Zachary Lee

'Man Finds Tape' Is the First Genuinely Surprising Found-Footage Horror Movie in Ages It just might ruin home movies for you forever.

Dug MAN FINDS TAPE very much, a found footage horror film that’s in dialogue with everything from David Cronenberg to H.P. Lovecraft to Steven Soderbergh’s recent genre exercises, UNSANE & PRESENCE. It one just might ruin watching home videos for you forever. Review for @movie-web.bsky.social:

Director as Dinner Party Host: Dan Trachtenberg on “Predator: Badlands” Architect of the three last films in the Predator franchise (the previous two being the 1719-set Prey and animated anthology film Predator: Killer of Killers), Dan Trachtenberg would be the first to…

"I think every filmmaker is a dinner party host in some form."

Elated for my @filmmakermagazine.com.web.brid.gy debut where I spoke w/ @dantrachtenberg.bsky.social abt PREDATOR: BADLANDS. We chatted abt Terrence Malick, avoiding overexplanation, & having his cinematic influences fellowship together

Netflix's "The Abandons" Leaves Its Capable Stars Behind in a Weak, Weary Western | TV/Streaming | Roger Ebert it's a right shame that the nuggets of melodrama can't make up for the feeling that we've seen so much of this kind of show before.

Hold your horses: Netflix's THE ABANDONS ain't the gender-swapped Western epic it hopes to be, instead stranding Gillian Anderson and Lena Headey in old, creaky material not even they can elevate. An "Oh no"-ater of the highest order.

For @ebertvoices.bsky.social: www.rogerebert.com/streaming/th...

Unto Us a Scary Child Is Born ‘The Carpenter’s Son,’ a new Nicolas Cage horror movie, uses the apocryphal ‘Infancy Gospel of Thomas’ as inspiration.

Zachary Lee interviews Lofty Nathan, the director of ‘The Carpenter’s Son,’ a new Nicolas Cage horror movie that uses the apocryphal ‘Infancy Gospel of Thomas’ as inspiration.
sojo.net/articles/cul...

‘Wake Up, Dead Man’ Takes Benoit Blanc to Church Rian Johnson's new ‘Knives Out’ movie finds Daniel Craig’s detective getting caught up in a battle for the soul of the Christian faith.

My article on Wake Up Dead Man is live at @sojo.net! I have been completely annoying about this movie to people for the last two weeks, so read my piece to find out why.

Josh O'Connor Interview: "Rebuilding," "Wake Up Dead Man," and More The actor talks about his busy year playing priests, conmen, and yearning artists.

In the midst of a whirlwind of press, Josh O’Connor had a far-reaching conversation with @zacharylee.bsky.social about his 4 film roles in 2025, the gift of revisiting similar archetypes or themes but with different filmmakers, and where activism intersects with his artistry.

Meet the Queer Methodist Who Played ‘HOT TO GO!’ on Church Bells Bell ringer Katelyn MacDonald said Chappell Roan’s song was a perfect way for Duke Memorial United Methodist Church to signal its inclusion of queer people.

sojo.net/articles/new... (feat @katelynmac.bsky.social)

The Sojourners Journalism Cohort The Sojourners Journalism Cohort is a part-time, five-month, remote training program designed to give early-career, non-white writers hands-on, paid training as freelance journalists.

(pls RT)

good news! @sojo.net is taking applications for our spring '26 journalism cohort. Inviting early-career writer of color to come write about religion and social justice with us. sojo.net/about/journa...

and here's a small thread of my favorite stories from the current and past cohorts.

HEDDA is now streaming on Amazon Prime. At the Chicago International Film Festival, Social Media Manager @zacharylee.bsky.social spoke with director Nia DaCosta about the two empathy machine movies that influenced her debut, LITTLE WOODS.

It's Epic to Live a Normal Life: Joel Edgerton and Clint Bentley on "Train Dreams" | Interviews | Roger Ebert We speak with the director and star of Netflix's latest drama about grief, healing, and working with animals.

“To bring life to the audience, you have to put things in there that are unpredictable and that you’re not able to control."

@zacharylee.bsky.social spoke w/ TRAIN DREAMS dir. Clint Bentley & star Joel Edgerton abt their lyrical film, & embracing humanity in an industry that’s turning to AI.

Keep an eye on the @ebertvoices.bsky.social socials pages for more TRAIN DREAMS musings 🛤️

It's Epic to Live a Normal Life: Joel Edgerton and Clint Bentley on "Train Dreams" | Interviews | Roger Ebert We speak with the director and star of Netflix's latest drama about grief, healing, and working with animals.

Too many quotables to count, so I’ll just encourage y’all to read my full @ebertvoices.bsky.social interview w/ Clint Bentley & Joel Edgerton. We discussed TRAIN DREAMS, everyday divinity, the false notion of linear healing, & how to embrace humanity in an industry that’s turning to AI:

Keeper movie review & film summary (2025) | Roger Ebert Ultimately, it's a tedious genre exercise undone by an undercooked narrative and its allergy to mystery.

"Audiences embrace being trapped if it’s a result of investing in the story being told; the longer Nick Lepard’s script unspools, the more our engagement slips, and we feel caged by a writer who has written himself into a narrative cul-de-sac,” writes @zacharylee.bsky.social abt KEEPER.

