The Minnesota Movie Digest: Issue No. 125

The Minnesota Movie Digest: The Presence of my Inheritance makes me a Flight Risk

Welcome to The Minnesota Movie Digest, the official newsletter from the Minnesota Film Critics Association (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 Minnesota Movie Digest 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 Minnesota Movie Digest.

Joe Botten – The MN Movie Man

During this quieter January, The MN Movie Man thinks it’s a great time to catch up on the recent Oscar nominees – any of the ten Best Picture candidates are worth your time!

Two new reviews for this week: Steven Soderbergh’s Presence (which I’ve been waiting to tell you about since LAST January when I saw it at Sundance) and a film heavily influenced by Soderbergh, the spy thriller Inheritance.

Be sure to follow The MN Movie Man on Instagram, Letterboxd, and Facebook for his weekly early looks at upcoming films and other updates between newsletters!

Eli Brau – Cinephile Corner

Eli has a few new pieces this week over on Cinephile Corner. In their movie reviews section, he has reviews for the following new releases:

He also has reviews for the following classic movies:

Blackhat (2015) review

Lastly, in their movie rankings section, he has updated the following lists:

The Best Movies of 2012

Every Sean Baker Movie Ranked

The Best Willem Dafoe Movies

The Best Movies of 2011

Brian Eggert – Deep Focus Review

Brian reviewed Neil Burger’s new thriller Inheritance.

For his Patreon subscribers, he reviewed All We Imagine as Light.

Also, check out Brian’s list of the Top 10 Films of 2024.

Hunter Friesen (The Cinema Dispatch)

At The Cinema Dispatch, Hunter broke down the winners and losers from the 2025 Oscar nominations.

C.B. Jacobson – Picturegoer

In this week’s issue of the “Picturegoer” newsletter: Clint Eastwood’s latest, the courtroom drama “Juror #2”; the Three Stooges are “Punch Drunks”; Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck on a “Roman Holiday”; Chevy Chase and Dan Aykroyd become the Hope and Crosby of the ’80s with “Spies Like Us”; Fred and Ginger in “Top Hat”; and Sam Wasson’s latest, the Francis Ford Coppola story “The Path to Paradise”. Follow the link .

Ruth Maramis – FlixChatter

Ruth over at FlixChatter reviewed two world cinema films:

I’m Still Here.- Walter Salles’ Brazilian humanist drama is a reflection of resilience and not letting tragedy define them

Lost Ladies (Laapataa Ladies) – Kiran Rao’s Bollywood’s satirical drama takes a jab at the patriarchy with a charming, sharp-witted story about a bridal mix-up

She also posted her musings on 2025 Oscar Nominations – the egregious snubs + enchanting surprises