DOOBA DOOBA premieres in select theaters and on-demand January 23.

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DOOBA DOOBA premieres in select theaters and on-demand January 23.

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Before the nominations are announced this Thursday, January 22nd, let's talk about my predictions for this year's crop of Academy Award nominees for Best Picture.

Remember, friends: no guts, no glory!

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ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER dir. Paul Thomas Anderson

SINNERS dir. Ryan Coogler

FRANKENSTEIN dir. Guillermo del Toro

HAMNET dir. Chloe Zhao

SENTIMENTAL VALUE dir. Joachim Trier

MARTY SUPREME dir. Josh Safdie

IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT dir. Jafar Panahi

TRAIN DREAMS dir. Clint Bentley

THE SECRET AGENT dir. Kleber Mendonça Filho

WEAPONS dir. Zach Cregger

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If you routinely listen to the podcast, you've likely heard me say that art comes to you when you need it.

So, is it mere coincidence that I wrap last year's Best Picture Showcase with I'M STILL HERE, a movie wherein a woman's husband is forcibly disappeared by a military dictatorship for the "crime" of assisting folks who criticize the government's policies, at a time when ICE kidnaps both undocumented immigrants and American citizens off of the streets, placing them in holding cells for endless questioning and processing, performing underreported amounts of atrocities to them?

No. I really don't fucking think so.

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I interview Isabelle Armand about her documentary GLENDORA, ahead of its premiere at the Dances With Films: NY festival on January 16.

The documentary, about a rural Mississippi town's struggle to redefine and strengthen its cultural history, is lovingly photographed by Armand, who sees the documentary as an exercise in collective memory, a way to archive generational history in a matter the town hadn't before gathered.

Armand's previous project, a photobook titled LEVON AND KENNEDY, documented the process of exonerating two Black men wrongly convicted of murder, forced to spend a collective 30+ years in prison. The documentary further examines the systemic issues with impoverished communities, primarily populated by African Americans.

However, watching the movie and talking with Armand, I don't get the sense this is doom-and-gloom. The movie, much like Armand herself, bubbles with joy and humor. It celebrates the ingenuity and love these people utilize for their home, shining a light on the talents that lie in places most would overlook.

GLENDORA will premiere at the Dances With Films: NY festival on January 16.

More information can be found here.---

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Isabelle Armand directs GLENDORA, a documentary about a rural Mississippi town's efforts to redefine and strengthen its cultural history amidst economic struggle.

Glendora, Mississippi is the poorest city in Tallahatchie County, with a population of less than 200. Marked by a history of cotton gins and sharecropping, the economic viability of the town remains inseparably linked to segregation. Once the White community left, so did the money.

The documentary showcases multiple organizations and individuals' efforts to find success and shine a spotlight on the community. Whether it be a rapper growing a fanbase in his house, local government commissioning the construction of a museum dedicated to Emmett Till or a nonprofit providing educational, housing and medical services for the community, Glendora comes across as a town full of go-getters and entreprenurial spirits.

Armand's camera sits right in the middle of everyday life, of prom parades, weddings and funerals. Her compositions let landscapes and skies sit open wide, allowing the buildings to stand out. These places are usually ignored (They won't make any architectural magazine covers) but through Armand's lens, they're lovingly positioned front and center. I think that sums up the documentary quite well.

GLENDORA will premiere at the Dances With Films: NY festival on January 16.

More information can be found ⁠here.⁠

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PRIMATE is a stupidly simple movie. A pet monkey contracts rabies and lets loose a murderous rampage on its owners and their friends.

I'm fine with this. In fact, after the movie's premiere during last year's Fantastic Fest, the buzz seemed to indicate the movie's execution of this concept was sufficiently wild, bloody, a gleefully wicked good time.

However, I'm sad to say it: festival hype has hoodwinked me once more. There's no part of this movie that is devoid of cliche.

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In RAVENOUS, Captain John Boyd (Guy Pearce) is assigned to a remote fort in California's Sierra Nevada mountains. His recent promotion to Captain comes with some caveats: During a battle with the Mexican army, he dug his head in the sand and played dead. This made him the de facto lone survivor and therefore, the only option for a "hero" the Army could praise.

Boyd isn't a crusader. He vomits at the sight of a medium rare steak because it reminds him too much of battlefield carnage.

At least the new snowy fort, full of similarly dejected outcasts and drunks, is quiet. That is, until a traumatized stranger (Robert Carlyle) arrives, telling them of a crazed cannibal in the mountains who's been killing and eating members of his party.

As the Army does, they investigate. This is a horror movie so as I can assume you'll imagine, things don't go very well.

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The best way to start a new year is by celebrating the old! 2025 saw me watch less new films than usual but as per usual, I stuck up for the weirdos.

In alphabetical order, these are the movies that stuck with me, kept me thinking and guessing and analyzing for months:

BIRDEATER dir. Jack Clark & Jim Weir

BUGONIA dir. Yorgos Lanthimos

THE LUCKIEST MAN IN AMERICA dir. Samir Oliveros

SINNERS dir. Ryan Coogler *

WOLF MAN dir. Leigh Whanell

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Today marks the last episode of Year 4 of The Movies. As such and as part of a yearly tradition, I take the last episode of each year to reflect on the good, bad and generally insane aspects of the show. I thank everybody who came on the show and anyone who helped me keep this thing rolling. Finally, I lay out some goals for 2026 to help grow and strengthen The Movies for another 12 months.

2025 ended up being my most prolific year to date but I'm just getting started, friends. Buckle in.

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Credit Song: "Blue" - Moving Mountains

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