Minnesota Film Critics Alliance Newsletter
The Alliance Lately: AfrAId of the Ivory Wasp
Welcome to The Alliance Lately, the official newsletter from the Minnesota Film Critics Alliance (MNFCA)!
The MNFCA is a collective of individuals dedicated to celebrating and critically examining the art of film. In this recurring publication, we’ll share a selection of insightful film reviews, absorbing essays, and interviews with film professionals.
Each issue of The Alliance Lately features a diverse array of perspectives and content. Our members have shared their most recent work with us, covering the latest releases and revisiting classic films that dissect the craft of filmmaking. Explore the links below and get a front-row seat to critically examine the art of film.
Check out the MNFCA Members page to meet our all-star lineup.
And now…The Alliance Lately.

Joe Botten (The MN Movie Man)
Continuing his trend of covering smaller titles that have emerged in the last few weeks, The MN Movie Man reviewed The Wasp, Slingshot, Merchant Ivory, and Out Come the Wolves.
Stay tuned for a wave of reviews coming out of Canada, where he’ll be reporting from the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival for the next few weeks.
Eli Brau
Eli has a few pieces this week for Cinephile Corner.
Over on their movie reviews section, they have articles for a few new releases, including Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1, The Instigators, The Bikeriders, Knox Goes Away, and A Quiet Place: Day One, and a classic review of Eraserhead (1977).
Brian Eggert (Deep Focus Review)
On Deep Focus Review, Brian Eggert reviewed the new Blumhouse release, AfrAId.
For his Patreon subscribers, Brian posted a new entry in his essay series, The Definitives, about Víctor Erice’s The Spirit of the Beehive (1973). He also shared a Reader’s Choice review of Alfred Hitchcock’s Rope (1948).
Hunter Friesen (The Cinema Dispatch)
At The Cinema Dispatch, Hunter updated his Oscar predictions and detailed what the fall festivals mean for this year’s awards race.
Kyle Goethe
- Unboxing Arrow Video’s Inside the Mind of Coffin Joe
- Unboxing Arrow Video’s Blood Hunger
Kyle & Nick on Film (Kyle Goethe & Nicholas Palodichuk)
- The Lionheart (2023)
- Saturday Scares w/Kyle: Immaculate (2024)
Eric Houston
Movie Man Eric Houston presents classic educational and industrial shorts on Movie Man Short Shorts. Each installment features two classic shorts and behind-the-scenes info about the people who made the movies. In the latest episode, he presents Command Performance, which looks at how vinyl record albums were made.
Catherine Krummey (Veg Out Recipes)
Catherine pairs the beloved 2005 adaptation of Pride & Prejudice with blueberry lavender ice cream for the final entry in the Summer of Scoops series on Veg Out.
She also has a new review on The Feed of You Gotta Believe and collaborated on a Layered Favorites post, highlighting multifaceted movies and shows on Netflix.
Ruth Maramis
- TV Review: Bad Monkey
- Classic Review: The Maltese Falcon (1941)
- FlixChatter’s Most Anticipated Fall 2024 Movies
Paul McGuire Grimes (Paul’s Trip to the Movies)
It’s a bit of a slow time before the Fall Movie Season kicks into high gear. Paul is using that time to recharge, but here is a review for Lee Daniels’ new film The Deliverance.
Mark McPherson (Movies With Mark)
- Kids Should Have Watched Zeta Gundam
- A Quiet Place: Day One
- The Union (2024)
- Incoming (2024)
- The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat
Keep your eyes peeled for the latest film critiques, reviews, and news from the Minnesota Film Critics Alliance! 🎬🍿
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