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Review: ‘Frankenstein’ is a visual feast that’s both thrilling and hollow
Bite Size Reviews James Podrasky 10/22/25 Bite Size Reviews James Podrasky 10/22/25

Review: ‘Frankenstein’ is a visual feast that’s both thrilling and hollow

Guillermo del Toro’s dream project has been in the works for nearly two decades, which shows in its incredible craftsmanship. If only the story got the same attention.

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Review: ‘Dracula’
Bite Size Reviews James Podrasky 10/22/25 Bite Size Reviews James Podrasky 10/22/25

Review: ‘Dracula’

Radu Jude’s follow-up to Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World is overkill in every way and equal parts boring and insane, yet also something you should watch at least part of.

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Review: ‘Mother of Flies’
Bite Size Reviews James Podrasky 10/22/25 Bite Size Reviews James Podrasky 10/22/25

Review: ‘Mother of Flies’

The latest Adams family folk horror story is more focused on a dark, poetic tone than traditional scares, with its own cinematic language offering a unique dialect of contemporary horror.

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Review: ‘Sun Ra: Do the Impossible’
Bite Size Reviews James Podrasky 10/20/25 Bite Size Reviews James Podrasky 10/20/25

Review: ‘Sun Ra: Do the Impossible’

It’s odd how dry a documentary this is about the pioneering Afro-futurist jazz musician and band leader Sun Ra, a guy who claimed to be from Saturn.

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Review: ‘Bugonia’
Bite Size Reviews James Podrasky 10/20/25 Bite Size Reviews James Podrasky 10/20/25

Review: ‘Bugonia’

A smaller, tighter chamber drama compared to some of his most recent works, Yorgos Lanthimos’ latest is a poignant addition to the recent wave of “late-stage capitalism” cinema.

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Review: ‘Only Heaven Knows’
Bite Size Reviews James Podrasky 10/17/25 Bite Size Reviews James Podrasky 10/17/25

Review: ‘Only Heaven Knows’

Shot locally in Chicagoland, Nurzhamal Karamoldoeva’s narrative debut is an eye-opening journey into Chicago’s growing Kyrgyz immigrant community.

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Review: ‘Hedda’
Bite Size Reviews James Podrasky 10/16/25 Bite Size Reviews James Podrasky 10/16/25

Review: ‘Hedda’

In Nia DaCosta’s remix of a classic Ibsen play, Tessa Thompson is deliciously wicked as the titular character throwing a Gatsby-level party of decadence and decay.

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Review: ‘Train Dreams’
Bite Size Reviews Kevin Prchal 10/16/25 Bite Size Reviews Kevin Prchal 10/16/25

Review: ‘Train Dreams’

As a collection of images, Clint Bentley’s adaptation of the beloved Denis Johnson novella is a sight to behold—but that takes it only so far.

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Review: ‘Ballad of a Small Player’ is a bombastic yet predictable gambling thriller
Bite Size Reviews James Podrasky 10/15/25 Bite Size Reviews James Podrasky 10/15/25

Review: ‘Ballad of a Small Player’ is a bombastic yet predictable gambling thriller

Edward Berger’s excessive directing style and a brilliant Colin Farrell performance elevate what would otherwise be a mediocre algorithm movie into a mostly fun ride.

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Review: ‘Primavera’
Bite Size Reviews James Podrasky 10/14/25 Bite Size Reviews James Podrasky 10/14/25

Review: ‘Primavera’

Set in early 18th-century Venice, Damiano Michieletto’s directorial debut features a young orphaned violinist as the pupil of composer Antonio Vivaldi.

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Review: ‘A Useful Ghost’
Bite Size Reviews James Podrasky 10/14/25 Bite Size Reviews James Podrasky 10/14/25

Review: ‘A Useful Ghost’

Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke’s latest film is perhaps a little long and overstuffed with ideas, but also like nothing you’ve ever seen before.

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Review: ‘It Was Just An Accident’
Bite Size Reviews James Podrasky 10/14/25 Bite Size Reviews James Podrasky 10/14/25

Review: ‘It Was Just An Accident’

Jafar Panahi’s Palme d’Or-winner explores the morality of revenge, the bonds of trauma, and the thin line between imprisonment and life in an oppressive society.

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Review: ‘The Summer Book’ is a serene meditation on loss and coming of age
Bite Size Reviews Chad Comello 10/10/25 Bite Size Reviews Chad Comello 10/10/25

Review: ‘The Summer Book’ is a serene meditation on loss and coming of age

Author Tove Jansson was best known for her Moomin children’s books, but it’s her acclaimed novel that’s been turned into a feature film—and a lovely one at that.

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Review: Geopolitical thriller ‘A House of Dynamite’ is as captivating as it is frustrating
Bite Size Reviews James Podrasky 10/9/25 Bite Size Reviews James Podrasky 10/9/25

Review: Geopolitical thriller ‘A House of Dynamite’ is as captivating as it is frustrating

In Kathryn Bigelow’s new subversive thriller, a who’s who of notable character actors try to prevent a nuclear warhead from blowing up Chicago.

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Review: ‘Anemone’ aims for profound but settles for silly
Bite Size Reviews James Podrasky 10/2/25 Bite Size Reviews James Podrasky 10/2/25

Review: ‘Anemone’ aims for profound but settles for silly

All the elements were there for Daniel Day-Lewis’s first post-“retirement” film to succeed, but instead it falters with a thin premise.

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Review: ‘The Smashing Machine’ swats away every sports movie cliché
Bite Size Reviews James Podrasky 9/30/25 Bite Size Reviews James Podrasky 9/30/25

Review: ‘The Smashing Machine’ swats away every sports movie cliché

Benny Safdie’s solo directorial debut starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson might not be a totally cohesive moviegoing experience, yet I can’t stop thinking about it.

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Review: ‘One Battle After Another’ is a thrilling, absurd and heartfelt masterpiece
Bite Size Reviews James Podrasky 9/26/25 Bite Size Reviews James Podrasky 9/26/25

Review: ‘One Battle After Another’ is a thrilling, absurd and heartfelt masterpiece

Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest film is an entertaining journey packed with ideas that could only be conceived by one of our greatest filmmakers.

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Review: ‘The Long Walk’ is the best Stephen King adaptation in years
Bite Size Reviews James Podrasky 9/11/25 Bite Size Reviews James Podrasky 9/11/25

Review: ‘The Long Walk’ is the best Stephen King adaptation in years

Francis Lawrence’s dystopian horror film is a thrilling and devastating depiction of young men broken down by a fascist system trying to find the will to go on.

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Review: ‘Caught Stealing’ robs from the best ‘90s crime films
Bite Size Reviews James Podrasky 8/28/25 Bite Size Reviews James Podrasky 8/28/25

Review: ‘Caught Stealing’ robs from the best ‘90s crime films

It’s odd how stars like Austin Butler and Zoë Kravitz can make a meal out of this warmed-over genre film while its iconic boundary-pushing director hardly seems present.

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Review: ‘The Roses’ is a broadly appealing bouquet of banter and black comedy
Bite Size Reviews James Podrasky 8/25/25 Bite Size Reviews James Podrasky 8/25/25

Review: ‘The Roses’ is a broadly appealing bouquet of banter and black comedy

There’s just something nice about having an adult-oriented comedy with broad appeal in theaters again. 

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