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Hello, I'm Joshua Mbonu

Hello! This is my Journalist Portfolio! I have been writing about film and reviewing movies since early 2024. I'm a Member of the Dallas-Fort Worth Critics Association and write Film Reviews, OP-Eds, and news articles for multiple outlets, including Geek Vibes Nation, InSession Film, The Rolling Tape, Cosmic Circus, and Awards Watch. From a young age, my first connection to the film world was through the world of animation, like a lot of people but have expanded my horizons for a long time. I always loved spending time in the movie theater, holding space with the potential magic taking place on the screen, even when I was younger. The more time passes, the more the medium of movies has become deeply
intertwined with who I am as a person and what I want to talk about during my life. I have amassed many reviews across my outlets, including my very own Substack, where I write reviews and Op-eds as well.

Read more about my credentials below!

Explore Every Review, Op-Ed, and Article I've Written Through My Outlets

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Most Recent Articles

InSession Film •

Movie Review: ‘Scary Movie (2026)’ Basically Forgets To Be A Funny Movie | InSession Film

Director: Michael TiddesWriters: Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans, Keenen Ivory Wayans, Rick Alvarez, Craig WayansStars: Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans, Anna Faris, Regina Hall
Synopsis: Twenty-six years after outrunning a suspiciously familiar masked killer, the Core Four are back in the killer’s crosshairs and no horror movie IP is safe.

It may seem silly to say it at face value, but it’s truly a high-wire balancing act to make a truly great comedy, let alone a spoof movie. Not only does there need...
The Cosmic Circus •

'Carolina Caroline' Coasts of Pure Vibes and Charisma

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Carolina Caroline is a good example of the type of film that knows the influences it’s built on and uses them to full advantage. Crime thrillers, both old and new, in one way or another, have deep roots in 1967’s Bonnie and Clyde, which revolutionized how we view the intertwining of sharply impactful thrills and biting commentary in American cinema.
In both drawn-out melodrama and on-the-run crime sprees, Carolina Caroline plays its obvious influences from the cinema...
Geek Vibes Nation •

‘Masters Of The Universe’ Review - This Latest IP Revamp Has Just Enough Power To Provide Adequate Enough Blockbuster Fun

As the quest for more IP to dig up and revamp for the modern age continues, we’ve now reached a point in the industry where nostalgia and memorabilia are being mined from the present rather than the distant past, as they have been for years. We live in a world where IP and familiarity are being curated for today’s generations, with recent mega successes like Backrooms as prime examples, so, in a way, Masters of the Universe is the type of IP management that’s being left by the wayside.
You’d exp...
THE ROLLING TAPE •

Review: ‘Backrooms’ Fully Immerses You Into the Atmospheric Terror of Its Slow but Eerie Liminal Surrealism - THE ROLLING TAPE

There’s no doubt that, as of late, the YouTube/content creator space has had an insane impact on how many view the success of films in the industry, especially within the horror genre. Iron Lung (2026), Shelby Oaks (2024), and Obsession (2025) are all films by directors from various backgrounds in the YouTube or sketch-comedy world, bringing their varied experiences to a new plane of creativity. This arguably makes Kane Parsons’ Backrooms the most fascinating case study of this new wave of creat...
Geek Vibes Nation •

‘Passenger’ Review - A Road Trip Horror Flick With Solid Intrigue That Hits A Dead End At Horror Trope Lane

André Øvredal is a fascinating filmmaker to view within the horror space, specifically in the numerous ways his horror films tend to end up more frustrating despite the decent amounts of promise they hold. Øvredal genuinely has a solid knack for how to nicely set up a scare and build the right amount of tension, which tends to always be undone by obvious jump scares or a cavalcade of every horror trope known to man, leading to an experience that unravels nearly every ounce of intrigue it had.Øvr...
InSession Film •

Movie Review: ‘I Love Boosters’ Is A Candy-Colored Explosion of True Creative Madness | InSession Film

Director: Boots RileyWriter: Boots RileyStars: Keke Palmer, Naomi Ackie, Taylour Paige
Synopsis: A fearless crew of inventive young women turn shoplifting into a radical act of defiance.

Satire is a genre within the film world that can be frankly tough to truly have a firm grasp on. Sometimes they can be too on the nose in a way that never reflects a creative parallel, or maybe just never capitalizes on any meaningful commentary that brings something new to the table. In a world where many sat...
Geek Vibes Nation •

‘Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu’ Review - The First Star Wars Film In Seven Years Is The Franchise At Its Most Forgettable

It’s hard to believe that a film franchise as popular and expensive as Star Wars has had its film division on ice for nearly 7 years, but the reason for this remains a query with a complicated answer. Most would point to the obvious of the last Star Wars film, The Rise of Skywalker, effectively killing the franchise’s credibility with its cowardice, or the onslaught of Disney + series, which the franchise has called home since 2019, making the series dormant in its ability to return to theatrica...
Geek Vibes Nation •

‘Is God Is’ Review - A Rage-Filled Revenge Epic That’s A Barn Burner Like You’ve Never Seen

Is God Is is the type of film that, upon first glance at its description, you might make certain assumptions about based on surface qualities. We’ve seen the elements of both classic and new revenge tales be told over and over again, but writer/director Aleshea Harris proves from the film’s opening moments that she can confidently take the bones of what is established and craft a bombastic vision within familiar territory.
Nearly every frame of Harris’ direction is at one with the classic visual...
THE ROLLING TAPE •

Peeling Back The Layers of What Exactly Shrek’s Legacy Is 25 Years Later - THE ROLLING TAPE

It’s odd to recognize it as such, considering what one may assume upon viewing it at first glance, but Shrek is undeniably one of the most significant touchstones of our modern film culture. What was once a film quite literally spawned out of pure spite for the Disney corporation turned into a mega franchise with three sequels, a spinoff film series, and a brand that would soon become the essential mascot of the entire DreamWorks animation studio.


Shrek’s legacy, however, has grown far beyond...
InSession Film •

Movie Review: ‘Mortal Kombat II’ Can’t Quite Save Itself From Fatality | InSession Film

Director: Simon McQuoidWriter: Jeremy SlaterStars: Karl Urban, Adeline Rudolph, Jessica McNamee
Synopsis: The fan favorite champions — now joined by Johnny Cage himself — are pitted against one another in the ultimate battle to defeat the dark rule of Shao Kahn that threatens the very existence of the Earthrealm and its defenders.

Video game movies are slowly but surely becoming a new certified staple within the Hollywood zeitgeist. Although the industry once couldn’t seem to figure out for de...