At a time when so many biopics feel like formulaic compilations of a person’s greatest hits or cinematic renderings of their Wikipedia summary, Matt Johnson’s Tony feels like a breath of fresh air. The film deviates from the generic biopic structure, refusing to reduce Anthony Bourdain’s life to a glossed-over highlight reel or a rushed recap. Instead, it zeroes in on the summer of 1975, when Bourdain was 19 years old. By focusing on that one formative summer, the film gives us a deeper, richer glimpse into his early restlessness and recklessness as well as a more intimate portrait of his developing worldview and identity. The decision to make Tony a coming-of-age story allows Johnson to explore the humanity that countless conventional biopics often overlook

Perhaps February is too early to crown something “the funniest film of the year,” but I feel strangely confident in declaring Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie exactly that. In fact, I first saw it back in October 2025. So as far as I’m concerned, it has already held that title for two consecutive years. And yet, it’s so much more than merely an excellent comedy. This is the rare project fueled by an almost reckless passion for filmmaking itself. It’s wildly inventive, absurdly imaginative, and unafraid to push creative, cinematic, and even legal boundaries. It feels as though films like this only come along once in a generation. It’s the type of movie that makes audiences wonder, “How did this get made? How did they get away with it? How much of this is real? Was any of it even legal?”