John Dotson
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Person with disability, cinephile | Contributor at @MyCosmicCircus, @InSessionFilm, @MoviesWeTexted | Member: @CriticsChoice,
@DFWFilmCritics and @IFSCritics
Articles by John Dotson
‘Club Kid’ Review: ‘Big Daddy’ With One Big Difference
A24, Comedy, Drama, LGBTQ+ 5 min read Share this with a friend! Club Kid could easily fall into the trap of being labeled a Big Daddy ripoff. The film involves an immature young man with no clear direction in life who abruptly inherits a kid. He then finds maturity through caring for someone else. The third act even shares some similar scenarios as the Adam Sandler movie.
‘Godzilla Minus Zero’ Review: A Terrifying and Mesmerizing Sequel
Fantasy Films & Shows, Godzilla, Sci-Fi Films & Shows, Toho 4 min read Share this with a friend! Godzilla Minus Zero is truly surprising. For most American blockbusters, the Hollywood system seems afraid to slow down and let characters fill the space. Yet, for all of its visual splendor, Godzilla Minus Zero does just that. The sequel to Godzilla Minus One could’ve gone bigger and more explosive, in the vein of most monstrous spectacles like Godzilla versus Kong. And every so often it does.
‘Wildwood’ Review: A Stop-Motion Game Changer
Animation, Family Films & Shows, Fantasy Films & Shows 4 min read Share this with a friend! Wildwood is an extremely mystifying experience. For most of the runtime, Laika Studios kept me in a constant state of questioning. Not in terms of plot or character beats, but in how exactly any of this is possible. As a studio, Laika has always been in a league of its own, creating exceptional visual masterworks in stop-motion animation.
‘Clayface’ Review: A Messy and Meaningless Spin-Off
Comicbook Films & Shows, DC, DCU, Horror Films & Shows, Warner Bros 5 min read Share this with a friend! DC’s Clayface is a character I’ve loved since childhood. There was something incredibly cool about a villain with shape-shifting abilities like the T-1000 from Terminator 2, plus the ability to manipulate his enemies through acting. Not to mention, Clayface had a truly tragic backstory that made him sympathetic. He was always my favorite from the 1990s animated series.
‘You Can See Everything’ Review: A Groundbreaking Documentary
A24, Documentary 4 min read Share this with a friend! You Can See Everything shows Nathan Fielder asking Elizabeth Holmes one simple question: “Are you being real right now?” It’s a question that drove the marketing to popularity, as the scene shows Holmes radiating big puppy eyes, innocently tilting her head, and responding, “I’m always being real.” Without context, it looks like Fielder is in psychological warfare with one of the world’s biggest fraudsters.
‘Digger’ Review: A Gigantic Swing and a Miss
Comedy Films & Shows, Drama Films & Shows, Warner Bros 5 min read Share this with a friend! Digger is the most interesting film to release in 2026. Not because of its quality, but because, with all its marketing, posters, and Tom Cruise hype, when I sat down to watch the film, I soon realized I knew absolutely nothing about it. Outside an AMC Dolby theater, a few of us mused about what the film might be. Austin Powers and Don’t Look Up came up a couple of times.
‘Primetime’ Review: A Stylish Descent Into Network TV | Fantastic Fest 2026
A24, Drama Films & Shows, Fantastic Fest 4 min read Share this with a friend! Primetime is the type of film that could easily have been a disaster. It’s a very difficult task to put the audience against someone who is catching child predators. Especially since Chris Hansen has done work beyond the network juggernaut To Catch a Predator to help reduce child trafficking at home and abroad.
‘Wild Horse Nine’ Has Chemistry and Heart | Fantastic Fest 2026
Drama Films & Shows, Fantastic Fest 4 min read Share this with a friend! Wild Horse Nine is another Martin McDonagh movie that finds remorse in the scummiest of scumbags. In In Bruges, McDonagh made two unlikely hitmen hilarious and somehow empathetic, mostly through the performances of Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson. His new film, Wild Horse Nine, does something similar. The film follows two men in a tedious profession and the friendship they have maintained over time.
