Reviews

Despite its rough production, I would still recommend it, as it reaffirms my belief that skin color, height, age, and gender are never true barriers to pursuing dreams or achieving professional excellence.

The discussion of race, which should have been central, is condensed into barely half an hour. After the lead’s injury, the pacing slows drastically without delving into her inner struggles. Though it’s about ballet, the film doesn’t take full advantage of visual artistry to elevate its storytelling. A surprisingly flat documentary, overall.

Malala is still a child—remarkable, yes, but without a lifetime of experiences to draw on. The film’s focus stays narrow, concentrating almost entirely on the attack she survived, without broadening into a deeper look at the many other girls who are denied an education.

Malala Yousafzai became known worldwide for advocating girls’ right to education. She spoke out fearlessly, championed children’s rights, and defended girls’ access to learning, only to have those rights taken away by the Taliban. The animated segments are a smart choice, keeping the documentary from feeling monotonous. If this story were turned into a narrative biopic, it could be outstanding.

Four years after the events, one of the girls in the film took her own life. Just when we think such assaults can be processed or spoken about, the damage continues to haunt them. Perhaps the only true salvation lies in the connection and solidarity between women.

Another documentary on sexual assault, but this one folds in the impact of social media and school bullying. The editing is somewhat uneven, yet the subject matter and social value outweigh the film’s technical flaws, making it a worthwhile documentary.

The tragic tone at the end is overwhelming. Once the virus wipes out humanity, the infected evolve into zombie-like “new humans” who see the remaining real humans as heretics, terrorists, or even a disease—what an irony. In my view, this might actually be the first film in history to introduce the zombie concept.

Some of the set designs and cinematography are genuinely intriguing, especially the opening montage of static, empty shots paired with the score, which creates an unsettling sense of desolation. As a conventional narrative feature, it feels too slow and meandering most of the time, though the core premise remains compelling.

The film’s romanticism feels detached from reality, glossing over the brutality of war. History shows such gestures had no lasting effect, as the carnage of World War I and II soon proved.

War is cruel, but we still can find some warmth from it. Joyeux Noel tells a moving story about a special Christmas day during World War I in this film. The real story started from a piece of beautiful music. From this battle, we could find both the lightness and the darkness of humanity.

As Barrymore’s directorial debut, it captures the roller derby action with admirable intensity. Elliot Page delivers a performance that’s as spirited as the sport itself.

Drew Barrymore’s take on this classic underdog tale feels sluggish and lack spark. The story plunges straight into the sport with little setup, making it hard to get invested, and the crowded roster of side characters leaves no one fully developed.

A powerful feminist drama, it exposes the harassment faced by women in a male-dominated mine and the control exerted over them through economic power. When women collectively stand up for their rights, their voices speak not just for themselves but for a community, a value system, and everyone who believes in fairness and justice.

Based on a true case of a miner suing over workplace harassment, this is an unflinching portrayal that’s hard to watch. Even with justice served in the end, the film’s depictions of abuse remain deeply unsettling.

A chilling study of cult manipulation, it shows how absurd beliefs can still successfully brainwash people. After a slow burn, the violence erupts suddenly, leaving only three survivors out of more than ten, saved largely by the protagonist’s sharp instincts and ability to spot the smallest changes.

The lead’s weary, grief-stricken presence perfectly conveys a father crushed by guilt over losing his son. The long setup offers only brief hints at his backstory, while most of the other characters feel like props. Confined to a single house, the film misses chances to effectively utilise the space to create tension.

As compelling as a scripted thriller, this documentary builds its narrative from a wealth of real footage, offering viewers endless room for interpretation. While this inevitably means reshaping reality, the director’s largely neutral stance keeps it free from heavy-handed moral judgment.

The strength of this documentary lies in its thoroughness—rich in detail, varied in perspective, and meticulously reconstructing events from arrest to trial through extensive interviews and an extraordinary cache of home videos.

Without the female lead’s subplot, both pacing and story would have been stronger. This may be a well-worn tale, but fresh performances keep it engaging, and Gary Oldman once again proves magnetic in this kind of role.

Like many ’90s gangster films, it holds your attention, yet it leans too heavily on dialogue and lacks the sharp dramatic clashes that make the genre gripping.