Week In, Week Out
Weekly collections of five mini-reviews capturing a wide range of films—old and new, obscure and iconic. A personal film journal in snapshots, offering quick, insightful takes on whatever’s been on the screen lately.
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Movies of the Week #22 #23 #24 #25 (2025): Tom Cruise’s Impossible 30-Year Sprint
This week’s movies cover the evolution of a franchise that redefined itself mid-flight, balancing high-octane spectacle with thematic reinvention. Mission: Impossible began as a brooding spy thriller and eventually found its true identity in the high-flying, death-defying escapades of Ethan Hunt. Across the films, recurring themes of loyalty, identity, and existential threats persist, but it’s… Read more
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Movies of the Week #21 (2025): Revisiting Final Destination’s Gore-Soaked Legacy
This week’s movies cover a singular, blood-spattered theme: the evolving spectacle of death in the Final Destination franchise. Viewed together, these films reflect a franchise more interested in choreographing demise than developing story—yet they carry a peculiar charm rooted in their era. From the original’s clunky setup to Bloodlines’ ambitious polish, the series thrives on… Read more
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Movies of the Week #19 #20 (2025): Sin, Silence, and Summer Camp Redemption
This week’s movies cover theme’s of identitty, complicty, and comonal reckoning, each flitered thru distinct genre’s and era’s. Whether it’s the hauntin reflection of generational racisim in Sinners, or the quiet moral unease of Small Things Like These, these films all pose dificult questions about who we are. Even the funny ones like Theater Camp… Read more
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Movies of the Week #17 #18 (2025): Parental Bonds & Spiritual Journeys
This week’s movies cover a surprisingly wide emotional range, exploring themes of parental reconnection, existential isolation, societal redemption, spiritual quests, and the burdens of responsibility. Mary Poppins charms with warmth and whimsy as a family finds its way back together. Anomalisa offers an aching study of loneliness through inventive, introspective storytelling. Sing Sing highlights real-world… Read more
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Movies of the Week #16 (2025): Flawed but Fascinating, Thanks to the Leads
This week’s movies cover the redemptive power of performance, where actors breathe life into stories that might otherwise fall flat or feel too familiar. From the emotional boldness of Emilia Pérez to the nostalgic sharpness of 10 Things I Hate About You, each film offers a reminder that casting and commitment can transform genre tropes… Read more
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Movies of the Week #15 (2025): Finding Yourself in Chaos and Quiet
This week’s movies cover identity, performance, and the struggle to connect—whether through boxing gloves, pop stardom, snappy narration, or an in-flight thriller. Small, Slow but Steady and Perfect Blue quietly but powerfully explore the pressure of self-definition, while Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and Carry-On revel in genre fun, even if they sometimes strain credibility. Bill… Read more
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Movies of the Week #13 #14 (2025): War, AI Grief, and the Lady in the Driveway
This week’s movies cover personal reckonings—grief, guilt, duty, and the curious forms they take. A homeless woman’s quiet defiance becomes an unlikely fixture in a playwright’s life, while a war veteran grapples with a ghost only she can see. AI resurrects lost loved ones with eerie precision, and deep-sea survival meets its match in narrative… Read more
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Movies of the Week #12 (2025): Gore, Glitter, and Genre Icons
This week’s movies cover two wildly different franchises: the grisly, twist-laden Saw films and the bubblegum-bright High School Musical trilogy. The original Saw remains a standout for its shocking finale and inventive premise, while Saw X refines the formula, making John Kramer almost too sympathetic. Meanwhile, HSM sticks to its predictable but well-intended musical formula,… Read more
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Movies of the Weeks #10 #11: Love, Lies, and Lost Futures (2025)
This week’s movies explore the complexities of relationships—whether built over decades, shaped by power dynamics, or disrupted by apocalyptic events. 45 Years stands out as a devastating meditation on love and regret, while Companion spins a Black Mirror-esque thriller around human-machine interactions. Don’t Worry Darling takes a heavy-handed approach to gender roles, Survive squanders an… Read more
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Movies of the Week #8 #9 (2025): A Real Pain, A Real Romance, and A Real Letdown
This week’s movies explore deep emotional connections, missed opportunities, and personal struggles, whether in family bonds, romantic entanglements, or individual crises. A Real Pain offers a fresh take on grief and human connection, anchored by Kieran Culkin’s gripping performance. Matt and Mara muses on intellectual intimacy but hesitates at true risk. Anne at 13,000 Feet… Read more
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Movies of the Week #7 (2025): Obsession, Romance, and Raptors
This week’s movies explore artistic dedication, romance, and genre eccentricities, spanning intense psychological horror, charming rom-com, and behind-the-scenes ballet. Black Swan remains an uneasy, feverish dive into obsession, style triumphing over substance but in thrilling ways. When Harry Met Sally… is perfectly agreeable, if not deeply resonant. Ballet 422 and The Company quietly document the… Read more
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Movies of the Weeks #5 #6 (2025): Iconic Lynch, Body Horror, and Michael Keaton
This week’s movies traverse the surreal, the romantic, the horrific, and the heartfelt, each grappling with identity and perception in unique ways. Mulholland Drive remains a mesmerizing Lynchian puzzle, blending fantasy and tragedy with masterful tonal shifts. Chasing Amy and its documentary counterpart wrestle with evolving cultural perspectives, while The Substance delivers bombastic body horror… Read more
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