Reviews

Primera vez que la veré.

While on vacation in Hollywood (ooh la la) I obviously had to see a movie. Funnily enough, I chose the most “New York” movie out there. THE FRIEND is a drama based on a book by Sigrid Nunez about a writer named Iris (Naomi Watts). Her best friend Walter (Bill Murray) commits suicide, leaving her to deal with the grief of the loss, his many exes, and a Great Dane called Apollo. Living in a tiny apartment building, her landlord is urging her to move out because of Apollo. This dog is a huge scene stealer, very expressive and such a good boy. Yes he is. He reminds us that he’s grieving right alongside Iris. They start to bond, even though she’s not a dog person. This movie shows how one person can affect the people around them in different ways. There are thought-provoking and fascinating conversations that take place here. Taking control of your life can look like a variety of things, small or big. Apollo could be seen as a metaphor for a few things, depending on who’s asking. THE FRIEND will resonate with dog-owners and everyone who has experienced loss, which is probably most people.

The storytelling is straightforward, offering a predictable yet tense middle act. What ultimately resonates most isn’t the film itself but the real-life events behind it. The closing three minutes, featuring actual footage, deliver the most powerful emotional punch. The fact that someone survived thirty minutes of oxygen deprivation without irreversible brain damage is extraordinary—but the film struggles to translate this into compelling cinematic storytelling. The director never quite finds the right visual approach to do the story justice.

Through the dynamic between Mickey 17 and Mickey 18, the film explores themes of identity and humanity within the context of cloning. Dark humor pervades the narrative as characters struggle to maintain their individuality in an absurdist dystopia. Though Bong seeks to examine corporate exploitation, social inequality, and the ethics of technology, the film’s pacing is uneven, its thematic depth remains somewhat surface-level, and its sci-fi worldbuilding feels underdeveloped. Even so, "Mickey 17" remains an intriguing and worthwhile watch.

Let me take you back to 1984. Michael Larson, an AC repair man and ice cream truck driver, ends up on the game show Press Your Luck. THE LUCKIEST MAN IN AMERICA tells this true story. Michael (Paul Walter Hauser) keeps winning, with no end in sight. This causes everybody at CBS to panic in their own ways, including the host Peter Tomarken (Walton Goggins), the producer Bill Carruthers (David Strathairn), his assistant Chuck (Shamier Anderson), and the show’s assistant Sylvia (Maisie Williams). This movie is entertaining from start to finish. Hauser is amazing yet again as a character who is socially awkward. When you look at him, you can’t shake the feeling that something’s off. Goggins is always great in everything he does, no surprise there. The tension builds as the movie goes on, highlighted by the score and by Hauser’s body language. Not knowing what actually happened back then, I had no idea where it was going. My one problem was the ending. It seemed abrupt and I’m not sure if it’s because of the low budget, but I would’ve liked to have a little more finality to it. I do recommend staying during the credits though. Overall, THE LUCKIEST MAN IN AMERICA is a very entertaining historical moment brought back into the light of day with a great ensemble cast, seemingly accurate enough to what actually happened at the time. I recommend it wherever you can find it!

The Minecraft video game came out way back in 2009, sparking people’s imagination, letting them create their own worlds and be a part of a wonderful supportive community. There is finally a movie adaptation simply called A MINECRAFT MOVIE. I need to preface this review by saying that this movie was not made with me in mind. Here we go. This tells the story of a band of misfits comprised of creative kid Henry (Sebastian Hansen), his sister and newly appointed guardian Natalie (Emma Myers), their realtor who runs a mobile petting zoo Dawn (Danielle Brooks), and finally Garrett “The Garbageman” Garrison (Jason Momoa), a has-been gamer of the year who hasn’t moved on from the 80’s. They fall into a portal to another world called the Overworld. This world is built with blocks. The visuals are actually great here, full of cool set pieces and vibrant colour. Here they meet Steve (Jack Black), a man who has made a home for himself there for a while. The villain is Malgosha, a gold-obsessed Piglin ruler who hates creativity. She needs the Orb of Dominance to take over the Overworld, and our intrepid heroes are tasked with stopping her. Side note: I find it hilarious how the piglins are literally capitalist pigs. As with most people my age, I hated the trailer when it came out. It looked like JUMANJI with a different name and way more cringe. After seeing this, I had to remind myself who this movie was made for. I’m not an experienced player of the game. Most of the references and easter eggs went a little over my head, but I was never bored. Most of the humour is not funny, except for one joke near the end. The script is all over the place, probably evidence of the five people involved. There’s a subplot involving Jennifer Coolidge that was weird but fine I guess. The movie is full of memes I didn’t know existed until I saw the army of teenagers swarm my theater, involving a “chicken-jockey”. The movie is bad, but I was eventually able to look past that and have fun nonetheless. They were bold enough to throw a lot at the wall, and a couple things stuck. The cast knew what movie they were in, and they really go for it, especially Black and Momoa. The Jack Black energy level might be a little high for some people, but I feel like he carried this on his very enthusiastic shoulders. I was sufficiently entertained throughout. There’s a post-credit scene that flew over my head at the time but might be worth sticking around for. Similar to the SUPER MARIO BROS. movie, A MINECRAFT MOVIE is a colourful fever dream so reliant on references and easter eggs that it forgets to be as wondrous and creative as the video game it’s based on. It's all nonsense, but it’s fun. This is not a film for movie critics, it’s a film particularly mined and crafted for Minecraft fans, and their parents.

