Weekly Recap: Heart Eyes, Sly Lives, Sundance and Santa Barbara Film Fests & More!

All sorts of film festival indies this week, plus a slasher rom-com for the fun of it.

Feb 07, 2025

It has been a very busy week, as I’ve been covering not just one but two film festivals. After checking out what I could from the Sundance Film Festival online, I’ve also made my way to the 40th Santa Barbara International Film Festival for daily coverage. I have many write-ups for all I’ve been seeing, along with a review for one of this week’s new wide releases, Heart Eyes. Plus, listen to our latest podcast episodes, including our packed David Lynch tribute show, as well as some recorded thoughts on Sundance. So, feel free to check out all these reviews, podcasts, lists, trailers, and other fun. Enjoy, stay safe out there, and thanks for reading!

New Movie Reviews/Articles:

(All Reviews Are Linked)

Heart Eyes - A very charming romantic comedy that happens to be a slasher film. - In Theaters
2025 Sundance Film Festival - A recap of most of the films I was able to watch.
Sly Lives! (aka The Burden of Black Genius) - Questlove’s Sly and the Family Stone doc is wonderful - Hulu on 2/13
40th Santa Barbara International Film Festival Coverage
Aaron’s Top Ten Films of 2024
Aaron’s 24 Favorite Movie Moments of 2024
Aaron’s Most Anticipated Films of 2025 – A Month-By-Month Look

Best Pictures Nominees:

97th Academy Award Nominations & Thoughts
Anora - Theaters/VOD
The Brutalist - In Select Theaters
A Complete Unknown - In Theaters
Conclave - Peacock/Blu-ray/VOD
Dune: Part Two - Max/Netflix/4K/Blu-ray
Emilia Pérez - Netflix
I’m Still Here - Select Theaters
Nickel Boys - In Select Theaters
The Substance - Mubi/4K/Blu-ray/VOD
Wicked - VOD

Recent Reviews:

Companion - In Theaters
Presence - In Theaters
One of Them Days - In Theaters

Jane Austen Wrecked My Life opened the 40th SBIFF.

New On 4K/Blu-ray/VOD/Streaming:

Wicked - 4K/Blu-ray
Werewolves - Blu-ray
A Real Pain - Blu-ray/Hulu
V/H/S/Beyond - Blu-ray/Shudder
Juror #2 - Blu-ray/Max
Azrael - Blu-ray/Shudder
Sick - Blu-ray
All We Imagine as Light - VOD
Wolf Man - VOD
September 5 - VOD
Kill - Hulu
Piece By Piece - Peacock

Podcast:

Out Now Bonus: 2025 Sundance Recap - Aaron and Abe are joined by FirstShowing.net’s Alex Billington to go over many of the films seen at this year’s in-person/virtual Sundance Film Festival
Out Now Bonus: Remembering David Lynch - Aaron and Abe are joined by Professor Mike Dillon, The Brandon Peters Show’s Branon Peters, and Yancy Berns to discuss the life and films of David Lynch.
Out Now Bonus: The 2024 Out Now Horror Awards - Aaron and Abe are joined by Professor Mike Dillon and Movie, Films & Flix’s Mark Hofmeyer to discuss the horror films of 2024 by way of the 4^th Annual Out Now Horror Awards.
Out Now Commentary: Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) - The Brandon Peters Show’s Brandon Peters, The Milky Way Blues’ Yancy Berns, and Movies, Films & Flix’s Mark Hofmeyer join Aaron to discuss Indiana Jones’ first adventure, 1981’s Raiders of the Lost Ark, starring Harrison Ford.
All Episodes