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REVIEW: James Gunn’s “Creature Commandos” brings new life to comic book media

Addison Fulton | February 3

In December 2024, Max released a new DC animated series, “Creature Commandos,” directed by James Gunn. The series is a sequel to Gunn’s 2022 series “Peacemaker” and his 2021 film “The Suicide Squad.” The Suicide Squad, in all its iterations, is a group of high-powered yet apprehended supervillains who assemble to take on high-stakes, covert missions in exchange for time off of their prison sentences. The team is led by Amanda Waller, who implants bombs in the brains of the team members that will detonate if they disobey. In “Creature Commandos,” Waller is no longer allowed to put bombs in human brains or force them to go on dangerous missions. However, nothing prevents her from using nonhuman entities.

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REVIEW: Ethel Cain confronts listeners with the grotesque on ‘Perverts’

Elijah Ritch | January 20

On Jan. 8, alternative musician Ethel Cain released her newest project, “Perverts.” This marks her first release since her 2022 debut album “Preacher’s Daughter,” which garnered Cain critical acclaim and a devoted cult following. Ethel Cain, aka Hayden Anhedönia, is also a character and the protagonist of much of the artist’s discography. Her work encompasses a wide range of genres and styles, from Springsteen-esque heartland rock to haunting, epic ballads. Cain frequently explores themes like generational trauma, religious indoctrination — particularly growing up Queer in an evangelical Christian community — and sexual violence. After the release of her debut album, Cain “wrote on Tumblr about the ‘irony epidemic’ that had turned her dead-serious lyrics about sex, death and the divine into meme fodder,” according to Stereogum.  

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REVIEW: 1922 ‘Nosferatu’ out-vampires its remake

Nate Bernard | January 13

Perfect for a dark and stormy night with popcorn and wax vampire fangs — hopefully not at the same time — is the original 1922 “Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror” directed by F. W. Murnau. The movie bests the 2024 remake “Nosferatu,” directed by Robert Eggers, in every way possible. It’s not even a contest, it’s a bloodbath. While some younger people might only recognize the original Count Orlok — the vampire known as Nosferatu — from the SpongeBob SquarePants episode “Graveyard Shift,” the 1922 Orlok is sure to change that SpongeBob smile to a shriek with his eerie and unsettling presence.

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REVIEW: ‘Wicked’ — A festivating film adaptation

Addison Fulton | January 13

I expected to hate it. In November 2024, Universal Pictures released a new film adaptation of the hit Broadway musical “Wicked,” starring drama actress Cynthia Erivo and pop star Ariana Grande. I thought this was another case of cash-grabbing, stunt-casting and dragging the name of something that I’ve loved since elementary school through the mud. Blessedly, I was completely wrong. The film looks stellar, to begin with. Everything from the costumes to the sets to the CGI animals is full of life. The color pallet is dreamy and vibrant.

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REVIEW: Not the coup of the century — ‘Mufasa’ better, not great

Addison Fulton | January 13

In December 2024, Disney released “Mufasa: The Lion King,” a live-action/photo-realistic CGI prequel to “The Lion King” that follows the origin story of Mufasa, Simba’s father and the first Lion King. The story is framed as a tale that Rafiki, the eclectic mandrill, tells to Kiara, Simba’s daughter. Mufasa — voiced by Aaron Pierre — is a young lion who loses his parents in a flash flood. He nearly drowns but is saved by Taka — voiced by Kelvin Harrison Jr. — a young lion prince who will eventually become Scar. Taka takes in Mufasa as a brother, despite his father’s hatred for strays. Mufasa is raised by the lionesses, learning to track, hunt and fight. Then, the pride is massacred by a pride of white lions led by Kiros, voiced by Mads Mikkelsen.

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REVIEW: PEEKABOO, ‘GNX’

Rodney Prunty | December 9

During the summer, rapper and songwriter Kendrick Lamar had everyone saying “They not like us,” but for the winter season, he has everyone screaming “Mustard.” On Nov. 22, Lamar released “GNX,” his first album since “Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers,” which came out in 2022. The album features a total of 12 songs. This album did not see much promotion, and it seemed to come out of nowhere. The only indication that it would drop occurred when Lamar posted a teaser for the album on Instagram a few minutes before it was released.

