Movie Reviews — FilmSpeak

‘Anemone’ Review: A Muted Return to the Screen for Daniel Day-Lewis

‘Anemone’ should only be watched by those craving another performance from Daniel Day-Lewis, because the film surrounding his incredible, controlled turn does not work at all.

Movie Review, DramaMaxance VincentOctober 5, 2025Anemone, Ronan Day-Lewis, Drama, Movie ReviewComment

'Edgar Allan Poe's The Oval Portrait' Review: A Worthy Throwback to a Bygone Age

For better or worse, ‘The Oval Portrait’ is the exact sort of film which a Hammer horror fan will appreciate.

Canadian FIlm, Crime Thriller, Horror, Independent Film, Movie ReviewKyle ClimansOctober 5, 2025Horror, Crime Film, Canadian Film, Edgar Allan PoeComment

‘The Ice Tower’ Review: Lucile Hadžihalilović's Hypnotizing Fantasy Drama

Thanks to a painterly sense of image-making and captivating turns from Marion Cotillard and Clara Pacini, Lucile Hadžihalilović creates a unique atmosphere with ‘The Ice Tower’, blending the artifice of cinema with the trauma-inducing dread of a child’s fantasy.

Movie Review, DramaMaxance VincentOctober 3, 2025The Ice Tower, lucile hadzihalilovic, Drama, Movie ReviewsComment

'Play Dirty' Review: Shane Black's Welcomed Return

Shane Black has fun in the cartoonishly glorious adaptation of Donald E. Westlake’s work with ‘Play Dirty’, containing Mark Wahlberg’s best performance in years as he dons the mantra of Westlake’s most iconic character.

Movie Review, ComedyMaxance VincentOctober 1, 2025Play Dirty, Comedy, Shane Black, Prime Video, ReviewComment

‘The Smashing Machine’ Review: Benny Safdie’s Anti-Safdie Docudrama

Benny Safdie breaks the aesthetics that he developed over the years with his brother Josh to craft a surprisingly patient, often discordant docudrama in ‘The Smashing Machine’, which sets his solo directorial career on exciting horizons.

Review, DramaMaxance VincentOctober 1, 2025The Smashing Machine, Benny Safdie, Drama, ReviewsComment

'Tell Me What You Want' Review: It Stands There, Looks Pretty, and That's About It

For anyone who’s read even a smattering of smut in their lives, ‘Tell Me What You Want’ will offer precious few surprises.

Drama, RomanceKyle ClimansSeptember 30, 2025Warner Bros., Erotic, Spanish, DramaComment

‘What's Kept Inside’ Short Film Review: Emotional Storytelling and Cinematic Realism [SFF 25]

Chava Méndez has captured some amazing emotion and horror in his short ‘What’s Kept Inside’, which although is his directorial debut, is no doubt the beginning of a great career.

‘Eleanor the Great’ Review: Scarlett Johansson’s Misguided Directorial Debut

While ‘Eleanor the Great’ is elevated by a legendary turn from June Squibb as the titular character, the film’s handling of several subjects leaves much to be desired, as does Scarlet Johansson’s direction.

Comedy, Movie ReviewMaxance VincentSeptember 26, 2025Eleanor the Great, Scarlett Johansson, Comedy, Movie ReviewComment

'All Of You' Review: A Meditation On Quantifiable Companionship

On the surface level, ‘All of You’ is a film about how often technology distracts us from connection, but it also works as a lesson that true love is measured by the lengths we go to protect the relationships that matter most.

'One Battle After Another' Review: A Thrilling And Hilarious Gem

At long last, director Paul Thomas Anderson and Leonardo DiCaprio collaborate for ‘One Battle After Another’, an offbeat, thrilling, and often hilarious adventure that earns its keep in the talented director’s already stunning filmography.

Action, Comedy, DramaTom ChatalbashSeptember 26, 2025one battle after another, paul thomas anderson, leonardo dicaprio, sean penn, benicio del toroComment

‘Ed’ Short Film Review: The Hollowness of Addiction [SFF 25]

‘Ed’ is a short film that further shows how far deep the hollowness within porn addiction really is, and what sort of price it robs men of.

Festival Review, Short FilmAndres BenatarSeptember 25, 2025Ed Short Film, Ed, Seattle Film Festival, The Seattle Film FestivalComment

Jeremy Renner Music Video, ‘Wait’ Review: Love, Suffering and Recovery [SFF 25]

Watching Jeremy Renner’s music video ‘Wait’ isn’t just enlightening in how it beautifully showcases a father’s bond with his daughter, it further succeeds in using the trauma of Renner’s accident as a background aesthetic that although never mentioned, can still be felt in the soul of Renner’s music.

Festival Review, MusicalAndres BenatarSeptember 25, 2025jeremy renner, Wait, Music Video, Seattle Film FestivalComment

‘Sunny Side Up’ Short Review: Transcends Expectations while Providing Valuable Lessons [SFF 25]

‘Sunny Side Up’, a short film at this year’s Seattle Film Festival, is done with such masterfulness that its baffling that such a beautifully well acted, and whimsically playful film was made under a budget of just five hundred Euros.

Anyhing Helps Review: Simple Companionship Can Go a Long Way [SFF25]

‘Anyhing Helps’ may not illustrate how to solve the problem of global homelessness, but it does show that communication and the love emulated from simple companionship can go a long way as a first step.

'HIM' Review: The Ultimate Fumble

Ultimately, despite a strong premise, ‘Him’ ends up throwing a Hail Mary, which, if not fumbled, undoubtedly could have been more interesting than the end result.

Movie Review, HorrorBrennan DubéSeptember 19, 2025Marlon Wayans, Football, Jordan Peele, Horror, NFL, Review, Horror Thriller

'A Big Bold Beautiful Journey' Review: A Big Bold Misfire

Romance stories are a dime a dozen, but Kogonada’s ‘A Big Bold Beautiful Journey’ dares to be different. However, despite the star power of its two considerably talented stars, this unconventional love story fails to leave a mark.

Comedy, Drama, RomanceTom ChatalbashSeptember 16, 2025a big bold beautiful journey, movie review, movie reviews, colin farrell, margot robbieComment

‘Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery’ Review: A Bounce Back to Brilliance for Benoit Blanc [TIFF 25]

While ‘Wake Up Dead Man’ doesn’t quite live up to the lightning in a bottle that was the original Knives Out, it is certainly a worthy sequel. Its serpentine plot, laugh-out-loud sardonic tone and cast of memorable characters will please any cinematic detective.

'The Christophers' Review: Steven Soderbergh Examines His Own Art [TIFF 25]

With a more contemplative approach to filmmaking, Steven Soderbergh reflects on his legacy through one of Ian McKellen’s best-ever performances in ‘The Christophers’, and marks the beginning of his late stage.

‘Hedda’ Review: Simply Nia DaCosta’s Best Film [TIFF 25]

Thanks to its assured sense of style and magnifying performances from Tessa Thompson and Nina Hoss, director Nia DaCosta crafts her best-ever film with a modern adaptation of Henrik Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler and takes ‘Hedda’ in more daring directions than its original author ever envisioned.

TIFF, Festival Review, DramaMaxance VincentSeptember 13, 2025Hedda, Review, Nia DaCosta, Drama, TIFF 2025 Comment

‘No Other Choice’ Review: Park Chan-wook’s Masterpiece of Pure Cinema [TIFF 25]

Park Chan-Wook redefines his filmography with his adaptation of Donald Westlake’s ‘The Ax’ in ‘No Other Choice’ and offers a once-in-a-generation lesson of pure cinema that anyone who appreciates the art form must see.