The Monkey (2025)

I haven't loved most of Perkins' films. Even his much lauded Longlegs left me feeling a bit blah. For me Perkins often is unable to connect his terror to emotion in a way that make it land. I feel this remains true with his Stephen King adaptation The Monkey, a film that focuses on family trauma but often the film feels more about the spectacle and comedy than the emotional resonance, perhaps this is somewhat amplified by it's focus on humour over chills. 

The Monkey takes King's story and adds a lot of accoutrements (an evil twin storyline, an estranged son plot) but never truly connects the dots. The film goes through the motions of attempting to reunite our main character (played stoically by James) with his son but it never feels real. Mostly every relationship is played for laughs. The one exception might be the relationship with the protagonist's mother which gets a little bit of gravitas. A call back to this at the end of the film does hit even if the film barely touches on it before returning to its macabre humour approach. 

One of the main themes of the story (both here and in the short story) is the abandonment by a father. The film turns that almost entirely into a joke. It's like the film is one bit immature frat boy who can't focus on what he's feeling to he bombastically goes for laughs. And that's the The Monkey does well. Watching one spectacularly gruesome and hilarious cartoon death after another is rather entertaining. And don't worry the film never lingers long enough for you to feel anything other than a kind of shock laughter (a woman running with a burning baby carriage is a blink of an eye shot so we don't have to wrestle with that image) so this won't make it hard to sleep at night. Horror comedy is a good thing and The Monkey does this right. It just doesn't aspire to do anything else. It isn't even satire. It doesn't comment on anything. It's just about laughing at how gross something can be. 

Don't go into The Monkey expecting scares. There is nothing scary about this film. Other than the toy Monkey of the title being a cliche for what we think of when we think of creepy historic toys, there is nothing in the imagery, the suspense, nor the threat itself which will scare you, get under your skin, or haunt you. The Monkey is just for light, forgettable fun. 

The Monkey

Starring: Theo James, Tatiana Maslany, Elijah Wood, Christian Convery, Colin O'Brien, Rohan Campbell, Sarah Levy 

Writer/Director: Osgood Perkins

The Seed of the Sacred Fig (2024)

The story of the making of The Seed of the Sacred Fig is harrowing. Iranian film maker Rasoulof filmed it in secret while being sentenced to prison for dissidence, only to escape to Germany where the film was finally edited and screened winning awards and playing at international festivals from Berlin to Cannes to Toronto. It incorporates real footage of protests in Iran featuring brutal scenes along side its fictional yet fact based plot. Yet even without all of this background Seed is a powerful and beautiful film that is fascinating to watch. 

The film looks specifically into Iranian governmental corruption but its themes are not limited to that country. One could recognize similar authoritarian policies around the globe. Its story feels universal. 

Many of the cast have had to flee Iran as well. The performances here are all strong, especially when one considers that they were filming everything in secret, even the outdoor scenes. The cast comes together so well bringing this story a real gravitas. 

Rasoulof drags out some of his scenes. Even near the end with a few tense chase scenes, he takes a long time to get to where he is going which strips some of the power of the story. Yet Seed remains gripping and tragic with some hope for the future, The Seed of the Sacred Fig is a film you'll remember. 

The Seed of the Sacred Fig 

Starring: Soheila Golestani, Missagh Zareh, Mahsa Rostami, Setareh Maleki, Niousha Akhshi, Amineh Arani

Writer/Director: Mohammad Rasoulof

Oscar Nominated Shorts 2025

I've seen all of the films nominated for Oscars in the five short film categories in 2025 and I noticed some trends. For example in the animation stop motion was strong this year (which might be my favourite animation style). While in the live action films it was noticeable that all but one of the film was based on real events whether they ended up being highly fictionalized or a direct adaptation of real events. There were some inspiring documentaries this year, a category that often leaves more sadness than hope. Here are my thoughts on this year's crop of Oscar nominated short films. 

Animation

Beautiful Men

Stop motion holds a special place in my heart and this year a few of the nominees were stop motion films including this one about three brothers on a trip to Istanbul for hair transplants. It quite entertainingly and rather frankly explores men's body issues connected to aging and societal expectations. While being very funny it is also surprisingly insightful and moving with charming animation.

