The Filmologist
@thefilmologist.bsky.social
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
Excited to see what Nolan does with The Odyssey but not excited to have to listen to the "historical accuracy" crowd for the next 12-18 months.
December 22, 2025 at 6:56 PM
Excited to see what Nolan does with The Odyssey but not excited to have to listen to the "historical accuracy" crowd for the next 12-18 months.
Avatar: Fire and Ash is FAR too similar to The Way of Water, with a final third that may as well have been copy/pasted from its predecessor.
#avatar #fireandash #jamescameron #filmsky #moviesky
#avatar #fireandash #jamescameron #filmsky #moviesky
Avatar: Fire and Ash
James Cameron’s Avatar franchise starts to repeat itself in a disappointing and all too familiar third installment.
thefilmologist.com
December 16, 2025 at 9:19 PM
Avatar: Fire and Ash is FAR too similar to The Way of Water, with a final third that may as well have been copy/pasted from its predecessor.
#avatar #fireandash #jamescameron #filmsky #moviesky
#avatar #fireandash #jamescameron #filmsky #moviesky
Zootopia 2 was an entertaining enough remix of the structure of the original, but I think I laughed the most at the throwaway background animal puns. And ok, The Shining reference got me.
December 12, 2025 at 9:28 PM
Zootopia 2 was an entertaining enough remix of the structure of the original, but I think I laughed the most at the throwaway background animal puns. And ok, The Shining reference got me.
Not sure the world wants more content about A) rich people and B) Netflix, but Noah Baumbach's latest is unfortunately a bit of both.
#filmsky #moviesky #georgeclooney #netflix
#filmsky #moviesky #georgeclooney #netflix
Jay Kelly
A toothless exploration of the perils of fame, written with too much reverence towards its aging star, George Clooney.
thefilmologist.com
December 5, 2025 at 6:38 PM
Not sure the world wants more content about A) rich people and B) Netflix, but Noah Baumbach's latest is unfortunately a bit of both.
#filmsky #moviesky #georgeclooney #netflix
#filmsky #moviesky #georgeclooney #netflix
Reposted by The Filmologist
There is no good result when one potential monopoly is battling another potential monopoly to become a very big monopoly
December 5, 2025 at 3:11 PM
There is no good result when one potential monopoly is battling another potential monopoly to become a very big monopoly
#avatarfireandash first thoughts: it's....the same exact movie as the last one. And it's set up to make another one (or two) just like it. I was actually a bit bored, which I was not expecting. Kind of a bummer.
December 2, 2025 at 3:29 PM
#avatarfireandash first thoughts: it's....the same exact movie as the last one. And it's set up to make another one (or two) just like it. I was actually a bit bored, which I was not expecting. Kind of a bummer.
Kinda knocked out by Oliver Laxe's Sirât, a movie that probably comes as close as it gets to literalizing a spiritual journey.
#filmsky #moviesky #sirat #raves
#filmsky #moviesky #sirat #raves
Sirāt
Oliver Laxe’s “Sirât” is a nail-biting and thought-provoking journey through a spiritual and literal desert.
thefilmologist.com
December 1, 2025 at 9:56 PM
As of now, Clint Bentley's Train Dreams is my #1 movie of the year. I was on the verge of crying or actually crying for about 75% of the movie, even if I couldn't exactly say why at any given point. Truly astounding stuff.
#filmsky #moviesky #traindreams #oscars #netflix
#filmsky #moviesky #traindreams #oscars #netflix
Train Dreams
Joel Edgerton shines in a captivating and tragic character study of a man who struggles to do no more than live a simple life.
thefilmologist.com
November 26, 2025 at 7:21 PM
As of now, Clint Bentley's Train Dreams is my #1 movie of the year. I was on the verge of crying or actually crying for about 75% of the movie, even if I couldn't exactly say why at any given point. Truly astounding stuff.
#filmsky #moviesky #traindreams #oscars #netflix
#filmsky #moviesky #traindreams #oscars #netflix
Reedland, the Dutch entry in the Best International Feature Film category for the upcoming Oscars, is a thoughtful piece of slow cinema from a promising debut director. Look away if you can't handle ten-minute scenes of a guy just farming. Lots to ponder here tho, if you're willing.
#filmsky #oscars
#filmsky #oscars
Reedland
Sven Bresser’s ponderous debut is a quiet anti-thriller about the intersection of evil, mankind, and nature.
thefilmologist.com
November 19, 2025 at 11:15 PM
#Hamnet screening tip: warn the people next to you that you're probably going to sob before the movie even starts, which helps to feel less self-conscious about it when it inevitably happens.
