Reviews

I loved the original Planet of the Apes, but the rest of the films that followed it were not very good. Somehow though, the most recent trilogy of The Planet of the Apes have all been great or fantastic to me. After War for the Planet of the Apes came out in 2017, I really found myself thinking that was it, for a long time, but I was clearly wrong. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is now playing in theatres, and while I don't think it's the best one of the franchise, I still loved watching it and thought it was a great continuation. The writers and filmmakers they happen to get for these films spend the effort to make these stories worth watching. Here are my thoughts on the latest film in the franchise.

Picking up "many generations" after the reign of Caesar, apes have taken over the planet, as you might expect. Some believe the history of Caesar to be their religion and positively swear by his words, while many others have now begun to follow Proximus, an Ape who twists Caesar's words for the worse. The main story though follows Noah and his family, as Proximus' apes attack their colony. Noah then makes it his mission to rescue his captured family and friends. Along the way, he meets Raka, an Orangutan who teaches him about Caesar's legacy, and a human woman whom they name Nova. Their stories put together makes for an interesting dynamic.

From there, the film builds excellently to a climax that feels familiar to the franchise, adding its new flare. Once again, the visuals are spectacular and the motion capture performances are insanely good. Leaping ahead this many years was the best way forward this franchise had. It works almost as a reboot, as there cannot be any returning characters, while also feeling like a progression of the previous story. If for nothing else, the world-building this franchise has done is worth all the praise in the world. I also have to hand it to director Wes Ball because I didn't know he had a movie this good in him.

I liked his work on The Maze Runner films, but only some people did, and those are all he has to his name, feature film-wise. This is easily his best film to date. On top of that, Josh Friedman as the writer also shocked me. Sure, he worked on the story for Avatar: The Way of Water, but other than that, his best films are probably War of the Worlds (2005) and Terminator: Dark Fate, so once again, as far as an actual film screenplay goes, I think this is his best work to date as well. Everyone on board this film gave it their all, which shows in the final product.

I could go on and on about how much I liked Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, so I'll end with the overall experience it gave me. This is an engrossing world, and at nearly two and a half hours, it never felt its length to me. The richness of the characters and the heartfelt nature of good and evil all hooked me. This is one of the best ongoing franchises right now and I hope we get more of them with the same teamwork on them. It's not quite my favourite, but it's up there and I can't wait to revisit it. "Apes. Together. Strong."

Baby Reindeer, like many shows on Netflix, I had no idea it was even coming out. Based on praise and an intriguing true story, I decided to give it a watch. I'm very glad that I did because it's a crazy story that deserves some attention, but I also think I was craving an unpredictable story, so it came at the right time for me. I would suggest watching the trailer for this show first though because if it made you feel uneasy, it's definitely not for you. Let's dive into this series that, with a title like Baby Reindeer, you wouldn't be able to predict the story.

The basic premise is that a Donny (Richard Gadd) is a bartender who is at a dead end in life. Wanting to be a standup comedian, but never really getting there, a woman by the name of Martha (Jessica Gunning) comes into the bar. This meeting throws his entire life into a downward spiral. Sherry becomes an overly obsessive stalker, from physical altercations to bombarding him with emails, she basically does everything in the book to get to him. You will also learn about his very dark past and that this is the last thing he needed to be a part of his life. It's a depressing, sometimes comedic story, but what I learned about the series afterwards shined a new light on it.

Upon doing some research about the fact that this is a true story, I learned that Richard Gadd, the writer and creator of this show, is actually who the true story is based on. He wrote his own life story and made it into a series, which in itself is crazily brave. I had even more respect for the stellar writing in this show after learning that. It also makes a lot of sense in retrospect because it felt raw and authentic. The graphic nature of a few scenes really drove the points home. It's a tough watch, but a great watch.

Baby Reindeer will not be for everyone, especially due to the nature of the show not holding back any details. The entire series feels like a confession of what has happened to this man throughout the years and it's done so well. I highly recommend checking this series out, which is now streaming on Netflix, but I'll just caution those who may be off-put by it. Whether you're talking television or film, Baby Reindeer is one of the best stories I've seen in 2024. Feels weird to say it like that, but it's true. I thought this series was great and I think many others will too.