Very nice drama

This version is far superior to the older one—the storytelling is much clearer, and the characters are more fleshed out, though Quilty is notably more one-dimensional, likely due to time constraints, which also make the later character developments feel rushed. That said, the film is visually stunning, particularly in its opening flashback. This Lolita embodies temptation in its purest form—beneath her innocent facade lurks a devil fueled by desire.

It’s a beautifully crafted film, though I struggled to fully connect with the story and characters—this world feels too distant from my own. Still, Ang Lee’s ability to tackle this subject matter as a Chinese filmmaker and earn widespread recognition is impressive. The film’s greatest strengths—its metaphor of the ice storm, its portrayal of two fractured families, the contrast between adulterous parents and their children’s sexual awakenings, and its subtle commentary on American politics—likely stem from the source material. But Ang Lee’s visual storytelling is remarkable, particularly in the train sequence set against the storm.

The film explores repression through sexuality—water, like desire, is fluid and impossible to suppress, mirroring the characters’ pent-up emotions. This family of three is only one in name. The father is not just a closeted homosexual but also drawn to younger men, while the mother, trapped in a loveless marriage, finds neither physical nor emotional fulfillment. The son, too, harbors unfulfilled desires. When desire is finally released—like stagnant water finding an outlet—repression dissolves, and everything flows naturally once more.

Adapted from Charles Dickens' novel, the film relocates the story from 19th-century London to 1990s New York. While staying true to the essence of the original, it modernizes the narrative, offering a fresh reinterpretation of Dickens’ classic tale.

Midway through, the film started to remind me of Woody Allen’s “Whatever Works”—it’s packed with rapid-fire dialogue and bold storytelling choices. Kevin Smith’s writing is more accessible and less esoteric than Allen’s, but both share a sharp wit. A straight man falling for a lesbian is a recipe for disaster, yet here, it unfolds as a full-fledged comedy. The rain-soaked confession scene? Brilliantly written.

It would be misleading to label this as an erotic film. Instead, it interweaves themes of sex, faith, power, and law, moving from the crude to the profound. The way it guides the audience from the world of desire to a pursuit of secular justice is truly remarkable. And of course, Woody Harrelson’s performance deserves praise—he delivers a captivating antihero.

The true highlights here are the cinematography and performances. Denis has a gift for working with young actors, as seen in "Chocolat," and she elicits wonderfully natural performances from her teenage leads. Visually, her camerawork is one of the most sensuous in contemporary cinema, lingering tenderly on a girl’s textured skin, a rough stucco wall, a bakery counter, or the curve of a shuttered window. Everything is bathed in the soft, golden winter afternoon light, revealing unexpected shades and details.

While Kaurismäki has a distinct visual style, his screenplays follow a structured, Hollywood-like formula. He deliberately strips away life’s mundane details, intensifying his characters’ suffering in a stylized, almost kitschy manner—only to have them escape their troubles through some arbitrary stroke of fate. This approach, however, deviates from reality. At its core, Kaurismäki’s films resemble theatrical vignettes that simulate everyday life rather than authentically portraying it.

Quasimodo may have a grotesque appearance, but his soul is pure and kind. Adapted from Victor Hugo’s novel Notre-Dame de Paris, the film offers a profound meditation on human virtue and vice. It underscores the idea that true nobility is found in character, not in physical beauty.

The film is packed with musical numbers, which might feel overwhelming at first. But as the story unfolds, its charm becomes undeniable. Each character has a distinct personality, and beneath the lighthearted exterior, there are insightful reflections on life, love, and American values.

Watching this film made me reflect on my own past and the moments I found myself in similar situations. It reinforced the importance of decisiveness and accountability. The protagonist drifts between three women, basing his choices entirely on their reactions rather than his own convictions. He follows their lead, never making a firm decision of his own—and by the end, I found this lack of agency utterly exasperating.