MOVIE REVIEW: THE RUNNING MAN

 

In the near future, "The Running Man" is the top-rated show on television, a deadly competition where contestants must survive 30 days while being hunted by professional assassins. Desperate for money to save his sick daughter, Ben Richards is convinced by the show's ruthless producer to enter the game as a last resort. Ratings soon skyrocket as Ben's defiance, instincts and grit turn him into an unexpected fan favorite, as well as a threat to the entire system.

Director: Edgar Wright

Cast: Glen Powell, William H. Macy, Lee Pace, Michael Cera, Emilia Jones, Daniel Ezra, Jayme Lawson, Colman Domingo, Josh Brolin, Katy M. O'Brian

Release Date: November 14, 2025

Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi, Thriller

Rated R for strong violence, some gore, and language

Runtime: 2h 13m

Review:

Edgar Wright’s take on The Running Man sticks much closer to the Stephen King novel than the 1987 Schwarzenegger film, but it struggles to find its own identity with it never able to decide if it wants to go full camp like that film or lean into the darker dystopian side of the King novel.  Wright’s energetic style meshes well with the over-the-top action sequences and he’s clearly most comfortable in those moments.  There’s a bit of Paul Verhoeven 80’s style world building, think Robocop, that leans into the satirical side that’s fun but never explored enough to make a meaningful impact.  It’s an unsteady balance of energetic action with occasionally gruesome deaths paired with slower moments dealing with dying kids and ruminations about revolution.  It’s a weird mix that makes for a herky jerky flow to the film especially since the performances across the board are generally over the top.  Glen Powell leads the film capably, but he feels miscast from the start since his character is supposed to be a beaten down, desperate man something his chiseled features and physique don’t really communicate.  It’s not Powell’s fault of course and he delivers a solid, likable performance from start to finish but his character lacks the kind of depth you’d expect.  He’s got some basic character traits, and they don’t really expand beyond being good-hearted with a serious anti-authority streak but there’s little else to him when it’s all said and done even after becoming a sort of folk hero.  Josh Brolin is much better suited for the role of the show's swarmy producer, Dan Killian, and he clearly relishes hamming it up in the role.  Brolin is loads of fun every time he pops up but the film doesn’t take full advantage of his rather inspired turn.  The same can be said for Colman Domingo turn as Bobby T, the host of The Running Man show, who is having a blast playing the charismatic, over the top character.  They both are so over the top and energetic, you’re left wondering why Wright didn’t just go all in and deliver something more outright satirical that likely would have been more meaningful than slavishly serving King’s original story.

C+

MOVIE REVIEW: NUREMBERG

 

As the Nuremberg trials are set to begin, a U.S. Army psychiatrist gets locked in a dramatic psychological showdown with accused Nazi war criminal Hermann Göring.

Director: James Vanderbilt

Cast: Rami Malek, Russell Crowe, Leo Woodall, John Slattery, Mark O'Brien, Colin Hanks, Wrenn Schmidt, Lydia Peckham, Richard E. Grant, Michael Shannon

Release Date: November 7, 2025

Genre: Biography, Drama, History, Thriller, War

Rated PG-13 for violent content involving the Holocaust, strong disturbing images, suicide, some language, smoking and brief drug content.

Runtime: 2h 28m

Review:

Nuremberg is a throwback historical drama that's more than willing to lean on its stellar collection of performers led by a wonderfully nuanced turn from Russell Crowe as Hermann Göring.  James Vanderbilt film is capably shot throughout with its aesthetic borrowing heavily from Saving Private Ryan and the like with a decidedly washed out, desaturated look overall.  His approach gives the film a stage play sort of look and feel especially with the confined, claustrophobic prison sets which puts all the focus on the cast.  Its unhurried pacing and dialogue driven approach might not be for everyone especially since the film can't avoid some clichéd tropes and clunky dialogue.  Thankfully the cast is more than capable of rising above those pitfalls by turning in impressive performances across the board.  Rami Malek's psychiatrist, Douglas Kelley, serves as the main character and the audience's entry point into the story.  It’s a fascinating role for Malek since he's carrying his own agenda and motivation to work with Crowe's Göring.  The character is complicated collection of contradictions which allows his overeager self-confidence to cloud his judgement, and it allows him to get too close to his subject.  Once he's lost perspective it allows Russell Crowe's Hermann Göring to manipulate him with general ease before the extent of his complicity in Nazi atrocities become impossible to ignore.  Crowe turns in one of his best performances in recent memory by making Göring a charismatic figure who is disarmingly human.  He maintains a certain level of self-confidence even though he's on trial for horrific war crimes.  It’s a nuanced turn that reveals itself over the course of the film which allows Crowe to play with a full spectrum of his character's personality.  It’s the kind of turn that should garner some awards attention as it’s a study in subtly with Crowe only unleashing in earnest during the rather brisk trial sequence.  Michael Shannon and Richard E. Grant are given a secondary story thread about the genesis of the trial and the possible pitfalls of failing to prosecute their case and allow Göring to perpetuate Nazi propaganda even in defeat.  Shannon is excellent every time he pops up onscreen as he's perfectly cast as the determined Supreme Court Justice, Robert H. Jackson, who understands the scope of the trial and its historical import.  Considering the film's lengthy runtime, it would have been well served to have fleshed out Jackson a bit more, especially since Shannon is in rare form, especially when he's paired with an underutilized Richard E. Grant.  A few stumbles pop up as the central trial feels a bit rushed after all the set up since it’s over shortly after it begins with the film rushing to the finish line.  The closing sequences brings everything full circle with a rather chilling warning about what's happened before and our current day reality which makes Nuremberg feel timelier.  

