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How I Write About Movies

I needed a picture to put here, so here’s Twin Peaks . I know that this site is just getting started, but I figured I should talk about what my writing process is like. I’m not entirely sure how long this post is going to be, but I think this is not only going to be an important marker to the reader (criteria and all that) but it’ll also be important to me as a writer. I’m always trying to improve on Flash Frames, especially when it comes to the actual content. I’m always trying to whittle down just what makes me tick as a writer, so maybe this could be why some of my reviews are just… not good. No other way to say it, I have my off days. That’s why this is going to be the featured post, the first thing you’ll see when you go to the home page. Let’s get into it. I know that this is stating the obvious, but you’re here to read my thoughts on different movies, shows, all that stuff. A lot of the reviews on here are for newer releases, but I have to keep my creative juices flowing. You’re...

The Perfect Neighbor – REVIEW

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"She started banging on her door pounding on it, “let me in,” and then... bang!" Director: Geeta Gandbhir Synopsis: “Police bodycam footage reveals how a long-running neighborhood dispute turned fatal in this documentary about fear, prejudice and Stand Your Ground laws.” __________________________________________________ I’m self-aware enough to admit my failings as a newer critic, and one of those is that I rarely watch documentaries. It’s not that I don’t like them, but for the most part, I just don’t gravitate towards them. However, The Perfect Neighbor immediately stood out to me back in January when it premiered at Sundance. I didn’t personally know what it was about yet, but all I knew was that this doc was almost entirely made up of footage from police bodycams. There’s seemingly no interviews and no commentary of any sort either; you’re seeing simply what happened, intentionally designed that way to form your own thoughts on this incident. It’s a lot to ask from the ...

The Smashing Machine – REVIEW

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“The unforgettable true story of a UFC legend.” Director: Benny Safdie Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, Ryan Bader, Bas Rutten, and Oleksandr Usyk Synopsis: “The story of legendary mixed martial arts and UFC fighter Mark Kerr.” __________________________________________________ I’ve really been looking forward to this one. It never dawned on me until I started to write this, but The Smashing Machine feels like a personal milestone for me. The first A24-distributed movie I’ve seen in a theater was Uncut Gems with Adam Sandler back in 2019, and I vividly remember being physically on the edge of my seat after that. I had such a visceral reaction to Uncut Gems , and I can also remember what I thought when the credits finished and the audience began to clear out: “I wanna make movies.” I can point out other movies in my life that I really love and are my personal favorites, but this is the movie that convinced me to commit to going to film school. Six years have passed since then, and I...

The Official Release Party of a Showgirl – RAMBLE

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“A look behind the curtain.” Director: Taylor Swift Synopsis: “The exclusive world premiere of the music video “The Fate of Ophelia,” along with behind-the-scenes footage from the music video shoot, brand new lyric videos, and Taylor Swift’s personal reflections on songs from her 12th studio album, The Life of a Showgirl .” __________________________________________________ I’m sitting in a hotel room in a different state, pretty much wiped from the first day of being at the Eerie Horror Fest this past weekend. Most of this is being written on downtime from the fest, especially since I went to my first midnight screening experience for Rats: Night of Terror last night/this morning. Although, I did just wanna talk about something I saw at a movie theater a few weeks back. I didn’t see a movie, though. That’s why I said “something” and not “movie” or “film,” or if you wanna get real fancy, a “picture.” For this little article, I’m writing about a musician. Not just any musician, though,...

2026 Oscar Predictions - October 2025

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Okay, this is my first time taking on a task like this, so please bear with me. I’m giving Oscar predictions a shot, and this is just gonna be a lot of fun! It’s a long one, though. Each category is in order of likely nomination, not alphabetical or anything. I really don’t have a lot to say for each category, but up here, I’ll talk about some changes that I think could happen. A lot of the technical categories are sort of in flux right now for me because there are a lot of variables. In terms of visuals effects , we obviously know that Avatar: Fire and Ash is winning, but it’s mainly the other nominees that could be interesting. I have Superman and Fantastic Four getting in, but I also have F1 in too. F1 could really fall out, though, and I think either Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning or TRON: Ares could probably take its place. The presence of Wicked: For Good is something I’m still on the fence about. Unless it’s just as praised as Part One last year, I think it’ll...

One Battle After Another – REVIEW

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“Some search for battle, others are born into it…” Director: Paul Thomas Anderson Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Benicio del Toro, Regina Hall, Teyana Taylor, and Chase Infiniti Synopsis: “Bob is a washed-up revolutionary who lives in a state of stoned paranoia, surviving off-grid with his spirited and self-reliant daughter, Willa. When his evil nemesis resurfaces and Willa goes missing, the former radical scrambles to find her as both father and daughter battle the consequences of their pasts.” __________________________________________________ Writer/Director Paul Thomas Anderson has already cemented himself as one of the go-to directors of this era, and even if you don’t know that name, you’ve at least heard of the movies he’s made. There Will Be Blood , Punch-Drunk Love , Boogie Nights , The Master , Magnolia , Phantom Thread … He’s rarely missed, at least for me. It’s been tough to wrap my head around his latest film, One Battle After Another , and I’ve seen it twice. I gotta...

Marvel Zombies – REVIEW

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“Who will save us from our heroes?” Director: Bryan Andrews Cast: Iman Vellani, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Rudd, Florence Pugh, David Harbour, Tessa Thompson, Simu Liu, Awkwafina, Hailee Steinfeld, Wyatt Russell, Randall Park, and Dominique Thorne Synopsis: “After the Avengers are overtaken by a zombie plague, a desperate group of survivors discover the key to bringing an end to the super-powered undead, racing across a dystopian landscape and risking life and limb to save their world.” __________________________________________________ I might have to just get right to the point for this one because I don’t have a bunch to say about Marvel Zombies , the latest Marvel miniseries that has hit Disney+. I really wasn’t too excited for it, mainly because of the other animated Marvel show  What If…? ending up really collapsing in on itself. They had a Marvel Zombies episode that I thought was… fine? I didn’t hate it, but it left my mind pretty soon after watching it. I also just don’t like t...

Highest 2 Lowest – REVIEW

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“All $$ ain’t good $$” Director: Spike Lee Cast: Denzel Washington, Jeffrey Wright, Ilfenesh Hadera, A$AP Rocky, John Douglas Thompson, Dean Winters, LaChanze, Princess Nokia, and Ice Spice Synopsis: “When a powerful music mogul is targeted by a ransom plot, he is forced to fight for his family and legacy while jammed up in a life-or-death moral dilemma.” __________________________________________________ Spike Lee is undoubtedly one of the biggest living legends in cinema. I don’t think anything is ever gonna take away the impact he’s left. Admittedly, his filmography is a terribly embarrassing blind spot for me, but I’ve seen most of the heavy hitters, barring Malcolm X . Wild that I haven’t gotten to that yet. That’s besides the point, though. The next point is… another movie I haven’t seen, and that’s High and Low , one of the many celebrated movies from the just-as-celebrated Japanese director Akira Kurosawa. I’m not gonna make this a history lesson or anything, but to keep things...