Joseph Beyer | Author

Film Review: Project Hail Mary

April 18, 2026

For those of us who missed the existential human reverberations of the Apollo 11 moon landing in 1969, the recent successful Artemis II mission has brought us a glimmer of that awe to whole new generations. 

At the time of Apollo 11, the cinema had just been blown away by the m… Read More >>

Film Review: Mr. Nobody Against Putin

March 7, 2026

With the Oscars just around the corner, allow me to give you an edge with your ballot and suggest that if history is any guide, there’s a decent chance that the documentary Mr. Nobody Against Putin will take home the gold.

That’s because “Hollywood” … Read More >>

Film Review: Bugonia

Feb. 7, 2026

Yorgos Lanthimos could be described as more of a state of mind than a director. The creative visionary behind Dogtooth, The Lobster, and Poor Things to name just a few, Lanthimos doesn’t so much take you on cinematic journeys as much as he takes you on movin… Read More >>

Film Review: Train Dreams

Jan. 24, 2026

If the January snowstorms have you hibernating at home and looking for meaningful distractions (and if, like me, you appreciate a soft-spoken but profoundly moving cinematic journey), this critic highly recommends you clear a little time, make yourself a hot toddy, and cuddle up for the mag… Read More >>

Film Review: Marty Supreme

Jan. 10, 2026

Try as I might not to absorb too much about a film before seeing it, outside the usual trailers and teasers, I couldn’t help but notice how many people online seemed genuinely worked up about the new Timothée Chalamet thriller (?) Marty Supreme. The film is making a sp… Read More >>

Film Review: Bruce Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere

Dec. 20, 2025

Even if you watch Bruce Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere from the comfort of your own home when it hits video-on-demand starting Dec. 23, (the same way an estimated 75 percent of us now consume most movies), I still imagine it can and will capture your heart even on the small s… Read More >>

Film Review: The Alabama Solution

Dec. 6, 2025

With the holiday season of “peace on earth and goodwill toward men” upon us, it may shock you to know that almost two million Americans will spend it behind bars in a nation with the highest incarceration rate in the world.

The United States locks citizens up so aggressi… Read More >>

Film Review: Nouvelle Vague

Nov. 22, 2025

You can be forgiven if the latest Richard Linklater film isn’t on your radar yet, as almost everything about it is a bit obscure, curious, and subtitled. But for fans of the French New Wave, a movement and loose dogma of filmmaking born in France during the 1950s that radically change… Read More >>

Film Review: Famous Last Words: Dr. Jane Goodall

Nov. 1, 2025

Imagine walking into a soundproof studio that only a handful of people even know about, watching robotic un-manned cameras come to life as they follow your every move, sitting down to be interviewed deeply about how you view your life and mortality, and then walking away knowing the world w… Read More >>

Film Review: Good Boy

Oct. 18, 2025

In the new psychological thriller Good Boy, an independent horror film with a highly innovative twist, you should expect a few classic jump scares, a demonic and unknown being, and a four-legged star who will melt the heart of any dog lover out there.

So emotive and so genu… Read More >>

Film Review: One Battle After Another

Oct. 4, 2025

As I sat down in the AMC IMAX to experience Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest, One Battle After Another (should we call it an opus yet?), I truly didn’t know what to expect. And that’s how I also recommend you see it; so the following review shall contain no spoi… Read More >>

Film Review: Sunfish (& Other Stories on Green Lake)

Sept. 13, 2025

It’s hard to believe that the new enticing and lyrical indie film Sunfish (& Other Stories on Green Lake) is a debut that comes from a writer/director who was just 26 years old when she made it.

And even harder to believe is this small passion project, shot entire… Read More >>

Film Review: The Map That Leads To You

Sept. 6, 2025

As the summer blockbusters begin to fade like a sunset on the horizon and the multiplex screens fill up with the annual autumn horror films, I hate to admit that this critic found himself pretty bored with most of what’s playing this month on the big screens.

So with the recen… Read More >>

Film Review: Folktales

Aug. 16, 2025

Since the mid 19th century, immigrant settlers from the Scandinavian lands of Norway, Denmark, and Sweden have been leaving their mark on Anishnaabek Aki, these spectacular lands of abundance connected by powerful waters we get to call home.

As modern Michiganders, we are s… Read More >>

Film Review: The Fantastic Four: First Steps

Aug. 2, 2025

In a culture where AI can create spectacular visual effects at the tap of a button on our phones, at a time when the Marvel Cinematic Universe has become as complex as our own galaxy, within a summer movie season already stockpiled with superheroes, The Fantastic Four: First Steps … Read More >>

Film Review: Shark Whisperer

July 19, 2025

Launched in July of 1988 by Discovery Channel, Shark Week (mother-f’ers) quickly became a cultural phenomenon: combining our social fear and fascination for sharks into a primetime bingeable opportunity of shark content that went viral.

37 years later, Shark Week has turned in… Read More >>

Film Review: F1

July 5, 2025

With an old-fashioned but satisfying plotline, dazzling modern camerawork, and a movie star that literally lights up the screen, the new drama F1 is sometimes so realistic you may find yourself smelling oil, grease, or ethanol and swearing it’s coming from the theater.

<… Read More >>

Film Review: Pee-wee as Himself

June 21, 2025

Pee-wee Herman is his name, don’t wear it out! And if, like me, you grew up in the 1980s with the offbeat and mischievous comedian / performance-artist / television and movie star, I predict the experience of watching the new two-part documentary of his life on HBO will be a nostalgic… Read More >>

Film Review: Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning

June 7, 2025

Without being macabre, can you close your eyes now, and picture the depth and breadth of accolades, debate, and intensity that will come someday when Tom Cruise is not singlehandedly holding up the entire theatrical motion picture industry? After four decades in the risky (show) business, t… Read More >>

Film Review: The Surfer

May 24, 2025

In an ocean of mediocre and repetitive summer blockbusters, the new independent film The Surfer swims alone as an original and unexpected cinematic experience. I loved it. For fans of the enigmatic and sometimes deranged performances of actor Nicolas Cage, it provides another leadi… Read More >>