Minnesota Film Critics Alliance Newsletter
The Alliance Lately: It Ends with Cuckoo Borderlands
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
At The MN Movie Man, Joe reviewed new releases It Ends with Us, Dance First, and Peak Season. He also expanded on his original review of NEON’s newest thriller, Cuckoo, after seeing it in May at the Chicago Critics Film Festival.
Kelly Florence & Meg Hafdahl (The Horror Rewind)
This week, horror aficionados Kelly Florence and Meg Hafdahl invite you to watch their review of I Saw The TV Glow and more here.
Brian Eggert
On Deep Focus Review, Brian Eggert reviewed several new releases:
Brian also continued his “Filmmaker in Focus” series about Bertrand Bonello by reviewing 2011’s House of Pleasures for his Patreon community.
Read more of Brian’s work at Deep Focus Review.
Hunter Friesen (The Cinema Dispatch)
At The Cinema Dispatch, Hunter published a review for It Ends with Us.
Kyle & Nick on Film (Kyle Goethe & Nicholas Palodichuk)
Kyle and Nick bring you two fresh takes on the latest thrillers, plus Kyle goes solo for a classic from the silent era.
Zach Hammill
Zach has two reviews for you this week!
Catherine Krummey (Veg Out Recipes)
Catherine paired the beloved 1990s chick flick Fried Green Tomatoes with fried tomato basil sorbet balls as part of her continuing Summer of Scoops series on Veg Out. She also published four new reviews on The Feed: Dìdi, The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat, Sing Sing and The Instigators. Additionally, Catherine collaborated on two film and TV posts: Must Watch with Chocolate and Childhood Favorites.
Ruth Maramis (FlixChatter)
At FlixChatter, Ruth covers a wide array of cinematic experiences this week, from Indigenous stories to the Taiwanese-American experience:
- Fancy Dance
- The Instigators
- Didi
- 52 Films by Women Challenge: Ruth’s top 10 female-directed movies of the year so far.
Paul McGuire Grimes (Paul’s Trip to the Movies)
More reviews and an interview came out of Paul’s Trip to the Movies this week!
- Cuckoo
- The Instigators
- Trap
- Twin Cities Live Interview with Sheryl Lee Ralph: Paul sits down with Sheryl Lee Ralph to talk about her latest project.
Mark McPherson (Movies With Mark)
Mark has a little bit of everything this week, covering classic cinema to modern animated series:
- Crash (1996)
- Orion and the Dark
- Batman: Caped Crusader (Season One)
- Arcadian
- Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part Three & Part Two
- YouTube Reviews & YouTube Shorts: Mark’s latest video reviews and shorts.
Brian Orndorf (Blu-Ray.Com)
This week, Brian has a variety of films and Blu-ray releases to talk about, offering his thoughts on everything from romantic dramas to cult classics.
- Movies: It Ends with Us, Borderlands, Cuckoo, Duchess, The Mouse Trap, Running on Empty, One Fast Move
- Blu-ray/UHD: Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey, Bill & Ted Face the Music, Revenge, Deadly Love, HauntedWeen
Tyler Strandberg
For Cinefied, Strandberg wrote a review for the new M. Night Shyamalan film Trap.
On his personal website, Strandberg published his predictions for the Lead Acting and Supporting Acting categories for the 2024 Oscar Season
Keep your eyes peeled for the latest film critiques, reviews, and news from the Minnesota Film Critics Alliance! 🎬🍿