Perri Nemiroff (2025)

08/09/2025

Walked out of POETIC LICENSE quite certain that Maude Apatow is a naturally gifted director. Any feature directorial debut would be a challenge, but this particular script - juggling all the key characters in play, nailing the tone, the comedy cadence, earning the emotional moments - demanded an overseeing eye with a firm understanding of how to get it to all click into place, and she does it.

The movie is delightful. Leslie Mann shines in the lead role and while it never took me out of the movie, there is a meta charm to getting the sensation that her daughter has such a good understanding of how to tee her up for maximum success in this role. This is true throughout the film, but especially during the scenes Mann shares with Nico Parker who plays her daughter. The tenderness between them leaps off the screen.

I also fell hard for Andrew Barth Feldman and Cooper Hoffman as best buddies the instant they appeared on screen. The two of them are just bursting at the seams with charisma and personality. (It’s also pretty wild seeing Hoffman in this immediately after seeing him in The Long Walk. You want proof his range is endless? All you have to do is watch these two films.)

And another shout out to Maisy Stella for making a big impression with limited screen time. Her last scene in the movie left me thinking, that right there is why you fill smaller roles with such big talent.

Cannot wait to see what Apatow directs next, but in the meantime, there’s no doubt I’ll be thrilled to keep rewatching Poetic License.

07/09/2025

Day 1 at the TIFF 2025 Collider Interview Studio at the Campari CinemaCenter

1. POETIC LICENSE: Was overjoyed to celebrate Maude Apatow’s feature directorial debut. Find out why in my next post :)

2. HEDDA: Have to save more thoughts for later, but just know, this was one of the groups I was most excited to get to sit down with. I say this countless times during the interview, but I could have gone on and on with them.

3. WASTEMAN: David Jonsson and Tom Blyth are phenomenal in Wasteman - in two totally different ways. Blyth’s a big, bold power-hungry wrecking ball while Jonsson is challenged with a smaller and deeply internal performance as his character navigates a powder keg of a situation. Loved hearing about how these two friends finally got the chance to work together.

4. GOOD BOY: One that’s been weighing on my mind quite a bit since seeing it! Sought out Good Boy the moment I saw Andrea Riseborough and Stephen Graham on the roster but Anson Boon shoulders quite the performance feat exceptionally well in this one. His character’s arc is impossibly complex and not an easy one to sell, but the work he put into mapping it all out pays off big time.

5. KILLING CASTRO: Didn’t get the opportunity to screen this one before our chat but I was quite taken with how Eif Rivera and Brad Feinstein described Diego Boneta’s work ethic and what he brought to the role and project overall. Eager to see him in action in this one!

07/09/2025

ROOFMAN marks yet another big winner for me a TIFF 2025. The true story is pretty incredible and was prime for a big screen adaptation, but what really makes the movie soar is the style and tone Derek Cianfrance rolls with. There’s a delightful playfulness to it, but also a powerful sensitivity. There’s loads of fun to be had with the idea of a guy breaking out of prison and hiding out in Toys “R” Us (especially as someone who was very much a Toys “R” Us kid), but Roofman never lets Jeffrey off the hook for the wrong he’s done and continues to do.

It’s a mixture that Channing Tatum is an absolute ace with. I’d go as far to call it perfect casting. He’s just so effortlessly charming and fun to watch as a big kid in a toy store, he’s got sky-high chemistry with everyone, and well conveys how much Jeffrey wants to do the right thing, even though sometimes he doesn’t. And Kirsten Dunst is excellent opposite him. There’s just so much texture to her work. It’s key to the movie’s balance of entertainment, real stakes, and heart.

Roofman feels especially easy to recommend. You can’t really go wrong with such a thoughtful and extremely well made crowdpleaser. I’ll be rooting for this one when it hits theaters on October 10.

07/09/2025

WAKE UP DEAD MAN: A KNIVES OUT MYSTERY is superb. Not that I had any doubts whatsoever, but what a feat and true marvel seeing Rian Johnson knock three installments of a film series out of the park to such an extent.

Even better? Each mystery is so refreshingly different. Yes, Daniel Craig is as good as ever as Benoit Blanc, but this particular case tests him like never before. And the same is true for the other characters in play. What the resolution of this mystery means to each member of the Wake Up Dead Man ensemble made the movie’s big finish feel especially substantial.

From the moment Glenn Close appeared on screen, I knew she’d be a favorite. I’m absolutely living for Josh Brolin’s one-two punch with this and Weapons. And Josh O’Connor makes for a staggeringly impressive anchor. An undeniable charm and sensitivity, and alluring and purposeful chemistry with everyone around him.

In addition to A+ casting, yet again, Steve Yedlin and Nathan Johnson’s work is top-tier, making the most of the different vibe, subject matter and location. And I was also especially impressed with Bob Ducsay’s work here. I always am, but there are certain beats in this one that hinge on spot-on pacing/timing, and he consistently nails it.

Because I know many will ask - is it my favorite Knives Out movie? Can’t tell you! And I won’t even want to confirm this until I’ve seen it again, but I do get the feeling that the answer to that question will depend on mood and the type of mystery I feel like revisiting at the moment. In fact, I much prefer walking out of the movie with that feeling vs. feeling confident in a definitive ranking.

