The Roundup with Jeff Stockton (Season 8 Round 10)

And that's a wrap on Season 8, folks. It was a season with a lot of ups and downs, but for now here's this season's final edition of The Roundup...

3. October Crisis
Another strong script from Mo Buck. His knowledge of the subject helps immerse the viewer in the details of the film, creating a more engaging film. One aspect I especially liked was the avoidance of A-list stars in this ensemble drama. It helps keep us at a bit more of a distance, allowing us to focus not on the likability of big name stars, but rather on the plot.

2. Hailee Steinfeld
Hailee Steinfeld is definitely a star on the rise. Huntress didn't feature any crazy action that would come across as silly, instead she holds her own in a series of fight scenes. While this film was strictly a revenge tale, I'd like to see more of the superhero side of the character in future DC Universe films.

1. Nevada, Iowa
This was the strongest overall film of the round, and one of the stronger films of the season. It's balance of comedy and suspense is really something you don't see often. Reese Witherspoon and Sam Rockwell are perfectly cast in the film's two primary lead roles. It's also nice that after playing a good guy and father to a terrifying villain in John Malone's Death Dream, Kyle Chandler now gets his own villain role to chew into from the writer.

3. The Length of Nevada, Iowa
I really liked Nevada, Iowa (in fact, I'd rank it as one of the top five films of the season), but it took me a long time to get through it all. The beginning half could have easily been shortened. Sometimes, writer John Malone seems to get carried away with his character details - not that his detailed writing is a bad thing.

2. Supporting Superhero Cast
This one is probably on APJ... I've honestly been disappointed in some of his casting choices in the supporting roles of his superhero films this season. I can't help but think that he could have found better actors for some of the roles featured in Huntress and Green Arrow 2: Hunters. Are actors like Marc Blucas, Matthew Daddario, "Machine Gun Kelly" and Robert Knepper the best he could find?

1. Kathryn Bigelow
She's a talented director, albeit a bit overrated after Zero Dark Thirty, but I feel like she's gotten herself into a bit of a rut, making the same kinds of films over and over again without much difference thematically or stylistically. Detroit, Mr. Big and October Crisis aren't necessarily bad movies (in fact, Mr. Big and October Crisis are both quite strong), but I'd like to see more variety in her output.