‘Carrie’ Feels Fresh in First Two Episodes | Fantastic Fest 2026
Horror Films & Shows, Prime Video, Stephen King 4 min read Share this with a friend! Mike Flanagan gave a two-episode sneak peek at his new take on Stephen King’s Carrie, showcasing the first two episodes to Fantastic Fest audiences. All eight episodes of Carrie will premiere on Prime Video on October 7, 2026. This new vision is one of the first collaborations between Flanagan and Prime Video, and at first glance, it seems like a healthy start.
‘Beware Boiúna’ Review: Great Creature Feature, Almost | Fantastic Fest 2026
Fantastic Fest, Horror Films & Shows, Lionsgate 4 min read Share this with a friend! Beware Boiúna might be a creature feature, but it is very much a slasher film. Like films such as Friday the 13th or goofy slashers like some of the Nightmare on Elm Street sequels, we know right away who will live or die the minute they start speaking. The difference is the person holding the knife is a snake, and her Crystal Lake is the jungle.
‘Resident Evil’ Review: A Masterful Adaptation | Fantastic Fest 2026
Fantastic Fest, Game Adaptations, Horror Films & Shows, Playstation, Sony 5 min read Share this with a friend! Resident Evil does not follow the video game’s exact plotline. This has been a frequent complaint among many people online. While that’s true, none of Paul W. S. Anderson’s movies followed the exact plotline. For the most part, almost none of the movies follow the story, and the only one that came close flopped two years ago. So what is a filmmaker to do?
Fantastic Fest 2026: Our 8 Most Anticipated Films
A24, Action Films & Shows, Drama Films & Shows, Fantastic Fest, Foreign Film, Horror Films & Shows, Prime Video 7 min read Share this with a friend! At Fantastic Fest 2026, the amazing people at Alamo Drafthouse on South Lamar have curated a lineup full of titles with great potential. We’re anticipating so many films that it was difficult to fit everything that deserves to be on my list.
‘Buddy’ Movie Review: A Twisted, Violent ‘Barney’ Satire
Comedy Films & Shows, Horror Films & Shows 4 min read Share this with a friend! The 2026 horror film Buddy acknowledges a point about Barney the Dinosaur that we’ve all been quietly thinking about for the past thirty years: The purple behemoth is a low-key narcissist. The film by Casper Kelly cleverly unwraps the pop culture craziness of the time period when every child became fixated on a character that ended on a song about “loving” him at the end of each episode.
‘Colony’ Review: Zombie Thrills Searching for Emotional Center
Share this with a friend! Colony sees the Train to Busan filmmaker Yeon Sang-Ho return to the zombie genre after the subpar follow-up Peninsula. With his new film, he pivots back to his familiar strengths, taking a group of survivors in a single-location setting and throwing as many flesh-eating zombies at them as humanly possible. But Colony adds new concepts to the zombie mayhem. Colony has a gimmick, but it never feels “gimmicky” per se.
‘It Ends’ Movie Review: A Well-Made Miserable Ride
Horror Films & Shows, Neon 4 min read Share this with a friend! It Ends is another entry in the liminal horror craze, focusing on souls getting lost in never-ending familiar voids. Directed by Alex Ullom, the film takes those ideas but removes them from enclosed spaces. Instead, It Ends is on an endless road with no meaning or purpose. Others trapped in the same space either feel overly panicked and volatile or have become so numb to the road’s hopelessness that they’ve given up.
Fantasia Fest 2026: ‘The Samurai and the Prisoner’ Review
Drama Films & Shows, Fantasia International Film Festival, Mystery Films & Shows 4 min read Share this with a friend! The Samurai and the Prisoner shares a unique commonality with Rian Johnson‘s recent work. Like Knives Out, it shares themes with the overall story. The film directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa (Cure, Pulse) sees the prolific filmmaker lean into the charm of a detective mystery like an Agatha Christie novel, only here it’s through the lens of a period war drama set in feudal Japan.
