Infestation: Fantastic Fest 2026 – The Cycle

The Cycle movie review

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THE CYCLE MOVIE REVIEW

Meg (Deborah Ann Woll) is a forensic examiner who specializes in the decay of human bodies. When the police show up to ask her to consult on a mysterious case of a body found outside of a murder house that seems out of place, she’s interested…until they tell her it’s the body of her father who left their family when she was a child. Eventually she comes around and teaming up with two cops (Jeffrey Donovan and Will Hochman) she dives into this strange case. The murders were two bodies that were completely savaged. Her father’s body seems to have been dead for a while by suicide…but who put his body there if he killed himself? Eventually more horrific murders happen and you know what? There’s her dad’s body again at the scene. Before you can start thinking, is this in the same universe as The Autopsy of Jane Doe, the film plays its hand with one of the most interesting and insanely cool practical f/x monsters we’ve seen in a long time. Listen to Chris and Wright reporting from Fantastic Fest 2026 about The Cycle!

DIRECTED BY: Jordan Downey

STARRING: Deborah Ann Woll, Jeffrey Donovan, Gretchen Corbett, Will Hochman, Trevor Newlin, Dana Millican, Phillip Andre Botello, Jack Doolan, Don Keith Opper, Carl W. Crudup, Danika Golombek, Jeb Berrier, David Myers Gregory

 

YOUR REVIEWERS

 

Christopher Lawrence Cox (Founder, Da Boss, Digital Noise, Highly Suspect Reviews, Screener Squad, Deliberations of Doom)

Born in the wilds of northern Virginia, Chris managed to put all of his survival skills to use and barely escaped with his life to Austin Texas in 1992 where ever since he’s dabbled in everything from plumber’s assistant to sandwich maker, from band to bar and theater management. An opportunity to see theatrical release films for free by becoming a critic on a local public access show called “The Reel Deal” turned into a full-time job when Chris and his friends decided to take it to the internet. They built the site Spill.com, adding multiple podcasts and animated features, to no small amount of success. During this time, a fortuitous friendship sprung up between Chris and young Brian Salisbury, who was also a local film critic, and they merged their forces of will, and their laundry list of ideas for shows, to eventually build this community of critics. While Brian eventually followed his heart to a new family, Chris continues on with a cast of colorful folks from all over the country (and a few others).

 

Wright Sulek (The Other Boss, Trash in the Can, Digital Noise, Highly Suspect Reviews, One Man’s Trash, Screener Squad)

Wright hails from the northern suburbs of Dallas, Texas. His passion for filmmaking brought him to Austin to study and make movies. Since then he’s had his hand in acting, writing, and directing his own short films with numerous like-minded film geeks he’s met along his journey. His newest interest has brought him into the podcasting world. He co-hosted a few different movie related podcasts such as ‘And Now This’ and ‘The Match Cut’. He currently co-hosts with longtime friend, Eric Samaniego, where they talk shop about the grimiest, trashiest, lost gems of movies on their show, ‘Trash in the Can’. Wright also guests and hosts reviews on Screener Squad and Highly Suspect Reviews as well as co-hosts Digital Noise with Chris Cox. As of 2024, Wright has now been inducted into the Austin Film Critics Association as well as co-owns the One of Us network with Chris Cox.

 

You can subscribe to the Highly Suspect Reviews and Screener Squad series of podcasts on iTunes, Spotify, and more, or use our RSS feed on whatever podcast service you use: https://oneofus.net/feed/theatrical-movie-review-podcast/ and please leave us a review!

Please think about becoming a paid subscriber to Oneofus.net, support our huge network of shows, and get access to tons of bonus shows and videos in our forums! We cannot keep this site going without support from our listeners. For added information about being a subscriber, the benefits, and the forums, please go here.


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Infestation: Fantastic Fest 2026 – Godmother

Godmother movie review

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GODMOTHER MOVIE REVIEW

Theo and Colby are going to the desert to a cute little air b&b run by a delightful old couple (horror stalwarts Dee Wallace and Bruce Davidson). Unfortunately, Theo’s party girl sister Katie got invited along kinda making Theo’s plans for a romantic weekend get quashed. Much more unfortunately, the delightful old couple have some pretty bloody plans for this trio of young’uns. Just when you think, okay, I know exactly how the rest of this movie is gonna play out, Godmother presents you with some rather sharp turns into sub-genre that you probably won’t see coming. Wright and Chris take a look at this new vs old horror and give you their thoughts, straight from Fantastic Fest 2026!

OFFICIAL WEBSITE/TRAILER

DIRECTED BY: John Veron

STARRING: Dee Wallace, Bruce Davison, Khary Payton, Paige Evans, Riley Dandy, Cameron Cuffe, Carl Savering, Madelynn Joy Stuenkel, Jeff Ararat

 

YOUR REVIEWERS

 

Christopher Lawrence Cox (Founder, Da Boss, Digital Noise, Highly Suspect Reviews, Screener Squad, Deliberations of Doom)

Born in the wilds of northern Virginia, Chris managed to put all of his survival skills to use and barely escaped with his life to Austin Texas in 1992 where ever since he’s dabbled in everything from plumber’s assistant to sandwich maker, from band to bar and theater management. An opportunity to see theatrical release films for free by becoming a critic on a local public access show called “The Reel Deal” turned into a full-time job when Chris and his friends decided to take it to the internet. They built the site Spill.com, adding multiple podcasts and animated features, to no small amount of success. During this time, a fortuitous friendship sprung up between Chris and young Brian Salisbury, who was also a local film critic, and they merged their forces of will, and their laundry list of ideas for shows, to eventually build this community of critics. While Brian eventually followed his heart to a new family, Chris continues on with a cast of colorful folks from all over the country (and a few others).