Loved chatting with the SENTIMENTAL VALUE on the red carpet for TIFF. Watch to hear which movies have been empathy machines for Renate REinsve, Stellan Skarsgård, Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, and Elle Fanning:

Keeper movie review & film summary (2025) | Roger Ebert Ultimately, it's a tedious genre exercise undone by an undercooked narrative and its allergy to mystery.

www.rogerebert.com/reviews/keep...

For @ebertvoices.bsky.social, I reviewed KEEPER, which I found to be a tedious genre exercise undone by an undercooked narrative & its allergy to mystery, yet it features an all-timer performance of Tatiana Maslany. Woe to those who can’t pick the ghosts of the house they live in. Link ⬇️

SENTIMENTAL VALUE in select theaters now and will expand throughout this month. At @tiffnet.bsky.social, @zacharylee.bsky.social spoke w/ dir. Joachim Trier & stars Renate Reinsve, Stellan Skarsgård, Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, & Elle Fanning about movies that have been empathy machines for them.

Grateful I could go to various red carpets on behalf of @ebertvoices.bsky.social to ask folks, in the spirit of Roger, “What’s a movie that’s been an empathy machine for you?” The teaser shows a snapshot of the fine folks I was able to interview:

I Want to Go to the Church in ‘Roofman’ Director Derek Cianfrance told Sojourners that he wanted to depict the church in a way that embodied Jesus’ teachings of radical inclusion.

ROOFMAN is now available on digital. For @sojo.net, I had the privilege to speak w/ Derek Cianfrance & the real life Leigh Moore abt the film’s peculiar inclusion of Christmas songs & the ways our capitalist society instills harmful expectations around provision. sojo.net/articles/cul...

A Tale of Two Machines: On the First Season of "Alien Earth" | Interviews | Roger Ebert A conversation with Alien: Earth stars Babou Cesay and Sydney Chandler aabout the first season of the hit FX show.

www.rogerebert.com/interviews/a...

Elated that ALIEN: EARTH is coming back for s2. Back when the season finale aired, I spoke with Sydney Chandler & Babou Ceesay abt where they’d like to see their characters go. Full interview at @ebertvoices.bsky.social (spoilers: will the partnership between hybrid & Xeno last?) Link below:

Predator: Badlands movie review (2025) | Roger Ebert An exceptional sci-fi action thriller with memorable characters and lead performances that deserve to be included in discussions of the year's best.

**** for Predator: Badlands, "an exceptional sci-fi action thriller with memorable characters, beautiful and terrifying animals (and plants), a structurally airtight script, and lead performances that deserve to be included in discussions of the year’s best." www.rogerebert.com/reviews/pred...

Horror Subgenre Movie Draft (w/ Zachary Lee) The horror genre is a beloved one, and it is teeming with multitudes of subgenres. We explore all of these subgenres in this week’s movie draft. From slashers to pa…

NEW EPISODE: Horror Subgenre Movie Draft (w/ @zacharylee.bsky.social)

The horror genre is a beloved one, and it is teeming with multitudes of subgenres. We explore all of these subgenres in this week’s movie draft. From slashers to paranormal to monster…
www.establishingshotpod.com/horror-subge...

What better way to spend spooky day than to listen to this spooky movie draft episode w/ the great @zacharylee.bsky.social?? Enjoy!

Friendship Is Insane: Eva Victor on "Sorry, Baby" | Interviews | Roger Ebert An interview with the writer-director of A24's latest dramedy.

“I think the best thing you can do for a friend is do what you need to do for yourself too.”

Resharing my convo w/ Eva Victor. For @ebertvoices.bsky.social we spoke abt their trenchant & miraculous debut, SORRY, BABY, the influence of BURNING, & stunt driving. www.rogerebert.com/interviews/e...

Radu Jude's 'Dracula' Puts a Colorful, Profane Stake into the Heart of Generative AI With Dracula, Jude turns humanity’s most debased tendencies into a wooden stake that's plunged into the soulless heart of generative AI.

Loved Radu Jude’s DRACULA, which suggests that a holistic embrace of humanity’s most debased and colorful tendencies can be the wooden stake that’s plunged into the soulless heart of work made using generative AI. Review for @movie-web.bsky.social: movieweb.com/dracula-2025...

Coexistence, My Ass! movie review (2025) | Roger Ebert “Coexistence, My Ass!” uses humor as a cathartic, light-hearted vehicle to entertain what a plausible reconciliation might look like.

For @ebertvoices.bsky.social, had the privilege to review COEXISTENCE, MY ASS!, which uses humor as a cathartic, light-hearted vehicle to entertain what a plausible reconciliation might look like. One of the best docs you’ll see this year: www.rogerebert.com/reviews/coex...

Spooky season movie draft w/ @zacharylee.bsky.social coming soon!

The horror genre contains multitudes of subgenres! In this movie draft, we draft films in various subgenres of horror, highlighting various ways we want to be spooked! Full episode releases Friday!

Coexistence, My Ass! movie review (2025) | Roger Ebert “Coexistence, My Ass!” uses humor as a cathartic, light-hearted vehicle to entertain what a plausible reconciliation might look like.

"The gift of Eliassi’s work is that it invites people to look inward and ask questions about what they champion, rather than go with the tide of ease and the loudest voice,” writes @zacharylee.bsky.social about COEXISTENCE, MY ASS!