Preview of Attractions Coming

Hey everybody! I'm back home but not back back from my trip in the sense that I'm blogging today -- that starts tomorrow. But how could I not hop in here to 1) say hello (Hello!) and 2) share this poster for The History of Sound, Oliver Hermanus' forthcoming WWI-era romance starring Paul Mescal and Josh O'Connor? Swoon, yes, but also -- kinda feel like poor Josh got a little sidelined there? I'm reminded of all the stories of movie stars wrangling for poster billing of olde and wondering if Josh gives a shit. I feel like he doesn't. And there's enough of his pretty closed eyes and pouty lips to make me stir anyway. Anyway! The trailer is apparently dropping tomorrow so we'll cover that when we're back at our desk then. Oh and one more important bit of vaguely related news that dropped today -- Luca Guadagnino's film After the Hunt with Julia Roberts, Andrew Garfield, and Ayo Edebiri was announced as the Opening Night Film of this year's NYFF! This is very exciting for me personally! I shared the trailer for this before I headed out for a week -- check that here. I'm always wrangling for the NYFF Opening Night Party invite but I will lay waste to the earth for it this year, best believe!

[RUNNING AROUND THE ROOM SCREAMING CRYING] Luca's new movie is Opening Night at NYFF!!!! @filmlinc.bsky.social

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— Jason Adams (@jamnpp.bsky.social) July 23, 2025 at 9:13 AM

The Great Fantastic North

Monsieur Théodore Pellerin would like to welcome us to French-Canadia (I don't know why but it's always "French-Canadia" in my head so it stays) for this year's Fantasia Film Festival in beautiful Montreal, baby! Specifically I'm hoping Teddy will welcome me personally because tomorrow morning I'm hopping on a plane and heading up there for a another week of typically fantastic and scary movies like only Fantasia can do. Don't forget this is where I saw Skinamarink and Red Rooms for the first times! (Cue the incorrect Skinamarink haters in 3...2...1....) The fest kicks off today and it runs for a full three weeks, ending on August 3rd -- obviously I can't do the entire fest given that length of time but I still won't be back here writing for you again until next Thursday. (Or if French-Canadia will have me -- maybe never? Dare to dream.) Anyway you'll be getting reviews from me soon enough from the fest but since I already saw and reviewed Monsieur Pellerin's ace stalker thriller Lurker when it played Sundance I can go ahead and re-share that review as if it's a Fantasia one -- read my thoughts on Lurker right here. Terrific flick! And I'm hoping there will be another Skinamarink or Red Rooms shaped thrilling surprise ins tore for me this year -- stay tuned, make sure you check out their entire line-up at this link, and if you're a Canadian or traveler who's already planning on attending some of this stuff do make with the bonjours. 

Home, Home on the Rage

It's time for the second review drop of today, and once again it's me bucking up against the system, dropping truth bombs outside the mainstream, baby! Click on over to Pajiba to read my thoughts on Ari Aster's latest, the COVID-era Neo-western Eddington starring Pedro Pscal and Joaquin Phoenix, which got a cold pretty shoulder in Cannes but which I loved. I will admit it took me two viewings to find my way to that love -- it was a rough sit on my first go-round and I thought I might have hated it at first. But I couldn't stop thinking about it and that second view spun me right around. It's dry dark comedy at its absolute cruelest, with a shit-heap's worth to say about the madness of right now. Anyway we love a good challenge and hoo boy is Eddington one of those. Go see it this weekend!

Back in the Furs Again

You can tell I'm exceptionally exhausted today -- I was up way past my bedtime last night not celebrating my birthday but rather working on the two reviews I told you are dropping today; the sacrifices I make! -- because it's taken me until three in the afternoon today to mention the huge news on one of my favorite filmmakers that dropped all the damned yesterday! This had actually completely slipped out of my brain until just now (thx Mac for the reminder). So I guess that was opfficially the birthday where the old age has set in. Sigh! Anyway here's said news -- Robert Eggers is looking to reunite with two of his Nosferatu stars for his next film, the werewolf movie Werewulf that I told you about in January. Specifically Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Lily-Rose Depp. No word on who they'll be playing or what the movie is about beyond what we originally learned in January. Lycanthropes and the 13th century. And Olde Enligh I think. As for ATJ, I know many people thought he was actively bad in Nosferatu but it might be my favorite performance he's ever given? I think he's wonderful in it anyway. As of LRD she generally got very good reviews for the movie and I agree with that consensus. True I'd love to see Eggers get back in the Anya Taylor-Joy business, but having seen how well he and Depp worked together I won't be mad about it this time like I was when Anya had to drop out of Nosferatu. 

Another Summer Slice And Dice

As foretold this morning my review for the latest installment of the I Know What You Did Last Summer franchise has arrived -- click on over to read it at Mashable. And what can I say except -- spoiler alert -- I liked it just fine! It's weird and it seems to actually like its main characters and (most importantly) it goes out of its way over and over and over again to properly honor the icon that is Helen Shivers -- how could I possibly complain? That said I can already tell my opinion's going to be the unpopular one -- I went to add my review to the film's Rotten Tomatoes page and was met by a great big green splat. Oh well. I've been off-brand with all the general opinions on horror movies this year, so this is just another chapter in an ongoing trend. What can I say -- the movie is dumb as hell but I had a good time, and it's got a couple of fan-service cameos that made my toes curl. I'm easy. In summation please also say hello to Joshua Orpin, who I also mentioned in this morning's earlier post -- let's get that pretty boy into my field of vision a lot more often stat.

