Adam Patla

The Awards Tape

December 3, 2025

The Awards Tape: Best Lead Actor, Lead Actress, Supporting Actor & Supporting Actress Oscar Predictions 2025-26

After multiple drafts of above the line predictions we are now officially in the phase of rolling out our specialized prediction episodes that...

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The Rolling Remote

December 2, 2025

The Rolling Remote: Stranger Things (S5: Volume 1)

This is a preview podcast. To listen to the full show, watch on video, and see the rest of the Stranger Things recap mini-series, subscribe to...

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Reviews

November 29, 2025 · by Adam Patla

Review: ‘Zootopia 2’ Cuts Through Disney’s Recycled IP as a Sequel Worthy of Your Time

In an age when Disney only wants to retread existing IP with its notorious live-action remakes and onslaught of sequels, it was only a matter...

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Reviews

November 18, 2025 · by Adam Patla

Review: ‘Wicked: For Good’ Comes Back to Earth With a Darker Exploration of Oz

If Wicked (2024) is about learning to fly, then Wicked: For Good is about coming back to earth to reckon with reality.  Jon M. Ch...

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Interviews

October 28, 2025 · by Adam Patla

CIFF 2025: Interview with ‘The Holy Boy’ Director and Writer Paolo Strippoli

The 61st Annual Chicago International Film Festival brought The Holy Boy to the Windy City. The film centers on the happiest town in Italy an...

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Reviews

October 24, 2025 · by Adam Patla

CIFF 2025 Review: ‘The Holy Boy’ and the Horror of Suppression

Coming out was one of the most daunting experiences of my life. Confronting my identity felt like hiding a mountain behind a light pole—this ...

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Reviews

October 24, 2025 · by Adam Patla

CIFF 2025 Review: Kleber Mendonça Filho’s ‘The Secret Agent’ is a Stylish and Subversive Political Thriller

“Brazil, 1977. A Time of Great Mischief.” This is how Kleber Mendonça Filho greets the audience in The Secret Agent, setting the tone ...

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Reviews

October 23, 2025 · by Adam Patla

CIFF 2025 Review: Kaouther Ben Hania Ensures ‘The Voice of Hind Rajab’ Will Echo On

When introducing The Voice of Hind Rajab at its Chicago premiere at the 61st Chicago International Film Festival, actress Clara Khoury said t...

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Reviews

October 21, 2025 · by Adam Patla

CIFF 2025 Review: Jafar Panahi Paints a Portrait of Quiet Defiance In ‘It Was Just An Accident’

Jafar Panahi's It Was Just an Accident, the 2025 Palme d’Or winner, opens on a dark, winding road. We can’t see what’s coming, so we are forc...

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Reviews

October 19, 2025 · by Adam Patla

CIFF 2025 Review: Thailand's ‘A Useful Ghost’ is a Whimsical Anti-Capitalist Love Story

On paper, Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke’s debut feature, A Useful Ghost, seems like a whimsical ghost story from an exciting new voice in film. ...

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The Rolling Tape

October 13, 2025

EP 160: Tron: Ares (2025)

The third entry into the Tron franchise has arrived with Joachim Rønning’s Tron: Ares following Tron (1982) and Tron: Legacy (2010). The movie...

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Essays

October 9, 2025 · by Adam Patla

61st Annual Chicago International Film Festival Curtain Raiser

The 61st Annual Chicago International Film Festival is slated for this October, continuing the ongoing fall festival season. As North America...

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