The Movies

Daniel Berrios
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  • FILM REVIEWS
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I'm Daniel Berrios. This is my journey to learn about the movies - the art form I adore - one review, interview, editorial at a time. Take care of yourselves. Take care of each other. Take care of the movies.

  1. 1D AGO

    239. Your A-Z Guide to the 2026 Slamdance Film Festival

    This year's Slamdance Film Festival kicks off on February 19 in Los Angeles! From the 19th to the 25th (and extended to March 6 via an online program featured on the Slamdance Channel), the most exciting voices in independent film get to strut their stuff. In order to raise the proverbial curtain, here's a guide, from A to Z, of what shorts, features, documentaries, etc. you should give a shot. Check out the full Slamdance festival lineup here! --- Follow The Movies on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Letterboxd⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Throw a couple dollars in the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tip jar!

    34 min

  2. 2D AGO

    238. CRIME 101 (2026) dir. Bart Layton

    CRIME 101 sees AMERICAN ANIMALS director Bart Layton hop back into the heist genre by adapting Don Winslow's novella about a high-level jewel thief (Chris Hemsworth) whose meticulous style has allowed him to get away scot-free from a string of robberies along Cali's 101 freeway. However, his final score brings into the mix a set of monkey wrench characters: a morally troubled insurance saleswoman (Halle Berry), a chaotic and violent motorcycle-riding thief (Barry Keoghan) and an experienced, though disillusioned, cop: (Mark Ruffalo) the only one closing in on the jewel thief's tail. --- Follow The Movies on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Letterboxd⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Throw a couple dollars in the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tip jar!

    22 min

  3. 3D AGO

    237. BIGHT (2026) dir. Maiara Walsh

    In BIGHT, a couple (Maiara Walsh & Cameron Cowperthwaite) struggling with intimacy is propositioned at their erotic photographer friend's (Mark Hapka) dinner party: He wants them in a nude rope bondage scene in order to break down all sense of ego, achieving total sexual, romantic and spiritual harmony. Kinky. But the second part of the phrase "erotic thriller" inevitably rears its head and as the consequences of revealed secrets unfold, boundaries are strained, even broken. BIGHT is available to watch now on Apple TV & Amazon. --- Follow The Movies on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Letterboxd⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Throw a couple dollars in the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tip jar!

    28 min

  4. FEB 9

    236. GOAT (2026) dir. Tyree Dillihay & Adam Rosette

    GOAT eschews the acronym "Greatest of All Time" for the literal: a teenage goat named Will Harris (Caleb McLaughlin) who dreams of changing the game of Roarball, an animalian version of basketball played on rocky, icy, thorny, or burning-hot terrain that's treacherous at best, deadly at worst. He wishes to follow in the paw prints of the G.O.A.T., a black leopard named Jett Fillmore (Gabrielle Union), whose hometown hero status goes all the way back to Will's childhood. She's the reason for his dedication. After a scrimmage between Will and Roarball star Mane (a deliciously unhinged Aaron Pierre) goes viral, the owner of Jett's team, seeing a promotional opportunity, hires Will to join, giving him the opportunity to prove, once and for all, that "smalls" CAN ball. Whatever ideas you have about how this movie unfolds are likely correct. This story and its characters will never, unlike Will, reinvent the game. But where GOAT earns my respect (yet not my endorsement, let's get that clear) is in its portrayal of basketball culture, Black-borne with influence stretching out to hip-hop, anime and sneaker culture. Each of these avenues allows fans to connect with their found communities, support each other through the collective challenges and triumphs of a beloved game. This identity strengthens over time to become not just fandom, but culture itself. The roots, indeed, run deep. I just wish the story and characters followed suit. Alan Chazaro's GQ article "The Unbreakable Bond Between Anime and the NBA" --- Follow The Movies on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Letterboxd⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Throw a couple dollars in the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tip jar!