Magic Candies

My favourite of this year's animated nominees has the most gorgeous stop motion animation and a sweet and poignant story about a little boy eating candies which open his mind to the world around him. I found the movie truly moving and utterly relatable. It is the sort of film that anyone of all ages can appreciate. Its story is lovely and will put a big smile on your face.  

In the Shadow of Cypress

This traditionally drawn animated film packs a lot into its story runtime as an estranged daughter and father attempt to rescue a beached whale. The animation is simple but beautiful and the story is intense. Dialogue free it relies on images to convey a lot. Sometimes I felt it didn't all connect but overall it is a powerful movie. 

Yuck!

This is the funniest and most purely delightful of this crop of animated films. When a group of children see adults kissing at a campground, they are fascinated but disgusted... until they aren't. The stylized 2D animation is adorable and captures the film's sense of whimsy. 

Wander to Wonder

This film at its heart is about grieving and loss told through an absurdist story. It's complicated narrative is remarkably conveyed in the film's short runtime. A mix of stop motion and live action, the film captures something quite profound while also pushing some boundaries. 

Live Action

A Lien

This film is very timely in how it focuses on deportation and the tactics American authorities use to take people into custody while they are applying through legal channels for their citizenship. Short but powerful, A Lien is emotionally charged and kinetically filmed. It's title, a play on words, highlights the themes of the story. 

Anuja

Anuja's choice to cast a street involved young actor as the star of this emotionally charged film makes it even more powerful. This is a Sophie's Choice style story about the impossibilities faced by those in the lowest economic circumstances. Despite how heavy the story is the film has a joyousness to it which is uplifting. 

I'm Not a Robot

The only truly fictional film nominated in this category this year, I'm Not a Robot is a hilarious yet quite dark story that examines identity and agency in a very of-the-moment way. The idea isn't unique (it's the subject of the contemporaneous American film Companion as well as the classic Blade Runner) but the structure of this short film manages it exceptionally during its brief runtime. 

The Last Ranger

This is the most epic in scope of the films nominated. The story, based on real events, is broken down in a very effective and emotionally satisfying way. The reality of this story hits hard and the young star gives an incredible performance. 

The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent

A tense political thriller boiled down to 20 minutes. It centres you in the story with its intimate cinematography and high stakes. Silent is based on real events but told in a way that can be related to in any time, perhaps especially now. 

Documentaries

Death By Numbers

Focusing on the high profile sentencing hearing of the Parkland shooter, from the point of view of one of the survivors, this film wrestles quite powerfully with the impossibility of finding resolution after such a horrible event. This isn't the only film nominated this year that touches on themes connected to the death penalty nor brutal murders. There is a recognition here of the strength needed to live on after events that have no possibility of resolution. 

I Am Ready, Warden

This film also tackles the issue of capital punishment, this time from multiple points of view, including but not limited to the adult child of a murder victim and the teen child of the murderer. There is a powerful moment near the end when the realization that death doesn't bring about justice or peace which shakes its audience to its core. 

Incident

Incident is quite simply a collection of actual "found footage" (from security cameras, police body cams, and other filmed records) recording the events of a police shooting of an innocent man in real time. However there is nothing simple about it. It is brutal to watch and overwhelming to take in the gravity of how these crimes can occur. The film's sparse approach to presenting the film and letting us see the "incident" with our own eyes, is likely more powerful than it would have been if the film had taken a more narrative approach. 

Instruments of a Beating Heart

This is one of two more charming films that don't focus on tragedy. Beating Heart follows young grade school children in Japan as they practice for an orchestral performance of Ode to Joy and the film is rather joyous. There is a part in the middle that western audiences might find a bit unsettling, when a teacher sternly berates one of the 6 year olds for her failure to practice. But the film pivots from that quickly to instead focus on how much the children enjoy performing together for their peers and parents. 

The Only Girl in the Orchestra 

The most cinematic of the bunch, this film maker has made a tribute to her favourite aunt, a woman who inspired her and lived a rich and full life doing what she loves. Orin O'Brien was the first woman in the NY Philharmonic and her pursuit of her passion is a wonderful thing to see. Molly O'Brien has made a wonderful film that celebrates her inspirational family member and celebrates a life well lived. That's not a bad way to end this round of short films. 

