Minnesota Film Critics Alliance Newsletter
The Alliance Lately: Transformers: Speak No Substance
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)
Now that Joe is back from his Canadian adventure, he’s back into the swing of reviews. Check out his thoughts on The Substance, Transformers One, Omni Loop, Subservience, and Last Straw.
Brief reviews of the 61 films Joe saw throughout the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival are up over on his Instagram – full details will be up on his website shortly. He’s also begun coverage of Fantastic Fest 2024!
Eli Brau
Eli has a few new pieces this week over on Cinephile Corner. In their movie reviews section, they have reviews for a few new releases, including Kinds of Kindness, MaXXXine, Robot Dreams, Rebel Ridge, Cuckoo, and I Saw the TV Glow.
They have also been deep diving David Lynch movies, including Blue Velvet, Lost Highway, and more.
Lastly, in their rankings section, they have new lists for the best alien movies of all time and the best movies of 1999.
Brian Eggert (Deep Focus Review)
On Deep Focus Review, Brian Eggert reviewed Speak No Evil (2024), The Substance, A Different Man, Bookworm, and Apartment 7A.
Exclusively for his Patreon subscribers, he reviewed The Front Room.
Brian also appeared on KARE 11 Saturday to recommend three 2024 titles for your next movie night at home.
Hunter Friesen (The Cinema Dispatch)
At The Cinema Dispatch, Hunter finalized his coverage for the Toronto International Film Festival, posting full reviews for Nightbitch, Conclave, Queer, Heretic, Babygirl, and The End. He also posted two dispatches with mini reviews for several other films he saw at the festival.
Barrett Goetz
Matt Hambidge
On the TV front, Matt is back to cover the 47th season of Survivor. He’ll have weekly written recaps on Fandomwire, while also returning for another season of the Talking Llama podcast.
Zach Hammill
- A Different Man
- Transformers One
- The Last Few Things I Watched (And My Brief Thoughts About Them, No. 2)
Eric Houston
Bad Movie Bros Eric and Chad are back with a look at another bad movie. This time, Corey Haim and a super smart dog match wits with Michael Ironside in Watchers!
Catherine Krummey (Veg Out Recipes)
Catherine pairs the drama-heavy The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City with a breakfast crunchwrap as part of her continuing Breakfast with Bravo series on Veg Out. Plus, she has five new reviews on The Feed: Speak No Evil, Transformers One, The Substance, My Old Ass and A Different Man.
Catherine also participated in a What Kind of Cinephile Are You? collab and will be hosting the Secret Movie Night at Emagine Willow Creek on October 9: get tickets here!
Ruth Maramis
- La Chimera
- Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
- My tribute to the late James Earl Jones
- Sight
- Netflix’s Rebel Ridge
- The Critic
- A Different Man
Paul McGuire Grimes (Paul’s Trip to the Movies)
- Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story Interviews – Honoring the Life and Legacy of Christopher Reeve
- Fantastic Fest 2024
- The Substance
- Agatha All Along
- Twin Cities Live 9/13 – Interviews with the cast of Agatha All Along
- New on 4K: Bringing Out the Dead
Mark McPherson (Movies With Mark)
- In a Violent Nature
- Boy Kills World
- A Different Man
- Kite Man: Hell Yeah! Season 1
- Bad River – 2024
- Speak No Evil – 2024
Brian Orndorf (Blu-Ray.Com)
Movies: Transformers One, Apartment 7A, His Three Daughters, Never Let Go, The Substance, Omni Loop, Clawfoot, Subservience, Uglies, Hounds of War, My Old Ass
Blu-ray/UHD: Bloodbath at the House of Death, Bad Company, Hell’s Trap, The Stepfather, The Fabulous Four
Keep your eyes peeled for the latest film critiques, reviews, and news from the Minnesota Film Critics Alliance! 🎬🍿