John Krasinski is a filmmaker I will continue to follow, no matter what project he is working on. A Quiet Place and A Quiet Place: Part 2 were both fantastic horror/thrillers and coming from TV comedies and low-budget indie films, Krasinksi has proven he is more than just the quirky actor we all love. IF is his latest directorial effort and while I'm a fan of family movies and creative ideas, I don't believe this concept was brought to its fullest potential. Sometimes a nice idea just isn't enough, and IF is a perfect showcase of that. With a lot of solid ideas and plot devices going for it, let's dive into what I thought went wrong.

After the loss of her mother, Bea (Cailey Fleming) is going through a difficult time in her life. Her father (John Krasinski) is also in the process of having surgery, so the weight on her shoulders when the film begins is quite heavy. Beginning to see a bunch of random, unique-looking creatures and ideas come to life around her, she begins to realize she is seeing the imaginary friends that everyone has grown up with and forgotten. In comes Cal (Ryan Reynolds), who can also see these "IFs," as they embark on a journey together in order to reconnect these "IFs" with their people who have grown up. This concept is beautiful and almost even brought a tear to my eye, but I feel as though there are far too many similarities to other films, without it really doing too much to stand out on its own.

I will say that the payoff/twist at the end is effective, but maybe it's just that I've seen too many movies like this. I was able to predict the main twist pretty early on in the movie and since that was what it all built up to, I felt a little underwhelmed. Still, for those who don't see a few things coming, I'm sure you will feel the emotion more than me. It's a well-constructed movie overall and Krasinski still continues to prove he has a knack for directing, it's just that the magic he thought he was heavily injecting into the film felt a little flat to me. I will also say that there are many times when some viewers may find it overly sappy, but I found those moments to be a nice cherry on top of an otherwise good, but predictable movie.

In the end, this is something kids may enjoy, but I feel it's also aiming for adults with mature storylines. However, these two things clashed for me on multiple occasions because I wasn't sure if it was trying to be cute or thought-provoking. Maybe the answer to that is both, but it didn't work for me. The overall story is more than worth the time, so I'll give it a mild recommendation, but maybe temper your expectations, especially if you've been looking forward to this one. IF is a great story in a mediocre execution of a movie. It's now playing in theatres, but you can wait for this one.

Many film fans and industry professionals have been calling for stunt people to be given the credit and acknowledgement they deserve. Well, there may not be any big awards for them yet, but this film certainly celebrates the craft in a great way. The Fall Guy is a big popcorn action flick that I've been waiting to see for a while now, and I have to say, it was very entertaining. You could just tell the filmmakers involved were making this a love letter to stunts, while also trying to tell a very fun story at the same time. If you're looking to have a good time at the movies, here's why I recommend The Fall Guy.

After an injury, stuntman Colt Seavers (Ryan Gosling) saddles back up and returns to a new film set, where his crush happens to be the director (Emily Blunt) of the film and the main star (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) has secretly gone missing. You very soon realize though that he was hired onto this film by the producer so that she can send him on a hunt to find the movie star. With a nice relationship between Blunt and Gosling, this film sings with charisma and humour, while the rest is about celebrating Hollywood and the stunts that go into a movie. I thought the overall story was ridiculous and fun, while the romance was adorable. The movie could've been a little funnier at times, but that's a nitpick.

In terms of where the story goes, I predicted most of it throughout, but the cast is so good that I was able to ignore the formula. Winston Duke as Colt's friend/boss is terrific and their scenes together were some of my favourites in the movie and Hannah Waddingham as the film's producer stole a few moments as well. I will say what perplexed me was that the main credits at the start of the film listed Teresa Palmer when I believe she briefly appears twice and maybe has one or two lines. I was shocked to see her in the top billing without even really being in the movie. Aside from that, this cast was incredible together. Now, let's wrap this up by diving into why a lot of people will likely enjoy it.