Tom Blyth Two Times

Speaking of more cinematic excellence getting slotted into the fall movie season, we've now got official word on Plainclothes, the 90s-set gay drama starring Tom Blyth as a closeted cop hunting gays in mall restrooms and Russell Tovey as the hot one he catches and immediately starts humping -- it's hitting theaters on September 19th. I reviewed the movie during Sundance -- read that right here. It hit home since it's literally set where and when I grew up, as I get into in that review, but Blyth in particular is excellent and has probably forever won my heart thanks to his charming and conflicted performance. Also proper love must be given to the great and always underappreciated Maria Dizzia who plays his mom. This movie is definitely far too small to eke out big awards attention I think, and that's a shame -- both of their performances will very much be amongst the best of the year according to me. Anyway we don't have a trailer for this yet but I expect we will soon enough so stay tuned.

Before the After the Hunt

When I mentioned Luca Guadagnino's next next movie on Monday when Cooper Koch was cast in it I forgot to make any reference to Luca's immediately next movie, his higher education thriller After the Hunt starring Julia Roberts, Andrew Garfield, Ayo Edibiri, Chloë Sevigny, and Michael Stuhlbarg. Well now consider it mentioned -- more than mentioned because the trailer's just dropped and it looks absolutely killer. Obviously I was sold on day one but this trailer has me extremely excited. Watch:

After the Hunt is out October 10th 

in limited release, a week later wide.

Five Frames From ?

What movie is this?

Good Morning, World

I've got two count 'em two big reviews dropping today and I will link to them when they're live, but on that tip I figured I'd finally get around to sharing the trailer for the latest I Know What You Did Last Summer movie (out on Friday) since that's one of the two movies I'm reviewing and this movie is practically throbbing with hot dudes all around. Throbbing! Above is Tyriq Withers who I posted about previously when the trailer for the football horror movie Him dropped a few months ago -- after watching him on-screen I one thousand percent understand why he's about to be a big thing. His sauna scene glimpsed in the trailer and in the above gif is brief but will do for the current generation of youths what Ryan Phillippe's shower scene in the original movie did for people my age. But beyond Tyriq there's also Jonah Hauer-King with a breathstopping abs reveal, Austin Nichols playing a weirdly sleeveless pastor, Daddy Billy Campbell, and The Fisherman's first victim (not much of a spoiler since the trailer gives the entire scene away) the utterly gorgeous Joshua Orpin. This movie is horror hunkery at its finest! 

Halfway To Timmy's Happy Birthday Suit

Aww it was very kind of TImothee Chalamet to drop some "vintaje" photos on his Insta today as his personal gift to me and me alone for this here my birthday -- what a gent, a gem, a king among men. Truly, I'm honored. In all seriousness this will be it from me today as I go off to truly and fully celebrate me (aka go see a press screening of the new I Know What You Did Last Summer movie) -- if anybody wants to drop a "Happy birthday!" in the comments or donate to the MNPP fund via here or go buy some of my many many many things for sale on eBay right here I'm accepting all venues of appreciation. Thanks to all who've already sent a happy day wish -- it means a lot! Bye now!

Today's Fanboy Delusion

Today I'd rather be...

...scooching Anthony Ramos over in the ice bath.

Did anybody watch Ironheart? Ramos dumped a pile of behind-the-scenes photos and videos on his Insta yesterday including the ones seen here, reminding me that I might want to watch that show. I know, I know - superhero shit is decidedly unpopular with the majority of my tasteful MNPP readers and I get it; I just mostly admire the genre's ability to put hot men front and center. Anyway after just getting back from running a few errands in the wretched filthy and disgusting heat of NYKC I'm not even being foremost pervy when I say I want to climb into that ice bath with him -- I just need to cool the fuck down. I hate having a birthday in the center of summer! I don't want to celebrate -- I just want to lie down and die.

Nightmares & Fire: Criterion's Month of Violence

Every year October always has my favorite releases from the Criterion Collection -- I think it's the meeting of them ramping up for the holidays plus lots of horror because of Halloween? Anyway they've just announced their October 2025 releases and once again -- my god it's the good shit. Kicking it off they've got Ken Russell's hallucinatory 1980 gem Altered States, which is one of my personal faves -- peak William Hurt turning into a neanderthal after dosing himself with too much psychology? What's not to love? It's Russell at his most bonkers... well okay it's hard to quanitfy "most bonkers" when it comes to Russell but this one's up there. Can't wait to take this in in 4K -- it lands on October 21st.

