Long after her death, Mary Shelley (Jessie Buckley) takes a lead role in the story of The Bride! Together with a bored, free-spirited, but troubled young woman (also Jessie Buckley) she intends to dispense chaos in order to relieve her spirit of a story that she deems must be told. In a world where she not only wrote about Dr. Frankenstein and his monster, but they were real beings (manifested by her words or created in reality? We’ll never know) she burns to continue the tale that has yet to conclude in her mind.
Author: Morgen Schuler
Hoppers proves Pixar still hasn’t run out of good ideas
Unsurprisingly the studio has come up with a creative, silly, and emotional way to broach a complex subject once again. It’s not the first time they’ve laid their heavy hand on us about the environment, but this one might be the most direct discussion of what humans continue to do to the planet despite the plethora of warning signs it’s been giving us.
EOY Catch Up: The Testament of Ann Lee is more musical adventure than religious awakening
In this fascinating journey of one woman and her pivotal role in bringing the Shaker religion to the United States.
Morgen’s Favorite Films of 2025
Late into the year I kept thinking to myself that I really hadn’t been floored by any one film. In the past I had one or two that I held onto as I saw them and could at least say “Yes, this one will definitely be on my list” but for some reason a lot of films fell flat for me this year. There were some contenders at SIFF of course, the sheer volume and diversity made that possible. Then, as the year neared its end, out came the the stars and I am left, yet again, with some tough decisions to make. Below are what I came up with, but I’ll probably wish I could change it again tomorrow.
Ella McCay is a lighter look at the dirty world of politics
Ella McCay (Emma Mackey), from the time she had a voice of her own, stood up for the people who wouldn’t or couldn’t stand up for themselves. She’s had a fire inside that pushed her, unfortunately, to become a civil servant, but she seemed to love it… most of the time. Add a husband that had potential but made the decision to walk the other way, a boss who cared more about himself than his constituents or staff, and a father that shouldn’t have become a father. Every man in her life proved over and over that she couldn’t depend on anyone to help her so she just had to help herself.
What would you do with Eternity?
It’s the eternal question (pardon the pun), but what happens when we die? Nothing? The best things? The most mundane things? Well, Eternity offers on a more romantic take with every day being your best day ever, but the rub is you have to choose what that means the moment you arrive in the afterlife and no take backs. For Larry Cutler, it’ll always be with Joan but she may have other plans.
The Thing With Feathers digs into the macabre of loss
A middle-aged man loses his wife unexpectedly and so quickly that it leaves a gaping hole in his chest that can’t be quelled. He’s nearly paralyzed by grief, but he has two young boys to care for. Instead of dealing with the emotional fallout, he bottles it up inside until it swallows him whole. The manifestation of his pain comes in the form of a crow, starting as a normal bird, but with time becomes twisted, grotesque and incessant.
Now You See Me: Now You Don’t lays it on thick
If you haven’t seen the first two installments of the Now You See Me franchise, it’s better if you catch up on those before seeing number three. We find ourselves a few years in the future with a new team of three young bucks up to the same antics in the name of the original quintet. Not quite as fast-paced as the first film, but with just as many misdirected tricks up their sleeves in the name of the brotherhood of magic and the greater good.
Mary Shelley would be giddy over del Toro’s Frankenstein
The story is a metaphor for many things and if you read it in high school English I’m sure you discussed more than your fair share of conclusions, so I’ll digress from that. However, what I’ve read of and from her, Mary Shelley loved the macabre. Dark stories that hit at the heart of our deepest desires and most crippling weaknesses. Intensity is the key. I had an inkling, but even while watching del Toro’s take on this story, I was confident Shelley would be enthralled by his re-imagining.
The sad truth of Roofman is what it reveals about the world we live in
In Roofman we see the world through the everyman Jeffrey Manchester (Channing Tatum). It starts off with his most notorious act, robbing a McDonalds, but in the sweetest way you can while holding hostages at gunpoint. The story backs up a little to explain what brought him to that point: after leaving the military he had no real sense of who he was or how he fit in the world. The only thing he really did well was observation, seeing the details that others missed (or maybe just didn’t use for their own gain).