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REVIEW: ‘The Fall’ earns its place at Albuquerque’s Guild Cinema

Elijah Ritch | November 26

On Nov. 8 and 9, Albuquerque’s Guild Cinema screened the new restoration of the 2006 cult favorite “The Fall.” “The Fall” is set in a hospital in Hollywood in the 1910s. It depicts the unlikely friendship between Roy, a stuntman who was badly injured on a film set, and Alexandria, the child of Romanian immigrants who has a broken arm from harvesting oranges. The majority of the film’s action takes place within a fantastical adventure story that the bored Roy tells to the precocious Alexandria.

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REVIEW: Jacques Audiard’s ‘Emilia Pérez’ is misguided yet entertaining

Elijah Ritch | November 25

A genre-defying epic, the film is a crime/comedy/romance/musical that tells the story of a Mexican defense attorney named Rita — played by Zoe Saldaña — who is contacted by Juan Del Monte, a drug lord — played by Karla Sofía Gascón — who needs help covertly obtaining gender-affirming surgery. The latest from renowned French director Jacques Audiard, “Emilia Pérez” made its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May, where the film took home the Jury Prize, which is essentially the festival’s third-place award. Its four leading actresses — Saldaña, Gascón, Selena Gomez and Adriana Paz — collectively received the Best Actress award.

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REVIEW: Soccer Mommy breaks and mends hearts with ‘Evergreen’

Elijah Ritch | November 22

On Oct. 25, American singer-songwriter Soccer Mommy’s new album “Evergreen” was released. A striking departure from her previous work, “Evergreen” finds Soccer Mommy, aka Sophie Allison, retreating into nature during a period of grief. On the record, the new mindset she has after reckoning with this loss is clear. There’s a distinct sense of ease to the songs — she’s unencumbered by the trivial worries of modern life. Her music sounds looser and more relaxed than ever before.

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REVIEW: ‘The Crow’ — dream the crow black dream

Marcela Johnson | November 18

Thirty years later, “The Crow,” released in 1994 and directed by Alex Proyas, still holds up. From the moody atmosphere to the perfect soundtrack, I highly recommend it for anyone’s autumn rotation. Based on a comic book by James O’Barr, “The Crow” follows rocker Eric Draven as he comes back to life on the one-year anniversary of his death to avenge his and his fiance’s death. The movie deals with some harsh topics but is unfortunately still relevant 30 years later. For example, Shelly Webster, Draven’s fiance, is killed and assaulted because she dared to speak out against forced evictions.

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REVIEW: The Cure showcases angst, hope and beauty in new album

Elijah Ritch | November 18

On Nov. 1, rock band The Cure released its 14th album “Songs of a Lost World.” The first album in 16 years from the goth-rock titans, “Songs of a Lost World” has been in the works for years. In a 2019 interview with the Los Angeles Times, the band’s iconic frontman Robert Smith said that nailing down his vocals was the hardest part of making the new album. “I keep going back over and redoing them, which is silly. At some point, I have to say ‘That’s it,’” Smith told the LA Times.

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REVIEW: Will we look back at this and laugh?

Addison Fulton | November 15

There’s an old adage that comedy is just tragedy given time. But, in the modern comedy landscape, we don’t have time. Everything has to be funny now, no matter what. So, what does funny look like now? On Nov. 9, Saturday Night Live ran its first episode since Donald Trump was reelected as president of the United States. On one hand, the first Trump presidency had a lot of absurd, hilarious moments. On the other, it was dark and frightening. A Trump presidency is less funny now that we know just how bad it can get.

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REVIEW: “BRAT” remix album transports listeners

Elijah Ritch | November 4

On Oct. 11, Charli xcx released the long-awaited remix album of her zeitgeist-defining record “BRAT.” The new project, entitled “Brat and it’s completely different but also still brat,” features remixes of all 15 tracks on “BRAT,” alongside remixes of two of the album’s three bonus tracks. Every song features at least one new artist, each of whom brings their own sensibilities to Charli’s maximalist vision of life as an endless cycle of sex, drugs and 120 bpm. Part of why the “BRAT” remix album works so well is because the songs are actually remixes. In a pop landscape where music is produced and marketed as quickly and cheaply as possible, remixes have become divorced from their original purpose.