    43 min

  5. FEB 8

    235. The 2026 Oscars Nominations

    It's time to talk about the nominations for the 98th Academy Awards, set to take place on Sunday, March 15th, 2026. Who was snubbed? Who was nominated for the 17th time (and still not expected to win)? Who made the cut to be considered in Best Picture? All shall be revealed. BUGONIA dir. Yorgos Lanthimos F1 dir. Joseph Kosinski FRANKENSTEIN dir. Guillermo del Toro HAMNET dir. Chloe Zhao MARTY SUPREME dir. Josh Safdie ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER dir. Paul Thomas Anderson THE SECRET AGENT dir. Kleber Mendoca Filho SENTIMENTAL VALUE dir Joachim Trier SINNERS dir. Ryan Coogler TRAIN DREAMS dir. Clint Bentley --- Follow The Movies on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Letterboxd⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Throw a couple dollars in the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tip jar!

    22 min

  6. JAN 19

    234. The 2026 Oscars Best Picture Predictions

    Before the nominations are announced this Thursday, January 22nd, let's talk about my predictions for this year's crop of Academy Award nominees for Best Picture. Remember, friends: no guts, no glory! --- ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER dir. Paul Thomas Anderson SINNERS dir. Ryan Coogler FRANKENSTEIN dir. Guillermo del Toro HAMNET dir. Chloe Zhao SENTIMENTAL VALUE dir. Joachim Trier MARTY SUPREME dir. Josh Safdie IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT dir. Jafar Panahi TRAIN DREAMS dir. Clint Bentley THE SECRET AGENT dir. Kleber Mendonça Filho WEAPONS dir. Zach Cregger --- Follow The Movies on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Letterboxd⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Throw a couple dollars in the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tip jar!

    21 min

  7. JAN 19

    233. Best Picture Showcase '25: I'M STILL HERE dir. Walter Salles

    If you routinely listen to the podcast, you've likely heard me say that art comes to you when you need it. So, is it mere coincidence that I wrap last year's Best Picture Showcase with I'M STILL HERE, a movie wherein a woman's husband is forcibly disappeared by a military dictatorship for the "crime" of assisting folks who criticize the government's policies, at a time when ICE kidnaps both undocumented immigrants and American citizens off of the streets, placing them in holding cells for endless questioning and processing, performing underreported amounts of atrocities to them? No. I really don't f*****g think so. --- Follow The Movies on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Letterboxd⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Throw a couple dollars in the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tip jar!

    30 min

  8. JAN 13

    232. Interview | GLENDORA Director Isabelle Armand

    I interview Isabelle Armand about her documentary GLENDORA, ahead of its premiere at the Dances With Films: NY festival on January 16. The documentary, about a rural Mississippi town's struggle to redefine and strengthen its cultural history, is lovingly photographed by Armand, who sees the documentary as an exercise in collective memory, a way to archive generational history in a matter the town hadn't before gathered. Armand's previous project, a photobook titled LEVON AND KENNEDY, documented the process of exonerating two Black men wrongly convicted of murder, forced to spend a collective 30+ years in prison. The documentary further examines the systemic issues with impoverished communities, primarily populated by African Americans. However, watching the movie and talking with Armand, I don't get the sense this is doom-and-gloom. The movie, much like Armand herself, bubbles with joy and humor. It celebrates the ingenuity and love these people utilize for their home, shining a light on the talents that lie in places most would overlook. GLENDORA will premiere at the Dances With Films: NY festival on January 16. More information can be found here.--- Follow The Movies on ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠Letterboxd⁠⁠⁠⁠ Throw a couple dollars in the ⁠⁠⁠⁠tip jar!

    15 min
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5
out of 5
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About

I'm Daniel Berrios. This is my journey to learn about the movies - the art form I adore - one review, interview, editorial at a time. Take care of yourselves. Take care of each other. Take care of the movies.

Information

  • Creator
    Daniel Berrios
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    241
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Daniel Berrios
  • Show Website
    The Movies