
Editor Notes – January 2025 – Movie Reviews
Renee@SeekingNexus (aka The Story Nexus)
Writing is one thing. Getting read is another.
To do that, you need exposure.
Substack does a good job of that with their built in share and discovery system.
However, many writers have gotten lost in the avalanche of writers on Substack and have left the platform. Others have posted the all-too-common request of ‘a follow for a follow’.
So, in the spirit of creativity, camaraderie and commerce, I’ve put together a pdf to showcase the movie and book reviewers on Substack. The aim is to have the reviewers share it on the various social media and file sharing platforms. That way everyone gains exposure, backlinks and new subscribers.
This was not my original idea. I was inspired by a note which circulated on Substack in December/2024. It contained a pdf featuring a small selection of Substack writers.
Nine to be exact. Each contributed movie reviews and favorite holiday drink and snack recipes. The execution was a little rough, but the idea was fabulous!
So, on that delicate note, I have included everyone from that original review pdf in this sample edition.
Find the original inspiration for this pdf here…
My intention with this review pdf, is to create something any review writer on Substack would be happy to be a part of.
For right now, I’m more that willing to compile this pdf showcase at no cost to anyone who wants to participate.
If everyone included, posts the pdf at least once on a social media, their website or other content platform (such as Scribd), we’re gonna knock this out of the park.
Having said that, just because I think this is a great idea doesn’t mean it’s going to catch fire.
If it doesn’t, then I will use the format for my own book and movie reviews. Either way, I’m happy to assemble this showcase and I hope you find benefit here for your marketing efforts as well.
If you’re interested in including your movie or book review the terms are simple;
- Maximum 350 words (approximately)
- The review must be written in a word doc or editable pdf with a single sized font
- Include a screenshot of the movie poster or book cover you are reviewing
- Make sure you include the name of your Substack newsletter and the url
- Does not have to be original. It’s fine if the review has been up for years.
These are the basics.
For more info go to this page… Substack Reviewers
Remember, this is just the sample edition. I do hope this becomes something you find valuable and want to participate in.
** Please note ** – this will be distributed under the Creative Commons BY-NC-ND license which includes the following elements:
- Credit must be given to the creator.
- Only noncommercial uses of the work are permitted.
- No derivatives or adaptations of the work are permitted.
I will also distribute the final pdf in a secure non-copy and paste format.
So it begins… whatever happens, I wish you much imagination and a very prosperous day!
My name is Renee. Find me on Substack here or email me here; thewritersnexus@gmail.com
MOVIE REVIEWS


IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE
(A Holiday “Feels” Film)
This movie review submitted by:
@Beth’sTV&FilmRecommendations
“You sent for me, sir?” said Clarence the Angel.
“Yes, Clarence. A man down on earth needs our help,” said the Voice of God.
“Splendid. Is he sick?”
“No, it’s worse. He’s discouraged.”
This opening dialogue between Clarence, the angel, and God in the iconic Frank Capra classic 1946 holiday film sets the heavy yet hopeful tone for our protagonist, Jimmy Stewart’s George Bailey, in this life-affirming tearjerker.
George Bailey’s redemption arc is inspirational without falling into a saccharine, life-is-grand trope, which is common for post-World War 2 film fare.
The film masterfully weaves together the harsh realities of economic depression, pre-vaccine health challenges, war tragedies, and class disparities, creating a timeless tale of resilience.
The triumph of small-town America and the middle class over the greedy is a tale of all times, and its values are well represented.
George Bailey isn’t just every man; he’s every person. Or what every person should aspire to be, provided they have Donna Reed by their side.

WHITE CHRISTMAS
This movie review submitted by;
@BrunelloBombshell
Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye team up as Bob Wallace and Phil Davis, two Army buddies who fought in World War II together and quickly become America’s favorite singing-and-dancing duo upon their return home.
When Wallace and Davis receive a letter from “an old friend from the Army” asking them to give a professional opinion on his sisters’ new act, they end up following Betty and Judy Haynes (Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen) to a small inn in Vermont.
What starts as a slight detour ends up as a kind gesture and a lesson in using public attention for a greater good.
We love the movie for its glamorous costumes, toe-tapping dance numbers, and the lush voices of Crosby and Clooney.
The spirit of Christmas permeates the script, and you’ll finish the movie with a renewed sense of selflessness and the power of a gift, small or large.

12 ANGRY MEN
This movie review submitted by;
@OldHollywoodNewsletter
’12 Angry Men’ is a 1957 American independent legal drama directed by Sidney Lumet. Set in 1957, it begins at the end of a New York City murder trial.
The jury is starting their deliberations. A young man’s future is on the line. Did he murder his father or not?
What seems like an open-and-shut case quickly becomes an exercise in critical thinking.
It’s instigated by the always charming and believable Henry Fonda.
His insistence raises the ire of the other jurors. Yet, his reasoning is solid.
The most extraordinary part of this film though, is the fact it takes place almost entirely in the jury room. It required outstanding performances from everyone and they deliver.
Academy Award level stuff.
Ignore the stilted acting style and you won’t regret being a fly on the wall in this deliberation room.

HOME ALONE
This movie review submitted by;
@CineVibezFanzine
Follow me on Letterboxd!
“I wish they all just disappeared.”
Next, we see the wind pick up and knock out power lines. The sparks fly & John Williams’ award-winning score turns menacing: Kevin McCallister’s wish has come true.
But the Lynchian nightmare below the surface soon reveals itself. Everything is bigger and exaggerated. Kevin is convinced his neighbor buries victims in the front yard and the furnace transforms into a fire-breathing monster.
Fortunately, Kevin quickly – like very quickly – overcomes his reasonable fear of abandonment and saves the day by outwitting the Wet Bandits and learning Christmas is better spent together.
… Unless you’re the Wet Bandits.
Then you’re in for gore and body horror that’ll make Cronenberg blush.