B

MOVIE REVIEW: PREDATOR: BADLANDS

 

Cast out from its clan, an alien hunter and an unlikely ally embark on a treacherous journey in search of the ultimate adversary.

Director: Dan Trachtenberg

Cast: Elle Fanning, Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi, Mike Homik, Rohinal Nayaran, Reuben De Jong, Cameron Brown

Release Date: October 31, 2025

Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi, Thriller

Rated PG-13 for sequences of strong sci-fi violence.

Runtime: 1h 47m

Review:

Dan Trachtenberg's Predator: Badlands is an incredibly fun sci-fi buddy movie that flips the script on the usual approach giving it a fresh vantage point which is aided by an excellent turn from Elle Fanning in dual roles.  Trachtenberg film delivers a visually impressive, although decidedly CGI heavy, experience even as he mines some well-worn sci-fi tropes to set up the story.  His energetic approach to the story makes it easier to overlook the fact it all feels overly familiar especially to any Trek fans who might see more than a few similarities to Klingon culture and that of the Yautja.  The good thing is that the action is well constructed across the board with each set piece providing some impressive thrills that's sure to make most fans of the series happy.  Making the central Predator a runt who's been outcast keeps him from being the standard issue killing machine we're used to seeing in these films.  This character is still untested which makes him far more vulnerable particularly when he loses the majority of his tech.  Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi is able to deliver a solid character work as Dek, in the suit, while also providing the motion capture for the character's facial expressions.  Schuster-Koloamatangi manages to give his character the appropriate air of intensity and ferocity you'd expect but there are also slivers of playfulness and emotion scattered throughout.  He and Elle Fanning share strong chemistry together which makes the whole thing work as well as it does.  Fanning's damaged synth, Thia, has a wide-eyed enthusiasm despite the fact that she's missing her lower half for the better part of the film.  She's clearly having fun as Thia, a synth who was made more for research as opposed to field work which gives her character an inquisitive sense of wonder.  Their mismatched pair makes for some natural comedy that brings an air of levity you wouldn't typically expect from these kinds of films.  On the other end, Fanning's Tessa is much closer to the kind of mildly malevolent synthetics we've come accustomed to from the Alien franchise.  That character isn't nearly as fleshed out as Thia which is a shame since Fanning was game for it all.  Predator: Badlands does make a few decisions that are destined to be divisive in the long run but that doesn't hold the film from being one of the better entries in the series. 

B+

MOVIE REVIEW: BUGONIA

 

Two conspiracy-obsessed men kidnap the CEO of a major company when they become convinced that she's an alien who wants to destroy Earth.

Director: Yorgos Lanthimos

Cast: Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, Aidan Delbis, Stavros Halkias, Alicia Silverstone

Release Date: October 31, 2025

Genre: Comedy, Crime, Sci-Fi

Rated R for bloody violent content including a suicide, grisly images and language.

Runtime: 1h 59m

Review:

Yorgos Lanthimos and Emma Stone’s fourth film together continues their fascinating collaboration which continues to delve into stranger territory with each film Bugonia continuing that trend to great effect.  Lanthimos’ remake of the 2003 South Korean film Save the Green Planet! boast his self-assured style with his vision clearly established from the onset.  His film is visually engaging throughout that gives the proceeding a sense of urgency and immediacy that works in the story’s favor.  The story runs through a slew of timely themes such as corporate greed and its human cost which can result in extreme radicalism fermented on the internet.  Emma Stone is given the task of being the worst kind of self-absorbed, corporate leader whose measured speech barely hides the insincere callousness simmering underneath.  Stone delivers a fantastic performance as the kidnapped CEO that uses every bit of her intellect to try and escape from Jesse Plemons and Aidan Delbis conspiracy obsessed cousins.  Plemons has corned the market on playing slightly off kilter characters who carry an air of danger with this role being tailor made for his talents.  His character is ragged both emotionally and physically as he struggles to cope with his mother’s illness, something he blames Stone’s company and her personally.   Their interchanges prove to be the highlights of the film as both performers bounce off each other effortlessly which just demands your attention as both are more than capable of turning from one emotional extreme to another in an instant.  They make for a fascinating onscreen adversary especially as the script starts to toy with expectations especially in the film’s final act which veers into absurdist nihilism which is sure to turn off some viewers.  Those who enjoyed the twisted Twilight Zone storytelling from Lanthimos, Stone and Plemons previous film, Kinds of Kindness, will find plenty to enjoy in the equally well-crafted and strange Bugonia. 

