Joshua M. Hayes Animation, Family, Fantasy, Festival

Berlinale 2026: Chimney Town: Frozen in Time

★★★★ Poupelle of Chimney Town was sweet and delightful, a 2021 delight that flew under the radar with its sweet celebration of Halloween and... trash. Telling the story of chimney sweep Lubicchi and his magical garbage-made best friend, Poupelle, that first film had some heartwarming, Ghibli-esque magic. When I heard there was a sequel produced, … Continue reading Berlinale 2026: Chimney Town: Frozen in Time

Joshua M. Hayes Action, Animation, Comedy, Crime, Drama, Family, Fantasy, Festival, Horror, LGBT, Musical, Romance, Sci-Fi, Thriller, War

My Favorite Films of 2025

2025 was filled with bold, risky sequels, masterful Stephen King adaptations, striking visuals, and powerful reimaginings. It was another great year to be a horror fan. Filmmakers leaned into the emotional stakes and musicality of being human. Join me as I count down my twenty five favorite films of the year! Honorable Mentions These ones … Continue reading My Favorite Films of 2025

Joshua M. Hayes Action, Animation, Comedy, Drama, Family, Fantasy, Horror, LGBT, Romance, Sci-Fi, Thriller

Most Anticipated Films of 2026

2026 is almost here, so you know what that means—time to look ahead at the cinematic offerings. Could there be a masterpiece hiding among the bunch, perhaps even a sequel or two that surpasses the original? Check out my choices after the jump! Here are my 25 most anticipated movies for 2025, in alphabetical order. … Continue reading Most Anticipated Films of 2026

Joshua M. Hayes Animation, Comedy, Horror, Television

TV Review: Haunted Hotel – Season 1

From the creators of Rick and Morty comes a horror-tinged Netflix oddity with a killer hook. At a breezy ten episodes, Haunted Hotel is an easy-to-recommend binge that pays tribute to all manner of genre iconography. Along for the ride is an all-star vocal cast that perfectly fit their respective roles. The five core roles … Continue reading TV Review: Haunted Hotel – Season 1

Joshua M. Hayes Animation, Comedy, Television

TV Review: Long Story Short – Season 1

From the creatives behind the masterful Netflix series BoJack Horseman comes a fresh adult animation in a similarly textured style with just a bit less heart. The animation was handled by ShadowMachine in Los Angeles and Big Star in South Korea—the same studio that also worked on BoJack and Tuca & Bertie. Shifting away from the outrageously silly … Continue reading TV Review: Long Story Short – Season 1

Joshua M. Hayes Animation, Comedy, Television

TV Review: Sausage Party: Foodtopia – Season 2

Sausage Party: Foodtopia was one of the best series of 2024—perfectly raunchy and deliciously nostalgic, with just enough "humie" and food murders to satiate even the most discerning of palates. By all means, it was an incredibly satisfying follow-up to 2016's Sausage Party that juiced many of that film's concepts to organic new places. Originally … Continue reading TV Review: Sausage Party: Foodtopia – Season 2

Joshua M. Hayes Action, Animation, Festival, Sci-Fi

Fantasia 2025: All You Need is Kill

★★★ Japanese sci-fi novel All You Need is Kill has already been adapted into a famous manga and an arguably even more famous blockbuster action flick starring Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt entitled Edge of Tomorrow. This take lives in the world of anime, punctuated by gorgeous animation and mesmerizing visuals. By this point, the … Continue reading Fantasia 2025: All You Need is Kill

Joshua M. Hayes Animation, Fantasy, Festival, Romance

Fantasia 2025: ChaO

★★★★ Japanese animation is in an entirely different realm than what we see over here from the Western branches. ChaO further proves that originality and bold storytelling come first, with creative visuals following soon after. Its unconventional mermaid romance makes a perfect venue to explore themes of ecological impacts as well as relationship power dynamics. … Continue reading Fantasia 2025: ChaO