Joaquin Phoenix and Pedro Pascal in "Eddington" - Richard Foreman, A24.
Eddington, directed and written by Ari Aster, currently rests at 65% (audience) and 69% (critics) on Rotten Tomatoes. Starring Joaquin Phoenix and Pedro Pascal, the feature is now available for rent/purchase on Digital and hits Blu-ray and 4K Blu-ray on October 21. Since CinemAddicts co-host Bruce Purkey is a huge Aster fan, he was already in the bag for an Eddington positive review. Check out his take on the film as he discusses why this “subversive” film absolutely works!
Jonathan Wren Phillips and Sally Hawkins in "Bring Her Back." Ingvar Kenne / A24
Talk To Me filmmakers Danny and Michael Philippou continued their momentum this year with the acclaimed horror thriller Bring Her Back. Though Amy Madigan has received awards heat for her showy turn in Weapons, Sally Hawkins is just as memorable, proving there is more than one horror queen in 2025! CinemAddicts co-host Bruce Purkey delivers his Bring Her Back movie review below!
Michael Angelo Covino, Kyle Marvin, Adria Arjona and Dakota Johnson in "Splitsville" - CR: NEON
Watching Michael Angelo Covino and Kyle Marvin’s latest feature Splitsville reminded me of Buster Keaton’s classic feature The General. Crafting memorable physical comedy and visually arresting cinematic compositions are qualities they share with the silent film star icon, so I started our interview with a Keaton question . . .
Hollywood Grit - Hollywood Grit / 360 Distribution
Linda Purl and Patrick Duffy support each other as partners in life and work with their recent Hollywood Grit collaboration. A film noir dramedy filled with jazz and standout performances, the feature boasts memorable work from both actors. Purl is a hard driving jazz club owner who will do anything to keep her business thriving, and Duffy plays her husband Clarence, the club’s co-owner who simply wants to ride off into the sunset and retire. The characters are part of the twisted and deadly web behind Hollywood Grit, as they may hold the key to a jazz singer’s (Ysabela Espinosa) disappearance. Purl and Duffy talked to Deepest Dream about the film, working together, and their new venture Duffy’s Dough.
Hollywood Grit - Max Martini. CR: Hollywood Grit, 360 Distribution
Take one look at Max Martini’s career and you will see a ton of, as Martini describes, “uniformed roles.” That said, he infuses these parts with three dimensional layers (check out his work in The Unit and Sgt. Will Gardner). Hollywood Grit is an entirely different venture for Martini, as he plays Grit Thorn, an alcoholic private investigator who is on a seemingly fruitless search for his missing daughter (Ysabela Espinosa). Martini talked to Deepest Dream about Hollywood Grit and reflects on his past cinematic collaborations with Guillermo del Toro (PacificRim) , Michael Bay (13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi) and George Clooney (The Tender Bar).
Aaron Dominguez and Mel Jarnson in Witchboard - The Avenue and Atlas Distribution
CinemAddicts co-host Bruce Purkey, though a fan of director Chuck Russell’s The Blob remake and A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, was not too keen on Witchboard. Starring Madison Iseman, Aaron Dominguez, and Mel Jarnson, the feature was also co-written by Russell.
Josh Zeman showing monitor to chimpanze through enclosure
glass. Checkpoint Zoo - Nelson Hume / Abramorama
Checkpoint Zoo, an award winning documentary directed by Joshua Zeman (The Loneliest Whale), hits theaters on Friday. Centering on zookeepers and volunteers who are trying to rescue animals during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Checkpoint Zoo is a downright riveting experience. Putting animals first in a war torn environment is selfless and dangerous act, and Zeman effectively captures the humanity amidst the tragedy. Zeman talked to Deepest Dream about the challenges of shooting his latest documentary.
Jeff Fahey in "The Final Run" - Level 33 Entertainment
CinemAddicts co-host Eric Holmes and I are unabashed Jeff Fahey (The Lawnmower Man, Silverado) fans, and Holmes reviews Fahey’s latest movie. The Southern noir The Final Run features Fahey as a famiy man who is reenters the drug smuggling game to pay for his ailing wife’s medical bills. Check out Holmes’ review in our post.
Directed and produced by Joshua Zeman, the award winning documentary Checkpoint Zoo centers on a group of volunteers and zookeepers who risk their lives to save animals at Kharkiv’s Feldman Ecopark. These individuals undertake this process during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and Zeman documents the dangerous evacuation of the animals.
Director/writer Kelsey Taylor delivers on her feature directing debut with To Kill A Wolf. Tagged as a modern day take of the Little Red Riding Hood tale, the immersive narrative centers on Dani (Maddison Brown), a teenage runaway whose path intersects with a man billed simply as “The Woodsman” (Ivan Martin). Taylor spent over seven years on To Kill A Wolf, and she talks about why that long road was worth it.
