Reviews

Among Kurosawa’s many Shakespeare adaptations, "Throne of Blood" stands out. Though rooted in "Macbeth," it feels distinctly Japanese in tone, structure, and atmosphere. Even its sense of horror is deeply grounded in Japanese aesthetics, making it an extraordinary cultural reinterpretation.

The Morse code signals received through a piece of metal serve as the film’s most poetic metaphor. As Ana begins decoding them, she is in fact decoding her own inner world. With fragmented editing and anxious close-ups, the director perfectly conveys the emotional turbulence that often defines adolescence.

One of Mel Brooks’ early and defining works, this film satirizes the familiar tropes of American Westerns with absurdist flair. Its most memorable twist comes when the characters burst through their own film set into a neighboring musical production, creating a gleeful and anarchic finale that elevates the entire experience.

The plot is barebones, but the real attraction lies in the relentless violence and bone-crunching martial arts. While visually thrilling, the film doesn’t offer much in terms of emotional resonance or thematic depth, which may leave some viewers feeling detached.

Holiday films don’t need to reinvent the wheel—they just need to spark joy. With a new director at the helm, this sequel feels more refined than the first. The narrative is well-structured, the side plots coherent, and the emotional beats hit where they should.

Filmed like a gritty docudrama, the movie excels at creating unease through its handheld camerawork. As the narrative builds, each routine patrol carries an undercurrent of dread, making the inevitable tragedy all the more impactful.

The action choreography is superb—clean, intense, and stylishly cut. But at its heart, the film is a story about two broken people finding solace in each other. The violence never overshadows the film’s emotional undercurrent, which is what makes it compelling.

Visually polished with a whimsical score, the film has its fair share of lighthearted moments. Still, the structure feels uneven—the buildup is extensive, but the climax, where Noelle finally embraces her role, is rushed and underexplored.

While packed with explosive set pieces, the film overemphasizes Schwarzenegger’s near-invincible persona. From leaping out of planes to single-handedly taking on an entire criminal syndicate, his character borders on superheroic, which weakens the film’s credibility. The villains are underdeveloped, and the plot lacks cohesion.

Starring Chris Pine, Tom Hardy, and Reese Witherspoon, this lighthearted spy rom-com doesn’t take its espionage elements seriously—and that’s intentional. While some of the gags fall flat, the film remains amusing, though not particularly memorable.

Director David Mackenzie wasn’t on my radar until 2016’s HELL OR HIGH WATER, which I highly recommend. He has now made a paranoid thriller called RELAY. Originally called THE BROKER, it was featured on the 2019 “Black-List” of most-liked unproduced screenplays. It tells the story of whistleblower Sarah Grant (Lilly James) who changes her mind about going public with very sensitive and damning documents from a big bioengineering company. She is recommended to call an anonymous broker to help give back the documents while keeping herself safe. The broker, played by Riz Ahmed, keeps his anonymity by using a telecommunications device for the deaf, connected to the Tri-State Relay Service. It’s a pretty cool concept that uses a totally real service in such a creative way. This movie feels bigger than it actually is. There was almost no marketing for it, so almost nobody is actually watching it. I’m a huge fan of Riz Ahmed. Ever since he broke out in the series THE NIGHT OF, he’s been doing great things. This is the second movie with him that represents the deaf community, the other being the wonderful SOUND OF METAL. As I’ve been thinking more about this movie’s ending though, without giving anything away, I think it could’ve been a little smoother, especially in today’s society. I also think a little more mystery was needed in certain aspects. Riz’s palpable quiet intensity and the nice tension-building are what ultimately drew me into this. I enjoyed my time with RELAY, and I wish it had a wider release.

A product of 1960s Cinema Novo, the film combines history with myth, personal obsession with political critique, and realism with a touch of surrealism. Its commentary on colonialism and cultural exploitation echoes Brazil’s early modernist movements, and the stylistic mashup feels both critical and playful.

The director, who clearly loves life, shares a dreamlike memory of childhood in beautifully composed images. The opening and closing shots of a dog running through mist evoke a sense of freedom that lingers long after viewing.

It transcends mere political drama, presenting a visual experiment on violence, hunger, and redemption. Indigenous music, religious chants, and the protagonist’s poetry interweave as emotional outlets and political statements, offering a critical look at power and the role of art that remains relevant today.

"Centurion" follows Michael Fassbender as a Roman centurion caught behind enemy lines in Pictish territory. More survival thriller than historical epic, the film plays like a monster movie with human predators, delivering relentless chase scenes that rarely let up.

As the title suggests, sound plays a central role in shaping the film’s atmosphere. Ambient noises—barking dogs, washing machines, fireworks—create a vivid sense of space and unease. The careful sound design enhances scenes that might otherwise seem mundane, giving the film a quiet but persistent tension.

The storytelling in "Machete" is almost nonexistent, with logic-defying plot twists and characters behaving irrationally. Still, the over-the-top violence and the lead’s tough-guy appeal are entertaining—though most of the best moments are crammed into the opening sequence.

A defining work of the Cinema Novo wave and the only Brazilian anthology from that era, it brings together five directors from the movement in a slice-of-life collection capturing the poverty and reality of Rio’s favelas.

Based on American folklore, the Mothman never truly appears, which seems deliberate as an unsettling metaphor for psychological issues. The middle portion has a rather slow pacing that slow the film’s momentum.

The 1999 restoration by the German Film Museum revived a 66-minute version that is widely regarded as the first full-length animated feature in cinema history. Directed by Lotte Reiniger, the first female animation pioneer, this silhouette animation premiered in 1926—over a decade before Disney’s first feature film—and its roots in shadow puppetry mark it as a groundbreaking achievement.