my new plaid pants

Friday, February 06, 2026

Good Morning, World

The first trailer for David "Hell or High Water" Mackenzie's film Fuze starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Theo James, Sam Worthington and Gugu Mbatha-Raw dropped yesterday and hilariously kicks off with these two shots of Aaron half-naked -- I love being pandered to. Watch the trailer here. I told you about this movie previously when Aaron & Theo were announced as co-stars because obviously, although there's not much in the way of interaction (i.e. explicit oral sex) between them in this trailer -- let's hope that changes for the final product. I don't see a release date yet so just twiddle your damn thumbs til then!

I should add that Theo & Aaron were very much seen hanging out on set together (see below sexy evidence) so let's hope this movie does actually understand its assignment:

MORE PROOF THIS MOVIE LOOKS REAL GOOD ALREADY pic.twitter.com/pM95y6azlF
— Jason Adams (@JAMNPP) August 31, 2024

Thursday, February 05, 2026

Tyriq Withers Two Times

(via)

It Ain't Channing's Fault

I would just like to go on the record here upfront that I have been championing Channing Tatum as a talented actor for actual decades now -- I remember seeing him in A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints in 2006 and thinking hey, that pretty boy can act. This is all to set off against my pan of his latest movie, the big Sundance winner Josephine, which you can read at Pajiba today -- as of right now I'm one of two negative reviews on Rotten Tomatoes and by all accounts (other) people really fucking loved this movie so I feel defensive. But I stand by what I said. Which is that this movie is tepid at best. Oh but Chan's not the problem -- he's perfectly respectable -- but since it feels weird to criticize child actors... ahem. I try to step around that as much as possible in my review. I still haven't entirely figured out how to write about what I see as actively bad child performances -- it seems best to lay the blame on those doing the directing and casting and editing when this sort of thing happens. But I'm in a very very very small minority on this one as of right now. This movie won Best U.S. Dramatic Feature AND the Audience Award at Sundance. I don't in the slightest get it but whatcha gonna do... besides post a hot picture of Chan and move it right along.

Five Frames From ?

What movie is this?

Whistle in 250 Words

I can be (when an unpredictable mood of generosity finds me anyway) disgustingly easy to please when it comes to horror movies -- I have sat through far too many hours of bottom-of-the-barrel bullshit to not to be entertained by a movie that is at least competantly made. And so, with that level of "high praise" in mind, went Whistle. It's a bald tire of ideas whose rubber's been ripped off by every Final Destination movie before it -- with a good dose of Talk To Me to boot too -- but as angry and irritated as the movie often made me for its extraordinary plagiarisms of far better, funner previous materials, I still rode the dumb thing to its dumb end and I didn't feel totally dirty about it.

There are a couple of fun scenes -- the horror maze is well-staged with the movie's only genuinely likeable character in peril -- and there is one explosive set-piece of gore that I watched three times in a row, jaw agape. (You will know it when it hits you in the face with its viscera.) Corin Hardy isn't a bad director -- go see The Hallow if you haven't! -- but this is unfortunately closer to his limp Conjuring spin-off The Nun than it is to that original-concept creep-fest that gave him his career. But this will probably be the favorite for some 14-year-old new to the genre and as such my old, expired ass can't get too angry at it since that's who it's made for.

Whistle is in theaters tomorrow.

Good Morning, Melling

I'd whinged previously that while I love a good slutty Alexander Skarsgård photoshoot (do I!) I didn't feel as if his extremely talented Pillion co-star Harry Melling should be left out even if he is, you know, less conventionally attractive. So seeing these photos last night made me happy! I know they're not "slutty" per se but we'll take what we can get. Anyway it's true, the rumors are true, Pillion is out in U.S. theaters TOMORROW. Hard to believe the day's finally come after all the excruiating edging that A24 has put us through for months and months but your day has arrived, folks. Read my review of the movie from NYFF right here. Pillion was also #4 on my favorite movies of 2025 list, even if A24 made me extremely confused whether I should count it as 2025 or 2026 -- I figured by a year from now... well who fucking knows where we'll be a year from now. So tell the people that you love that you love them while you can, and do the same things with the movies! That's my Thursday morning heap of wisdom for you.

Wednesday, February 04, 2026

Pic of the Day

Here is a lovely behind-the-scenes picture from that Paris fashion event where three-quarters of the Heated Rivalry cast were in attendance that I posted about last week; this captures an intimate moment between actors François Arnaud & Robbie G.K... awwwww, everybody say awwwww. All that whilst Aaron Taylor-Johnson lurks in the background like a waiter? No seriously I totally thought Aaron was a waiter in this photo right until I was about to load it here on the site -- if you don't zoom in it sort of looks like he's wearing an apron, I think? Anyway we know Aaron was also there because see below, but it's kinda wild how much that shaggy hair ages him -- Arnaud, who's five years Aaron's elder, looks like a baby beside him. This post is really just me telling Aaron to cut his hair please. The gay boys are overtaking you! (Would pay to watch.)

