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Continue reading →: Review: “Song Sung Blue” Has Charm Thanks to Hudson, But Can’t Fix Tonal Whiplash and Emotional PhoninessThroughout Craig Brewer’s latest feel-good biopic, Mike Sardina (Hugh Jackman), under the persona “Lightning” begs to limit the amount of times he performs “Sweet Caroline” with his wife and musical partner Claire (Kate Hudson, AKA “Thunder”). The issue is he fronts a Neil Diamond cover band and, well, as one…
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Continue reading →: Review: “Marty Supreme”, Timothée Chalamet & Director Josh Safdie Achieve Greatness“I know we’re in a subjective business, but the truth is, I’m really in pursuit of greatness.” You’d be mistaken to think these were the words of Marty Mauser, but in fact, these were the authentic (somewhat polarizing) words of Timothée Chalamet, memorably accepting his Screen Actors Guild Award for…
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Continue reading →: Top 10 Best Films of 2025Paul Thomas Anderson’s magnificent epic is a breezy, hilarious, provocative, pulse-pounding thriller as much as it is an ode to parenthood and the road we wave forward for the next generation. An instantly memorable ensemble of characters, loathsome villains, a nerve-wracking score by Jonny Greenwood, and a car chase sequence…
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Continue reading →: Review: “Avatar: Fire & Ash” James Cameron Delivers An Exhausting, Overwhelming But Wonderous Theatrical ExperienceIt’s hard to believe there was a thirteen-year wait between James Cameron’s groundbreaking, box-office champion Avatar and its sequel, Avatar: The Way of Water. Part of that wait was the herculean task of filming both The Way of Water and the newest third film Fire & Ash at the same…
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Continue reading →: Oscars 2026 Nomination Predictions (DECEMBER)We are now post-Golden Globes and Critics Choice, pre-shortlists and SAG, and this will be my final nomination predictions before my actual FINAL-FINAL predictions in January. November to December has been whiplash given all of the films now have been seen and allowed to marinate. Some declarations made in the…
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Continue reading →: Review: “Ella McCay” is a Flabbergasting Throwback to Brooks’ Golden EraThere’s an often spoken claim in regards to cinema that “they don’t make them like they used to”. Ella McCay (a frustrating title to spell with lead actress Emma Mackey’s name in the back of the mind), the first film from James L. Brooks in 15 years, takes that to…
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Continue reading →: Review: “The Secret Agent” Filho’s Political Thriller Beautifully Preserves Old-School 70s Movie-Making in a Film About the Importance of PreservationA man on the run, hitmen, a corrupt legal department, a leg found inside a tiger shark: all features that would fit right at home in a traditional spy action thriller. But Kleber Mendonça Filho’s film isn’t quite that. Those familiar with Filho’s Bacurau (2019) may expect this to be…
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Continue reading →: Netflix Review Round-Up: “Train Dreams”, “Jay Kelly”, “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery”, and “Left-Handed Girl”“Train Dreams” The newest collaboration between director Clint Bentley and co-writer Greg Kwedar takes us back to the Idaho frontier in the early 1900s for a visually-immersive and delicate examination on the accomplishments we make in our lifetime and tragedies we’re forced to overcome. Joel Edgerton stars as Robert Grainier,…
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Continue reading →: PREDICTIONS: National Board of Review, Critics Choice Awards, and the Independent Spirit AwardsSo begins December, so begins our first big precursors to set the tone for the rest of the year! This coming week is a big one (NYFCC just announced) and by the time you’re reading this, perhaps these groups have already announced (didn’t mean to ride right up to the…
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Continue reading →: FINAL PREDICTIONS: The 83rd Golden Globe Awards Nominations (FILM, TELEVISION, & OTHER CATEGORIES)The Golden Globes, our favorite problematic awards show, is set to announce their film, television, and now… *holds back vomit* podcast nominations. Yes, they may have changed their voting body to reflect more serious options and international titles, but deep down, they are still the same Globes at heart. To…
FILM AND TELEVISION REVIEWS, AWARDS DISCUSSION, & OTHER GENERAL MUSINGS
EDITOR, SITE WRITER
Jakob Kolness
Minnesota Film Critics Association Member. Graduate of Film Studies, writer, novelist, filmmaker.
CURRENT 2026 OSCAR PREDICTIONS
“Bugonia”
“F1”
“Frankenstein”
“Hamnet”
“Marty Supreme”
“One Battle After Another”**
“The Secret Agent”
“Sentimental Value”
“Sinners”
“Train Dreams”
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