06/09/2025

CAROLINA CAROLINE is officially on track to become a favorite of TIFF 2025. Coming into the fest, it was one of my most anticipated. It brought Adam Rehmeier and Kyle Gallner back together after Dinner in America, and had them collaborating with another favorite - Samara Weaving. As hoped - and expected - they’re a dream trio here.

Weaving and Gallner are an impossibly alluring duo as Caroline and Oliver. She’s living in a small town that she’s eager to break out of, and then he swoops in - a slick and charming guy effortlessly executing a small-scale con right before her eyes. The connection is immediate and, for them and for the viewer, it feels undeniably right. And that sensation remains as the two intensify their operation with bigger heists.

It’s a movie about robbing banks that’s oozing with style, texture and soul. Working off Tom Dean’s script, Rehmeier delivers a wildly enthralling crime romance, one with great stakes and energy, but with a character-forward authenticity. What do Caroline and Oliver’s actions say about who they are? Or rather, as she asks in the movie, “How do you know if we’re good people pretending to be bad or bad people pretending to be good?”

Caroline and Oliver may do a good deal of wrong throughout the movie, but every ounce of it feels right as a viewer thanks to lead performances rocking a beautiful blend of passion, determination, and sensitivity, and a director leading the charge who’s got an impeccable handle on style and an ability to make his movies so deeply human.

Side Note: Look out for a showstopping scene featuring Kyra Sedgwick. Of course I won’t reveal the specifics, but it’s a breathtaking performance beat for both involved.

06/09/2025

Love Team Steak. (/Team Collider)

05/09/2025

Kicking off TIFF 2025 with some of the best.

Full convo with Adam Rehmeier, Samara Weaving & Kyle Gallner coming soon to , and thoughts on CAROLINA CAROLINE coming even sooner right here!

Also sending a HUGE thanks to the fine folks at for making this interview possible!

05/09/2025

Another year, another photo with the TIFF sign taken by . ❤️🎥

29/08/2025

Aunt Poopsie mode peaks at Adventureland.

28/08/2025

THE CONJURING: LAST RITES is a solid conclusion to Patrick Wilson & Vera Farmiga’s run as Ed & Lorraine Warren, and further proves that it’s some of the very best casting of all time. Yes, I like some Conjuring movies more than others, but the one thing that has never wavered is how abundantly clear it is that Wilson & Farmiga are giving every ounce of themselves to these roles. Their warmth and determination as Ed & Lorraine has been wildly magnetic since day one, and now I can confirm that remains true to the finish.

Because I love them in those roles so much, admittedly, I was concerned about Last Rites spending a good deal of time focusing on Judy Warren and her boyfriend Tony, but Mia Tomlinson and Ben Hardy deliver big. Quite liked seeing them navigate how to shoulder what Ed & Lorraine choose to hold back or pass down to them.

The combo of the Warrens and the Smurl family also balanced nicely for most of the movie. Something about the way this narrative combines their situations made it feel a whole lot like The Conjuring and The Conjuring 2 - two of my favorite horror movies of all time, so that’s a good thing! I was a little bummed the Smurl family fades away as the movie progresses, but that screen time is what brings the Warrens’ story home, so I get it.

Another nice surprise? Orion Smith and Madison Lawlor playing young Ed and Lorraine Warren. Prime example of how excellent casting can be a stronger choice than relying on de-aging VFX.

Given how much I adore Conjuring and Conjuring 2, probably no surprise that Last Rites doesn’t hit those levels. Style-wise, it still feels like it’s chasing those movies. But, it is chasing them effectively.

20/08/2025

THE LONG WALK is easily one of the most intense emotional wallops of the year. I’ve read that book quite a few times. You’d think I’d be prepared to stomach the story’s themes and most gut-wrenching moments. Nope. I’m exhausted - and the movie earned it.

You can tell the source material was adapted by someone who really gets it. Much respect for JT Mollner, and also director Francis Lawrence, for not holding back in the least when it comes to showing how terrible The Long Walk is. But one of the things that I found most remarkable about the movie is how it still manages to be soulful and have its heart firmly in the best possible place while wading into the darkness.

And that’s something that the cast deserves a whole lot of credit for. Lawrence and casting director Rich Delia really couldn’t have assembled a stronger group. You can bet I’ll be shouting out everyone when the full review embargo lifts, but for now - David Jonsson? What a star. I’ve been thinking that since Rye Lane and he’s managed to wow me more and more with every new project. I’ll stick with him for now, but just know that a big reason why this concept plays so well on screen is because, similar to the book, no matter the size of a role, everyone makes their mark.

I’ll certainly be trying to hold tight to the moments that highlight hope and determination, the ones that serve as a much needed reminder that we’re all in this together, but there’s also no doubt that The Long Walk will haunt me - as it should.

13/08/2025

When you’re caught red handed hanging out with the Xenomorph instead of sticking with the tour.

Perri Nemiroff

08/09/2025

07/09/2025

07/09/2025

07/09/2025

06/09/2025

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