The Fall Guy, as I said, is a film that celebrates stunts, and throughout almost every single frame, it all looked like it was shot on location and without many visual effects. That is rare for a big-budget movie these days and that just put a smile on my face. The explosions looked real, the car stunts looked real, and most importantly, it didn't seem like a lot of green screens were used for certain settings. It felt like this film was 90% in-camera and that's never going to be a bad thing in my book. Director David Leitch began his career as a stuntman himself, and after now directing five feature films, I can confidently say that I think The Fall Guy is his best work so far. For action, romance, or comedy fans, I recommend this one. It's not amazing by any means, but the story is good enough to service a big, fun, entertaining popcorn flick. Oh, and stay for the credits, a nice behind-the-scenes look plays throughout them. Check out The Fall Guy, now playing in theatres.

Luca Guadagnino is a filmmaker I have seen very little of, and that's coming from someone who tries to watch as many films as I can. With that said the only film of his that I had the pleasure of seeing before Challengers was Call Me By Your Name. I loved that film and am only bringing it up because I found Challengers to be even better. It has been a while since the editing and score of a film sucked me in this much. The way this film is structured felt very reminiscent of The Social Network, which is one of my favourite films, so naturally, that was a bonus for me. Here's why I loved Challengers so much.

Tashi (Zendaya) used to be an incredible tennis player. Due to an injury, she can no longer compete at the level she would like to. Now living vicariously through her husband Art (Mike Faist), as she now coaches him, they are about to face their biggest trial yet, which is the fact that Art will need to go head to head with Patrick (Josh O'Connor). Patrick is Tashi's ex-boyfriend and ex-friend of Art. This creates a triangle of drama that lasts throughout the entire film. Not only is the story intriguing, but the way it's told is simply mind-blowing on a filmmaking level.

I compared it to The Social Network and I'll explain why. That film has a pulsating score from beginning to end, never allowing viewers to become bored and Challengers does exactly that as well. Scored by the terrific duo of Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (who also did The Social Network), there were multiple times when I had a smile on my face, simply because of how awesome the score was. On top of that, the same technique of telling this story throughout many different periods of their lives is also done here. It's done in such a way that a flashback might happen first and then when you see a simple image in the present, you realize a twist for yourself without the film even really bringing attention to it. The non-linear storytelling here is some of the best I've seen in a while.

Challengers is all about the techniques used to elevate this engaging story. Zendaya, Faist, and O'Connor are all great with what they're given and the tennis scenes are also well-done. No match ever feels the same and the camerawork during those scenes made me scratch my head as to how they even pulled it off. Guadagnino is a filmmaker I said I would always follow after Call Me By Your Name, but I clearly fell off that train and need to get back on. His work here is stellar and I can't wait to see what he does next. Challengers is one of my favourite films of 2024 and will likely remain that way.

Late Night with the Devil is a film that wasn't on my radar until recently. Until it got a limited theatrical release and then premiered on Shudder, I had no interest, but after hearing some people rave about it, I gave it a chance. I'm glad that I did because even though the film covers familiar territory, it still feels very unique and fresh. From demonic children to professional skeptics, the characters in this film feel like old news, but how they're utilized makes it work so well. Here's why, if you're into horror, you should check this one out.

Jack Delroy (David Dastmalchian) is a late-night talk show host for a series called Night Owls. With his ratings on the decline after being on top for so many years, he decides to make a big decision and bring on guests for a Halloween special in order to spook his audience. After bringing on a medium and a skeptic to get the show rolling, a child is allowed to showcase the fact that she is possessed, on live television. Of course, certain people don't believe, including the skeptic who is on the show, so this makes for a very intriguing story. Is it all an act? Is it real? Are audiences in for a shocking surprise? I couldn't predict that until how the film ended. Taking place as an entire broadcast of an actual late-night talk show, the format of this film held my attention throughout.

