Movie Files

An R-rated Clayface horror movie with Mike Flanagan involved? As a lifelong Batman fan and lover of body horror, I couldn’t have been more excited. Unfortunately, CLAYFACE (2026) had all the ingredients to be something special but left me feeling incredibly disappointed. In this spoiler-free episode of the Movie Files Podcast, I’m reviewing DC Studios’ latest film, directed by James Watkins and st...

Jason Voorhees’ shocking new origin, the truth behind Project Argonaut, Pamela Voorhees’ fate, and the biggest unanswered questions from Peacock and A24’s Friday the 13th prequel series! MAJOR SPOILERS FOR ALL 8 EPISODES OF CRYSTAL LAKE! Crystal Lake has finally arrived, and after watching the entire first season, I’m breaking down EVERYTHING! In today’s Movie Files podcast episode, we’re diving d...

The Friday the 13th franchise is back, but this time we’re going back to where it all began! Today on Movie Files, I’m reviewing CRYSTAL LAKE (2026), Peacock and A24’s eight-episode prequel series from creator and showrunner Brad Caleb Kane, starring Linda Cardellini as Pamela Voorhees. I’ve watched all eight episodes ahead of the October 15 premiere, and I’ve got plenty to say about this latest a...

In this episode of the Movie Files Podcast, I’m reviewing The Social Reckoning (2026), the new biographical legal thriller written and directed by Aaron Sorkin and starring Mikey Madison, Jeremy Allen White, Jeremy Strong, Bill Burr, Wunmi Mosaku, Betty Gilpin, and Billy Magnussen. There’s a lot I like about this movie. The subject matter surrounding Facebook, Meta, algorithms, misinformation, onl...

Netflix’s BELOW had me hooked early on. Josh Hartnett. A remote Newfoundland fishing community. Something massive hiding beneath the water. An ancient iceberg. Local folklore. Strange behavior spreading through the town. And a creature mystery that initially gave me some serious JAWS meets coastal folk-horror vibes. But after watching all six episodes, I found myself in a very different place by t...

Mike Flanagan’s CARRIE (2026) is finally streaming on Prime Video, and we’re breaking down all eight episodes in this full spoiler discussion, series breakdown and ending explained. We get into everything that happened at prom, Tommy’s fate, Chris and Billy, Emma “taking the wheel,” the meaning behind “I Exist,” Carrie and Margaret’s final confrontation, the truth about Emmaline West, Margaret’s p...

The LANTERNS Season 1 finale finally answers the mystery that started everything: Who killed Hal Jordan? In this full spoiler breakdown of LANTERNS Episode 8, “Dirt and Stars,” Elliott dives into the shocking truth behind Hal Jordan’s death, Noah’s Manhunter reveal, Sinestro’s role in the finale, the fear-forged lantern, and the moment John Stewart finally chooses to become Green Lantern on his ow...

Mike Flanagan has taken on Stephen King’s Carrie and turned it into an eight-episode Prime Video series but did this story really need that much time? In this spoiler-free review, I’m breaking down all eight episodes of Carrie (2026), including Summer H. Howell’s performance as Carrie White, Samantha Sloyan’s Margaret White, the modern high-school setting, the YA tone, social-media commentary, exp...

Hal Jordan’s past changes everything in LANTERNS Season 1 Episode 7, “The Jordan Boys’ Legacy.” Elliott breaks down the emotional truth behind Hal’s fearlessness, John Stewart’s journey, the meaning of the baseball, the mystery surrounding Hal’s death, and the shocking return of Sinestro. This week, John teams up with the Hal-O-Gram to follow a secret trail left behind by the older Hal Jordan one...

Brad Pitt leads David Ayer’s Heart of the Beast, but the biggest surprise might be his four-legged co-star. In this spoiler-free review, I break down Pitt’s subtle performance, why this feels like a return to form for David Ayer, the film’s emotional survival story, and why Uber as Odin delivers one of the best dog performances I’ve seen in a movie. As a dog owner myself, the bond between James an...

Hal Jordan is dead and John Stewart may have been one of the last people to see him alive. In LANTERNS Episode 6, “Bad Optics,” Elliott breaks down Hal’s murder, the ten-year fallout from Rushville, John’s return to the Green Lantern ring, Guy Gardner, Carol Ferris, Sinestro’s escape, and the suspects now surrounding the case. After years apart, John and Hal finally reunite in Rushville only for H...

In this episode of the Movie Files Podcast, Elliott reviews RESIDENT EVIL (2026), the new survival-horror adaptation from Barbarian and Weapons director Zach Cregger, starring Austin Abrams, Zach Cherry, Kali Reis, and Paul Walter Hauser. For the first 30–40 minutes, Resident Evil had Elliott convinced he might be watching one of his favorite horror movies of the year. The...

