wolfe Writers: Julian Breece, Dustin Lance Black Starring: Colman Domingo, Chris Rock, Glynn Turman, Amel Ameen, Gus Halper, Johnny Ramey, CCH Pounder Runtime:  1 Hour 46 Minutes Synopsis: Activist Bayard Rustin faces racism and homophobia as he helps change the course of Civil Rights history by orchestrating the 1963 March on Washington. If there's one thing to take away from Rustin it's that Colman Domingo was the perfect casting choice to play Civil Rights activist Bayard Rustin. For all the flaws of the movie and script (and there are many), Domingo is not one of them. If anything, his performance only serves to be a reminder of how frustrating this movie is. To have a performance like the one that Domingo puts in and then have a script that is uneven and wastes the talents of not only the lead but many of the other outstanding performers in the film is just a cardinal sin of film making. The biggest problem with Rustin is that there is a fundamental identity crisis in terms of what th

Director: Cord Jefferson Writers: Cord Jefferson, Percival Everett Starring: Jeffrey Wright, Tracee Ellis Ross, John Ortiz, Erika Alexander, Leslie Uggams, Adam Brody, Keith David, Issa Rae, Sterling K Brown Runtime:  1 Hour 57 Minutes Synopsis: Starring Jeffrey Wright in one of his most beautifully nuanced performances, American Fiction is both a wickedly smart satire about the commodification of marginalized voices and a bittersweet portrait of an artist forced to re-examine the terms of his integrity. Thelonious “Monk” Ellison (Wright) is a respected author and professor of English literature. But his impatience with his students’ cultural sensitivities is threatening his academic standing, while his latest novel is failing to attract publishers; they claim Monk’s writing “isn’t Black enough.” He travels to his hometown of Boston to participate in a literary festival where all eyes are on the first-time author of a bestseller titled We’s Lives In Da Ghetto, a book Monk dismisses as pandering to readers se

Capsule Review: Napoleon is unimaginative, uninspired, and unrelentingly dry. The score and sound design are masterful, but Scott expects them to do too much work in this inert bolder of a story. It's doesn't even give good costume drama - and I say that as a lover of costume dramas.  Listen as Ro chats with Kriss about how Ridley Scott tricked her into watching a film that turns pivotal historical characters into Looney Tunes caricatures and makes such a criminal waste of Vanessa Kirby that Ro demands Scott fight her.  Director: Ridley Scott Writers: David Scarpa Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Vanessa Kirby, Tahar Rahim Runtime:  2 Hours 38 Minutes Synopsis:  [Alllegedly] based on the true story of Napoleon Bonaparte, primarily depicting the French leader's rise to power as well as his relationship with Empress Joséphine Napoleon opns in theaters November 22, 2023 Like what you hear? Subscribe so you don't miss an episode! Follow us on Twitter: @Phenomblak @InsanityReport @TheMTRNetwork   Our shirts

Capsule Review: Wish is a low-key rebellion story told from through the lens of a teen who's sense of safety and optimistic outlook on life crumble. Wrapping a story about challenging the status quo up in an enchanting tale about wishing on a star makes good use of its uneven story book and musical moments. Wish doesn't quite has that ineffiable something that makes a traditional Disney classic but it certainly makes up for it with its self-aware exploratiion of the dangers of idealism.   Listen as Ro chats with Kriss about the highs ands lows of Disney Animation's latest, Wish. ♦ Director: Chris Buck, Fawn Veerasunthorn Writers: Jennifer Lee, Allison Moore, Chris Buck Starring:  Runtime: 1  Hour 32 Minutes Synopsis: Asha, a sharp-witted idealist, makes a wish so powerful that it is answered by a cosmic force – a little ball of boundless energy called Star. Together, Asha and Star confront a most formidable foe - the ruler of Rosas, King Magnifico - to save her community and prove that when the will of one co

Capsule Review: Whether or not you're a fan of the originl Hunger Game's trilogy, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is a dark and violent downward spiral into villiany you didn't know you needed. Suzanne Collins (finally) showcases her understanding of dystopian hellscapes. And this adaptation proves it by turning what could feel like a needless return to Panem into a stunningly lush, brutal, and well-crafted tale of how easy it is to abandon "the good" in pursuit of safety. It's a grim reminder that often, cruelty is the point. Watching a young Coriolanus Snow (Tom Blyth) navigate the ruthless intrigue of a post-war Capitol is a brilliant allegory for how the scramble for power ultimately makes spectacles of us all. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is a villan origin story you shouldn't miss.  Listen as Ro discusses with Kriss why this a prequel is strong enough, despite a few structural flaws, to stand on it's own and definitely worth seeing.  Director: Francis Lawrence Writers: Nia DaCosta , Zeb Wells ,