Fantasia Fest 2026: ‘No Rest for the Wicked’ Review
Drama Films & Shows, Fantasia International Film Festival, Horror Films & Shows, LGBTQ+, Social Commentary 3 min read Share this with a friend! No Rest for the Wicked is an unusually haunting title at Fantasia International Film Festival. One that speaks to the challenges of same-sex relationships through the lens of a supernatural story. The setting is far in the past, but its core themes remain true. The act of love can be treated like a curse by the family members of the LGBTQ+ community.
Fantasia Fest 2026: ‘When You Open The Door’ Review
Fantasia International Film Festival, Horror Films & Shows 4 min read Share this with a friend! When You Open The Door is one of the more unconventional offerings at the 2026 Fantasia International Film Festival. The film brings a fresh approach to the mythology of werewolves. It takes one main character down a mysterious path as she tries to understand the changes inside her. Unlike previous werewolf interpretations, there is no big monster that attacks the central figure of the story.
Fantasia Film Festival 2026: ‘You Are The Film’ Review
Fantasia International Film Festival, Sci-Fi Films & Shows 4 min read Share this with a friend! Fantasia International Film Festival 2026 brought a familiar talent to the festival. You Are The Film sees playwright Makoto Ueda bring another playful sci-fi concept, only this time he takes a unique spin on the multiverse craze.
Fantasia Fest 2026: Our Five Most Anticipated Films
Drama Films & Shows, Fantasia International Film Festival, Horror Films & Shows, Sci-Fi Films & Shows 4 min read Share this with a friend! Fantasia International Film Festival 2026 kicks off this week, and we are back once again to cover the biggest movies from the lineup. Last year brought many great titles, such as Rewrite, Foreigner, and more. The event also featured Sundance darlings like Undertone and Lurker.
‘The Odyssey’ Review: A Pure Visionary Achievement
Fantasy Films & Shows, Mythology & Folklore, Social Commentary, Universal Studios 6 min read Share this with a friend! The Odyssey is a fascinating follow-up to Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer. In fact, it might be the film I was hoping Oppenheimer might become. A movie about a man conflicted by his responsibilities in changing the world through destruction, but the key difference is that Nolan places Odysseus face-to-face with his sin, while Oppenheimer lost its way.
‘Evil Dead Burn’ Review: Violent, Visceral, and Shockingly Humorous Horror
Horror Films & Shows, Warner Bros 5 min read Share this with a friend! Evil Dead Burn continues the franchise’s merry tradition of brutally assaulting its audience with flinch-inducing horror. The movie makes good on that promise as the film opens with a victim being barbed by a swarm of fishing hooks as a deadite reels in her prey by the face.
‘Supergirl’ Soars on Milly Alcock’s Charisma
Action Films & Shows, Comicbook Films & Shows, DC, DCU, Sci-Fi Films & Shows, Supergirl, Superman, Warner Bros 5 min read Share this with a friend! Supergirl is a movie with a preset of internet haters ready to cast vitriol against the film regardless of the outcome. For most of those naysayers, they probably don’t know why they are eager to cast a dark cloud on the property, except for a “girl in hero costume bad” mentality.
‘The Death of Robin Hood’ is Poetic and Painfully Bleak
A24, Action Films & Shows, Drama Films & Shows 5 min read Share this with a friend! The Death of Robin Hood is a difficult pill to swallow. For most of us, the idea of Robin Hood evokes spectacle and adventure. He is the archery equivalent of King Arthur, supplying action, adventure, and a sense of nobleism.
‘Disclosure Day’ Review: Spielberg Takes a Thrilling Sci-Fi Swing
Sci-Fi Films & Shows, Thriller Films & Shows, Universal Studios 5 min read Share this with a friend! Back in the early 2000s, Roger Ebert dubbed Minority Report a “triumph” during a time, as he called it, “when movies think they have to choose between action and ideas.” And this was during a creative era for Spielberg, when the iconic director felt emboldened to explore new territory.
