American cinema | The Last Movie Guy

Eddington (2025): A Dark Western From Ari Aster

Eddington marks the fourth feature film by director Ari Aster, a filmmaker with a brief yet potent body of work. Aster has achieved what many directors spend their entire careers chasing — a distinctive voice. His style, atmosphere, and the unsettling tone that permeates his stories are unmistakable. His macabre humor seeps through even in the most disturbing moments. With Aster, there is never a middle ground — he draws sharp lines and forces the audience to choose a side.

The Smashing Machine (2025): The Rise and Fall of an MMA Legend

Posted on October 8 by Hugo Pagan Soto

There is a striking contrast between the Mark Kerr we see crushing opponents inside the ring and the smiling, distracted Mark Kerr riding a carousel like a child. That powerful juxtaposition reveals the complexity of the inner battle Kerr fights. The Smashing Machine (2025), directed by Benny Safdie, explores a fragment of the life of one of the pioneers of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) — his meteoric rise and brutal downfall. With an almost documentary tone, Safdie exposes the humanity of a figure who is both sweet and bitter, inspiring and tragic.