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The Filmologist

The Filmologist

@thefilmologist.bsky.social

80 followers 210 following 81 posts

thefilmologist.com • Regular movie reviews of new releases • Member of Chicago Indie Critics (CIC) • Usually seeing stuff 1-2 weeks too late to be relevant

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The Filmologist @thefilmologist.bsky.social · 10h

Nia DaCosta's Hedda is a lot like being at a party where there's a lot of drama going on that you aren't a part of -- you can just sit back and enjoy the flames. Tessa Thompson shows impressive range and Nina Hoss is a delight.
#filmsky #moviesky #hedda #tessathompson

Nia DaCosta’s bold and modern reimagining of a classic stage play provides a fruitful playground for Tessa Thompson to show off her chops.

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The Filmologist @thefilmologist.bsky.social · 6d

It Was Just an Accident is Jafar Panahi's best and most accessible film to date, a meticulously constructed moral quagmire that poses urgent moral questions with no easy answers. One of the year's best, if not THE best.
#filmsky #moviesky #itwasjustanaccident

It Was Just an Accident

Jafar Panahi’s latest is a gripping morality tale about the thin line between justice and revenge.

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The Filmologist @thefilmologist.bsky.social · 10d

The Black Phone 2 was pretty fun and had some pretty clever visuals (and The Grabber ice skating). I wouldn't mind a new one of these every few years.
#filmsky #moviesky #blackphone #blackphone2 #ethanhawke

The Grabber makes a play to be the next classic franchise horror villain in a fun but slightly convoluted sequel.

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The Filmologist @thefilmologist.bsky.social · 12d

Checked out Pasa Faho thanks to the Chicago Film Festival. A really confident debut from Kalu Oji, one of those simple little slice of life movies that sneak up on you and make you cry. Would love to see Okey Bakassi in more stuff. Hope more people are able to see this!
#filmsky #moviesky #pasafaho

Pasa Faho (2025) ⭐ 7.2 | Comedy, Drama

The Filmologist @thefilmologist.bsky.social · 12d

Edward Berger's Ballad of a Small Player is a real case of style over substance, but what style! Colin Ferrell does an admirable job keeping things grounded, but this is a story that doesn't fit well with the insane visual bombast used here.
#filmsky #moviesky #netflix #colinfarrell #tildaswinton

Ballad of a Small Player

Edward Berger’s follow-up to “Conclave” is a stylistic glow up of a simple and familiar tale about a gambling addict looking for redemption.

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The Filmologist @thefilmologist.bsky.social · 15d

Train Dreams had me on the verge of tears almost the entire time, but I'd be difficult to explain exactly why. What a quiet masterpiece, one of the best things I've seen in a long time.

The Filmologist @thefilmologist.bsky.social · 17d

If I Had legs I'd Kick You is a supremely uncomfortable watch and I may never see it again, but it's still one of the best movies of the year.
#filmsky #moviesky #rosebryne #ifihadlegs

If I Had Legs I’d Kick You

An anxiety-packed “comedy” about one woman’s attempt to run away from the never-ending stressors of parenthood.

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The Filmologist @thefilmologist.bsky.social · 20d

It's certainly got some flaws, and the unsatisfying ending is going to sour people on it, but A House of Dynamite is still a breath-stopping, jaw-clenching anxiety spike that reminds us only a few people have their hands on the biggest trigger there is.
#filmsky #moviesky #netflix #ahouseofdynamite

A House of Dynamite

Kathryn Bigelow’s latest has some flaws but is often an unbearably tense imagining of our collective fear of nuclear annihilation.

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The Filmologist @thefilmologist.bsky.social · 22d

After the Hunt is designed to spawn a million think pieces, throwing every conceivable hot button issue into a talk-heavy morality play. I seemed to like this more than every other critic in the room, but it's sure to inspire some capital O Opinions.
#filmsky #moviesky #juliaroberts #andrewgarfield

Luca Guadagnino’s latest is a provocative modern morality play that effectively keeps the viewer off balance.

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The Filmologist @thefilmologist.bsky.social · 24d

Kiss of the Spider Woman adequately scratches that itch for those seeking a good old-fashioned campy Hollywood musical, with Jennifer Lopez fully in her element and a star-making performance from Tonatiuh.
#filmsky #moviesky #kissofthespiderwoman #jlo #Tonatiuh

Kiss of the Spider Woman

Bill Condon’s big-screen adaptation of the beloved musical is a star-studded, campy throwback to the Golden Age of Hollywood.