 

Wright Sulek (The Other Boss, Trash in the Can, Digital Noise, Highly Suspect Reviews, One Man’s Trash, Screener Squad)

Wright hails from the northern suburbs of Dallas, Texas. His passion for filmmaking brought him to Austin to study and make movies. Since then he’s had his hand in acting, writing, and directing his own short films with numerous like-minded film geeks he’s met along his journey. His newest interest has brought him into the podcasting world. He co-hosted a few different movie related podcasts such as ‘And Now This’ and ‘The Match Cut’. He currently co-hosts with longtime friend, Eric Samaniego, where they talk shop about the grimiest, trashiest, lost gems of movies on their show, ‘Trash in the Can’. Wright also guests and hosts reviews on Screener Squad and Highly Suspect Reviews as well as co-hosts Digital Noise with Chris Cox. As of 2024, Wright has now been inducted into the Austin Film Critics Association as well as co-owns the One of Us network with Chris Cox.

 

You can subscribe to the Highly Suspect Reviews and Screener Squad series of podcasts on iTunes, Spotify, and more, or use our RSS feed on whatever podcast service you use: https://oneofus.net/feed/theatrical-movie-review-podcast/ and please leave us a review!

Please think about becoming a paid subscriber to Oneofus.net, support our huge network of shows, and get access to tons of bonus shows and videos in our forums! We cannot keep this site going without support from our listeners. For added information about being a subscriber, the benefits, and the forums, please go here.


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Infestation: Fantastic Fest 2026 – Victorian Psycho

Victorian Psycho movie review

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VICTORIAN PSYCHO MOVIE REVIEW

The director of Sanctuary is back with another seriously weird little horror film, Victorian Psycho. Maika Monroe (It Follows) plays Winifred Notty, a new governess at the remote and huge Ensor house for the wealthy Lamb family. The mom (Ruth Wilson) doesn’t like her because she thinks she’s screwing her husband. The husband (Jason Isaacs) does like her because he WOULD like to screw her. The kids are terrified of her. The nurse (Thomasin McKenzie) thinks she’s found a new friend. And Winifred? She’s just trying not to ‘let it happen again’. You can guess quickly what ‘it’ is. Told from the viewpoint of Winifred, Victorian Psycho really is American Psycho but from a female and period piece point of view. And Chris and Wright were totally here for it at this year’s Fantastic Fest, figuratively and literally.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE/TRAILER

DIRECTED BY: Zachary Wigon

STARRING: Maika Monroe, Thomasin McKenzie, Ruth Wilson, Jason Isaacs, Jacobi Jupe, Evie Templeton, Amy De Bhrún

 

YOUR REVIEWERS

 

Christopher Lawrence Cox (Founder, Da Boss, Digital Noise, Highly Suspect Reviews, Screener Squad, Deliberations of Doom)

Born in the wilds of northern Virginia, Chris managed to put all of his survival skills to use and barely escaped with his life to Austin Texas in 1992 where ever since he’s dabbled in everything from plumber’s assistant to sandwich maker, from band to bar and theater management. An opportunity to see theatrical release films for free by becoming a critic on a local public access show called “The Reel Deal” turned into a full-time job when Chris and his friends decided to take it to the internet. They built the site Spill.com, adding multiple podcasts and animated features, to no small amount of success. During this time, a fortuitous friendship sprung up between Chris and young Brian Salisbury, who was also a local film critic, and they merged their forces of will, and their laundry list of ideas for shows, to eventually build this community of critics. While Brian eventually followed his heart to a new family, Chris continues on with a cast of colorful folks from all over the country (and a few others).

 

Wright Sulek (The Other Boss, Trash in the Can, Digital Noise, Highly Suspect Reviews, One Man’s Trash, Screener Squad)

Wright hails from the northern suburbs of Dallas, Texas. His passion for filmmaking brought him to Austin to study and make movies. Since then he’s had his hand in acting, writing, and directing his own short films with numerous like-minded film geeks he’s met along his journey. His newest interest has brought him into the podcasting world. He co-hosted a few different movie related podcasts such as ‘And Now This’ and ‘The Match Cut’. He currently co-hosts with longtime friend, Eric Samaniego, where they talk shop about the grimiest, trashiest, lost gems of movies on their show, ‘Trash in the Can’. Wright also guests and hosts reviews on Screener Squad and Highly Suspect Reviews as well as co-hosts Digital Noise with Chris Cox. As of 2024, Wright has now been inducted into the Austin Film Critics Association as well as co-owns the One of Us network with Chris Cox.

