“Wuthering Heights”. The Emerald Fennell version.

by Brandon Norwood

I am not the audience for "Wuthering Heights". I am familiar with Emily Bronte's novel, but not well read. In fact, every literature class I have taken has managed to skip this novel. Walking out of "Wuthering Heights" I understood that this is Emerald Fennell's interpretation of the text.

Image courtesy of Warner Brothers.

Heathcliff (Owen Cooper) is adopted by Mr. Earnshaw (Martin Clunes) and brought to the Wuthering Heights estate. Catherine Earnshaw (Charlotte Mellington) takes an immediate liking to the young Heathcliff. Years later, Heathcliff (Jacob Elodri) and Cathy (Margot Robbie) have developed romantic feelings for each other that will decide the fates of not only themselves, but everyone surrounding them.

The quotation marks are there for a reason. This being the upteenth adaptation of Emily Bronte's text, I for one am glad that it's not another dry adaptation unlike Andrea Arnold's 2011 film that bored me to tears. This is stylized to a fault. No subtly here and it works. This is Wuthering Heights for a 2026 audience. So other than Heathcliff being white, I have no bones to pick here. Again, I am not married to the text, and Jacob Elodri gives such a powerful performance that, for me, it was easy to overlook the casting flaw (which in 2026 is distasteful). But in the back of my mind, this is Emerald's version.

Image courtesy of Warner Brothers.

Speaking of Emerald, I was able to read the new foreword of Wuthering Heights. Huge shout out to Rebecca and the team at Simon & Schuster for allowing me to read the forward as well as finally start to read the novel itself. Emerald's foreword is very illuminating. I didn't know Heathcliff killed a dog. So imagine to my surprise to see that Emerald has shown restraint. I love Promising Young Woman and Saltburn, two films that show no restraint whatsoever.

Emerald goes on to say that there are so many different ways to interpret and read the novel. Like many great texts, that holds true. A movie has a very certain interpretation. Sure, people get different things from it whether it's a surface level read or purely  a subtext focused read, but a novel is a different beast. That's why I greatly enjoyed what Emerald had done here as it is a complete 180 from Andrea Arnold's adaptation (which she herself has confessed she does not like).

Image courtesy of Warner Brothers.

Emerald starts the foreword of the book with lovers of the novel who aren't fit to go to heaven. I understand completely what she means here as the story itself has some of the most vicious psychological violence I have encountered in a minute. This is a mean story without it being completely nihilistic. It is, after all, a love story first and foremost.

As stated in the latest episode of the podcast, this film is crafted from top to bottom as a big-budget studio epic on a small scale. And in this version the true villain is Nelly (for reason that you'll have to see yourself). 

As Emerald notes in her foreword there's a push and pull between pleasure and pain. That's love itself. When it is high, there's nothing better than being connected to another person who is entirely connected to you. And when it's low, heartbreak is almost unbearable. Sometimes even more so than physical pain.

Image courtesy of Warner Brothers.

Emerald says it is impossible for one adaptation to do true justice to the novel as she lists what she left out as she asks the question "What to do with these characters and events?". That is something every responsible filmmaker should be asking themselves. As stated in the latest episode of the podcast, Peter Jackson cut out a lot of The Lord of the Rings while still staying faithful to the text and creating a cinematic achievement. I feel like that's no different here as Emerald has perfectly cast this film, with the  chemistry between our two leads, to make one of the hottest and horinest tales of yearning I've seen in a minute. It's so stylized and un-subtle that I appreciate getting hit in the head with a sledgehammer with its style, themes, and imagery. 

As I start the journey of finally reading Emily Bronte's 179 year old novel, some things remain true. Love is complicated. Good and bad people don't know how to properly communicate their feelings. If you find love that is not this toxic and that you can have an easy back and forth with, please hold on to it.

Image courtesy of Warner Brothers.

Remember the quotation marks in the title are there for a reason. This is a version of Wuthering Heights. Emerald Fennel's version. It's not THE version of one of the most famous love stories ever told. A toxic, violent love.

7 and half slaps from the Hands of Zeus with lighting bolts.

Send Help. Sam Raimi’s horror thriller is the most Sam Raimi movie yet.

by Brandon Norwood

Sam Raimi redefined horror with his The Evil Dead and its sequels, Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn and Army of Darkness. The last time Sam was let loose was Drag Me to Hell. Since then he has made an Oz prequel and the Doctor Strange sequel Multiverse of Madness. The latter I absolutely despise which is not the fault of Sam, but rather its very troubled production and script (or lack thereof). Send Help is not only a return to form, but may be the most Sam Raimi movie thus far.

