2025 Film-Watching Year in Review (via Letterboxd) + MNFCA Award Winners

Happy first weekend of 2026, everyone!! My hubby and I just kept it mellow as I'm still suffering from my arthritis flare-up in my left hand that makes it a bit difficult to do many activities. We just went to brunch at our favorite pancake place and accompanied hubby shopping for new glasses.  I'll start …

Continue reading 2025 Film-Watching Year in Review (via Letterboxd) + MNFCA Award Winners

FlixChatter Review: The Secret Agent (2025) – A tense, vivid and surreal journey during Brazil’s ‘time of mischief’ with the magnetic Wagner Moura

When I first saw the trailer of The Secret Agent, I immediately thought of I’m Still Here, one of my favorite films of 2024, as both deal with the country's 2-decade military dictatorship. But that’s pretty much where the similarities end, as they vary greatly in terms of tone, style, and messages. Written and directed …

Continue reading FlixChatter Review: The Secret Agent (2025) – A tense, vivid and surreal journey during Brazil’s ‘time of mischief’ with the magnetic Wagner Moura

FlixChatter Review: DAVID (2025) – A stunning faith-based animation with stirring songs, but the narrative takes plenty of creative liberties

  Animation is one of my favorite genres, and I like discovering new studios that give viewers alternatives to the big four: Disney, Pixar, Dreamworks, and Illumination. The week leading up to Christmas, I decided to watch DAVID, created by Sunrise Animation, a production company with a full-service animation studio in South Africa. Apparently, it’s …

Continue reading FlixChatter Review: DAVID (2025) – A stunning faith-based animation with stirring songs, but the narrative takes plenty of creative liberties

FlixChatter Review: The Mastermind (2025) – Josh O’Connor is perfectly cast in Kelly Reichardt’s slow, minimalist heist film

2025 is really Josh O’Connor’s year, and it’s all the better for it. This is the third film I saw where he has a leading or prominent role, and I might try to catch The History Of Sound, where he’s a co-lead with Paul Mescal. Those who are still unfamiliar with the English actor apart …

Continue reading FlixChatter Review: The Mastermind (2025) – Josh O’Connor is perfectly cast in Kelly Reichardt’s slow, minimalist heist film

Avatar: Fire and Ash (2022) Review – Not exactly a fresh chapter for Pandora, the visuals are still glorious, but the narrative is stuck in a loop

James Cameron took more than a decade to dive back into the Avatar universe, spending that time fine-tuning the underwater filming tech for its sequel, Avatar: The Way of Water. The second and third sequels, Fire and Ash, were shot back-to-back, as part of a huge production effort to manage the actors' aging process throughout …

Continue reading Avatar: Fire and Ash (2022) Review – Not exactly a fresh chapter for Pandora, the visuals are still glorious, but the narrative is stuck in a loop

Celebrating Jane Austen’s 250th Birthday + Ang Lee’s Sense and Sensibility’s 30th Anniversary

Today is Jane Austen’s 250th birthday! She was born on December 16, 1775, and even after 250 years, her words resonate just as clearly as they did back in the Regency era. As a member of Jane Austen Society (JASNA) Minnesota Chapter, my fellow Janeites and I celebrated Miss Austen’s birthday with a festive brunch …

Continue reading Celebrating Jane Austen’s 250th Birthday + Ang Lee’s Sense and Sensibility’s 30th Anniversary

FlixChatter Review: Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (2025) | Johnson’s latest murder mystery blends crime-solving with themes of faith

Rian Johnson started his filmmaking career with an indie Neo-noir mystery, Brick, with less than half a million. Who knew that he would go on to create a lucrative and popular murder mystery franchise that would rival Agatha Christie? Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery is one of my most highly anticipated holiday …

Continue reading FlixChatter Review: Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (2025) | Johnson’s latest murder mystery blends crime-solving with themes of faith