Movie Reviews

Cosmic Circus has been covering movies and TV/streaming series for over five years now. Please take some time to read through some of our movie reviews below to find out what the writers think of past and new films.

Refer to the Stellar Picks archive to find some of our top-rated movies, shows, books, games, and more!


 

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Fantasia Fest 2024 Review: Exciting Action Doesn’t Quite Save ‘Out of the Shadow’

Competing for the Cheval Noir Award at the Fantasia International Film Festival, Ricky Ko’s Out of the Shadow has all the right ingredients for a fun time at the movies: a coming-of-age tale for a teenaged protagonist who learns to trust herself through fighting, intricately staged and choreographed Karate battles, and religious symbolism that will guide the journey each protagonist will

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Fantasia Fest 2024 Review: ‘Tatsumi’ is an Unimpressive Mob Thriller

With the Fantasia International Festival well underway, there are plenty of movies to still enjoy and appreciate in the Hall and J.A. de Sève auditoriums at Concordia University. A movie that sounded interesting on paper to me was Hiroshi Shoji’s Tatsumi, a mob drama that centers on its titular character (Yuya Endo) seeking revenge on the people who murdered his ex-girlfriend,

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Exploring the Legacy of Hugh Jackman as Wolverine

Wolverine is one of the most recognizable mutants in the Marvel Universe. He appeared in every mutant show and most movies about mutants. His popularity is huge thanks to the X-Men: The Animated Series and Hugh Jackman’s live-action adaptation of the character. With Deadpool & Wolverine now in theaters, and the huge comeback of Jackman to the role, let’s do a

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Fantasia Fest 2024 Review: ‘Penalty Loop’ Reinvents Time loop Cinema

Before Shinji Araki’s Penalty Loop played in front of a sold-out crowd at the Fantasia International Film Festival, audiences were treated to the classic advertisement for Nongshim noodles not once but twice. At first, I didn’t grasp why this happened (although the real ones know the ad played an endless number of times in front of Park Chan-wook’s Oldboy last year).

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‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Discussion (Cosmic Circle Ep. 59)

We’ve made it through the drought, friends! It’s been so long since we’ve had a Marvel Studios film in theaters, with the last entry being The Marvels back in November. Partially due to the strikes and a righting of the ship over at the Disney-owned company, it’s taken a while for a new MCU film to arrive. But the wait is

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‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Review: Marvel Studios Has Lost Their Touch

Today, the only Marvel Cinematic Universe film of 2024 hits the big screen: Deadpool & Wolverine, the third entry in a franchise started by a rival studio. Directed by Shawn Levy and starring Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, the long-awaited third Deadpool film sees Wade Wilson team up with another universe’s Wolverine, fulfilling the dreams of Marvel fans everywhere. Unfortunately, the

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A Visual and Emotional Journey: DC’s ‘Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths’ Trilogy

The Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths DC animated film trilogy has come to a conclusion this month with the release of Part Three on digital and Blu-ray/4K. Directed by Jeff Wamester and written by Jim Krieg, is an adaptation of the iconic DC Comics storyline, created by Marv Wolfman and illustrated by George Pérez. A culmination of every project from

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Fantasia Fest 2024 Review: ‘Brave Citizen’ Meows the Fantasia Audience Away

The first thing that usually jolts the first-time Fantasia International Film Festival visitors are the elusive meows that are heard in front of every screening after the head technician says, “Et maintenant…que le film commence!” (“And now… may the film begin!”). As he dims the lights of the Hall Auditorium, the audience begins to meow and sometimes make even weirder cat

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‘Twisters’ is the Perfect film for the ScreenX Experience!

I was just four years old when the original Twister came out, and yet I can remember the buzz around the disaster film like it was yesterday. Written by Michael Crichton, author of Jurassic Park, and Anne-Marie Martin, the Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton-led film was the second highest-grossing film in 1996 and received Academy Award nominations for Best Visual Effects

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‘Twisters’ Review: A Rehash That Somehow Thrills

Twisters is not the typical sequel or legacy sequel. Since 2015, every studio has tried to capture the same nostalgic feeling of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The formula usually starts with duplicating the same movie almost beat for beat, but differently, in hopes the audience will not realize they’re just watching the same movie over again. Twisters, for the most

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‘Lumina’: An Absurdly Inept Attempt at Sci-Fi

Aliens and otherworldly beings are a cinematic staple. They perfectly lend themselves to the screen, with endless possibilities for their design and motivations. The question about whether or not we are alone in the universe is one that draws both contemplation and fear. If aliens are in fact real, what would their interaction with humans be like? Filmmaker Gino J.H. McKoy

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Review: ‘Longlegs’ is the Silliest Horror Film of the Year

It will be very hard to talk about Osgood Perkins‘ latest film, Longlegs, without revealing a single element from its story and characters. From my understanding (I don’t watch trailers when they drop online, only when they appear in front of movies I see in cinemas), the marketing has shrouded its story and Nicolas Cage‘s role in secrecy. It even censored

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