Linda Liddle (Rachel McAdams) is a long-suffering, homely employee who tries to fit in and works hard to get the promotion of vice president she was promised. When the CEO passes and his son Bradley Preston (Dylan O'Brien) takes over he gives her promotion away to a frat buddy and bullies her. Making her "prove herself", she comes along on a business trip that no one wants her on. However, their private jet crashes leaving them stranded on a deserted jungle island where the dynamics have shifted causing a fight for survival.

Image courtesy of Disney.

This is what I wish we got more of. A notable director finding a solid script and elevating it to fit their personality making it entirely their own. This is the most Sam Raimi film ever made. His trademark slapstick horror and camera work are on display. But this is the first Sam Raimi film to be mean. And I mean that in a positive way as that meanness is part of the story being told. 

Make no mistake, this movie is disgusting. Sam always has gross things in all his films, but this is next level stomach churning. When the tuna salad came into play early on, I knew it was gonna get worse from there. The boar hunt has lots of snot and there's vomit in this where I know it's gonna have the audience laughing and disgusted in 3D. In fact, there's a sick gag with teeth that I absolutely cannot wait to see in 3D.

Image courtesy of Disney.

God bless Rachel McAdams. She gives another great performance as Linda Liddle. Even when Linda's nasty side starts to emerge, you still root for her as she is put through the ringer before they make it to the island. Linda is gonna be remembered as one of her signature roles. She gives her so much empathy and humanity that by the end of the film, everyone clapped. Rare for a press screening.

Dylan O'Brien gives another solid performance as Bradley. He's a great villain and makes an admirable foe for Linda. A true S.O.B., he too has moments of humanity that make him a well-rounded person that could've easily been a one-dimensional scumbag. Watching him face off with Linda is amazing. The dynamite chemistry between Rachel and Dylan elevates this.

Image courtesy of Disney.

2026 has given us now two horror films that transcend the genre. Send Help is as close to a perfect horror thriller you want. The balance of tones here can only come from a filmmaker who is as confident as Raimi. Even Danny Elfman provides a score that is wholly unique, but doesn't feel out of place. If Cast Away had an evil twin, it'd be Send Help. I much prefer Send Help too, and that is no disrespect to Robert Zemeckis.

I hope Sam makes more movies more often. Things like this are a treasure. I am absolutely floored that this is coming from Disney as this is not for the faint of heart. I do recommend seeing this in Dolby like I did, but seriously see this in 3D if you can. There's so much here that's made for the format.

8 slaps from the Hands of Zeus with lighting bolts out of ten.

Avatar: Fire and Ash. Bigger but not better.

by Brandon Norwood

Image courtesy 20th Century Studios

When James Cameron makes a movie, it is a must-see no matter what. Big Jim is the king of spectacle. So here we are with the third entry of the Avatar saga, Fire and Ash. A movie I'm seriously struggling with.

One year after the events of the second film, The Way of Water, Neteyam's death weighs on the Sully family heavily. With Miles "Spider" Socorro's (Jack Campion) presence causing problems for Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña), Jake (Sam Worthington) and the rest of the Sully family accompany him for one last journey to a safe haven for Spider. On the way they're attacked by the Ash People: a group of dangerous N'avi who ally themselves with the RDA and Colonel Miles Quaritch, which brings Jake face to face with the consequences of his decisions thus far. 

Image courtesy 20th Century Studios

Those of you who aren't familiar with my thoughts on Avatar can listen to the reviews I did with Jeff on the first two movies. I don't want to waste time (yours or mine) with a long-winded recap. Short answer is I recently came around to this saga when the first was re-released back in 2022. 

Now here we are with my most anticipated film of the year after being floored by The Way of Water. Not gonna lie, when credits rolled I thought this was the best one yet. But after sitting on it for a few hours and really letting the movie permeate, all of my initial feelings when watching it came bubbling up. Especially after talking with other critics about it.

The main issue here is that so much, both plot and structure wise, is repeated from the first two films. In the two weeks since I've seen this, Cameron has admitted that he split the second film into two movies. That makes so much more sense. Does that forgive the film for being repetitive? No. Absolutely not. But damn if everyone who told Big Jim their concerns are now found valid.

