Minnesota Film Critics Alliance Newsletter
The Alliance Lately: My Old Wild Megalopolis
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)
Check out the new releases from The MN Movie Man this week! Just as the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival wraps up, two films from the 2023 festival are getting a wide release, and both are worth your time! Sleep and Lee are in theaters now. Over on Max, the long-awaited update of Salem’s Lot has risen from the grave. Reviews of Amber Alert, Azrael, and My Old Ass are also up!
Make sure to look over Joe’s Instagram for even more coverage of TIFF24 and the recently concluded Fantastic Fest 2024! October’s 31 Days to Scare is right around the corner!
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 Megalopolis, The Wild Robot, Wolfs, Apartment 7A, and Snack Shack.
They also concluded their deep dive of David Lynch movies, including Fire Walk with Me, The Straight Story, and Inland Empire. And then in their rankings section, they have a ranking of David Lynch movies.
Brian Eggert (Deep Focus Review)
On Deep Focus Review, Brian reviewed Azrael, Wolfs, and Megalopolis.
For his essay series The Definitives, he wrote about David Cronenberg’s eXistenZ (1999) exclusively for his Patreon subscribers.
Finally, James Cameron fans will want to check out several new pieces Brian released from his Patreon paywall recently, including essays about The Terminator (1984) and The Abyss (1989), and reviews about Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) and True Lies (1994).
Hunter Friesen (The Cinema Dispatch)
At The Cinema Dispatch, Hunter posted a full recap of his time at the Toronto International Film Festival. He also posted a review for the new Apple TV+ film Wolfs.
Kyle Goethe
- How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies
- My Old Ass
- Megalopolis
- Lost in the Shuffle
- A Different Man
- Alien: Romulus
Kyle Goethe & Nicholas Palodichuk
Barrett Goetz
- Barrett’s Review of Megalopolis
- The Screen Mash Podcast – First Impressions of The Penguin and Agatha All Along
Zach Hammill
Catherine Krummey
Catherine pairs the underseen 2002 coming-of-age gem Real Women Have Curves with caramel ice cream dessert nachos on Veg Out. Plus, she has two new reviews on The Feed: Megalopolis and Wolfs.
Catherine also participated in a Horror Movie Double Features collab and will be hosting the Secret Movie Night at Emagine Willow Creek on October 9: get tickets here!
Brad Lenz
Ruth Maramis
Paul McGuire Grimes (Paul’s Trip to the Movies)
Paul had a busy week of interviews and reviews! Check out his exclusive content:
- Lee Review
- Megalopolis Review
- Apartment 7A Review
- Fantastic Fest 2024 Reviews of Short Films and Apartment 7A
- Interviews with Mackenzie Davis for Speak No Evil and Kathryn Hahn for Agatha All Along on KSTP
Mark McPherson (Movies With Mark)
- Uglies
- Will & Harper
- Lover of Men: The Untold History of Abraham Lincoln
- His Three Daughters
- The Wild Robot
Brian Orndorf (Blu-Ray.Com)
Movies: Megalopolis, The Wild Robot, Salem’s Lot, Wolfs, Amber Alert, Lee, Killer Heat, Azrael, Empire Waist, Paradox Effect
Blu-ray/UHD: Woman in Love: A Story of Madame Bovary, Late Night with the Devil
Tyler Strandberg
Before its premiere, Tyler reviewed the autumnal-themed Disney+ series Agatha All Along.
Tyler also reviewed The Wild Robot, one of his favorite films of the year thus far.
Keep your eyes peeled for the latest film critiques, reviews, and news from the Minnesota Film Critics Alliance! 🎬🍿