Mercy [Review]

Welcome to Weird West Radio—in this episode, we wrap up our discussions on Nicolas Cage Westerns with a look at Gunslingers (2025), directed by Brian Skiba and starring Nicolas Cage, Stephen Dorff, and Heather Graham. We break down the film’s premise, performances, narrative choices, cinematography, and some of the larger issues that keep the movie...

Welcome to Weird West Radio—in this episode, we examine Butcher’s Crossing, a bleak and philosophically charged Western where a young man’s frontier ambitions unravel into a meditation on violence, obsession, and the limits of human will. Anchored by a restrained and unsettling performance from Nicolas Cage, the film reframes the Western not as conquest, but...

In Part 3 of our 2026 Oscars coverage, the hosts return after the Oscars’ ceremony to discuss winners and losers. Host(s) Thomas Cowley, Michael Flores, Dave Sabal

In Part 2 of our 2026 Oscars coverage, the hosts return after watching the nominated films to break down the race for the 98th Academy Awards. With the viewing complete, the conversation shifts from speculation to evaluation: which films truly deserve the praise, which nominations feel misplaced, and which contenders have the strongest path to the...

In this episode, we offer a few thoughts on the Oscar-nominated Train Dreams and how it successfully achieves what so many films cannot. Also, a few quick thoughts on other Oscar-adjacent films. Host(s) Thomas Cowley, Michael Flores

past violence resurfaces after the murder of his wife. We dig into how the film subverts traditional revenge narratives, framing vengeance as moral regression, and explore themes of fragile redemption, inherited trauma, and the unsettling cost of survival in the Weird West. Host(s) Mike, Dave

In this episode of Critique Revolve, the hosts break down the 2026 Academy Award nominations, focusing on first impressions, immediate points of contention, and the broader patterns that emerge from this year’s slate. As the first installment in a three-part Oscar special, this episode concentrates on initial reactions—what feels earned, what feels conspicuously absent, and...

A spinoff podcast hosted and curated by Ryan Denton. In this episode, Ryan leads a fan-driven discussion on the 1981 Clash of the Titans. This episode dives into the thrills, tropes, and lasting impact of the film, capturing the spirit of pure 80s action cinema. Host(s) Ryan, Dave, Mike

This week, we discuss Mercy (2026), the new sci-fi thriller starring Chris Pratt, set in a near-future Los Angeles where an AI judge has replaced the human justice system. We unpack the film’s real-time, screen-driven structure and its engagement with AI, truth, and post-truth logic, asking whether its philosophical ambitions hold up under scrutiny. A...

Special bonus episode: Thomas’ Everything But the Kitchen Sink.In this episode, we look at what made ‘80s blockbusters like Indiana Jones, Ghostbusters, and Back to the Future feel “original”—and whether that really holds up. We also dive into how postmodern theory messes with the whole idea of originality, especially now that Hollywood is all-in on...