John Stewart finally gets the Green Lantern ring in LANTERNS Episode 5, “Lights Out” and then chooses to walk away from the destiny he’s spent his entire life chasing. Elliott breaks down Zoe’s final plan, the truth about Abin Sur, Rushville’s destruction, Hal and John’s brutal fallout, and why John rejecting the ring may actually prove he’s finally worthy of it. Plus, what did Zoe reall...

Ten years after The Wailing, director Na Hong-jin returns with HOPE, an ambitious Korean sci-fi creature feature starring Hwang Jung-min, Zo In-sung, Hoyeon, Taylor Russell, Cameron Britton, Alicia Vikander and Michael Fassbender. And I genuinely cannot remember the last time a movie left me this conflicted. There are stretches of HOPE that feel like a near-masterpiece: incredi...

LANTERNS Season 1 Episode 4 pushes John Stewart deeper into the mystery surrounding Zoe, the Manhunters, and the Guardians while raising an even bigger question: how much of who we become is actually our own choice? In this full spoiler breakdown, I discuss Zoe’s true nature and whether she should be viewed as a monster, a victim, or something far more complicated. We also dive into John...

Lanterns Episode 3, “OutKast,” gives us our deepest look yet at John Stewart and completely reframes his Green Lantern origin. Elliott breaks down the huge reveal that John Stewart Sr. was originally chosen by a Green Lantern ring before Hal Jordan and how admitting he was afraid ultimately shaped the way John was raised. We dive into Bernadette Stewart, Black exceptionalism, f...

In this episode of the Movie Files Podcast, Elliott reviews BUDDY (2026), the bizarre new horror-comedy from director Casper Kelly starring Keegan-Michael Key, Cristin Milioti, and Delaney Quinn. Imagine Barney, Pee-wee’s Playhouse, Five Nights at Freddy’s, The Backrooms, and Alice in Wonderland colliding inside one colorful childhood nightmare. Elliott...

The mystery gets even deeper in Lanterns Episode 2, “Trust Fall.” In this episode of Movie Files, Elliott breaks down everything from Episode 2, including the shocking reveal surrounding the Manhunter, why Antaan and his people are really in Rushville, and what it could mean for Abin Sur’s mysterious arrival in Nebraska. We also dive into the growing tension between John S...

LANTERNS is officially here, and Episode 1 gives us a grounded Green Lantern mystery filled with major questions, character development, DC Comics connections and one shocking ending. In this episode, I break down the premiere scene by scene while diving deeper into Aaron Pierre’s John Stewart, Kyle Chandler’s Hal Jordan, their mentor-and-trainee dynamic, the recurring theme of fear, John’s myster...

Is Christopher Nolan the greatest filmmaker of his generation — and could he be the greatest director working today? In this episode of the Movie Files Podcast, we take a deep dive into the career, filmmaking style, influence, and legacy of Christopher Nolan. From Memento and The Dark Knight Trilogy to Inception, Interstellar, Dunkirk, Tenet, Oppenheimer, and The Odyssey, Nolan has spent nearly th...

Today I'm reviewing Spider-Man: Brand New Day, the latest chapter in Tom Holland's Spider-Man saga and one of the MCU's most anticipated films. Does Brand New Day finally deliver the grounded, street-level Spider-Man movie fans have been asking for since No Way Home, or does it fall just short of its incredible potential? In this spoiler-filled review, I break down the story, performances, action,...

In this in-depth video essay, I break down and explain Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey (2026) from beginning to end. This complete breakdown explores the story, ending, symbolism, hidden meaning, themes, and Greek mythology behind the film while examining Christopher Nolan’s biggest changes to Homer’s epic poem. We’ll analyze Odysseus’ journey, the deeper themes of guilt, identity, redemption, mem...

Today I’m reviewing Christopher Nolan’s THE ODYSSEY and discussing why I believe it may be his greatest achievement to date. Is this epic adaptation of Homer’s legendary tale Christopher Nolan’s best movie ever? Does it surpass Oppenheimer, Interstellar, The Dark Knight, Inception, Dunkirk, Memento, and the rest of his incredible filmography? In this spoiler-free review, I break down everything th...

I break down and explain the ending of EVIL DEAD BURN (2026). In this full spoiler breakdown, I recap the entire film, explore the Price family’s tragic story, explain Benjamin’s research into the Deadites, uncover the connections to Evil Dead Rise, analyze Alice’s emotional journey, the film’s themes of abuse and generational trauma, the Kandarian Dagger, the shocking ending, the post-credits sce...

Today I’m reviewing EVIL DEAD BURN, the newest chapter in the legendary Evil Dead franchise! Does this brutal new horror film live up to the legacy of The Evil Dead (1981), Evil Dead II, Army of Darkness, Evil Dead (2013), and Evil Dead Rise? Is Evil Dead Burn the most violent, terrifying, and relentless entry in the series, or does it fall short of the hype? In this spoiler-free review, I’ll brea...