 

You can subscribe to the Highly Suspect Reviews and Screener Squad series of podcasts on iTunes, Spotify, and more, or use our RSS feed on whatever podcast service you use: https://oneofus.net/feed/theatrical-movie-review-podcast/ and please leave us a review!

Please think about becoming a paid subscriber to Oneofus.net, support our huge network of shows, and get access to tons of bonus shows and videos in our forums! We cannot keep this site going without support from our listeners. For added information about being a subscriber, the benefits, and the forums, please go here.


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Screener Squad: The Yeti

The Yeti movie review

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THE YETI MOVIE REVIEW

Pack your parka, grab a rifle, and for the love of God, stop following the enormous footprints. Set in 1947, The Yeti sends Ellie Bannister (Brittany Allen) and Merriell Sunday Jr. (Eric Nelsen) into the frozen wilderness of northern Alaska after the vanishing of their fathers, famed adventurer Hollis Bannister (William Sadler) and oil tycoon Merriell Sunday Sr. (Corbin Bernsen). The two children form an expedition in the style of pulpy, Jules Verne tales, and head into the wilderness with a rescue party full of tragic backstories. They quickly discover that the blizzard is the least murderous thing waiting for them in the woods. While this flick may be operating with a low budget and minimal assets, there is a plucky style at work that delivers a bloody indie throwback to the days when a creature feature meant stranding a bunch of people somewhere inhospitable, unleashing a gigantic practical monster, and seeing who still has all their limbs by the closing credits. T.C. and Lewayne trek out to the One Of Us yurt to huddle in front of the fire and trade tales of indie film, snowy monsters, and whether this movie is worth your time.

WATCH HERE

DIRECTED BY: Gene Gallerano

STARRING: Brittany Allen, William Sadler, Corbin Bernsen, Heather Lind, Jim Cummings, Eric Nelsen, Christina Bennett Lind, Elizabeth Cappuccino, Gene Gallereano, Zach Franklin

 

YOUR REVIEWERS

 

T.C. De Witt (Screener Squad)

T.C. De Witt is a multi-awarded writer/director originally from Wisconsin and now based in Los Angeles. His life has been devoted to the arts since he was a child. He’s been a stage performer, playwright, stand-up comic, film and television actor, radio DJ, podcaster published author, recorded musician, and comic writer/illustrator. He is now a professional screenwriter and has been thriving for the past decade, regularly offering his talents to production studios in LA, Chicago, Milwaukee, and internationally in Sydney and Poland. He’s provided content for Amazon Prime, Netflix, and several YouTube partners. His films have screened internationally, and his stageplays have been performed across the country. In the last ten years, he has directed 57 films, 23 episodes of his series The One Minute Rewatch, 300+ episodes of podcasts, and his multi-award-winning short film Screen: Righter screened at the Festival de Cannes in 2016. He has released two feature films, The Princess Knight and A Christmas Sunset. He thrives on collaboration and the thrill of sharing stories in all forms.

 

Lewayne White (Screener Squad)

Lewayne’s earliest memories are of watching movies and reading comics, which instilled in him a sense of wonder, a vivid imagination, and unrealistic expectations. It also means he spends a lot of time watching movies, writing scripts for them, and trying to get them made. He lives in the middle of middle America after landing there as a child, and has remained there mainly because he hates packing.

 

You can subscribe to the Highly Suspect Reviews and Screener Squad series of podcasts on iTunes, Spotify, and more, or use our RSS feed on whatever podcast service you use: https://oneofus.net/feed/theatrical-movie-review-podcast/ and please leave us a review!

Please think about becoming a paid subscriber to Oneofus.net, support our huge network of shows, and get access to tons of bonus shows and videos in our forums! We cannot keep this site going without support from our listeners. For added information about being a subscriber, the benefits, and the forums, please go here.


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Screener Squad: The Whisper Man

The Whisper Man movie review

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THE WHISPER MAN MOVIE REVIEW

Widowed crime writer Tom Kennedy (Adam Scott) is thrown into every parent’s nightmare when his young son Jake is abducted. Desperate for answers, Tom turns to his estranged father, retired detective Pete Willis (Robert De Niro), whose past may hold the key: decades earlier, Pete captured notorious child killer Frank Carter (Michael Keaton), the child murderer known as The Whisper Man. But Carter is still locked away, leaving Detective Amanda Beck (Michelle Monaghan) to unravel whether they’re dealing with a copycat, an accomplice, or something even more disturbing. Rae, Neil, Melina, and T.C. gather in front of the One Of Us cork board with a ball of red yarn and a stack of black-and-white photos to find the connection between what works in this thriller and what does not.