‘Masters of the Universe’ is a Bowl of Sugary Spectacle
Action Films & Shows, Amazon Studios, Fantasy Films & Shows, MGM, Sci-Fi Films & Shows 5 min read Share this with a friend! Masters of the Universe is an adaptation that could only be made in 2026. In a different Hollywood system, the movie would be ripe for marketing towards the “meathead” action-based market. The first attempt with Dolph Lundgren, for example, was clearly a product of the old thinking. That somehow, macho, masculine behavior, and fantasy are box office-winning formulas.
‘Backrooms’ Review: Kane Parsons Has The Courage To Get Weird
A24, Horror Films & Shows 4 min read Share this with a friend! Backrooms is about to have a massive opening weekend. The YouTube short by Kane Parsons has a successful following. One might say his take on the creepypasta has the same demo as the Five Nights at Freddy’s crowd. There’s no other way to say it. I’m not sure how audiences will receive this film. For a movie popular with today’s youth, it swings further away from crowd-pleasing horror and more toward abstract, oddball horror.
Movie Review: ‘Outcome’ is a Questionable Apology by Jonah Hill
Director: Jonah Hill Writers: Jonah Hill and Ezra Woods Stars: Keanu Reeves, Jonah Hill, Cameron Diaz Synopsis: Hollywood star Reef is forced to confront his problems and atone for his past after being threatened by bizarre video footage from his past. Outcome starts its journey already climbing uphill. Imagine being a celebrity the public loves to hate, then asking that same audience to sit down and watch your film. That’s the tension Jonah Hill walks into from the very first frame.
Movie Review: ‘The Yeti’ is a Monster Movie with an Identity Crisis
Directors: Gene Gallerano and William Pisciotta Writers: Gene Gallerano and William Pisciotta Stars: Brittany Allen, Jim Cummings, Corbin Bernsen Synopsis: Merriell Sunday Sr. and Hollis Bannister vanished in Alaska. Ellie and Merriell Jr. mount a search, but an ancient threat stalks their expedition into the wilderness, hunting them as they seek the truth behind the disappearances. The Yeti begins on a silly note.
‘Mortal Kombat II’ Review: A Sequel That Hits Hard and Ages Harder
Action Films & Shows, Game Adaptations, Mortal Kombat, Sci-Fi Films & Shows, Warner Bros 5 min read Share this with a friend! Mortal Kombat II has everything a movie based on the video game should have. There are extended fight scenes with excessive gore, faithful character portrayals, and visual recreations of various game levels. Yet, for a movie that hasn’t even been released in theaters, it feels as dated as a Sega Genesis console. The sequel introduces new ideas.
‘Hokum’ Review: A Solid Spookhouse Throwback
Horror Films & Shows, Neon 5 min read Share this with a friend! Hokum sees filmmaker Damian McCarthy return with another horror film that balances a mystery with supernatural creepiness. His previous effort, Oddity, made great use of the terror of inanimate objects moving. For almost 100 minutes, viewers would scan the background as characters talk in the foreground. And the same question would always arise: Did that giant mannequin-sized doll move?
‘The Furious’ Movie Review | DIFF 2026
Action Films & Shows, Dallas International Film Festival, Lionsgate 4 min read Share this with a friend! We continue our coverage of the Dallas International Film Festival with The Furious. As a film, The Furious promises exactly what its title advertises: many angry characters. And when the film begins, the emotions are immediately justified as a kid takes an arrow to the face. Akin to John Wick, the film has a clear antagonist. For the John Wick franchise, it was a villain who killed a puppy.
‘Obsession’ Movie Review | DIFF 2026
Blumhouse, Dallas International Film Festival, Focus Features, Horror Films & Shows 4 min read Share this with a friend! Obsession accomplishes the impossible. It takes one of the most beautiful human experiences and makes it crawl under your skin. It’s natural to crave human connection or the innate feeling of being wanted. No one ever considers the most extreme version of this scenario. What if someone needed you like a heroin craving?
