July & August 2025 Reviews: Movies, Etc.

In case you missed it, life sure is doing a thing lately, so I fell super behind and decided to split things into books and movies. For books, go here. For movies, read on. This post is so belated that these are going to be, like, extra quick snap reviews. As always you can read some more thoughts of mine on Letterboxd.

Movies: July

• The Phoenician Scheme (2025)—A good amount of wacky fun and hijinx. Mia Threapleton, who I did not know until right this moment is Kate Winslet’s daughter, was a delightful discovery as the most straight-forward character in the movie. I can’t believe we’ve waited this long to get Michael Cera in the Wes Anderson Cinematic Universe, but it was worth the wait. Overly convoluted but then again, you don’t go to a Wes Anderson movie to be like “ah that made total sense”, do you?

• Ballerina (2025)—”Good enough” isn’t exactly a ringing endorsement but that’s where we’re at. Some memorable fight scenes (the flamethrowers!) and I liked how resourceful Eve (Ana de Armas) had to be because of her smaller stature, but overall, I could have just re-watched John Wick again instead.

• Materialists (2025)—Marketed as a romcom when it is neither a rom nor a com. Severely under baked, tonally confused, and I’m not sure anyone involved thought about the economics of Dakota Johnson’s character and how she affords her seemingly lavish life when we also learn that she doesn’t make a ton of money in her terrible matchmaker job. At least everyone was pretty.

• My Fault: London (2025)—I did not watch this of my own volition but there are some cool scenes with cars in here. It’s basically a PG-13 Oops My Stepbrother Is Hot story. Do with that as you will.

• 40 Acres (2024)—Somewhat predictable contemporary dystopian (famine wipes out most of society) horror, although still plenty tense. Danielle Deadwyler and Michael Greyeyes were great as the competent adults at the helm of a family they’re trying to keep safe, even if the children are too young to really even remember much of a Before Times. One of the better thrillers that came out this year.

• Sorry, Baby (2025)—Soft, gentle, confident. Hard to believe that this is Eva Victor’s feature length debut as a writer/director. There’s one shot, of the exterior of a house as day turns to night, that is so powerful that I’m still thinking about it. Easily one of my favorite films of the year so far. (Nothing bad happens to the cat that you see on the poster/trailers.)

• The Order (2024)—White supremacist cult leader Nicholas Hoult vs. grizzled FBI agent Jude Law. Unexpectedly more timely than I realized going in (I thought it was just a generic Cop Movie), and based on true events, so, like, also hella depressing to see the seeds of many of the same political/societal issues we’re still dealing with today. Better than most stuff that’s been basically direct-to-streaming these days.

• Sunshine (2007)—Some guy got mad at me on Letterboxd for complaining about the fact that the villain of this movie comes about kind of out of left field, but joke’s on him because I don’t care about his opinion, this movie did take a hard left turn at the end and I’m not wrong about it. I simply think that abrupt shift could have had a few more puzzle pieces set in place. Danny Boyle and Alex Garland were clearly trying to tell two different stories and never quite managed to mesh them both together. Cillian Murphy is luminous as always, though.

• Sex (2024)—Norwegian middle-aged men struggle with questions of desire. Yet again more problems that could have been solved with everyone coming to grips with the concept of bisexuality. Like most European films, funny in a dry, biting sort of way that you just don’t get in American film. A poignant look at two people exploring what it means to be desired.

• Familiar Touch (2024)—A compassionate, realistic look at aging and memory loss. Sad without being overwhelming, a celebration of life without being oblivious to the inevitable ending. Sorry to H. Jon Benjamin who is solid here as the son in the unenviable position of having to make decisions for his mother, but his voice is just so distinctive that it’s hard to picture him as Just A Guy.

• National Theatre Live: Vanya (2024)—An absolute master class from Andrew Scott. A must watch for anyone studying acting who wants to enhance how they can transform into another character with just a simple prop. Immersive, seamless, intimate.

• Long Distance (2024)—Direct-to-streaming hot mess. The monster/alien design was very cool but the script was bad and the sets were cheap and despite being less than 90 minutes, it felt too long. The premise was there but the execution was so lacking.

