Toy Story 5. Jessie’s girl.

by Brandon Norwood

When this movie was first announced I asked myself how? 4 was a literal epilogue to rectify the one mistake made in 3. Giving Bo Peep (Annie Potts) a proper ending with Woody (Tom Hanks) coming to terms that not every kid needs him.

Here we are seven years later with Toy Story 5. Good news is that this entry is very good. Bad news is that it's a step down from the previous four films.

Image courtesy of Disney and Pixar.

With tech slowly taking over everyone's lives. Bonnie (Scarlett Spears) finds herself the odd kid out. Literally. All kids have left toys behind for screens. In order for her to make friends and fit in, Bonnie's parents get her a Lilypad (Greta Lee). With Bonnie now enamored with her new tablet and Jessie (Joan Cusack) out on an adventure to get back to Bonnie and the gang, Buzz (Tim Allen) and a returning Woody head out to make things right.

Putting Jessie front and center makes sense as Woody and Buzz have had all of their character development over 4 films. In fact, walking out of this, I wish they had left Woody stay with Bo Peep. Woody's reasoning for being on this adventure is very thin. He's here for basically old and fat jokes, even if the humor is as sharp as ever.

But by having Jessie take center stage, we get to reckon with Jessie coming to terms with her abandonment with Emily, as well as reckon with the fact that devices are here to stay. Through Jessie's story, we also get a excellent new human kid named Blaze (Mykal-Michelle Harris) who now lives in Emily's old house. I love that Blaze wears a bonnet to bed. It's such a small, yet accurate detail that I loved and I am sure other black folks will appreciate that touch.

Image courtesy of Disney and Pixar.

I love that this tackles the rise of tech invading everyone's lives including cyber bullying which is what the internet does best. Pixar does not shy away from the effects that come with trying to fit and the failures to do so. Since the rise of the digital age, we've become even more fragmented and angry across the board. A lot of parents are gonna love this as it did resonate a lot with parents at my screening. 

However, for me, I found this to be a good entry in a series that is in my eyes effectively over. Woody's story is done. Buzz only has one hang up in this film which has been there since the end of 2. And yes, Bo Peep is in this albeit briefly. This is Jessie's film through and through. 

It's already been confirmed that both Disney and Pixar want two more entries in this series. I wonder what exactly will these next two be as this was not as good as the first four, and even then as much as I like 4, it's not as good as the first three films. 

Image courtesy of Disney and Pixar.

Disney is at serious crossroads with what they plan on doing. Everything they have made since 2019 looks great on a spreadsheet and is financially viable. Make no mistake, this is going to make a lot of money as this will be as crowd pleasing as the last for, however this all does feel creatively bankrupt. Disney has pumped out so much subpar Star Wars stuff that the first movie in seven years was met with a shrug. And rightfully so as that was an extended 2 part episode of the show. Marvel has pumped out so many bad TV shows and movies it makes me looks at Doomsday with such disdain as it opens the same day as Dune: Part Three. Even Pixar has suffered. Yeah Turning Red was awesome and Inside Out 2 was a worthy follow-up, but they used to be able to do this in their sleep. A potential 6 and 7 just begs the question why? Get out while you still can. When making 4, Tom Hanks said it was exhausting playing Woody. America's dad isn't getting any younger y'all. 

Scream 7. A copy of a.

by Brandon Norwood

Nine Inch Nails has a song called “Copy of a”. “I am just a copy of a copy of a copy”. Scream used to be a subversive franchise that was a great send up of slasher films, while also being a great one in its own right. Tongue firmly planted in cheek, the satire matched the kills. In this seventh installment however, we are now in legacy sequel territory.

Sydney Prescott (Neve Campbell) now lives in Pine Grove, Indiana. Married to local cop Mark Evans (Joel McHale) and a mother to three including eldest daughter Tatum (Isabel May). When a new Ghostface killer arrives, Sydney is forced to confront a reckoning on protection and survival.

Legacy sequels aren’t all bad. I love Tron: Legacy, Top Gun: Maverick, Creed, and Blade Runner 2049. Scream has now had a legacy requel (reboot sequel) three times including this one. Legacy is a topic that has been brought forth many times by various characters in this whether it’s the Meeks-Martin twins (Mason Gooding and Jasmine Savoy Brown) addressing this directly or the other characters directly talking about the events of the previous six films. The constant reminder of how brutal the events of New York was grew tiresome. 

I was excited that Kevin Williamson was back. The creator of the series who wrote the first two and co-wrote the fourth is back directing and co-writing the script. I was very wrong. This lacks energy the series had in its best installments. 

Courtney Cox’s Gale Weathers is the best thing when she and the Meeks-Martin twins enter the picture. Sadly, both Gale and the Meeks-Martin twins are only really in the second act of the film. Gale specifically being absent for the big showdown felt weird.

 I also have to give it up to the excellent set-piece of Sydney and Tatum moving through the walls of the house that’s featured prominently in the trailers. Excellent use of tension and suspense.

I wanted to leave once the first Ghostface killer dies. There’s three this time, and each reveal is more stupid than the last. Characters throughout this make decisions that had my audience sighing in frustration. This literally felt like the first and fifth movie rolled into one. None of the new characters (minus Mark) worked for me. A copy of a copy of a.

4 slaps from the Hands of Zeus without lighting bolts out of ten.

“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.

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.