‘Lee Cronin’s The Mummy’ is Squishy, Silly Horror with Less Edge
Blumhouse, Horror Films & Shows, Warner Bros 5 min read Share this with a friend! Lee Cronin’s The Mummy sees the Evil Dead Rise director take on a classic movie monster for Blumhouse, following the efforts of properties like The Invisible Man and Wolf Man. For the most part, the latest attempt is successful, especially after the mixed results of Wolf Man. However, the win comes with a few reservations. The movie delivers exactly as advertised.
‘The Super Mario Galaxy Movie’ is a Cosmic Mess
Animation, Family Films & Shows, Illumination, Nintendo, Universal Studios 5 min read Share this with a friend! The Super Mario Galaxy Movie has prompted deep reflection in me. Back in 2023, I was still a new writer here. In fact, The Super Mario Bros. Movie was one of my first reviews here at The Cosmic Circus.
Movie Review: ‘Andre is an Idiot’ Wants You to Laugh in the Face of Death
Director: Tony Benna Stars: André Ricciardi, Janice Ricciardi, Tommy Chong Synopsis: Andre, an irreverent man, embarks on an unexpected journey after receiving a terminal diagnosis, determined to maintain his humor while learning to die happily. André is an Idiot is one of the most challenging reviews I’ve had to write. Two years ago, I lost my father to lung cancer. The attempts to find any sense of levity while watching someone suffer can be as difficult as searching for oxygen on Mars.
Movie Review: ‘Two Prosecutors’ is a Gripping Satire About the Hell of Bureaucratic Waiting Rooms
Director: Sergey Loznitsa Writers: Sergey Loznitsa, Georgy Demidov Stars: Alexander Kuznetsov, Anatoliy Beliy, Dmitrijus Denisiukas Synopsis: In the USSR in 1937, a newly appointed prosecutor discovers an undestroyed letter from a prisoner that reveals corruption in the secret police, the NKVD. His search for the truth becomes dangerous. Two Prosecutors should not be funny. The movie is set during Joseph Stalin’s leadership.
Movie Review: ‘The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist’ is Insightful but Slightly Undercooked
Directors: Daniel Roher, Charlie Tyrell Stars: Daniel Roher, Sam Altman, Daniela Amodei, Dario Amodeil Synopsis: Hoping to figure out what’s happening with artificial intelligence, a father-to-be embarks on an eye-opening journey to learn more about the most powerful technology humanity has ever created — and what’s at stake if we get it wrong. The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist begins in a relatable mood. And the mood is an overwhelming sense of anxiety.
Movie Review: ‘Bodycam’ Feels Like A Lost ‘V/H/S’ Segment
Director: Brandon Christensen Writers: Brandon Christensen and Ryan Christensen Stars: Jaime M. Callica, Sean Rogerson, Catherine Lough Haggquist Synopsis: Two police officers investigate a domestic dispute and there is an accidental shooting. Not wanting to be crucified by the public, the officers attempt to cover it up – only to uncover that the cameras aren’t the only things watching them.
‘Undertone’ Review: An Audio Masterclass in Psychological Horror
A24, Horror Films & Shows 4 min read Share this with a friend! Undertone digs at the unnerving fear of emptiness. Not in the sense of space, but the way noise occupies a room. For instance, when some of us need sound to fall asleep or the way we need a television on in the background to get chores done. It’s the anticipated nervousness that if everything becomes silent, something unexpected might fill the space.
‘Project Hail Mary’ Review: ‘Interstellar’ Meets Pixar-Style Friendship
Amazon Studios, Book Adaptations, MGM, Sci-Fi Films & Shows 4 min read Share this with a friend! Project Hail Mary has a lot of hype surrounding it. The film is led by one of the world’s biggest movie stars, based on a story by a top-tier sci-fi author, and adapted by some of the most talented filmmakers working today. Because of this, it’s easy to overhype the movie’s expectations. Luckily, most of the elements come together better than expected.