• Kill the Jockey (2024)—Someone leaving the theater after this called this “Spanish Wes Anderson,” which fits pretty well, although this was way weirder and way queerer than anything Anderson has ever done. Surreal story about a jockey who used to have rock star status but now is mostly washed up and drunk, a head injury, and a meandering (literally, through the streets) search for identity. Deeply inscrutable, very vibe-y.

• Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)—Campier than I expected but Ford and Connery as cantankerous son and absent-minded father was a great choice. Their chemistry/humor, as well as copious Nazi punching, really made this sing. Delightful to watch outside on a hot summer night with many other people who also cheered the Nazi punching.

• Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (2006)—Takes the middle road between thriller and prestige drama and fails to captivate on either end. Deeply weird about women. Ben Whishaw plays a great little freak, though.

• Death of a Unicorn (2025)—The funniest bits were in the trailer. Kind of weird to see Paul Rudd play someone this unlikeable, but hey, there’s a first time for everything. Digs too deep into unicorn lore for something this excessively silly. Watched on an airplane, which gave this the amount of respect it deserved.

• Tangerine (2015)—I was wary about this, given that I didn't love Anora, so consider me pleasantly surprised. It’s easy to see how Sean Baker got from here, to Anora, though, even if I did find Tangerine more authentically human than his Oscar-winner. I think using non-professional actors as his leads helped lend some of that authenticity. Yes, this is another movie that is frequently just People Yelling At Each Other, but I found it so much funnier and more moving than I had expected.

• The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025)—Honestly barely even felt like a Marvel movie, the overall vibe is so different from any others so far. I absolutely loved the aesthetic—there were so many little details that helped build the visual language of the universe that were really pleasing—but the plot was just so dull. Surely they could have introduced this IP with something other than New Mother Tells People Sacrificing A Child Is Bad.

Movies: August

• Superman (2025)—Honestly just a good, fun time. I have no particular feelings about Superman so it wasn’t too hard to win me over. The good mix of serious plot and genuinely silly moments made it feel like this really respected the story’s comic book origins. Mildly heavy handed but overall entertaining.

• Creed (2015)—Is this where I admit that I’ve never actually seen the original Rocky? It’s such a piece of the pop culture landscape that it’s not hard to follow this even without the deep knowledge of the original. I think this might be close to the perfect sports movie.

• It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley (2025)—Documentary tracing the life and tragic early death of Jeff Buckley. I hadn’t known much about him outside of his music, and this is a fairly good overview into what shaped him into being the sensitive man who he became. Featuring a lot of home recordings and interviews with people close to him. The segments with his mother were particularly illuminating when you think about how someone’s childhood shapes them.

• Went Up the Hill (2024)—Young man travels to his estranged mother’s rural home after her death and forms a disturbing connection with her widow. Another solid entry in the Vicky Krieps Plays A Very Strange Woman Cinematic Universe. Slow burn, unafraid to linger, stark, desolate, an aesthetic that would please the architect from The Brutalist. I am unfamiliar with Dacre Montgomery before now but I like what he's doing here.

• Highest 2 Lowest (2025)—For all of this movie’s faults (and there are many), no one films a New York story quite like Spike Lee. Denzel Washington is a delight as always but unfortunately, most of the supporting cast is not up to the task of starring opposite Denzel. Lee indulges some of his worst impulses here—the overwrought score is So Much—but the way New York lives and breathes on screen almost makes up for it.

• Weapons (2025)—I love the current state of horror filmmakers who are unafraid to be weird and take chances and be funny while still putting out some stomach-churning gore and/or deeply disturbing content. It’s such a nice change of pace from Yet Another Slasher. But I didn’t love this or see it as a new classic quite as much as the rest of the internet did. I did enjoy the overlapping storylines and the creeping sense of uneasyness that permeates the whole story.

What Else?

You can refer back to the last installment for some of my other summer/fall adventures. Here’s a cat picture. Thanks for reading!

What’s Next?

Okay, we’re back on track now. Thanks for sticking with me for some super-sized editions of this here newsletter. The next edition should be more reasonable, but I wouldn’t swear to that in a court of law.

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