WATCH HERE

DIRECTED BY: James Ashcroft

STARRING: Robert De Niro, Michelle Monaghan, Adam Scott, Hamish Linklater, Owen Teague, Michael Keaton, Acston Luca Porto, Will Brill, Exavier Montanez, Robert Clohessy, Aniela Zeig

 

YOUR REVIEWERS

 

T.C. De Witt (Screener Squad)

T.C. De Witt is a multi-awarded writer/director originally from Wisconsin and now based in Los Angeles. His life has been devoted to the arts since he was a child. He’s been a stage performer, playwright, stand-up comic, film and television actor, radio DJ, podcaster published author, recorded musician, and comic writer/illustrator. He is now a professional screenwriter and has been thriving for the past decade, regularly offering his talents to production studios in LA, Chicago, Milwaukee, and internationally in Sydney and Poland. He’s provided content for Amazon Prime, Netflix, and several YouTube partners. His films have screened internationally, and his stageplays have been performed across the country. In the last ten years, he has directed 57 films, 23 episodes of his series The One Minute Rewatch, 300+ episodes of podcasts, and his multi-award-winning short film Screen: Righter screened at the Festival de Cannes in 2016. He has released two feature films, The Princess Knight and A Christmas Sunset. He thrives on collaboration and the thrill of sharing stories in all forms.

 

Lyrae Anderson (Screener Squad)

You can call me Rae. You can also call me a film lover. I’ll watch it all — small screen; big screen, and everything in between. I have attended and worked for Fantastic Fest and South by Southwest for many years. I married a film geek as well. While we don’t agree on everything, we agree on our love of movies.

 

Neil Anderson (Screener Squad)

I first got hooked on movies when I saw Star Wars at a drive-in theater as a kid. Growing up in a small, rural town meant not having access to a lot of movies. In college, that all changed. I couldn’t get enough. I love it all — flicks, films, movies, and cinema. I still have that wide-eyed wonder of that kid watching movies from the back of a pick-up truck at the drive-in.

 

You can subscribe to the Highly Suspect Reviews and Screener Squad series of podcasts on iTunes, Spotify, and more, or use our RSS feed on whatever podcast service you use: https://oneofus.net/feed/theatrical-movie-review-podcast/ and please leave us a review!

Please think about becoming a paid subscriber to Oneofus.net, support our huge network of shows, and get access to tons of bonus shows and videos in our forums! We cannot keep this site going without support from our listeners. For added information about being a subscriber, the benefits, and the forums, please go here.


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Infestation: Fantastic Fest 2026 – Wild Horse Nine

Wild Horse Nine movie review

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WILD HORSE NINE MOVIE REVIEW

Director/Writer Martin McDonagh has become one of our ‘never misses’ creatives. Since moving from stage to screen in 2008 masterfully with In Bruges, he’s made one delightfully dialogued film after another. This year at Fantastic Fest we got to see his latest work of hysterical somberness, Wild Horse Nine, and we are here to tell you: this might be his masterpiece. The film follows two CIA officers in the early 70s shortly before the CIA-backed coup in Chile. Chris (John Malkovich) is old, and tired of it all, and doesn’t care anymore what he says to who, especially about his part in the JFK assassination. His only friend Lee (Sam Rockwell) does his best to keep his own boss (Steve Buscemi) from killing him himself, while the two old friends take a trip to Easter Island to ‘see the big heads’. There’s a ton of masterful character work being done here from everyone involved and a deeply funny and smart script that still will have you feeling emotional at several points. Chris and Wright are here to give you the full details about how you’ll be hearing a LOT about this film in the coming months.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE/TRAILER

DIRECTED BY: Martin McDonagh

STARRING: John Malkovich, Sam Rockwell, Steve Buscemi, Tom Waits, Parker Posey, Mariana di Girolamo, Ailín Salas, Paola Giannini, Samuel Wayt

 

YOUR REVIEWERS

 

Christopher Lawrence Cox (Founder, Da Boss, Digital Noise, Highly Suspect Reviews, Screener Squad, Deliberations of Doom)

Born in the wilds of northern Virginia, Chris managed to put all of his survival skills to use and barely escaped with his life to Austin Texas in 1992 where ever since he’s dabbled in everything from plumber’s assistant to sandwich maker, from band to bar and theater management. An opportunity to see theatrical release films for free by becoming a critic on a local public access show called “The Reel Deal” turned into a full-time job when Chris and his friends decided to take it to the internet. They built the site Spill.com, adding multiple podcasts and animated features, to no small amount of success. During this time, a fortuitous friendship sprung up between Chris and young Brian Salisbury, who was also a local film critic, and they merged their forces of will, and their laundry list of ideas for shows, to eventually build this community of critics. While Brian eventually followed his heart to a new family, Chris continues on with a cast of colorful folks from all over the country (and a few others).

 

Wright Sulek (The Other Boss, Trash in the Can, Digital Noise, Highly Suspect Reviews, One Man’s Trash, Screener Squad)

Wright hails from the northern suburbs of Dallas, Texas. His passion for filmmaking brought him to Austin to study and make movies. Since then he’s had his hand in acting, writing, and directing his own short films with numerous like-minded film geeks he’s met along his journey. His newest interest has brought him into the podcasting world. He co-hosted a few different movie related podcasts such as ‘And Now This’ and ‘The Match Cut’. He currently co-hosts with longtime friend, Eric Samaniego, where they talk shop about the grimiest, trashiest, lost gems of movies on their show, ‘Trash in the Can’. Wright also guests and hosts reviews on Screener Squad and Highly Suspect Reviews as well as co-hosts Digital Noise with Chris Cox. As of 2024, Wright has now been inducted into the Austin Film Critics Association as well as co-owns the One of Us network with Chris Cox.