Paramount Stabs and Misses
Horror Films & Shows, Paramount 7 min read Share this with a friend! Scream 7 was always destined for backlash. The film received criticism when Paramount fired Melissa Barrera for expressing an opinion. An opinion that, unfortunately, was correct. And for the most part, the new generation of Scream fans were ready to hate this film. A little background. I grew up on Scream and actually saw the original with my older brother in theaters.
Movie Review: ‘Redux Redux’ is Thrilling Multiverse Mayhem on a Shoestring Budget
Directors: Kevin McManus, Matthew McManus Writers: Kevin McManus, Matthew McManus Stars: Michaela McManus, Stella Marcus, Jeremy Holm Synopsis: Irene Kelly travels through parallel universes, repeatedly killing her daughter’s murderer. As she becomes consumed by vengeance, her humanity hangs in the balance There are few things in this life more satisfying than a sci-fi concept done masterfully on a small budget.
Movie Review: ‘Psycho Killer’ is a Movie Determined to Kill Itself
Director: Gavin Polone Writer: Andrew Kevin Walker Stars: Georgina Campbell, James Preston Rogers, Malcolm McDowell Synopsis: A police officer tracks a killer after her husband, a highway patrolman, becomes one of his victims. Andrew Kevin Walker is a screenwriter well known among cinephiles. His writing perfectly complemented David Fincher’s ambition for Se7en. His new screenplay, Psycho Killer, attempts to recapture the eerie serial killer magic of Walker’s golden years.
Charli XCX's Witty, Incomplete Brat Summer
A24, Comedy Films & Shows, Music 5 min read Share this with a friend! The Momenttakes a satirical angle in a new mockumentary about Charli XCX’s success around the release of her album Brat. It’s a meta dissection of the process of becoming a pop icon overnight, with an interesting balance of humor and authenticity. None of us can fully understand the overwhelming insecurities of trying to maintain an image while making quick decisions with a team of people who each have their own agendas.
'The Best Summer' Review
Documentary, Film Festivals, Music, Sundance Film Festival 3 min read Share this with a friend! Have you ever thought to yourself, “Hey, I wonder if the director of Billy Madison has a bunch of concert footage of ’90s alternative bands lying around?” Who hasn’t thought about that, right? The Best Summer at Sundance Film Festival is a documentary that answers the question.
'Josephine' is Fearless and Brilliant Storytelling
Drama Films & Shows, Film Festivals, Sundance Film Festival 4 min read Share this with a friend! The movie Josephine at the Sundance Film Festival 2026 takes on one of the most difficult topics of childhood. And it does so through the lens of being a little girl in a scary world. The film confronts two themes in unflinching detail: childhood trauma and bravery. The notion is communicated wonderfully through a simple setup.
Sundance Film Festival 2026: 'Levitating' is Spiritually Thrilling
Comedy Films & Shows, Drama Films & Shows, Film Festivals, Horror Films & Shows, Sundance Film Festival 4 min read Share this with a friend! Levitating is the kind of movie one hopes to see at a film festival. The type of narrative aims for otherworldly heights of creativity and ambition. In the first twenty minutes, the concept is made clear.
'Take Me Home' Review
Drama Films & Shows, Film Festivals, Sundance Film Festival 4 min read Share this with a friend! Take Me Home from Sundance Film Festival 2026 offers another perspective on the disability experience, this time from the vantage point of caring for someone with needs. However, the film ponders the caretaking role with an added layer. More specifically, when a guardian for a person with a disability begins to require care themselves.
'Joybubbles' Movie Review
Documentary, Film Festivals, Sundance Film Festival 4 min read Share this with a friend! Joybubbles is quite a sincere opening for our Sundance Film Festival 2026 review coverage. Similar to the documentary The Remarkable Life of Ibelin, this documentary explores the challenges of a man living with a disability as he seeks ways to connect. For Ibelin, it was through the fantastic gaming landscape of World of Warcraft.
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