BETTER WATCH OUT
This movie review submitted by;
@Joe’sVideoClub
If you enjoy a dash of mischief with your holiday movie diet, then you should watch Better Watch Out (2016). The story follows 17-year-old Ashley (Olivia DeJonge),
who’s babysitting the precocious 12-year-old Luke (Levi Miller).
What starts as a typical night of babysitting quickly spirals into a devious, blood-soaked game of cat and mouse when an intruder targets them.
Blending psychological horror with dark comedy, BWO feels like a loving homage to the babysitter-in-peril subgenre, drawing influences from films like When a Stranger Calls (1979) and Bloody Birthday (1981). But this isn’t just a retread—it’s a cheeky, satirical take on the genre, full of twists and clever dialogue.
This is, without a doubt, one of the better Christmas horror films out there, packed with suspense, devilish chuckles, and just the right amount of holiday dread.

I’M DREAMING OF A WHITE DOOMSDAY
This movie review submitted by;
@FromtheYardtotheArthouse
In embarking on my project of catching underseen movies from 2014-2023, I wanted to find something wildly adventurous but also holiday appropriate.
This year, Santa gifted me 2017’s “I’m Dreaming Of A White Doomsday”.
Finally showing appreciation to the Venn Diagram of Yuletide lovers and fans of post- apocalyptic thrillers, the zero-budgeted movie finds a mother and son as they try to survive inside a bunker underneath a world annihilated by nuclear war.
The film basically has two locations. One is the cramped, dark bunker underground where mom weighs the pros and cons of suicide while her son plays with a Toxie action figure.
The other is a repeated flashback (or dream?) of a fraught, pre-nuke family photo where a pushy photographer tries to negotiate peace with father, mother and their unruly child.
All the while, trudging through the apocalypse, would you believe Santa Claus is coming to town?
Come for the holiday trappings, stay for an entirely-humorless elegy for Chrismas with maybe the bleakest ending of any holiday movie you could ever conjure in your imagination.

PHANTOM THREAD
This movie review submitted by
@ThatFinalScene
There’s a specific kind of masochism required to watch Phantom Thread during that dead zone between Christmas and New Year’s, when you’re already questioning your relationship with food, routine, and family.
But that’s exactly why you should do it.
Paul Thomas Anderson’s luxuriously deranged study of control and desire follows Reynolds Woodcock (Daniel Day-Lewis, temporarily ending his “retirement” to work with his son, because of course only family could pull him back), a couturier who treats breakfast like psychological warfare and romance like a military campaign.
Enter Alma (Vicky Krieps, delivering career-best quiet menace), who takes one look at his perfectly constructed world and thinks “I can fix him” – if by “fix” you mean “systematically dismantle through elaborate mind games and questionable mushroom selection.”
The film’s hypnotic pacing and Jonny Greenwood’s score hit differently when you’re already in that liminal space where time has lost all meaning.
Watch it while wearing your most dramatic robe, preferably after everyone else has gone to bed. Let Reynolds’ complete meltdown over buttered toast make you feel better about snapping at your sister for breathing too loudly during Christmas dinner.

‘TWAS THE FIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS
This movie review submitted by
@Meanderingoverthepebbles
I’m the only person in America – probably the world – who has been banned by a federal court from decorating at Christmas.
If you’ve ever wondered what would happen if Clark Griswold morphed into a freedom- lovin’, gun-totin’, festive avenger, hellbent on waging war on anyone getting in the way of his ‘Christmas miracle’ – aka an outsize Christmas lights event held on his property with hundreds of bused in visitors, a choir and even a resident camel – then this is the movie for you.
It’s a wild ride. And even more wild for being absolutely true.
This Apple TV+ documentary tells the story of Idaho lawyer and Christmas obsessive Jeremy Morris, his long-suffering wife and the hitherto quiet community of West Hayden Estates, whose concerns over the scale of Morris’ Christmas extravaganza unwittingly descend into an escalating, years-long legal battle that continues to this day.
Morris is jaw-droppingly monstrous but totallycompelling to watch – the perfect antidote when you’ve simply had too much sugar & sweetness this holiday season.

I BELIEVE IN SANTA
This movie review submitted by;
@the90minutemovie
I’m obsessed with a movie I should have never watched in the first place.
Intended for Netflix’s annual holiday churn, I Believe In Santa (2022) sets itself apart by being made with so much (too much?) earnestness.
That doesn’t make it any less unhinged, but there is something to its conviction that is so endearing and entertaining that I have made everyone I know watch it.
The movie stars John Ducey as Tom, a man who still believes in Santa, and Ducey’s real-life wife Christina Moore as his girlfriend, Lisa, who “famously hates” Christmas.
Ducey plays Tom with so much heart that you can almost forgive the script’s hilarious premise and clear missteps. (Like when they attempt to equate believing in Santa with being a Muslim.)
Listen, creativity goes a long way in a world of cookie-cutter Chabert vehicles and this just could be your new Christmas classic.
ORIGINAL CAST
(I took inspiration from the original and first pdf – found here)
DISTRIBUTED UNDER THE CREATIVE COMMONS BY-NC-ND LICENSE

CC BY-NC-ND
What this license allows you to do with the Substack Reviewers Showcase;
This license enables re-users to copy and distribute the material in any medium or format in unadapted form only, for noncommercial purposes only, and only so long as attribution is given to the creator.
CC BY-NC-ND includes the following elements:
BY: credit must be given to the creator.
NC: Only noncommercial uses of the work are permitted.
ND: No derivatives or adaptations of the work are permitted.
Thank you for reading. I wish you a very prosperous day.
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