The Marvels brings everything you want in a comic book team-up movie to the table: far-reaching stakes, a dynamic ensemble – here a trio made up of Captain Marvel (Brie Larson), Ms. Marvel (Iman Vellani), and Captain Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) – and high energy adventure rife with action-, tragedy, trauma-bonding, and hilarious shenanigans.  It takes a certain eye when pulling the right elements of comic story mechanics and superhero tropes together to design a narrative that has both the emotional inconsistency integral to making room for humor and heartache and a willingness to embrace real but non-linear character development  in the midst of what is obviously a universe-shifting mission. The Marvels broadens our understanding of both Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel’s power level and Carol’s emotional core. The scene-stealing Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel embodies the giddy delight (and danger) of meeting your heroes while also stepping boldly into your purpose. Captain Rambeau is simultaneously the smartest pe

Killers of the Flower Moon is an incisive commentary on the ideology of "manifest destiny" in furtherence of white supermacy as justification for murder. Adapated from the 2017 nonfiction book, Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by journalist David Grann, Killers pulls audiences into the heart of a plot against wealthy members of the Osage Nation in Osage County, Oklahoma.    The narrative of the book, however, uses the murders as a vehicle to detail how the bureau of federal investigators (FBI) came into being. Like most stories rooted in US history, and told by white American writers, its non-white actors take a back seat to the elements and aspects of the tale deemed "more fitting" to focus on. Thankfully, the story of the creation of the FBI isn't the one that interested co-writer/director Martin Scorsese. The film shfts away from being an account told from the persepctive of one of the burea investigators, Tom White, to being a slowly unfolding murder consipriacy viewe

Director: David Gordon Green Writers: Peter Sattler, David Gordon Green, Scott Teems Starring: Leslie Odom Jr, Tracey Graves, Lidya Jewett, Danny McCarthy, Ann Dowd Runtime: 1 Hour 51 Minutes Synopsis: When two girls disappear into the woods and return three days later with no memory of what happened to them, the father of one girl seeks out Chris MacNeil, who's been forever altered by what happened to her daughter fifty years ago. The crew review The Exorcist: Believer.  Like what you hear? Subscribe so you don't miss an episode! Follow us on Twitter: @Phenomblak @InsanityReport @TheMTRNetwork   Our shirts are now on TeePublic.  https://teepublic.com/stores/mtr-network   Want more podcast greatness? Sign up for a MTR Premium Account!  

Kriss makes his return to covering the Toronto Film Festival in person for his second time. While this year was a bit different because of the Writers and Actors strike, the film festival itself was still packed full of film lovers. There was also a solid contingent of International films and stars that attended.  This year Kriss focused on a reduced schedule and only watched 9 films at the festival but got a good mix of films. From International Midnight Madness films to Thrillers to Comedy/Satire, there was a pretty good mix.  Ro joins Kriss as he recaps the films he watched at the film festival and makes his recommendation for films to check out. Reptile Kill Boy Kills World Gonzo Girl Dumb Money Knox Goes Away The Critic Rustin American Fiction Follow more of our Toronto Film Festival 2023 Reviews and Coverage on our Press Page Page: https://press.mtrnetwork.net Follow us on Social Media: MTRNetwork MTRNetwork @InsanityReport @TheMTRNetwork

Director: Gareth Edwards Writers: Gareth Edwards, Chris Weitz Starring: John David Washington, Gemma Chan, Madeleine Yuna Voyles, Ken Watanabe, Sturgill Simpson Runtime:  2 Hour 13 Minutes Synopsis: Against the backdrop of a war between humans and robots with artificial intelligence, a former soldier finds the secret weapon, a robot in the form of a young child. The crew talks about Gareth Edwards' The Creator. Looking past the AI propaganda that this film is (have we learned nothing?), this is a decent enough film that approaches the cusp of greatness. There is the story that Edwards told and then there's the story that's right below the surface that would have made this film great. It's still a beautiful film with an engaging enough story. It's just a bit disappointing it didn't go all the way.  Like what you hear? Subscribe so you don't miss an episode! Follow us on Twitter: @Phenomblak @InsanityReport @TheMTRNetwork   Our shirts are now on TeePublic.  https://teepublic.com/stores/mtr-network

Director: Craig Gillespie Writers: Lauren Schuker Blum, Rebecca Angelo, Ben Mezrich Starring: Paul Dano, Pete Davidson, Vincent D'Onofrio, America Ferrera, Nick Offerman, Anthony Ramos, Seth Rogen, Sebastian Stan Runtime: 1 Hour 44 Minutes Synopsis: Dumb Money is the ultimate David vs. Goliath tale, based on the insane true story of everyday people who flipped the script on Wall Street and got rich by turning GameStop (yes, the mall videogame store) into the world's hottest company. Craig Gillespie's Dumb Money, is an entertaining yet hollow look at the events that unfolded when GameStop became the stock of Wall Street. On the surface, all of the pieces are there. The cast is extremely solid. Paul Dano plays a very engaging Keith Gill who can draw the audience into this "David vs Goliath" tale. He plays the underdog well, particularly against Offerman, Rogen and Stan who all play the stereotypical Wall Street asshole perfectly. This is what makes this film work as an entertainment piece. If the purpose is to