1st Reviews

Challengers is so much more than your average tennis movie. This movie dials the sexuality up to eleven, taking a two way sport and turning it into a steamy three way love affair. Director Luca Guadagnino brings the heat on and off the court. You might need a cold shower after watching this one.  Told across the span of 13 years, the film follows a trio of tennis players, and the complicated love triangle they form. Mike Faist and Josh O’Connor play Art and Patrick - two best friends vying over the affections of promising young tennis star Tashi - played by Zendaya. The story is told in a non-linear fashion, flipping between various points in their personal lives and professional careers.  This movie instantly creates spectacular tension, and it’s cranked even higher as we’re given more context on these three characters. The non-linear approach to storytelling mirrors the back and forth volleys of a tennis match, elevating the film in a big way. Had the story been told from pa...

David Leitch continues to be a leading voice in action movies with his creative and passionate voice for action and comedy that often turns out star-studded and visually appealing. Much of the film’s charm comes from Ryan Gosling’s brilliant turn as Colt. Like his Oscar-nominated Ken in Barbie, Colt is a sad shell of a “cool guy” who’s too evidently madly in love. Gosling’s comedic timing is at the lightning speed of his Ken, or Holland March from The Nice Guys, and his big personality infuses Colt with a foolishly endearing heart. Emily Blunt also gives one of her most entertaining performances of late as the romantic lead, and Winston Duke is also loads of fun as Colt’s best friend and the film-within-a-film’s stunt coordinator, while Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Hannah Waddingham, and Stephanie Hsu also round out the stellar cast. Waddingham in particular is very extravagant but delightful as Gail, the producer of the film Colt’s working on. The most clever and thrilling part of The Fall G...

  Challengers  work beautifully as a dance between three characters: Tashi Duncan (Zendaya), Art Donaldson (Mike Faist) and Patrick Zweig (Josh O’Connor). The non-linear storytelling impacts the relationship between Patrick, Art and Tashi throughout the film. Writer Justin Kuritzkes uses the fast pace of a tennis match while retelling the history between the three of them. The audience gets to know them on and off the court while building their relationship. Art and Patrick had known each other from childhood because they went to boarding school and experienced puberty together. Guadagnino left their sexuality ambiguous because their relationship was close and intimate. O’Connor and Faist had electric chemistry between them. Guadagnino purposefully made them so in sync that they felt like one entity. Their synchronicity became stronger once Tashi Duncan was introduced to both of them. Zendaya’s star power makes Tashi’s character as a young tennis star so believable. She comman...

  Shōgun is a stunning historical epic that ranks as the best show of 2024 thus far. 17th Century Japan is brought to the screen with expert care and craftsmanship. As skillfully penned as it is technically remarkable, every aspect of this limited series deserves the utmost praise.  Based on a 1975 novel by James Clavell, the series takes real Japanese history and uses it as the base for a fictional plot. Despite not being a true story, each of the characters are based on actual historical figures, and the show-runners prioritized accuracy in bringing this chapter of Japan’s history to life. Even if you aren’t well versed in the subject matter, it’s obvious the amount of research and commitment that went into creating an authentic portrait of Feudal Japan in the 1600’s. Whether it’s the gorgeous set design or the beautifully made costumes, everything is faithfully recreated in a way that’ll fully immerse you in this world.  The narrative sprawls across multiple cities and...

  A good premise is often marred by lacklustre execution, which in turn makes it all the more frustrating to think about what could’ve been. Humane sadly squanders its fascinating ideas, taking the least interesting narrative paths at almost every turn.  The film takes place in the near future, where mankind has nearly destroyed earth with their carbon footprint. As a result, people have been asked to humanely give their own lives in an attempt to save the planet, and in return their families will be gifted a sizeable monetary reward. The plot revolves around one wealthy family, and takes place over the course of just one day. The framework for something fun, clever and politically adept is in place. Why did we get something so safe and mundane?  The end-of-days premise is used to bring the family together for a dinner party, and to create turbulence between them. Beyond that, the intriguing world building done at the beginning of the film is all but abandoned. This is a ...

