The second film in our Absurdist Action cycle is Edgar Wright's iconic action comedy, Hot Fuzz.Special Guest: Max Covil, Rotten Tomato Approved Film Critic from the great It's the Pictures podcast and newsletter.If Edgar Wright is an auteur, then Hot Fuzz

A New Cycle Begins! The first film in our Absurdist Action cycle is the rock 'em sock 'em 2022 release, Bullet Train.The action comedy is a delicate balance. Too much comedy and the stakes feel too low. Too little and the tone becomes muddled. Bullet Trai

The sixth and last film in our Existential Thriller cycle is Alfred Hitchcock's farewell to London, the macabre and dissociated Frenzy.Upon release, Frenzy was widely seen as a return to form for Hitchcock, but it has developed a rather odd reputation sin

The fifth film in our Existential Thriller cycle is William Friedkin's grim and precise Sorcerer (1977).Released in the shadow of Star Wars and Friedkin's own masterpiece, The Exorcist, this bizarre down-and-out adventure film was a total financial failur

The fourth film in our Existential Thriller cycle is Neil Jordan's infamous 1992 political enigma, The Crying Game (1992).A film's notoriety can easily mute or distort what is actually on the screen. The Crying Game is an interesting and rich movie that w

The third film in our new Existential Thrillers cycle is David Fincher's Norcal mindbender, The Game (1997) David Fincher is one the most powerful and popular auteurs working in film and tv today. We revisit what has strangely and wrongly become one of hi

The second film in our new Existential Thrillers cycle is Tony Gilroy's aughtie classic, Michael Clayton (2007). On paper, Michael Clayton probably seems like a taut legal thriller played to the middle-aged set, a John Grisham movie with the latest A-List

The first film in our new Existential Thrillers cycle is Alex Garland's bizarre and bold Men (2022). Alex Garland has quietly made himself into one of the more exciting filmmakers of the A24 set. The former novelist turned screenwriter turned auteur explo

The sixth and final film in our Self-Aware Horror cycle is the landmark exploitation film, The Last House on the Left (1972). Made off the proceeds of a successful pornographic film, this genuinely gonzo horror film sparked the careers of two kings of h

The fifth film in our Self-Aware Horror cycle is 1982's mashup of George Romero and Stephen King, Creepshow. Creepshow is an anthology horror film created as an hommage to the trashbin mid-century comic series, EC Comics. Romero and King grew up with EC C