 

You can subscribe to the Highly Suspect Reviews and Screener Squad series of podcasts on iTunes, Spotify, and more, or use our RSS feed on whatever podcast service you use: https://oneofus.net/feed/theatrical-movie-review-podcast/ and please leave us a review!

Please think about becoming a paid subscriber to Oneofus.net, support our huge network of shows, and get access to tons of bonus shows and videos in our forums! We cannot keep this site going without support from our listeners. For added information about being a subscriber, the benefits, and the forums, please go here.


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Infestation: Fantastic Fest 2026 – Beware Boiúna

Beware Boiuna movie review

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BEWARE BOIÚNA MOVIE REVIEW

I am not sure anyone was clamoring for another film about folks traipsing around the Amazon who are set upon by a giant killer snake, but here’s Beware Boiúna to take up that space anyway. The second film we saw at this year’s Fantastic Fest is directed by Mike P. Nelson, who made one of our faves from last year, the reboot of Silent Night, Deadly Night. This one skips the meta for something more straightforward, albeit with some unexpected choices along the way. The story follows a humanitarian medical mission to the Amazon as a group of doctors and a student (Jessica Rothe) provide basic health care to the river dwellers. Unfortunately for them, some bad dude “developers” (re: guys who want to rape and pillage the land and not always legally) led by Brennan (Logan Marshall-Green) find themselves chasing them after one of their own dies somewhat accidentally at the hands of the student and doctor ship’s mechanic (Kiana Madeira). But they all run headlong into a much bigger danger, a humongous and possibly mystical, very hungry snake. Chris, Wright, Nathan, and Mike parse out what works and what doesn’t about this film that if nothing else, is at least tons better than last year’s awful meta Anaconda comedy reboot.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE/TRAILER

DIRECTED BY: Mike P. Nelson

STARRING: Kiana Madeira, Jessica Rothe, Logan Marshall-Green, Jackson Bews, Juan Pablo Shuk, Will Close, Vicente Peña, Mateo Moreno, Jaime Newball, Christophe de Geest, Nelson Camayo

 

YOUR REVIEWERS

 

Christopher Lawrence Cox (Founder, Da Boss, Digital Noise, Highly Suspect Reviews, Screener Squad, Deliberations of Doom)

Born in the wilds of northern Virginia, Chris managed to put all of his survival skills to use and barely escaped with his life to Austin Texas in 1992 where ever since he’s dabbled in everything from plumber’s assistant to sandwich maker, from band to bar and theater management. An opportunity to see theatrical release films for free by becoming a critic on a local public access show called “The Reel Deal” turned into a full-time job when Chris and his friends decided to take it to the internet. They built the site Spill.com, adding multiple podcasts and animated features, to no small amount of success. During this time, a fortuitous friendship sprung up between Chris and young Brian Salisbury, who was also a local film critic, and they merged their forces of will, and their laundry list of ideas for shows, to eventually build this community of critics. While Brian eventually followed his heart to a new family, Chris continues on with a cast of colorful folks from all over the country (and a few others).

 

Wright Sulek (The Other Boss, Trash in the Can, Digital Noise, Highly Suspect Reviews, One Man’s Trash, Screener Squad)

Wright hails from the northern suburbs of Dallas, Texas. His passion for filmmaking brought him to Austin to study and make movies. Since then he’s had his hand in acting, writing, and directing his own short films with numerous like-minded film geeks he’s met along his journey. His newest interest has brought him into the podcasting world. He co-hosted a few different movie related podcasts such as ‘And Now This’ and ‘The Match Cut’. He currently co-hosts with longtime friend, Eric Samaniego, where they talk shop about the grimiest, trashiest, lost gems of movies on their show, ‘Trash in the Can’. Wright also guests and hosts reviews on Screener Squad and Highly Suspect Reviews as well as co-hosts Digital Noise with Chris Cox. As of 2024, Wright has now been inducted into the Austin Film Critics Association as well as co-owns the One of Us network with Chris Cox.

 

Mike J. McAllister (Screener Squad, Staff Writer, Head Video Editor)

Mike J. McAllister is an award-winning creative jack of all trades, and is pretty competent with most of them. He is a writer, director, animator, video editor, and motion graphics artist. He has tried his hand at nearly every form of artistic expression at least once. He was born and raised in Western Pennsylvania where he fell in love with film, writing and special effects at an early age. His obsession with film would lead him to being locally known as a “human IMDb” and being on a first-name basis with every video store clerk in town. He would study film in Pittsburgh before taking his talents to Austin. Not letting something like Tourettes get in his way, he has produced a handful of animated short films that have won awards from film festivals all over the globe. He has also written several yet-to-be-produced screenplays and TV pilots, with some of them being recognized in screenwriting competitions. He has even created motion graphics and animations for several clients, from movie theaters to Twitch streamers. When not creating or watching films, he enjoys MST3K, classic video games and buying vinyl records. He loves dogs, dropping obscure pop culture trivia and watching travel videos. He currently resides in Austin Texas and can be followed on the Instamagrams at @ohheyitsmikejm. His body of work can be found at his homepage or you can take a gander at his somewhat-impressive IMDb listing here.