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The Filmologist @thefilmologist.bsky.social · 26d

I swear I've seen The Smashing Machine at least 100 times, simply given different titles over the past few decades. Don't understand the love for boxing/fighting movies at all.
#filmsky #moviesky

The Filmologist @thefilmologist.bsky.social · 28d

Rejoice, for Daniel Day-Lewis is back with a movie that is set up to be a showcase for his many talents. Unfortunately, it's also a movie with not much else going on.
#filmsky #moviesky #anemone

The spectacular return of Daniel Day-Lewis elevates a visually interesting but narratively sparse family drama.

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The Filmologist @thefilmologist.bsky.social · Sep 29

Forever perplexed by box office obsession from general moviegoers. I genuinely don't understand why those not in the industry care. Sure, you can look at numbers and worry about the types of movies that may/may not get funding but even that seems like an easily avoided anxiety. #filmsky #boxoffice

The Filmologist @thefilmologist.bsky.social · Sep 27

Watching Megan 2.0 while a little bit high was peak cinema, ngl.

The Filmologist @thefilmologist.bsky.social · Sep 25

I, too, have nothing but effusive praise for One Battle After Another. Don't think I took more than a few breaths for the last hour. And I cried, a first for a PTA movie. Can't wait to see it again!
#filmsky #moviesky #onebattleafteranother #PTA

One Battle After Another

Paul Thomas Anderson’s breathless adaptation of Thomas Pynchon’s Vineland shows the seduction of both overthrowing and succumbing to power.

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The Filmologist @thefilmologist.bsky.social · Sep 19

HIM is absolutely terrible but does contain the funniest jump scare in years; the music swells, the main character looks on in slack-jawed horror, only to discover...a football, bouncing into frame. Amazingly, this happens more than once.
#filmsky #moviesky #him #football #jordanpeele

First things first, it’s worth noting that Jordan Peele did not direct or write this movie. His name has been front and center in the trailers and promotional material leading up to the movie’s…

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The Filmologist @thefilmologist.bsky.social · Sep 17

I refuse to believe Kogonada was actually involved in the making of A Big Bold Beautiful Journey, and the entire project had to have been some kind of drug front.
#filmsky #moviesky #MargotRobbie #ColinFarrell

A Big Bold Beautiful Journey

Even Kogonada and two charming A-list stars can’t save a script riddled with cliched sentimentality.

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The Filmologist @thefilmologist.bsky.social · Sep 11

Reviewed this earlier in the year but it's out in theaters now and worth a watch!
#filmsky #moviesky #thebaltimorons

The Baltimorons

The ability to find humor in profoundly unfunny things when our lives are at their worst is one of humanity’s finest defense mechanisms.

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The Filmologist @thefilmologist.bsky.social · Sep 5

Caught by the Tides -- can't say I've enjoyed or even totally understood the films I've seen from Jia Zhangke. Some cool ideas and visuals but I seem to be missing a key ingredient somewhere. I'll keep trying like an idiot.
#filmsky #moviesky #jiazhangke

The Filmologist @thefilmologist.bsky.social · Aug 28

Caught Stealing is definitely the most normal movie of Darren Aronofsky's career, and it's a pretty fun, comfort-food crime thriller.
#caughtstealing #filmsky #moviesky #austinbutler

Caught Stealing

Darren Aronofsky swerves from his usual style and makes a star-studded, comfort-food crime thriller.

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The Filmologist @thefilmologist.bsky.social · Aug 24

Don't do what I did this weekend and buy a ticket for Daniele Luchetti's Italian drama "Trust" and accidentally see Sophie Turner's "Trust," one of the worst movies I've seen this year.
#filmsky #moviesky

The Filmologist @thefilmologist.bsky.social · Aug 24

Lurker is a captivating cautionary tale about becoming one of those people who always seemed to be in the background playing video games during an episode of MTV Cribs.
#lurker #filmsky #moviesky

“Lurker” is a tale of a young man completely devoid of shame who is desperate to “make it” despite having no talent or skills himself.

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The Filmologist @thefilmologist.bsky.social · Aug 21

I would give my entire life savings for the Coen Brothers to stop messing around and get back to making movies together. As it stands, Ethan's lesbian B-movie trilogy has already more than worn out its welcome.
#filmsky #moviesky #coenbrothers #honeydont

The second movie in Ethan Cohen’s lesbian B-movie trilogy is just as uninspired as the first.

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The Filmologist @thefilmologist.bsky.social · Aug 20

Good deal for a delightfully strange movie! I wrote about it here:
thefilmologist.com/by-design/

The Filmologist @thefilmologist.bsky.social · Aug 19

Continuation of an alarming trend. Huge bummer for Michael and Chicago.

Michael Phillips @mrmichaelphillips.bsky.social · Aug 19

A bit of news: The Chicago Tribune has deemed the post of film critic non-essential, and therefore zeroed-out that post. My options were to take a newsroom reassignment to be named later, or a buyout to be taken more or less immediately. So...(1/3)