November 18, 2025 at 4:50 AM
#Hamnet screening tip: warn the people next to you that you're probably going to sob before the movie even starts, which helps to feel less self-conscious about it when it inevitably happens.
Eternity draws you in with a compelling first half that explores a fairly silly afterlife but sadly devolves into a standard rom-com love triangle.
#afterlife #A24 #elizabetholsen #milesteller #moviesky #filmsky
#afterlife #A24 #elizabetholsen #milesteller #moviesky #filmsky
Eternity
David Freyne’s “Eternity” is a pleasant but unambitious rom-com love triangle set in the afterlife.
thefilmologist.com
November 14, 2025 at 10:27 PM
Eternity draws you in with a compelling first half that explores a fairly silly afterlife but sadly devolves into a standard rom-com love triangle.
#afterlife #A24 #elizabetholsen #milesteller #moviesky #filmsky
#afterlife #A24 #elizabetholsen #milesteller #moviesky #filmsky
Joachim Trier's Sentimental Value is one of the best movies of 2025, with one of the best endings in recent memory. Long live the Trier/Reinsve combo.
#filmsky #moviesky #sentimentalvalue #neon
#filmsky #moviesky #sentimentalvalue #neon
Sentimental Value
Joachim Trier delivers his best work yet in a story about one family’s attempt to heal a wound that’s been open for generations.
thefilmologist.com
November 10, 2025 at 10:15 PM
Joachim Trier's Sentimental Value is one of the best movies of 2025, with one of the best endings in recent memory. Long live the Trier/Reinsve combo.
#filmsky #moviesky #sentimentalvalue #neon
#filmsky #moviesky #sentimentalvalue #neon
Dare I say that Bugonia might be Yorgos Lanthimos's best?
#bugonia #filmsky #moviesky #emmastone #jesseplemons
#bugonia #filmsky #moviesky #emmastone #jesseplemons
Bugonia
Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons produce career-best work in another darkly bizarre creation from Yorgos Lanthimos.
thefilmologist.com
November 3, 2025 at 10:47 PM
Dare I say that Bugonia might be Yorgos Lanthimos's best?
#bugonia #filmsky #moviesky #emmastone #jesseplemons
#bugonia #filmsky #moviesky #emmastone #jesseplemons
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
#filmsky #moviesky #hedda #tessathompson
Hedda
Nia DaCosta’s bold and modern reimagining of a classic stage play provides a fruitful playground for Tessa Thompson to show off her chops.
thefilmologist.com
October 30, 2025 at 5:19 PM
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
#filmsky #moviesky #hedda #tessathompson
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
#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.
thefilmologist.com
October 24, 2025 at 8:35 PM
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
#filmsky #moviesky #itwasjustanaccident
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
#filmsky #moviesky #blackphone #blackphone2 #ethanhawke
Black Phone 2
The Grabber makes a play to be the next classic franchise horror villain in a fun but slightly convoluted sequel.
thefilmologist.com
October 20, 2025 at 8:55 PM
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
#filmsky #moviesky #blackphone #blackphone2 #ethanhawke
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
#filmsky #moviesky #pasafaho
Pasa Faho (2025) ⭐ 7.2 | Comedy, Drama
1h 26m
m.imdb.com
October 18, 2025 at 8:54 PM
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
#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.
thefilmologist.com
October 18, 2025 at 5:59 PM
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
#filmsky #moviesky #netflix #colinfarrell #tildaswinton
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.
October 15, 2025 at 4:46 PM
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.
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
#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.
thefilmologist.com
October 13, 2025 at 9:58 PM
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
#filmsky #moviesky #rosebryne #ifihadlegs
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
#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.
thefilmologist.com
October 10, 2025 at 7:35 PM
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
#filmsky #moviesky #netflix #ahouseofdynamite
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
#filmsky #moviesky #juliaroberts #andrewgarfield
After the Hunt
Luca Guadagnino’s latest is a provocative modern morality play that effectively keeps the viewer off balance.
thefilmologist.com
October 8, 2025 at 5:01 PM
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
#filmsky #moviesky #juliaroberts #andrewgarfield
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
#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.
thefilmologist.com
October 6, 2025 at 8:05 PM
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
#filmsky #moviesky #kissofthespiderwoman #jlo #Tonatiuh
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
#filmsky #moviesky #anemone
Anemone
The spectacular return of Daniel Day-Lewis elevates a visually interesting but narratively sparse family drama.
thefilmologist.com
October 2, 2025 at 8:21 PM