  Shame on me for thinking this would be an improvement over the first Rebel Moon. Shame on me for thinking all the clunky exposition in Part One would allow for a more focused and eventful sequel. Shame on me for watching this movie, and contributing to the viewership numbers.  Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver plays like a greatest hits of Zack Snyder’s worst qualities. His signature visual flair is cranked up to the max, making this feel more like a spoof of his own work than a coherent film. It’s another two hour exposition dump with a few big action set pieces thrown in. This is style over substance to the point where it no longer makes sense. As long as it looks pretty, there doesn’t need to be logic or consistency with plot and character development.  Speaking of characters, it’s pretty obviously Snyder doesn’t have a clue on how to properly develop them within the context of the story. Instead, 90% of the “character development” comes through painfully forced e...

  Back to Black  chronicles the life and music of Amy Winehouse, through the journey of adolescence to adulthood and the creation of one of the best-selling albums of our time. It may feel like a step up from recent music biopics like  Elvis  and  I Wanna Dance with Somebody , and may be on par with something like  Respect  and not quite at the glory of  Rocketman . Marisa Abela is great as Winehouse, bringing the young music-loving girl to the screen in the start and the mess of an unstable addict she becomes later in life. But what’s most unbelievable is Abela’s singing which completely captures the one-of-a-kind grandeur of Amy’s voice. There are times when Abela completely disappears and you simply feel the singer alive in front of you. Eddie Marsan gives one of his most memorable performances to date as Amy’s father, while Lesley Manville also brings a lot to the movie as her grandmother. When Jack O’Connell comes in, however, as Amy’s love i...

  Imagine your birthday is in a few months. Your friends and family are planning a surprise party, but instead of keeping it a secret, they continuously tell you about it in detail. The day finally comes, and for about 45 minutes leading up to the big surprise, they try to convince you there is no party. This sums up my experience with Abigail. A fun movie that could’ve had a great reveal, if the studio had a little faith in their product.  This isn’t just a case of the trailers giving too much away. It’s straight up bad marketing. Radio Silence has been killing it in the slasher genre these past 5 years, and in an ideal world, their name would be enough to sell tickets. The first 45 minutes of this movie drag out a twist that we already know is coming. Whatever misdirection and mystery that’s attempted fails because the audience knows damn well what’s up. I won’t lie - I was a little bored. The writing was too weak, and the characters were too uninteresting to cover up the no...

  After an awesome first season, and kicking off the return for season two, The spy family is back with a full length feature film that acts as a companion for fans as well as a great standalone for newcomers to the series.   Master spy, twilight is posing as a civilian named Loid Forger with his pretend family in order to complete his mission “operation strix” he is married to expert assassin, Yor Briar and adopted orphan daughter, Anya who is also a telepath. The best part of this family dynamic is that each family member has a secret that they are keeping from each other but the family manages to hold it together nicely and are a really wholesome bunch. The key to their secrets from each other is in the writing in order to keep them on their toes from revealing their true identities from each other. The special mission in this film is actually a hiliarious as Anya has to bake a desert for school. In order for her to win a star merit, Loid derives a plan to travel acros...

  Civil War throws audiences into the midst of a violent fictional conflict in America, but this is not a war movie. It has no political agenda. It isn’t interested in answering how or why. This is a film that boldly showcases the horrors of war, and the vital role journalists play in bringing the frontlines to the public eye.  I understand the polarizing divisiveness this film has garnered, especially from American audiences. Alex Garland is a British filmmaker. A large part of Civil War serves as an exaggerated version of how an outsider views the tense political landscape in the United States over the past eight or so years. Is it ludicrous to think that Texas and California would join forces, leading to the country going to war with itself? Sure, but that’s not the point Garland is making. He intentionally keeps the details vague and doesn’t take a political stance. The conflict is merely a backdrop, in a setting that’ll be all too familiar for many viewers. Garland doesn’...

  The current political landscape has changed how people interact with political and societal issues. Many have become outspoken to defend the side they choose. However, many have remained apolitical. During the Trump Presidency, many voices were heard, “free speech” was interpreted differently, and journalists fought for the truth. And are continuing to do so in an industry that has been deconstructed, almost causing it to crumble. During any time of social injustice,   war , genocide or human rights violations, journalists have been present to document all these situations. Without them, no one throughout history would be able to piece together those actual events. Whether they were setting pen to paper, recording or taking photographs, journalists from all walks of life captured the intensity and brutality of what civilians were living through. To this day, those images and articles have remained a source of honesty in a time when things can be heavily manipulated because o...