Bird (2024)

Arnold, known for her films Fish Tank, American Honey, and the documentary Cow, is back with another emotionally fraught examination into the lives of the economically marginalized with Bird. The film's strong cast and Arnold's bold vision make it incredibly engaging and truly satisfying. 

Adams breaks out here as a young woman coming of age in devastating economic circumstances. She meets an odd man called Bird whose own journey has been incredibly difficult, and she finds connection to a family she resents. She is supported in this by a strong supporting cast including Keoghan and Rogowski who both bring their own brands of strange yet compelling screen presence to the film. 

Bird is a big swing that works and has a lot of interesting things to think about. Be prepared for a bit of surrealness but a whole lot of emotion. 

Bird

Starring: Nykiya Adams, Barry Keoghan, Franz Rogowski 

Writer/Director: Andrea Arnold

The Gorge (2025)

Derrickson's romantic apocalyptic horror film The Gorge suffers from a few problems. It's not very romantic and it's not very horrifying for example. The film's premise is extremely high concept and for me they never convinced me of any of it. The amount of times you'll ask yourself why didn't they think of X as your making your way through the plot will be frequent. The Gorge never quite comes together as much of anything it's trying to accomplish. 

Teller and Taylor-Joy have 0 chemistry and the The Gorge never believably makes us feel there is any connection. It plays like traditional romance with the absurd "meet cute" and then witty banter. But it's all surface. You never believe they love each other. At one point I wondered if the film was trying to make a point about two people falling for each other because... well there are no other options, about how they are entrapped into a relationship. But the film never consciously explores this. That's too bad cause that might have been more interesting. The Gorge instead builds their loves story earnestly and fails in its attempt to do so. 

Then the film jumps, often quite radically, into Annihilation style existential horror, perhaps with an Alien franchise bent (not a reference to Weaver's phone it in appearance). But here again it never feels like it gets it. The mystery isn't very complicated or nuanced and it just becomes a fairly standard "monster movie". I never felt scared, and the stakes didn't particularly feel intense. The more you thought about the premise, the less the film felt realistic. It feels like the idea wasn't thought through well before it was put to paper. 

The Gorge is released on streaming where it is the sort of film you'll likely look away from to scroll through your phone and not miss much of anything. 

The Gorge

Starring: Miles Teller, Anya Taylor-Joy, Sigourney Weaver 

Director: Scott Derrickson

Writer: Zach Dean

Universal Monsters - The Mummy (1932)

The Mummy, made soon after the hits Dracula and Frankenstein, pulls from both these in different ways. We get the popular Karloff again, although in a very different role, and we get an exotic evil from another culture pursuing a young woman like the famous vampire story. For today's audiences, we can see the plot is actually remarkably similar to the 1990s remake Bram Stoker's Dracula, about a monster from the past seeking his reincarnated love in the "present". Capitalizing on the western hysteria of the time for all things ancient Egypt, The Mummy was another hit for Universal Studios although watching it now it is one of the duller of their classic horrors.

The film tells the story of a villain who, in his attempt to resurrect his love through sorcery, was condemned to death for the act and brought back to life by a curse seeking the reincarnation of his love. His monstrousness comes in his attempt to force her against her will. Modern audiences may find it interesting how much this film focuses on her right to autonomy, to decide who she is and who she should love. It is a love story about an abusive sort of love, one of possession and ownership, not of mutual respect and care. It is about adoration or idolization. Not what loving someone is truly about.

Also interesting to modern audiences, The Mummy barely references contemporaneous Egyptian culture so there are surprisingly little issues with anti-arab racism. The sole exception to this may be Karloff's depiction as "oriental" which is played to be frightening. If anything the film has a more benign style of racism in how its mixed heroine is seen as exotic, a positive feature in the film's eyes. Instead the film focuses on a rather caricature of popular culture understanding of ancient Egypt (pharos, hieroglyphics, etc.) which was all the rage at the time. 

For me the story drags a lot. There just isn't enough here to flesh out the rather short runtime. Some of the film's most interesting parts are flashbacks to the past and not so much the current story we are being told. Watching it right after rewatching some of the other classic Universal Monster films one might be a bit disappointed. Having said that it still remains impressive with its iconic nature and just how much it shaped our modern conceptualization of the horror trope of a "mummy." 

