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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‘Spy x Family Code: White’ Understands The Mission

The Forgers are back, baby. Not only that, the unconventional anime family of Loid, Yor, and Anya Forger has returned for their own full-length feature film Spy x Family Code: White. Directed by Takashi Katagiri and written by Ichiro Ohkouchi, and based on the popular manga by Tatsuya Endo, Code: White will finally be released in the U.S. and other countries

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Review: Alex Garland’s ‘Civil War’ is an Empty Political Dystopia

When Alex Garland’s Civil War premiered at SXSW, the early reactions were quick to call it a “masterpiece” and an “important warning” or “cautionary tale” about the future of American politics and the state of journalism, as democracy is (quite literally) on the ballot in November. Some even (dared) compare its importance to the likes of Gillo Pontecorvo’s The Battle of

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Dev Patel’s Full of Rage and Revenge in ‘Monkey Man’

After a while, all action films begin to feel the same: car chases, hand-to-hand combat, and lots of blood. For many films in this genre, it’s style over substance, with cool action sequences that take precedence over well-written storylines and impeccable acting. This has been one of my biggest complaints about action films for years. I appreciate movies that can balance

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‘Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire’ Podcast (Cosmic Circle Ep. 52)

The Titan-sized box office hit Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire popped up from the depths of Hollow Earth into theaters last week. The movie, the latest from director Adam Wingard, is the 38th Godzilla film and the newest entry into Legendary’s MonsterVerse. The film brings together Apple TV+’s Monarch in expanding the world and also gives us the impossible not-to-meme visual of Godzilla sleeping in

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‘Monkey Man’ Review: Dev Patel’s Formally Audacious Directorial Debut

Dev Patel’s Monkey Man almost never saw the light of day after suffering a number of production troubles. This included Patel breaking his hand on the first day of shooting and Netflix quietly dropping the film from distribution, citing it too gritty and politically charged for Indian audiences. The fact that it got released (in theaters, no less) this week feels

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‘Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire’ is an Anime Inspired Smash

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is gifted with the same creative fortitude as Creed III. With the third Rocky spin-off, Michael B. Jordan was thirsty to place his fingerprint on the franchise. Jordan took inspiration from his love for Anime films, such as Naruto, and injected his directorial debut with the sensibilities of those animated images. The fourth film of the Godzilla franchise sees director Adam Wingard accomplishing a similar feat. It’s not

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‘Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire’ A Nostalgic Trip to NYC with a Superhero Twist

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire brings the misfit family from Afterlife and returns the saga to The Big Apple. Moreover, it sees the original Ghostbusters team back in action, albeit briefly. With a cast of legacy characters and familiar settings, one might wonder if the franchise brought back the old familiar spark. Well, they almost hit the bullseye. And while this sequel is not the

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Review: ‘We Can Be Heroes’ Documentary About Kids and LARPing

I’m getting to that age where I look at the opportunities teenagers have today and think old person thoughts about what I missed out on as a kid simply because it didn’t exist yet. There’s an entire film program at a local high school where I live that invited me to be a guest judge for their annual film festival last

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‘Omni Loop’ Review: ‘Groundhog Day’ Sci-Fi Comedy Gets Weird

Remember when, in the depths of COVID lockdowns and isolation, we all became obsessed with a new Groundhog Day-style time loop movie called Palm Springs? It might seem like it happened two decades ago, but the movie, starring Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti, appeared on Hulu in the summer of 2020, and we were all instantly talking about it. Omni Loop,

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Review: ‘Problemista’ is Equally Funny, Heartbreaking, and Absurd

Writer and director Julio Torres also stars as Alejandro in Problemista. The film from A24 is Torres’ feature debut, after a career spent writing comedy at Saturday Night Live and the show Les Espookys, of which Torres is the writer and creator. Problemista is equally funny, heartbreaking, and absurd; at its heart, it is a character story about trying to cope and navigate an increasingly hostile life.  The story of Problemista A child

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