Next up Guillemo Del Toro's tremendous 2021 noir-carny vision Nightmare Alley is finally finally getting a physical media release (it's a Netflix joint so it hasn't before this) -- I know reactions to this were mixed but I loved it, it's one of my favorite of Del Toro's movies, and I am of the mind that Bradley Cooper gives his best performance to date in it. (aAnd given how much I soured on him otherwise over the past couple of years that's saying something.) Then there's the one title this month I'm unfamiliar with -- Mexican director Arturo Ripstein's 1996 melodrama Deep Crimson -- anyone know it?

Then there are the inevitable 4K upgrades of discs they've released before, but man oh man are these a wild duo of masterpieces -- David Lynch's Twin Peaks prequel Fire Walk With Me and  Georges Franju's 1960 horror classic Eyes Without a Face. You can't go wrong with either of those, which besides being perfect are both gorgeous to look at and will no doubt stun in 4K. Oh and then there's a double dose of David Cronenberg joints -- his most recent film The Shrouds (which hasn't gotten nearly enough love if you ask me) and his 2006 neo-noir A History of Violence. The latter has quite the surprising cover -- personally I love it but I feel as if it might be divisive? Thoughts?

Everything You Ever Need To Know About Life...

 ... you can learn from:

Love on the Run (1979)

Liliane: You can't make everyone else 

pay for your rotten childhood.

Not to bring up my birthday yet again (oh who am I kidding -- I'll bring it up in every post today if I can manage it) but that quote from this movie really feels aimed straight at me today. Sigh, fine! Fine, Francois Truffaut. I'll try to keep that in mind. Anyway as foretold back in April Criterion's 4K upgrade of their box-set of Truffaut's five Antoine Doinel movies arrives today! This is very exciting for me personally because I've always wanted to see all of these but only ever seen The 400  Blows. When Luca Guadagnino was talking up doing a series of movies about Timothee Chalamet's character Elio in Call Me By Your Name he brought up this series every time -- despite the entire Armie situation I still hold out hope that could happen. Elio can exist without Oliver! Okay okay I'll set that aside for the moment. Who's seen all of these? Anybody? 

Five Frames From ?

What movie is this?

Good Morning, Me

It's my birthday and I'll post this dangerously sexy photoshoot (via) of Dune: Prophecy and Dangerous Animals hunk Josh Heuston if I want to -- somewhat random since I don't think he's promoting anything except his hotness right now, but I'm sold. And it being my birthday -- have I mentioned it's my birhtday -- I'm going to take it somewhat easy today and I had this shoot right on hand. Why am I even making excuses for posting these photos? Look at him, for god's sake. Hey Josh if you wanna pop outta my cake this evening I wouldn't be anrgy. Hit the jump for the entire shoot...

Luca Wants Koch

It seems as though Luca Guadagnino has finally cleared the deck and chosen what his next movie project will be -- Artificial, his movie about the true life tale of Sam Altman the founder of Open A.I., already had Andrew Garfield and Anora's bald beauty Yura Borisov onboard when we checked in on it last month. But today Deadline reports that Cooper Koch, the great gay up-and-comer from Swallowed and that Menendez Brothers show and those great Calvin Klein ads, has also just joined the cast. No word on who anybody is playing yet but this one really seems set to roll soon by all accounts. And let's hope that Luca keeps casting off of the names in MNPP's sidebar! Anyway it's nice to see Luca hiring actual gay talent since lord knows he's gotten some shit for not doing so very often. And who knows perhaps they'll love each other and this could be a stepping stone toward that American Psycho remake (which Cooper has openly campaigned for), if that ever becomes reality.

Everything You Ever Need To Know About Life...

 ... you can learn from:

Chuck & Buck (2000)

Buck: We could play that game where I stick my dick 

in your mouth, and you stick your dick 

in mine... Chuck & Buck, Suck & Fuck!

A happy 25 to Mike White's original masterpiece!

I've been worshipping this weirdo king every day since. 

I should start the campaign to get this movie

a Criterion release now that Gregg Araki's trilogy happened.

Can you believe it's only on an out-of-print DVD? WTF.

Five Frames From ?

What movie is this?

Good Morning, World

It only seemed right the Monday after Superman opened to revisit this moment of David Corenswet rocking a pair of tighty-whities in Ryan Murphy's Netflix series Hollywood, which was how I came to love him (no I never watched The Politician because I am allergic to whatshisface). Click here if you missed my review -- generally I enjoyed it! The comments on that review spell another story but I think we can all agree -- David Corenswet in tighty-whities am I right? (Also did you see that blink-and-you'll-miss-it shot in Superman of his enormous super ass in his work suit? Good grief. Cinema!)

A Murder of Bots

I realized a couple of weeks ago that the time when I get right home from work and am feeling my most existentially aghast might be better spent catching up on some T.V. shows than the usual habit of staring into yonder abyss. And so that's how I caught up with the shows Murderbot as well as (finally) Squid Game -- well I'm only halfway into season two of the latter but I plan on binging it through this weekend to catch up. Anyway I'm enjoying both series (save the weird homophobia that Squid Game keeps mucking about with) so I was very happy to hear today's news that Murderbot has officially gotten a second season renewal. Anybody else watching Murderbot? S'good right?