The film's legacy in this way is impressive and also how it inspired the most successful of Universal's remakes with the 1999 film The Mummy and it's sequels. The story follows the same basic premise, Imhotep resurrected from the dead by tomb raiders and his quest to bring back his ancient love through killing a modern woman. In this version the mummy is super powered and the adventure has been Indiana-Jones-ified. It's a fun if rather silly take on the story and rewatching it I was surprised at just how hammy it is. But it remains a classic in its own right with a big following. Certainly more so than the Tom Cruise reboot from 2017 which flopped critically and commercially. 

The Mummy is still one of the classic horror monsters and its influence on film culture is undeniable. While I found it a bit plodding it is still holds its place in the pantheon of Universal Monsters and as part of the legendary Karloff's career. 

The Mummy

Starring: Boris Karloff, Zita Johann

Director: Karl Freund

Writer: John L. Balderston

 

The People's Joker (2022)

Writer/director Vera Drew's neon fever dream is both a love letter to all cinematic batmen and deconstruction of those mythos at the same time. Embedded in all that fan fiction is a touching and revelatory exploration of trans identify that is unapologetically genderqueer while being accessible for cis audiences, somehow translating her experience into something understood without ever compromising or dumbing it down. The People's Joker is a bit of a miracle. 

Drew has made something truly unique by playing on common tropes in often very brilliant ways. The People's Joker is hard to take your eyes off of, visually, while its kinetic story barrels forward. Also Drew's screen presence is so engaging it all comes together to make a truly fascinating and watchable film.  

The People's Joker is the sort of film that makes it exciting to think about what can be done by a talented film maker with something to say and the vision to pull it off. I hope Drew continues to bring us new stories. 

The People's Joker

Starring: Vera Drew, Kane Distler, Nathan Faustyn, David Liebe Hart, Scott Aukerman, Tim Heidecker, Maria Bamford, Bob Odenkirk 

Director: Vera Drew

Writers: Bri LeRose, Vera Drew

I'm Still Here/Ainda Estou Aqui (2024)

Salles' straightforward yet powerful story of the strength of those left behind when someone goes missing during an illiberal regime is a beautiful film. He focuses on  diving deep into the personal interworkings of the family to show both how the loss of their father, and the lack of information of what happened to him, drives them, but also the strength and power of the mother who holds it all together and never gives up. One of the iconic moments is her posing for a family photo for a paper and refusing to not smile. She is defiant throughout. She will not become despondent, nor give up. 

Torres is remarkable in the role without being showy. It is no wonder she has garnered so much award love for this role. I loved how she balanced so many aspects of her performance keeping it complicated and internally quite strong. The sheer power of the woman she is playing is impressive and she does her justice. 

The film itself is not complicated. Salles just allows his subjects to go forward with their lives. It does suffer a bit from one of my biggest pet peeves about biopics about real people, especially those still alive or recently passed. I'm Still Here paints an overly rosey picture of the Paiva family. They are all angels and they are all amazing in their moral character. This is a picture perfect family, like the picture in that iconic moment. I am sure that while these people are likely very good people for sure, I'm Still Here's refusal to give them any blemishes takes away from the realness. This is a fault of many of these sorts of films and nothing specific to I'm Still Here. 

Regardless I'm Still Here is compelling drama and an important portrait of this kind of horror which continues to occur around the world. 

I'm Still Here/Ainda Estou Aqui 

Starring: Fernanda Torres, Selton Mello, Fernanda Montenegro 

Director: Walter Salles

Writers: Murilo Hauser, Heitor Lorega

Maria (2024)

Larrain has made a number of very beautiful, but often very taciturn films about divas. His latest, about quite literally a diva, felt similar for me. It is lush and quite gorgeous to watch. But I felt so removed from its subject I found it hard to get swept up in its story. Jolie's performance is aloof and somewhat sparse as well although there are moments in it which touched me. I came out of Maria a bit unmoved despite how lovely a film it was. 

Larrain focuses his story on the last week of the singer's life as she interacts with doctors, staff, and a film crew. She flashes back to the moments that brought her here. She is living an almost Howard Husian life alone in her palace, barking at fans and servers who dare speak to her. She is sad and alone. It is meant to be a tragic tale of a woman who lived on her own terms. Some of this comes through but a lot of it, through Larrain's story telling and Jolie's performance just feels like we're watching someone be not very pleasant. 

