Tag: Max Minghella

Clayface (2026) | REVIEW

Tom Rhys Harries as Matt Hagen in CLAYFACE -- PHOTO: Warner Bros. Pictures (Still image from trailers).
Tom Rhys Harries as Matt Hagen in CLAYFACE — PHOTO: Warner Bros. Pictures (Still image from trailers).

Directed by James Watkins — Screenplay by Mike Flanagan and Hossein Amini.

Clayface isn’t the first film based on, and about, a comic book villain, and I very much doubt it is the last. These villain-centric origin story narratives have arguably been more common with Sony’s Spider-Man spin-off universe of films, like Venom or Morbius, inspired by the aforementioned Marvel Comics hero’s rogues’ gallery. But it is a spin-off or standalone film about a DC Comics villain that has made the biggest cultural footprint, in the form of Todd Phillips’ Joker. Unlike Joker — which exists entirely in its very own version of Gotham City removed from the interconnected stories that modern superhero films are often all about — Clayface, another origin story for a DC Comics villain, very much is set up to be a part of the James Gunn-shepherded DC cinematic universe, even though it looks and feels more like a story spun off from Matt Reeves’ The Batman (both it and Clayface were filmed in Liverpool, England), which, notably, is not a part of the shared universe. While its place in the interconnected universes of DC Comics cinematic storytelling is perhaps still somewhat unclear, the film itself isn’t a headscratcher. Clayface is a thoroughly entertaining body-horror thriller that I liked quite a bit, even though certain characters are particularly thinly drawn.

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Industry – Season Four (2026) | TV REVIEW

Myha’la and Marisa Abela in INDUSTRY (Season 4 – Episode 8) — Photograph by Simon Ridgway/HBO.

I don’t like to be out of the loop when it comes to great, big HBO shows, so one of the goals I set for myself in the first few months of 2026 was catching up on HBO’s Industry, Mickey Down and Konrad Kay’s acclaimed financial thriller-drama. which started way back in 2020 and has changed shape over the years. Back in the day, I tried to get into the show, but despite liking the first episode, I didn’t manage to make time for it then. The fourth season of the show, which I recently learned was going to be the penultimate season, premiered in January of this year, and I managed to catch up to it two weeks before the final episode hit in early March. I was really happy I made it a goal to find time for it, because this is a show that is much more than the ‘new Succession‘ that some have branded it. Although I see the comparison and acknowledge there are certain comparable elements (e.g., a race to the top of the ladder of one’s field, complex characters, and a focus on corporations, wealthy customers, and wealth management), it is very much its own thing entirely.

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REVIEW: Into the Forest (2016)

Theatrical Release Poster – A24

The following is a review of Into the Forest, a Patricia Rozema film.

Patricia Rozema’s Into the Forest, not to be confused with Rob Marshall’s Into the Woods or Jason Zada’s The Forest, had its premiere at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival, but wasn’t released theatrically in Canada and the United States until 2016. Just the other day, I saw it pop up on a Danish video on demand service, but the film didn’t quite live up to my expectations.  Continue reading “REVIEW: Into the Forest (2016)” →