Image courtesy 20th Century Studios

With the repetitive nature of the movie, I was disappointed by the giant third act set piece. It's literally the first two mixed together. I thought the third act of The Way of Water. was some of the craziest and most audacious I've ever seen. Here, while there's a lot of this I still loved, a real big cloud of "been there, done that" hangs over it.

What really sucks is this is the longest in the saga thus far with a runtime of three hours and nineteen minutes. It's excessive y'all. This could've easily been two and half hours. Every single one of these films have outstayed their welcome length wise, but here it was egregious. 

With all of that out of the way, this is visually insane. I don't know how he keeps on outdoing himself; with the skin texture and facial performances translating from the motion capture to the final product. When these N'avi characters emote, you can not only see it, but feel it as well. It's been three years since the second film and somehow not only visually is it better, but the 3D is more immersive and the High Frame Rate when used is much smoother. 

Image courtesy 20th Century Studios

The performances definitely get better as we move on. Campion as Spider aside, everyone is doing great with what they're given. I would like to point out that Cameron's dialogue has always sucked (The OG Terminator and True Lies pop immediately into mind) so the complaints I've been seeing about that have me rolling my eyes hard.

I do like the emotionality in this film. Grief and consequences are weighing heavy on everyone in this film which leads to hate on all sides. All these characters have lost something and are either broken or bitter. Or both. I'm glad that Cameron decided to address this head on as part of the journey instead of what a lot of modern mega-blockbusters do which is to acknowledge it and push it to the side, because "they" don't want their mega franchises to address that. You can still have an emotional journey on a rip-roaring adventure. Spielberg is the king of that shit.

The Ash People led by Varang (Oona Chaplin) are one of the best new elements here. I wish we got MUCH more than what we're given with them. Their reasoning for being villainous makes sense, but it would've hit harder if we spent a little more time with this clan and gave Varang a little more pathos.

Image courtesy 20th Century Studios

Peylak (David Thewlis) , leader of the Wind Trader clan, is an intriguing new character that I wish we got more of than the brief sequence he's in. The Wind Traders in general are so cool and it's a real shame they're under utilized. The best action sequence of the film (which has some fucked up elements from the Ash People) is with the Wind Traders. Honestly, I could watch a whole two hour movie with just the Wind Traders.

All of this is to say: see it. No one is doing it like Big Jim. I'm excited to see this again to see if it plays better on a rewatch. There's shots in this where I'm floored on how Big Jim is lighting the specific shot. We've come a long way from the first film. And while I'm let down by this, I was still thoroughly entertained and am eagerly anticipating the fourth entry which the entire cast and crew has been hyping up to be an absolutely insane movie. If anything, Big Jim going bigger in scale and scope in terms of world-building and the action set pieces is something to always look forward to.

Avatar: Fire and Ash. Opens December 19th in theaters via 20th Century Studios through Disney.

The Housemaid. A soapy thriller perfect for stay at home moms.

by Brandon Norwood

Image courtesy of Lionsgate

As I made my way to my seat two months ago, I absolutely had no idea what to expect with The Housemaid. Paul Feig doing a thriller was super intriguing. Little did I know, I was about to see one of the worst movies of 2025.

Image courtesy of Lionsgate.

Millie (Sydney Sweeny) is a troubled young woman living out of her car. Nina Winchester (Amanda Seyfried) hires her to be a live-in housemaid for her wealthy family consisting of husband Andrew (Brandon Sklenar) and daughter Cecelia (Indiana Elle). However, once moving into the Winchester estate, Millie soon discovers the threat(s) of the secrets hiding within the house and the family itself.

Once this movie revealed itself with what was really going on, I mentally checked out. My screening was packed and the audience was laughing together, at first, at the over-the-top nature of how corny it was. Intentional or not, it was insane on all fronts. Then everyone was all in once the reveal came.

Image courtesy of Lionsgate

This movie is shot and paced like a soap opera. Even the sex scenes were shot in a softcore, soapy way. Imagine AS THE WORD TURNS by way of Skinamax. The men in the audience will probably liven up as the internet's latest obsession (Sweeny) is once again nude. While a lot of different dudes told me that they appreciated it, I've seen most of Sydney's work now where it's expected. To me it's just another Tuesday. I do wish y'all would get over a pretty white woman with big boobs. Sydney is not the first. And she won't be the last. It's fucking annoying at this point.

Spoilers from here on out. You've been warned. Seriously SPOILERS.

Yeah, I'm clearly not the target audience for this movie. I've seen a LOT of white women excited for this whether it's them reading the book on public transportation or getting excited seeing the trailer before a movie. 