There are moments that broke through for me. Jolie does wonderful things with small moments when she's doing less of an impression and more inhabiting the character. Her reaction to her doctor's dire diagnosis is a beautiful piece of acting for example. The film takes a loving approach, filling each scene with exquisite beauty and a bit of fantasy. She begins to wonder what is real and what is hallucination and this is handled quite well by Lorrain. Maria the film is something to see even if it doesn't evoke much emotionally.

Maria

Starring: Angelina Jolie, Kodi Smit-McPhee

Director: Pablo Larrain

Writer: Stephen Knight

 

The Girl With the Needle/Pigen Med Nålen (2024)

I'm not normally a fan of the Lars Van Trier school of miserable films where everything is bleak and terrible, yet I can sometimes appreciate the sentiment. von Horn's The Girl With the Needle is a beautifully shot film that explores a woman forced to confront something truly horrible even after being pushed to desperation. She, and us as the audience, are given somewhat of a hopeful ending despite wrestling with the question of whether this world is redeemable or not. I'm just not sure the film makes a successful case for this final bit of optimism. 

The Girl With the Needle asks us how we can justify the lives of innocents when we create a world that is so patently unjust. When we know humans will suffer how do we justify allowing life to exist in suffering. But it doesn't quite get to asking us to have a responsiblity to alleviate the conditions of suffering, instead asking us whether we should allow life at all. It sets this up through what is essentially a thought experiment along the lines of the trolley question. It creates a villain who does horrible things but then it allows her to argue for her position and perhaps even makes us sympathetic to her argument. Despite this very heavy handed premise, The Girl With the Needle ends with an ambiguous answer. Is it responding by saying the suffering is worth it, or that the answer presented by its villain is unfair. It will give us much to wonder about as we attempt to scrub what we have seen from our memories. 

As a movie it mostly works. von Horn uses a stark black and white cinematography that evokes the horror of a different age, and combines this with the photographic style of that age such as characters looking into the camera as they did in the silent era, and lit menacingly as they often were. This creates an uncomfortable aura which matches the story's tone and chills us as the audience, an audience confronted with our own complicity. It is brilliant to watch but the plot is a bit plodding. There are multiple powerful moments even from the get go, which make Karoline's painful reality feel strikingly real, yet there are also stretches that feel drawn out. In all of this I'm not sure the ending is earned. The hope almost feels a bit outside of what has happened before it and isn't connected to how characters acted in the first act. 

Still, The Girl With the Needle with haunt you, truly asking you to deal with something terrible, humanity's real cruelty. I'm not sure the ending gives enough hope to make the rest of the film's bleak assessment of human beings forgivable. 

The Girl With the Needle/Pigen Med Nålen

Starring: Vic Carmen Sonne, Trine Dyrholm

Director:  Magnus von Horn

Writers: Line Langebek, Magnus von Horn 

Companion (2025)

Smart, funny, well acted and executed, Companion is a fun cautionary tale which taps into very real world issues with its high concept premise and is exactly the sort of thought provoking film that hits all the sweet spots. Hancock has crafted a well balanced comedy/thriller which doesn't get too dark while also not pulling punches. There are a few twists and turns, nothing too shocking, but nothing insultingly dumb. He gives us a fun time while also giving us much to chew on. 

Best to go into Companion with as a little knowledge of the plot as possible and just let it play out. Yes there is a part of me that wishes I could get into all the smart ways the film's plot explores [redacted] but I can't without spoiling the story and much of the experience. There is a little Ex Machina here, a little The Invisible Man (2020), a little Fargo, hell even a little Blade Runner and Barbie even. Just experience it and then find others who have seen it to talk it through. 

Make no mistake, this is a fun movie, even if it is working with some heavy issues. The cast is excellent with Gage and Guillén adding a delightful queer twist to a film that is exploring specific themes of heterosexuality. This.isn't a film that's going to hurt you head but instead inspire great discussion while also being wildly entertaining. 

Companion

Starring: Jack Quaid, Sophie Thatcher, Lukas Gage, Megan Suri, Harvey Guillén, Rupert Friend, Jaboukie Young-White

GuillénWriter/Director: Drew Hancock