A-

MOVIE REVIEW: FRANKENSTEIN

 

A brilliant but egotistical scientist brings a monstrous creature to life in a daring experiment that ultimately leads to the undoing of both the creator and his tragic creation.

Director: Guillermo del Toro

Cast: Oscar Isaac, Jacob Elordi, Mia Goth, Felix Kammerer, David Bradley, Lars Mikkelsen, Christian Convery, Charles Dance, Christoph Waltz

Release Date: August 30, 2025

Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Horror, Sci-Fi

Rated R for bloody violence and grisly images.

Runtime: 2h 29m

Review:

Guillermo del Toro's visually lavish adaptation of Frankenstein is meticulously constructed and emotionally moving thanks to stellar performances from its excellent cast.  Del Toro's film grabs you from the open sequence especially once it moves into its flashback sequences which are garishly gothic feast for the eyes.  His sensibilities are perfectly suited for his take on The Modern Prometheus with every sequence and shot carefully crafted which result in some rather mesmerizing moments that will stick with you long after the film has ended.  Plenty of credit has to be given to Dan Laustsen’s stunning cinematography along with Kate Hawley’s eye-catching costume design both of which are certain to garner awards attention when the time comes.  There's plenty to appreciate on a superficial level but Guillermo del Toro's ability to find the emotional weight and resonance to his monsters are on full display here as there's a steady sense of mournful melancholy that permeates the entire film.  It’s a thoughtful and measured approach powered by a soulful performance from Jacob Elordi which is an evocative mix of physicality and subtle humanity.   His 6-foot 5-inch frame is perfectly suited for The Creature but through all the prosthetics he manages to give his character so much emotional depth especially once he takes center stage.  Oscar Isaac gleefully bites into the role of Victor Frankenstein by bringing an unbridled sense of unchecked self-confidence and intellect particularly in the early act as he's manically trying to bring his creation to life.  Christoph Waltz's plays his benefactor funding his experience, but he's given surprisingly little to do during his limited screentime which feels like a missed opportunity.  Felix Kammerer and Mia Goth play his brother and fiancée with Goth delivering strong work.  Goth and Isaac have fun, playful chemistry together as they both find each other intellectually fascinating diversions.  Goth adds layers to a role that could have simply come off as a one note love interest.  It is hard to take your eyes off any of them as they deliver thoroughly engaging and thoughtful performances that make the film's two hour and a half runtime fly by.  Frankenstein is nothing more than a triumph for del Toro and his entire cast as they've created a seminal adaptation of Mary Shelley's work by capturing its heart and soul.  

A

MOVIE REVIEW: SPRINGSTEEN: DELIVER ME FROM NOWHERE

On the cusp of global superstardom, New Jersey rocker Bruce Springsteen struggles to reconcile the pressures of success with the ghosts of his past as he records the album "Nebraska" in the early 1980s.

Director: Scott Cooper

Cast: Jeremy Allen White, Jeremy Strong, Paul Walter Hauser, Stephen Graham, Odessa Young

Release Date: October 24, 2025 

Genre: Biography, Drama, Music

Rated PG-13 for thematic material, some sexuality, strong language, and smoking.

Runtime: 1h 59m

Review:

Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere is a pensive, reflective look at a very specific moment in his career powered by an engrossing, tortured turn from Jeremy Allen White.  Scott Cooper film possesses a melancholic melody to it that underwrites the whole thing.  He tries his best to avoid the usual pitfalls of the musical biopic by delivering something more pensive and introspective as we follow Springsteen right before he truly becomes an icon.  Flipping back and forth between the black and white past and the 80's as Springsteen works through the trauma of his past by working his way through a deeply personal demo.  This approach allows us to watch him struggle with his complicated history with his father as he's on the precipice super stardom.  It’s hard to avoid some of the more clichéd aspects of the genre especially in the flashback sequences but Cooper maintains a thoughtful approach to it all that gives it an air of authenticity that works in the film's favor.  The pacing is methodical throughout as he lets every moment settle before providing a musical jolt of vibrant energy.  Those musical numbers are stripped down which allows Jeremy Allen White to really show off an impressive set of pipes as he sings Springsteen's songs highlighted by a showstopper of a performance of Born in the USA.  White though brings so much more to the role by giving it a soulful, guilt-ridden humanity to his performance that drives the film.  It’s a fascinatingly subtle turn that gives you a window into the amount of turmoil simmering underneath with a revelatory moment in the film's final act finally allowing its release.  Jeremy Strong as Jon Landau, Springsteen's manager, is equally impressive particularly when they both share the screen.  Strong gives his character a tangible sense of steadfast belief and support throughout the film which leaves you wishing you had a friend like him.  They bring so much to the roles that you can't help but feel their deep-rooted, lived-in connection onscreen, something sure to garner both their share of awards consideration when the time comes.  Odessa Young also delivers strong work as the love interest but you are left feeling she could have brought so much more to the role if it had a tad more depth to it.  Gaby Hoffmann, Paul Walter Hauser and Stephen Graham have small but pivotal supporting roles with each doing the most with their limited screentime.  By the time it’s all said and done, Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere manages to stand on its own as a musical biopic thanks to its stars and its thoughtful approach to storytelling.  

B+