I was waiting for the other shoe to drop on Nina. Amanda's performance felt very tacky and "big" up until the point of the reveal that I knew she was hiding something. Well yeah. Ends up she's faking her psychotic episodes to escape Andrew who's a complete psychopath and hired Millie to take her place cause nothing more than every guy wants is a blonde-haired, blue-eyed, big titty woman in her twenties. Hey more power to you if you do, but it's so clichéd that I immediately checked out. I can see why this was a bestseller. It definitely pleases the demographic it goes for (which is absolutely NOT me).

Image courtesy of Lionsgate

Tonally it's all over the place. I'm shocked at how it swings from campy to soapy to "serious". The decision to have voice-over is baffling. It doesn't particularly work well and after a while I drowned it out despite it being used to drive the plot forward at points. 

My first thoughts as the credits rolled was laughing at that weak set-up for the sequel which to my surprise I immediately found out through Google that the author, Freida McFadden, has in fact written more Housemaid books.

Image courtesy of Lionsgate

My second thought was that this was done better when it was called Gone Girl. I've read all of Gillian Flynn's books. This type of pulp storytelling Gillian does well. Sharp Objects the miniseries is honestly better than the book.

But this type of pulp fiction ain't it. I imagine fans of the novel are going to absolutely love this. Everyone else, stay away.

The Housemaid opens on theaters on December 19th via Lionsgate.

After the Hunt review. “It happened at Yale”.

by Brandon Norwood

Why?" Julia Roberts' Alama asks Ayo Edibiri's Maggie. Why did Maggie tell Alma of her sexual assault? That question of why permeates throughout the film. Luca Guadagnino's After the Hunt explores head on the use of power and privilege that all the characters are in throughout the film.

Debuting out of the Toronto International Film Festival, After the Hunt was met with a chilly reception. Yes, it's too long for its own good. Yes, it insists that its more important than it is. But I do feel as if there's a lot the film brings up to talk about.

Alma (Ayo Edibiri) is a teacher assistant who looks up to Maggie (Julia Roberts), a Yale professor. Maggie has the perfect life. A eccentric psychiatrist husband named Fredrick (Michael Stuhlbarg), a close friend named Hank (Andrew Garfield), who can meet her intellectually who also happens to be a professor at Yale like herself. Everything changes when Maggie comes forward to Maggie with allegations of sexual assault against Hank that threatens to reveal a secret of her own.

I've been having a lot of conversations about this movie. All the takes are very different from mine. That is the one thing that I feel has put off a lit of people. There are no clear answers. Even if to me there is. The film is taking a very clear approach about this. A young, queer woman of color, from a privileged background, is accusing a man in power. The power and privilege dynamics really are the backbone of this film. Every gaze or look the characters give are up to interpretation by the viewer on what it means in the moment and the overall story.

I sat raptured watching the character tug and pull at each other in ways that are extremely cruel. I seriously had no idea where this was going moment to moment and wondered just how Luca would land this story. 

Luca is a deliberate filmmaker. That continues in After the Hunt with the camera movements as well as the angles and use of negative space to frame the actors. Even in a crowded room, these are lonely people. Much has been said about Luca using the font made famous in films by Woody Allen, and that too is deliberate. This for many different reasons feels like a Woody Allen movie left out to curdle. Including the score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross which sounds as if a score from a Woody movie was left out to rot.

I’ll be honest here. Not everything worked for me. It is too long for its own good. At two hours and nineteen minutes, this should have been much shorter. Considering that there was three parts were I thought the film was ending, I wasn’t really sure. And the very last scene, to me, did nothing for the overall narrative in the film other than reinforcing privilege and power. With the current climate, I do not think that last scene really convey what it is trying to other than “Hey! Some people still get away and have it all”. No kidding.

I would like to highlight Ayo Edebiri. I cannot and will not harp on the cast. Everyone knows they’re great. Especially under the direction of Luca. But the fact that Ayo held her own against heavyweight actors is a true testament to her talents. I’m really excited to see where her career goes as she has so much range. This is a challenging role to play. There’s hard lines on how everyone is written with the subtext doing a lot of heavy lifting.

I’m very eager to have more conversations about this film. I find that this film does open up many conversations worth having. Mainly due to the fact that the conversations that I have had, have been wildly different. Everyone is gonna have a different read on this. And that’s exciting.

After the Hunt opens in limited release on October 10th. Nationwide on October 17th.