Reviews

Ben Affleck once again nails the role of Christian, capturing both his genius and his quiet solitude with remarkable control. Jon Bernthal offers a spirited counterbalance as Braxton—his performance is filled with aggression and vitality, drawing a sharp contrast to Christian’s composed demeanor.

One of the film’s signature stylistic features is its extensive use of long takes and wide shots. Beyond showcasing the lush landscapes of southern Taiwan, Hou’s framing—so central to his cinematic language—imbues the film with a quiet naturalism and an almost documentary-like authenticity.

It drags at times, but the occasional clever line and genuinely catchy original songs help keep things afloat. Despite the obvious staging and scripted moments, it succeeds impressively as a mockumentary.

A24 has another unique film for our viewing pleasure, the absurdist comedy FRIENDSHIP. Craig (Tim Robinson) is a socially awkward marketing executive with a wife named Tami (Kate Mara) who is in remission from cancer. As his life is slowly rolling down a hill, he becomes fast friends with the new neighbor Austin (Paul Rudd), a quirky local weather man who plays in a punk band. After an eventful hang-sesh, Austin chooses to break things off with Craig, making him spiral. This was my very first time seeing Tim Robinson. After doing some research, I have determined that he has a very specific type of humor that I just don’t get. He’s definitely an acquired taste, having a Netflix series I THINK YOU SHOULD LEAVE. If you haven’t heard of Tim Robinson, I suggest watching a few minutes of his series before seeing this movie. First-time director Andrew DeYoung (who also wrote this) has perfectly captured and portrayed Robinson’s style of comedy. Nobody else could’ve played the part. I did find it a little unbelievable that he would be married to Kate Mara. Props to A24 for taking chances, but I’m just not on the same frequency as this movie. It’s a very specific type of outrageously random outside the box comedy that I never really got on board with. Overall, your thoughts will change drastically based on whether you’re a Tim Robinson fan or not. To me, it was uncomfortable and cringey, but comedy is subjective, so I leave this one to you guys. FRIENDSHIP takes some risky swings, and it’s not for me, but some people I know say it’s the funniest movie this year.

It’s easy to see why the film resonated so strongly with audiences back then. The story taps into every teenager’s fantasy of going wild once the parents are out of the house. Tom Cruise is terrific—his innocent, well-behaved appearance conceals a surprising aptitude for running a shady business. The way everything neatly resets by the end, as if nothing ever happened, is pure escapist brilliance.

The Duke brothers’ wager encapsulates the cruelty and absurdity of capitalism. Treating human lives as playthings for their own amusement, they embody the cold detachment of the elite. The film uses this setup to expose systemic injustice and the contempt the powerful often hold for the disenfranchised.

Leonard Zelig’s chameleon-like ability is an allegory for modern life, where people conform themselves to societal pressure and vanity, losing all sense of self. The film also portrays society’s voyeurism, moral hypocrisy, and the media’s exploitation of public spectacle for profit extremely well.

This movie connected with me more than any religious text ever has. The movie with shit demons and Party City costumes is the first one to really make me question my ideas about faith

"The Purple Rose of Cairo" is quintessential Woody Allen—a surreal meditation on the irreconcilable divide between cinematic fantasy and everyday life, steeped in his signature pessimism. A master of compact storytelling, Allen builds a richly layered narrative around just a handful of characters, centered once again on the nuances of romantic disillusionment.

Honestly, not that bad. And I'm not just saying that cause Sydney Sweeney is in it. Obviously, the leads are painfully hot. But the movie is anchored by its source material, that being Shakespeare. As such, the story is strong, even if the eye candy can be a little obtuse at times.

It has some cool actor performances, like the scene with Montgomery Clift. But, by 2025 standards, it's pretty slow. I was a little let down by it, because it's known as a classic, but it felt to me more like a good movie rather than a great one.

I found this on YouTube. It has amazing animation and some poignant points about growing up, psychology, and what we share as humans. You'll learn something from this one.