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‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’ brings a whimsical twist to a classic

Izabella Kubiak-Reseigh | October 28

Beetlejuice. Beetlejuice. Binge watch? In a delightful return to the world of the undead, Tim Burton resurrects his iconic 1988 film with a fresh twist that combines nostalgia with new adventures. “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” captures the quirky charm and dark humor of its predecessor while introducing a new generation to the misadventures of the mischievous bio-exorcist. The film picks up years after the original, where we find Lydia Deetz, now played by an older Winona Ryder, fully embracing her identity as a goth artist. Lydia is now balancing work life and mom life with an unruly teenage daughter named Astrid. Beetlejuice — who is played once again by the inimitable Michael Keaton — is released after Astrid stumbles upon the portal to the afterlife in the attic.

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REVIEW: ‘The Apprentice’: An excellent movie about awful people

Addison Fulton | October 21

Released on Oct. 11 and directed by Ali Abbasi, “The Apprentice” follows a younger Donald Trump — played by Sebastian Stan — through his earlier business ventures and his first marriage to Ivana Zelníčková — played by Maria Bakalova. Jeremy Strong also stars as Trump’s lawyer and mentor Roy Cohn. The film opens with archival footage of Richard Nixon’s “I’m not a crook” speech alongside a montage depicting New York City in the 1970s — mostly consisting of strip clubs and police brutality. It sets an immediate tone of the turmoil that would allow Trump’s rise to power.

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REVIEW: ‘Fresh Kill’ shatters boundaries at Albuquerque’s Guild Cinema

Elijah Ritch | October 14

On Oct. 5, Albuquerque’s Guild Cinema showed a restored 35 mm print of the 1994 film “Fresh Kill.” The screening was a part of a cross-country presentation, according to NPR. At each stop, the film was introduced by its director, Shu Lea Cheang. “Fresh Kill” depicts a group of misfits living in New York City who stumble onto a global conspiracy involving nuclear waste, glowing green fish, lethal cat food and a mysterious corporation with ominous TV commercials. The film is named after the Fresh Kills Landfill, which covered parts of Staten Island from 1948 until it was shut down in 2001, making it the world’s largest landfill at the time, according to the New York Times.

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REVIEW: ‘In the Summers’ featured at Albuquerque’s Guild Cinema

Elijah Ritch | October 14

Starting on Oct. 4 and spanning four days, Albuquerque’s Guild Cinema played Colombian American filmmaker Alessandra Lacorazza Samudio’s debut feature “In the Summers.” The film tells the story of Violeta and Eva, two sisters from Los Angeles who visit their father Vicente in Las Cruces, New Mexico every summer. Their story is told in four chapters that span four different summers, as the sisters grapple with first love, mental health, sexuality and — most importantly — their turbulent relationship with their father, who is an addict.

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REVIEW: One album from caving in: How Katy Perry’s career led to ‘143’ flopping

Elijah Ritch | October 7

Editor’s note: This article contains mentions of sexual assault and abuse. Katy Perry is strange. Each of the pop stars who rose to prominence in the late 2000s to early 2010s had their own carefully curated images. Lady Gaga was the eccentric auteur and the one who especially brought in the crucial gay audience. Kesha was the unabashed party animal. Rihanna was the consistent hitmaker who could move through different sounds and styles with ease. Perry was a curious combination of girl next door, bi-curious flirt and campy children’s cartoon come to life.

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REVIEW: ‘We the Living’ remaster returns to the screen at the Guild

Elijah Ritch | September 30

On Tuesday, Sept. 24, the Guild Cinema in Nob Hill screened a new restoration of the 1942 Italian film “We the Living.” The film, directed by Goffredo Alessandrini, is an adaptation of Ayn Rand’s 1936 debut novel of the same name. Clocking in at almost three hours, “We the Living” is an epic love story set amidst the political turmoil of the post-revolution USSR. It chronicles the love triangle that forms between three protagonists: Kira, a young engineering student who refuses to let the state mold her values; Andrei, a fellow student who is an ardent Communist and a member of the Soviet secret police; and Leo, a free spirit who is wanted by the government.

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REVIEW: ‘Fantasmas’ obliterates boundaries

Elijah Ritch | September 27

In June, Max premiered the show “Fantasmas,” created by Salvadoran American writer and director Julio Torres. A surrealist comedy, it tells the story of a fictionalized version of its creator as he navigates an alternate — yet no less wacky — version of New York City. The show follows Julio through two main storylines: his attempts to circumvent his need for Proof of Existence — a dystopian type of identification — and his quest to recover a lost diamond-encrusted oyster earring. The earring would allow him to get a biopsy of a birthmark that he’s convinced is cancerous, seeing as both things are the same size and he can prove the birthmark has grown if he finds the earring.