Inspecting Aaron Taylor-Johnson checking Connor Storrie out in front of his wife is my Zapruder Film

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— Jason Adams (@jamnpp.bsky.social) January 27, 2026 at 7:37 PM

Today's Mood

Not really -- this is an aspirational mood. I'm in

actuality quite stressed. Buster, take me awayyyyy...

Danny Ramirez Twelve Times

It's been about 77 weeks since Joaquin Phoenix bitched out of Todd Haynes' gay romance film De Noche in August of 2024 -- that's 77 weeks of one of our greatest living filmmakers' time and output gone, just gone, so let's take a fresh moment to mourn it (all while cursing Joaquin's name under our breath) (or even over our breath). Okay -- better news, better mood, today Variety has officially confirmed the rumor floating about since last summer; that Joaquin's Eddington co-star Pedro Pascal is indeed taking over the abandoned role opposite Danny Ramirez (who bless him has kept himself tightly attached this entire time) and shooting will kick off next month. It's been so very long since all of this began -- did I mention seventy-seven weeks? And that was just the moment the project fell apart; there were months of speculation before that -- that I think I should re-share the plot of the film:

"The story, which echoes classic noirs like “Chinatown,” charts the passionate and unexpected love affair between a cop (Pascal) and a boarding school teacher (Ramirez) in 1930s Los Angeles, when the city is overtaken by corruption and the world is on the brink of war. The two men become targets of the city’s corrupt political machine and are forced to flee to Mexico."

Sounds killer! (No I am not punning on Todd's longstanding relationship with Killer Films, although that's bonus points.) But seriously we love Haynes doing period films and 1930s Noir-tinged L.A. is certainly new for him -- I'll admit I'm detecting a few notes of Luca Guadagnino's ex-pat age-gap homosexual paean Queer in that description (especially their venture south of the border) but as much as I love Queer I have not a single doubt that Haynes will do his own wonderful thing. Break a (Joaquin's) leg(s), Todd! And now in celebration of this news, an older but never-here-posted Danny photoshoot (via) I will share with you after the jump...

What movie is this?

Sick in Mind and Body and Soul

So far we're three for three in using the word "Sundance" in today's posts at least once -- let's see if we can keep it up all day long! What a fun game that will be. For me. Only me. So my first Sundance (maybe we should all scream like it's the "word of the day" on Pee-wee's Playhouse?) review dropped yesterday -- it's of the erotic-thriller-ish film Night Nurse and you can read it right now at Pajiba. Or maybe you already read it yesterday -- I don't have a camera trained on your backside at all times, how would I know? Anyway it's a weird little movie and y'all know how weird's my bag so I dug it. Good movie from a first-time filmmaker!

Not Yo Momma's Natchez

A lot of today is going to be catching up on things that landed over the past week while I've had my head buried in Sundance, so let's kick it off with the one that makes me feel the fanciest so I've got the courage to trundle on after a long couch break -- I got another trailer blurb! I don't know how I missed this one since it dates back a few weeks but my review of the really nrather incredible little documentary Natchez, which I called...

... both "bracing and brilliant" made its way into the film's trailer, which I will share down below. I saw it at Tribeca last year -- it's about the small titular town in the South which is reliant upon plantation tourism, and what that means in the here and now moment of time. There are people still romanticizing it a la Gone With the Wind of course, but there are brave people -- mainly of color because of course they have to do all the damn work themselves -- pushing back against those narratives. Anyway it's a smart portrait of our moment and I really recommend watching it when you can -- it started playing theaters (here in NYC it's at Film Forum) this past week.

Good Morning, World

And so we're back! From virtual Sundance! We just walked in to find Brandon Sklenar here with that hot smile upon his face... okay I will stop while I'm behind. Did somebody say behind? Which is to say -- g'bless Paul Feig who's gone from making some great female-centered comedies to making some great female-centered trashy thrillers where he also makes sure to have his beautiful leading men flash their big meaty behinds therein. First there was Henry Golding in last year's Another Simple Favor and now we have the meatiest of them all Brandon Sklenar in The Housemaid, as seen down below. Paul Feig, who knew -- you're a true ass connoisseur. Thank you, good sir. Anyway yes I am indeed back on blog from my Sundance stuff -- there will be reviews coming! But for now, as we greet this Hump Day morning, let's just take a moment or two to bask in a big meaty something sure to brighten it:

Tuesday, January 27, 2026

It's Always Sundance Here in My Pants

Well that's that, me and Jacob Elordi and hopping in our pants-free vehicle and making our way on up to the virtual mountains of Sundance for the next week! As mentioned previously I'll be off-blog from tomorrow through next Wednesday watching and watching and watching some more movies on Sundance's virtual platform, with some reviews to come thereafter or abouts. If you're curious you too can watch some movies virtually, check their website for info. I can't really say what's worth watching yet because I've only watched a couple of screeners so far, but keep your eyes on my socials -- especially Letterboxd where I'm keeping an ongoing list of what I'm seeing -- as well as Pajiba where my reviews will mostly be dropping. I will surely eventually disseminate that information across all the usual places. And no, addressing the Elordi-shaped elephant in the room (really more of a giraffe if we're talking zoo animals) -- there is no Jacob Elordi movie showing at Sundance this year -- I just liked that picture up top too much not to post it. Have a good week!