Very intense, but a cool and fresh take on the war movie genre. Worth watching, if you can stomach a lot of screaming and a lot of gore.

Some problematic stuff about domestic abuse, but I commend it for not avoiding the difficult conversations. But what you're gonna watch this for is Brando's performance. The definition of a game changer. Funny that he's like the only actor in this who wasn't nominated for an Oscar. The world just wasn't ready for him yet.

The film paints a world in eternal night, filled with rot and decay. From shadowy alleyways in Chinatown to abandoned warehouses, the cinematography drenches every frame in menace. This oppressive visual aesthetic complements the criminal chaos at the heart of the story.

Four directors tackle four life stages—elementary school, high school, college, and adult life. The first story about a lonely, misunderstood child is gently heartbreaking. The second is my favorite: a beautifully crafted look at two teenage sisters, especially effective in its portrayal of adolescent longing. The third, however, felt flat. The fourth is laced with dark humor, though it’s shot in a serious tone—it probably would’ve worked better as a comedy.

In retrospect, maybe Linda’s fateful night in Vegas—when she gambled away their life savings—wasn’t such a disaster after all. It forces David to confront the cold truth: escaping doesn’t solve anything. Reality has a way of catching up.

Coppola crafts a poetic vision of youth through stark black-and-white imagery. The sound design is exceptional—the rhythmic ticking of clocks and dripping water emphasize the relentless passage of time. I was especially drawn to the fog-drenched town, the lingering close-ups of clocks, the fast-moving clouds, and Mickey Rourke’s portrayal of a banished prince. Every element feels deliberately romanticized, and I love it.

The MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE action franchise began when I was just 4 years old, back in 1996. The first one I actually saw was M:I 3, which arguably had the best villain in the franchise, played by the late Phillip Seymore Hoffman. We are now 8 movies deep, with the supposed finale MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – THE FINAL RECKONING. A couple months after DEAD RECKONING, Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) is…on the hunt…for a thing to stop a rogue AI called the Entity, which is in the process of taking over the world’s nukes. Nothing but the highest of stakes for a M:I finale. With the weight of the world on his shoulders, Ethan and his team go from one location to the next, one crazy stunt after another. His team includes Luther (Ving Rhames), Grace (Hayley Atwell), Benji (Simon Pegg), and Paris (Pom Klementieff). The bar for this franchise is super high, which is why I feel like this is one of the weakest of them. It feels like they had 2 big action set-pieces and tried to build the plot around them. It’s still a good movie though. I’m not a fan of the first act. It’s stuffed with non-stop exposition interspersed with callbacks from previous installments. As a fan of this franchise, it was getting boring and repetitive seeing scenes I’ve seen before. Frankly, most of the first act could’ve been cut. The movie has no business being almost 3 hours long. Thankfully, the rest of the movie is a spectacle worthy of the biggest screen possible. The stunts are top-notch as usual. Every time I saw Tom run, I smiled. He cruises through the movie as if the world was ending, which makes sense. I enjoyed all the bit parts from familiar faces, including Angela Bassett, Nick Offerman, Janet McTeer, Hannah Waddingham, Katy O’Brian, and especially Tramell Tillman, give this guy his own movie. The third act goes completely off the rails. It becomes way too complex for its own good, becoming convoluted. The villain becomes cartoony and lame. I also would’ve liked it if the movie had more of a finality to it, leaving me with the feeling that they can easily continue the story because money talks. They’re gonna need all the help they can get, this being one of the most expensive movies ever, at almost $400 million. The best one is still FALLOUT for me. Despite the flaws of this movie, Tom Cruise knows how to make the most entertaining movies, and I still had a blast. Movie critics tend to be more nitpicky than the average moviegoer, so I still recommend this one if you’ve been a fan from the beginning. Our lives are the sum of your choices. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to severely suspend your disbelief and see MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – THE FINAL RECKONING on the big screen.

Ryan Coogler's team at their best! One of the best movies of the decade, for sure.