Nathan Flynn (Screener Squad, Highly Suspect Reviews)

Nathan Flynn is the resident goofball of OneofUs.Net, often found overly caffeinated, slightly stoned, and ready to unleash the hottest takes imaginable. As the resident Letterboxd Lunatic, his movie opinions are as bold as his love for Top Gun: Maverick — a film he considers less of a movie and more of a religion. When he’s not passionately defending his latest cinematic obsession, Nathan manages a comedy club in downtown Austin, where he’s somehow avoided being heckled… so far. Around here, he’s usually the punching bag, but hey, someone’s gotta do it.

 

You can subscribe to the Highly Suspect Reviews and Screener Squad series of podcasts on iTunes, Spotify, and more, or use our RSS feed on whatever podcast service you use: https://oneofus.net/feed/theatrical-movie-review-podcast/ and please leave us a review!

Please think about becoming a paid subscriber to Oneofus.net, support our huge network of shows, and get access to tons of bonus shows and videos in our forums! We cannot keep this site going without support from our listeners. For added information about being a subscriber, the benefits, and the forums, please go here.


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Infestation: Fantastic Fest 2026 – Resident Evil

Resident Evil movie review

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RESIDENT EVIL MOVIE REVIEW

There have been seven Resident Evil live action film adaptations. SEVEN. That’s not even counting a whole slew of animated film ones to boot. So why can’t anyone translate the terrifying and legendary game series into a film that works on a level past ‘campy’ or ‘the director just wants to see his wife in tight clothes kicking ass’? Well now, horror wunderkind Zach Cregger (Weapons, Barbarian) has quite unexpectedly taken the helm of a new reboot titled simply Resident Evil and expectations are significantly higher. Bryan (Austin Abrams) who works as a medical courier agrees at double-pay to transport an emergency organ way up into the snowy mountains to a hospital in the town of Raccoon City as one last gig for the night before he can get back to his girlfriend. But, well, guess what? You already know what. With gooey undead mutant stuff everywhere and death lurking at every turn, Resident Evil makes a choice that none of the other movies have: our protagonist isn’t a highly trained soldier or cop…he’s just a dude who barely knows how to fire a gun. Cregger succeeds where the other films have failed by injecting as much humor as horror into the film. Chris, Wright, Nathan, and Mike, still groggy from the first day of Fantastic Fest, are here to tell you all about it.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE/TRAILER

DIRECTED BY: Zach Cregger

STARRING: Austin Abrams, Zach Cherry, Kali Reis, Paul Walter Hauser, Johnno Wilson

 

YOUR REVIEWERS

 

Christopher Lawrence Cox (Founder, Da Boss, Digital Noise, Highly Suspect Reviews, Screener Squad, Deliberations of Doom)

Born in the wilds of northern Virginia, Chris managed to put all of his survival skills to use and barely escaped with his life to Austin Texas in 1992 where ever since he’s dabbled in everything from plumber’s assistant to sandwich maker, from band to bar and theater management. An opportunity to see theatrical release films for free by becoming a critic on a local public access show called “The Reel Deal” turned into a full-time job when Chris and his friends decided to take it to the internet. They built the site Spill.com, adding multiple podcasts and animated features, to no small amount of success. During this time, a fortuitous friendship sprung up between Chris and young Brian Salisbury, who was also a local film critic, and they merged their forces of will, and their laundry list of ideas for shows, to eventually build this community of critics. While Brian eventually followed his heart to a new family, Chris continues on with a cast of colorful folks from all over the country (and a few others).

 

Wright Sulek (The Other Boss, Trash in the Can, Digital Noise, Highly Suspect Reviews, One Man’s Trash, Screener Squad)

Wright hails from the northern suburbs of Dallas, Texas. His passion for filmmaking brought him to Austin to study and make movies. Since then he’s had his hand in acting, writing, and directing his own short films with numerous like-minded film geeks he’s met along his journey. His newest interest has brought him into the podcasting world. He co-hosted a few different movie related podcasts such as ‘And Now This’ and ‘The Match Cut’. He currently co-hosts with longtime friend, Eric Samaniego, where they talk shop about the grimiest, trashiest, lost gems of movies on their show, ‘Trash in the Can’. Wright also guests and hosts reviews on Screener Squad and Highly Suspect Reviews as well as co-hosts Digital Noise with Chris Cox. As of 2024, Wright has now been inducted into the Austin Film Critics Association as well as co-owns the One of Us network with Chris Cox.

 

Mike J. McAllister (Screener Squad, Staff Writer, Head Video Editor)

Mike J. McAllister is an award-winning creative jack of all trades, and is pretty competent with most of them. He is a writer, director, animator, video editor, and motion graphics artist. He has tried his hand at nearly every form of artistic expression at least once. He was born and raised in Western Pennsylvania where he fell in love with film, writing and special effects at an early age. His obsession with film would lead him to being locally known as a “human IMDb” and being on a first-name basis with every video store clerk in town. He would study film in Pittsburgh before taking his talents to Austin. Not letting something like Tourettes get in his way, he has produced a handful of animated short films that have won awards from film festivals all over the globe. He has also written several yet-to-be-produced screenplays and TV pilots, with some of them being recognized in screenwriting competitions. He has even created motion graphics and animations for several clients, from movie theaters to Twitch streamers. When not creating or watching films, he enjoys MST3K, classic video games and buying vinyl records. He loves dogs, dropping obscure pop culture trivia and watching travel videos. He currently resides in Austin Texas and can be followed on the Instamagrams at @ohheyitsmikejm. His body of work can be found at his homepage or you can take a gander at his somewhat-impressive IMDb listing here.