Do Dump or Marry: Heated Rivalry Eats Paris

Three of the four main cast-members of Heated Rivalry were dolled up at the Saint Laurent show in Paris today -- left to right that's Robbie G.K. (making a feast of those leather trousers), Connor Storrie, and François Arnaud, with Hudson Williams as the odd man not to be seen for this go. (Click the picture to embiggen.) And obviously threesomes of this sort...

... always lend themselves to our favorite game of "Do Dump or Marry" (known to many as "Fuck Marry Kill")! So now you take to the comments down below and tell us which one you'd want to spend a single night of unbridled passion with, which one you'd toss in the trash, and which one you'd choose for your life-long (tonsil) hockey partner. And try not to be influenced by the fact that Luca Guadagnino has obviously already made his choice:

🚨 LUCA GUADAGNINO + CONNOR STORRIE SPOTTED IN PARIS 🚨

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— Jason Adams (@jamnpp.bsky.social) January 26, 2026 at 7:51 PM

Everything You Ever Need To Know About Life...

... you can learn from:

Birth (2004)

Anna: What happened to me was not my fault. There's no way I could have behaved any differently, you now... What I did wasn't my fault. What happended to me wasn't my fault, and I can't be held accountable for it. There is no way I could ever have said to him 'Go away'. I couldn't do it... It was a mistake. And... I'm sorry. But I want to be with you. I want to be with you. Yes, I do. And I want to get married, and... I wanna have a good life, and I wanna be happy. That's all I want - peace.

A day we've been looking forward to for a decade at least has finally arrived -- after years of being only available on a shitty out-of-print DVD Jonathan Glazer's 2004 masterpiece in discomfort Birth has gotten the Criterion treatment! In 4K no less! Pick up your copy right here -- like every single Glazer movie there is (yes, every single one) this is not a movie to be missed. And NOW if they could just release Alexandre Desplat's astonishing score onto vinyl I'll be satisfied! Temporarily anyway! Related: have I mentioned here that I started a thread on Bluesky for movies I'm dying to get released on upgraded physical media? Click below to see what I've whined about so far if that's your thing:

‪Think I'm going to start a thread specifically for sporadic bitching about movies I need released on updated physical media already, like yesterday, dammit. Seen here are four standards - Apartment Zero, Chuck & Buck, Soldier of Orange, and of course the king of this, Ken Russell's The Devils

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— Jason Adams (@jamnpp.bsky.social) December 11, 2025 at 3:57 PM

Five Frames From ?

What movie is this?

Good Morning, Samson

Aww big ol' Samson from the 28 Years Later movies -- aka actor Chi Lewis-Parry -- shared this picture on Instagram this morning with a message of "Memento Amoris" aka "Remember Love", what a sweetheart he is! No seriously I have an enormous crush on CLP (and yes okay Samson too, jeez) after The Bone Temple -- have you seen it yet? Have you read my review yet? As a person who was decidedly not a fan of the first movie I found this sequel leaps and bounds weirder and more moving. And gayer. So much gayer. Watch this video of CLP and Ralph Fiennes chatting and tell me they don't have chemistry for days:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (@28yearslatermovie)

Monday, January 26, 2026

My Top 20 Movies of 2025

A decade or so ago I was doing gigantic elaborate awards every year here that showcased my favorite movies, my favorite performances, and on and on and on... then the last decade happened and I'm lucky I can even get out of bed anymore y'all. Who has that kind of stamina anymore? Not I. Not I! So yes these things -- The Golden Trousers, as I've been calling them since 2007 -- have considerably narrowed. Tis what its. But I do feel proud that both last year and this year I'm at least getting these locked in before I dive head-long into fresh Sundance stuff, which basically marks the start of the next year of movies. (Apologies to the first three weeks of January releases every single year but you know what you did.) I'm doing Sundance virtually again this year but that still means that I'll be mostly off-line while I do that, so it's likely there'll be no MNPP for you starting this Wednesday, lasting about a week. And so it's best I get this done immediately, before that happens! Otherwise who knows, it could be months knowing me. So let us brush off these 2025 concerns as I head into the future, with one last glance back toward the past with 20 of '25s gifts and wonders....

My 20 Favorite Movies of 2025