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!


 

Movie ReviewsReviews

‘Opus’ Movie Review: John Malkovich Has The Kool-Aid

The new A24 film Opus spurs reflections about the recently deceased Gene Hackman. The late actor rarely found a genre he could not improve in some form. Hackman made it a point to flourish in movies like The Birdcage, where the role required him to tackle progressive topics with sincere comedic timing. Similarly, he could navigate a darker role, much like

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B-Sides: ‘Aggro Dr1ft’, ‘Presence’, ‘Succession’ & ‘Daredevil: Born Again’

Vin and John discuss some miscellaneous films and shows they’re watching, new and old. This includes a couple of films which utilize some unique forms of storytelling (Aggro Dr1ft and Presence), as well as a discussion about the HBO series Succession, and newer series Common Side Effects and Daredevil: Born Again. Join The Cosmic Circus on Patreon to watch! Timestamps 01:00

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‘Mickey 17’ Another Social Commentary from Bong Joon-ho

Mickey 17 is the newest film from acclaimed South Korean director Bong Joon-ho, with Robert Pattinson as the lead character, Mickey Barnes. On a spaceship expedition to colonize the snowy planet of Niflheim, Mickey is brought on as the crew’s “Expendable”, which is a nice way of saying that with cloning technology, he is reprinted and disposable to the mission. Mickey

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‘Novocaine’ is a Feel Good, Bone-Crunching, Body Horror Action Comedy

Novocaine would be a starring vehicle for Jim Carrey in a different timeline. In the late ’90s, Carrey was the ruler of physical comedy with an added gimmick. The Mask, Liar Liar, and even Bruce Almighty would beg to question, “What if Jim Carrey but X scenario?” Novocaine is not a starring vehicle for the Ace Ventura actor, but it performs

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Kelly Marie Tran’s ‘Control Freak’ is the Best Horror Surprise This Year

Control Freak is a brand-new horror film written and directed by Shal Ngo. Ngo is an up-and-coming Chinese-American filmmaker known for The Park (2023) and several shorter works, making this surely his biggest project to date. The film stars Kelly Marie Tran (Star Wars: The Last Jedi), Miles Robbins, Toan Le, and Kieu Chinh. In the story, a woman finds the

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Osgood Perkins’ ‘The Monkey’ is Neither Funny Nor Thrilling

After the incredible commercial success of Longlegs, bolstered by a clever marketing campaign, many audience members eagerly anticipated seeing what Osgood Perkins would come up with next. It turns out they didn’t have to wait very long, as his latest feature, The Monkey, was already in the can when Longlegs bowed out in cinemas. Adapted from the short story of the

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‘Captain America: Brave New World’ is a Great Sequel to ‘The Incredible Hulk’ (Spoilers)

Captain America: Brave New World has arrived on the scene as one of the MCU’s lowest-rated movies by both critics and audiences, accompanied by months of rumors swirling about extensive reshoots and production troubles. Surprisingly, the final film doesn’t show most of that baggage. There’s no awkwardly edited, clearly mushed together storylines like we’ve seen in the theatrical cut of Justice

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‘The Dead Thing’ Review: Tinder-ized Surreal Horror

The Dead Thing might be dropping on Shudder during the Valentine’s Day weekend, but the new film by Elric Kane is hardly a standing ovation to the idea of romance. One might even call it cynical. In the age of loneliness and swipe culture, the need for connection feels more urgent than ever, causing the slightest bit of rejection to feel

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‘Captain America: Brave New World’ Film Review

I consider myself an MCU fan, although my interest over the last year has waned. Whether it’s superhero fatigue or saltiness over not seeing things on the big screen, keeping up with the world felt like a bit of a chore in 2024. So I went into Captain America: Brave New World without any prep. I don’t even think I watched

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