Nathan Flynn (Screener Squad, Highly Suspect Reviews)

Nathan Flynn is the resident goofball of OneofUs.Net, often found overly caffeinated, slightly stoned, and ready to unleash the hottest takes imaginable. As the resident Letterboxd Lunatic, his movie opinions are as bold as his love for Top Gun: Maverick — a film he considers less of a movie and more of a religion. When he’s not passionately defending his latest cinematic obsession, Nathan manages a comedy club in downtown Austin, where he’s somehow avoided being heckled… so far. Around here, he’s usually the punching bag, but hey, someone’s gotta do it.

 

You can subscribe to the Highly Suspect Reviews and Screener Squad series of podcasts on iTunes, Spotify, and more, or use our RSS feed on whatever podcast service you use: https://oneofus.net/feed/theatrical-movie-review-podcast/ and please leave us a review!

Please think about becoming a paid subscriber to Oneofus.net, support our huge network of shows, and get access to tons of bonus shows and videos in our forums! We cannot keep this site going without support from our listeners. For added information about being a subscriber, the benefits, and the forums, please go here.


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Screener Squad: The Weight

The Weight movie review

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THE WEIGHT MOVIE REVIEW

Long time producer and editor Padraic McKinley (The Good Lord Bird) makes his directorial debut in The Weight, a new thriller set during the height of the Great Depression. Ethan Hawk plays Samuel Murphy, an unemployed widower with a young daughter, Penny (Ava Berry). When Samuel is wrongfully imprisoned, he’s sentenced to six months of hard labor, and Penny is placed in a home for abandoned children. Eager to secure an early release, Murphy becomes a model prisoner, hoping against hope that he can reunite with Penny before she becomes a ward of the state and is put up for adoption. Murphy’s work ethic and mechanical skills brings him to the attention of Clancy (Russell Crowe), the corrupt warden of the work camp. Clancy takes a liking to Murphy and makes him an offer he can’t refuse: smuggle a large shipment of gold, and Clancy will sign Murphy’s release papers. Murphy knows the deal sounds too good to be true, but he’s desperate to reunite with his child, so he takes the job. Over the next five days, Murphy and his team will face treacherous terrain, raging rivers, and bad weather, all while carrying heavy bags full of stolen gold. If nature doesn’t kill them, thieves or their own greed might. Our reviewers Kate, Caroline, and Marco gathered around the campfire to weigh the film’s merits. Is the movie just a bag of fool’s gold, or is this worth trekking to a theater near you? Listen to their review and find out!

OFFICIAL WEBSITE/TRAILER

DIRECTED BY: Padraic McKinley

STARRING: Ethan Hawke, Russell Crowe, Julia Jones, Austin Amelio, Avil Nash, Lucas Lynggaad Tonnesen, George Burgess, Cameron Brady, Avy Berry, Alec Newman, Sam Hazeldine, Jeffrey Lee Hallman, Dylan Page, Peter Lewys Preston, Caspar Steinbeck

 

YOUR REVIEWERS

 

Marco Noyola (Digital Noise, Highly Suspect Reviews, Screener Squad, Audio Editor)

By day, Marco is a mild-mannered office worker, but by night he is a mild-mannered movie watcher. He does other mild-mannered stuff too.
“I’m not a film critic. I just play one on the Internet.”

 

Kate Chambers (Highly Suspect Reviews, Screener Squad)

Kate is a certified horror fiend and Horse Girl™. Her name isn’t short for anything. A native Austinite, she graduated with a BFA in Film Production from the University of Colorado Boulder then returned to the Lone Star State to make her home amid the cinephiles of the Alamo Drafthouse and the Austin Film Society. In her spare time, you can find her either down at the barn with her noble steed Jazz, watching as many movies as possible (often at work), cuddling with her pair of black cats and writing horror scripts, or nursing a beer in any available body of water… or doing Duolingo, where she’s currently on a 1000+ day streak.

 

Caroline Sulek (Screener Squad, Trash in the Can)

Caroline Sulek resides in Mckinney, TX with her son Henry and two cats: Sally and Rocky. As a mom, corporate baddie, and unabashed lover of all things silly, spooky, and creative, she brings a unique perspective to the One of Us network. Her love of art and movies started long ago when she and her brother, Wright, would spend entire summer vacations in front of the TV and she would draw portraits of Wright as he sat watching for hours. Caroline has been a frequent guest and fan favorite of the Trash in the Can podcast with her brother, Wright, and his life podcast partner, Eric Samaniego. Caroline enjoys the most gruesome of horror movies and the most bingeable of reality shows and anywhere in between!

