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 ReviewsReviewsStellar Picks

‘Smile 2’ is the Right Mixture of Hilarious and Chilling

Nowadays, they can make a horror movie about anything. Want a horror film about a loveable teddy bear turned monster? There’s a film for that. Want to see a version of Freaky Friday but with a murderer and a teenage girl? We’ve got you covered. Some ideas are sillier than others, but that doesn’t stop the churning out a wide variety

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Movie ReviewsReviewsStellar Picks

‘Rumours’ is A Brilliant Satire

Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson, and Galen Johnson’s film Rumours is very telling of what I like about cinema. Everything I love about the art form is found in this picture: experimentation with an ever-changing aesthetic, satirical jokes that take zero prisoners, and a slight jab at the audience for sitting through a movie that does not reward or fulfill them in

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Movie ReviewsReviews

Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh Shine in the Button-Pushing ‘We Live in Time’

After many years of bathing in the most egregious clichés and emotional trappings, the romantic drama desperately needs reinvention. Look no further than director John Crowley, who made a potential solution to a decaying genre with We Live in Time, a clichéd romantic story told in a scattershot, non-linear narrative. Its structure is highly communicative, too, juxtaposing moments of high-spirited joy

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Movie ReviewsReviews

‘Caddo Lake’ is A Precautious Tale of Family and Will

Situated on the Texas-Louisiana is Caddo Lake, it’s the single (and only) naturally formed lake in the Lone Star State. Inspired by a photograph, filmmakers Celine Held and Logan George collaborated to write and direct Caddo Lake a turbulent tale about family. Legendary director M. Night Shyamalan had involvement as an executive producer on the film and the narrative subtly shows

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Movie ReviewsReviews

‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ is a Pretty-Looking But Empty Jukebox Musical

The opening scene for Todd Phillips’ Joker: Folie à Deux signals a stark shift in tone from the 2019 Oscar and Golden Lion-winning first installment. With a Looney Tunes-inspired short directed by The Triplets of Belleville’s Sylvain Chomet, the movie posits itself as a lighter, more humorous affair than the punishing first movie. The animation is fairly creative, paying tribute to

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Movie ReviewsReviews

‘My Old Ass’ is a Coming of Age Story with a Sci-Fi Twist

Most of us can remember how difficult the transition from young adult to the real world can be; going from being the biggest fish in a small pond, feeling invincible in almost every respect, to feeling small and insignificant. That cycle repeats throughout life as we outgrow one situation and move on to the next. Those transitional periods can be so

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Movie ReviewsReviewsStellar Picks

‘Howl’s Moving Castle’ Returns to Theaters for the 20th Anniversary

If you have never seen Hayao Miyazaki’s Howl’s Moving Castle, I must sincerely ask you what you are doing with your life. Do you hate love, fun, and wizards? Why have you chosen to punish yourself like this? Luckily, you have a chance to rectify this situation: for its 20th anniversary, Howl’s Moving Castle is in theaters nationwide starting September 26!

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Film FestivalsMovie ReviewsReviews

Fantastic Fest 2024: ‘The Wild Robot’ and ‘Will & Harper’ Reviews

We continue our Fantastic Fest coverage with two of the most heartfelt experiences of the entire festival. Both have beautiful messages and were crafted with such love and care. The first is Dreamworks Animation’s latest effort, The Wild Robot, which sees the filmmaker behind How to Train Your Dragon tackle a new experience about parenting and raising children through the eyes

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Film FestivalsMovie ReviewsReviews

Fantastic Fest 2024 Movie Reviews: ‘Anora’ and ‘Saturday Night’

Fantastic Fest 2024 is well underway and I had a chance to catch two more films screening there, Sean Baker’s Anora and Saturday Night, based on the beginnings of Saturday Night Live. Check out what I thought below! Anora: A slice of life film with a powerful message The Florida project is one of the best slice-of-life pictures in a long

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