Author: Derrick Murray

There’s a much larger discussion to be had about Netflix’s role in film acquisitions out of festivals. What that means for distribution, theatrical releases, select and wide releases, marketing, award possibilities and the very fabric of how we consume cinema. The ramifications of streaming vs theatrical release continues to clash with every passing year, but one thing is clear: for better or worse, Netflix is here to stay. And my oh my did they put in work at festivals this year. Particularly out of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), Netflix swooped up some of the most coveted titles including…

“Hunger Games: Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” may not be the worst of the franchise, but it is the most unnecessary, and never sheds its prequel connective tissue that bind it to the stories that follow enough to be worth returning to the world this way.

“Thanksgiving” delivers on just about everything you would expect from a film based on a faux trailer in front of a Grindhouse experiment.

“Dream Scenario” is perfectly A24, in that it embraces every aspect of its absurd and bizarre premise and isn’t afraid to get weird.

Before anyone starts shouting grifter or He-man superhero woman hater, I need to make it very clear that my issues with “The Marvels” have absolutely nothing to do with the female-lead trio or female direction. I’m actually a staunch defender of “Captain Marvel” and have stood by that solo outing since its release. I adored “WandaVision,” and found it wildly refreshing and a step in the right direction for the studio. And “Ms. Marvel” is hands down one of my favorite MCU tv shows, with Iman Vellani being a bonafide star. I really need to stress how little any of…

let’s take a look at 5 current and upcoming films that I highly recommend.

“Priscilla” is about the girl, her stolen youth, the emptiness of luxury, and the reclamation of womanhood. It is Coppola’s best film in years, and one she was born to make.

“Five Nights at Freddy’s” is an elevator pitch that is working out its bad ideas in real time, unconcerned with making a coherent and engaging film and instead trying to litter the whole film with frames from its source material in hopes that people will enjoy it.

“Pain Hustlers” is a diet “Wolf of Wall Street” with a splash of sugar free “Big Short”. It wears its inspiration on its sleeve to little effect, and never works hard enough to have a voice or commentary of its own.

There is so much to love about “Killers of the Flower Moon,” and no matter where you land on the film, it possesses an inescapable quality of longevity.