 

You can subscribe to the Highly Suspect Reviews and Screener Squad series of podcasts on iTunes, Spotify, and more, or use our RSS feed on whatever podcast service you use: https://oneofus.net/feed/theatrical-movie-review-podcast/ and please leave us a review!

Please think about becoming a paid subscriber to Oneofus.net, support our huge network of shows, and get access to tons of bonus shows and videos in our forums! We cannot keep this site going without support from our listeners. For added information about being a subscriber, the benefits, and the forums, please go here.


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Infestation: Annecy Animation Fest – Samurai Ballerina

Samurai Ballerina movie review

Podcast (theatrical-movie-review-podcast): Play in new window | Download

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SAMURAI BALLERINA MOVIE REVIEW

Ah, Paris! The City of Light. Where everyone starts the day with seven-foot-tall baguettes consumed with wine, and if you don’t work as a painter, professional lover, or mime, you seriously must rethink your life, you traitor to the Republic! Set in 1912, Fujiko, a young woman from a wealthy Japanese family, travels to Paris with her eccentric businessman uncle. While she hopes to become a painter, her uncle has his own ideas about their new life in Europe, constantly trying to turn their Asian “exotic” roots into yet another business opportunity in the most cringey manner possible. There, Fujiko reunites with Chizuru, a girl she first met back in Yokohama. Chizuru comes from a proud samurai family and dreams of becoming a ballerina, despite being expected to dedicate herself to the traditional art of naginata. Knowing about Chizuru’s dream, Fujiko helps her find a retired Russian ballerina who can secretly teach her. Soon, Chizuru gets a real chance to pursue ballet in Paris, putting her traditional samurai upbringing on a collision course with her newfound passion. When financial problems arise amidst the rise of WWI, the duo comes up with an idea: open a dojo and teach a colorful group of local oddballs martial arts… including the hottest female town drunk you will ever see. Hopefully, this will pay the rent while allowing them to continue pursuing their dreams. It’s basically porn for people who love stereotypical, romanticized Parisian sights, with a story that, surprisingly, WAS NOT adapted from a 8-volume manga, given its very episodic structure and two hour run time. Directed by Gorō Taniguchi, the man behind Code Geass and One Piece Film: Red, Samurai Ballerina aka Paris ni Saku Étoile is an original animated film produced by ARVO Animation. The screenplay comes from Reiko Yoshida, while legendary character designer Katsuya Kondō, known for his work with Studio Ghibli, created the original character concepts, with Yu Yamashita adapting them for animation. But just how many meters of baguettes is too many baguettes? Maciej Kur shares his thoughts on Samurai Ballerina with Spider-Mike.

ANNECY FEST PAGE

DIRECTED BY: Gorō Taniguchi

 

YOUR REVIEWERS

 

Maciej Kur (Infestation)

Maciej Kur is a Polish comic and film script writer, director and reviewer, and decidedly the biggest fan and most loyal supporter of Oneofus.net. A graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw with a master’s degree and the Academy of Film and Television. Co-creator of the comic book series Dollicious and Emilka Sza (with Magdalena Kania ) and Lil i Put, (with Piotr Bednarczyk ) and many others. Awarded in 2014 for a comic book in the spirit of Janusz Christa and awarded for “Złoty Puchar” in 2023. He wrote scripts for new comic books in the Polish cult series “Kayko and Kokosh”, as well as episodes of an animated series based on it (available on Netflix). He wrote for many other shows including “Kicia Kocia” (Kitty Kotty), “Pompik the Bison”, “Pucio”, “Hip-Hip and Hurra” and the upcoming animated movies “The Shrew of Destiny” and “Tytus, Romek and A’tomek”. He also directed a documentary about Polish animation legend “Witold Giersz”. Big lover of the art of animation and comic books.

 

Michael Riojas (Screener Squad, Highly Suspect Reviews)

The man with the ever-changing nicknames. Born in Austin, Riojas was rocketed to Del Rio, Texas, a literal Smallville. In his youth, he was bitten by a radioactive… okay, look. Mike is not very good at this whole “talking about himself” thing. But he has been so obsessed with comics, video games, and anime since childhood- that if one has to choose between listening to Joe Quesada or Mike over any obscure Spider-Man trivia, they go to him (or, at least Martin Thomas once said so). He is also a big fan of “Ghostbusters” (he even owns his own jumpsuit and two, that’s right, TWO proton packs!), collects toys and video games, and will defend “Superman IV: The Quest for Peace” if provoked. He lives in Austin with his beloved Dachshund-Maltese and trusted sidekick, Dean. He can also be heard on RageSelect. He can be found on Twitter and Instagram.

 

You can subscribe to the Highly Suspect Reviews and Screener Squad series of podcasts on iTunes, Spotify, and more, or use our RSS feed on whatever podcast service you use: https://oneofus.net/feed/theatrical-movie-review-podcast/ and please leave us a review!

Please think about becoming a paid subscriber to Oneofus.net, support our huge network of shows, and get access to tons of bonus shows and videos in our forums! We cannot keep this site going without support from our listeners. For added information about being a subscriber, the benefits, and the forums, please go here.


Subscription Levels



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