Unlike found footage films, Late Night with the Devil uses the talk show format to its advantage. The entire film is told through the cameras of a live show, so there isn't a lot of camera movement and half of the film is simply people having conversations on set, but the tension is present from start to finish and I couldn't look away. It also didn't hurt that David Dastmalchian gave one of his best performances yet, and as a leading man, I would gladly watch him again. What impressed me the most about this film though, was the use of practical effects. Practical effects are not what makes a film good or bad, but I wasn't expecting some of the imagery that was presented to me. From grotesque body horror to physically moving the objects on the set, it was pretty flawless (save for a couple of things that look low budget).

I'll be keeping an eye on the directing duo of Cameron and Colin Cairnes in the years to come, especially if they stick with the horror genre because what they accomplished here is terrific. I will say my minor complaints fall in line with my opening statement that the premise itself isn't completely original, but that's easily forgiven when I saw how they used the live setting, practical effects, interesting characters, and how they chose to reveal certain things at the end. The ending may annoy some viewers, but I loved every second of it. As long as you're someone who can stomach some pretty gross practical visuals, I can't recommend Late Night with the Devil enough.

Upon hearing Alex Garland would be making a feature film about what our world could look like in the middle of a modern Civil War, I was sold. The trailers hooked me even more, so there was no chance I was missing this one in theatres. Well, even though I thought the experience of Civil War was visceral and engaging, I also felt that something was missing. The funny thing is that I wouldn't change a frame of what was on screen, but I think an additional storyline to add real stakes should've been included. This is a very straightforward film that has one goal and looking through the film with that lens makes it great in my opinion.

As I said, Civil War is a film that imagines what our world would look like if we were in the middle of a modern war. The story of the film follows Lee (Kirsten Dunst), Joel (Wagner Moura), Jessie (Cailee Spaeny), and Sammy (Stephen McKinley Henderson) on their way to Washington, D. C. Lee and Joel are making it their daring mission to make it to the president, to interview him, before anything may or may not happen to him. Jessie is a fan of Lee and tags along for the ride, as she is an aspiring war photographer and Sammy is a friend of theirs who works for a rival news outlet. The four of them end up on a road trip together and the majority of the film is them making stops and revealing to the audience just how bad certain areas have become. There are some eye-opening images throughout, but where this film shined for me was its characters and the sound design around them.

It was very nice to see Dunst in a leading role because it seems as though it's been quite a few years since that last happened. Her back and forth with Moura (who gives a great performance) is what held the film together for me, along with her relationship with Spaeny. Cailee Spaeny is an actress I took notice of in 2018's Bad Times at the El Royale, but she blew me away last year with her performance in Priscilla. She's great once again here and I can't wait to see what she does next. The entire cast here had fantastic chemistry, and the events around them were also elevated, as I said, by the superb sound design.

Civil War has some of the best sound I've heard in a film in a while. From the use of silence to the pulsating sounds of gunfire in an intense situation, these aspects kept me on the edge of my seat, especially because I liked and cared about the characters. My biggest complaint though is the fact that you can predict the big moments in the film from a mile away and then it never takes it one step further. I would suggest that this film could've been brilliant with a big reveal or a more emotional core to the overall story. It's an eye-opening film for sure and a very well-made one, but I think I got what I expected from Garland as a filmmaker, and nothing more. That's not a bad thing, I think Civil War is great, but I still felt like something was missing.

Like many, Dev Patel is an actor I have been following since his terrific performance in Slumdog Millionaire. Since then, he has become one of my favourite performers, especially since the film Lion became one of my favourite modern films. For these reasons, there was no chance I was missing his directorial debut in Monkey Man. After viewing this film, I have to say, Patel just be a director on the rise to look out for. Here is why I found Monkey Man to be such an achievement, especially for a first time director.

There are more complexities to the overall story, but the main storyline is that Patel portrays a man who has come from a life where his mother is brutally murdered in front of his eyes as a child. Now in adulthood, his past has come back to haunt him, with the criminal organization responsible is back in his life. At night, he fights in a ring and the audiences have come to know him as the Monkey Man. With these strengths, he will train in order to take down anyone involved in his past. It's a simple revenge story, but the nuances presented throughout the film make it much more emotional, and the stellar fight sequences are just the cherry on top.

The fights, choreography, and brutal nature of how he takes people out is simple pulse-pounding. You can just tell that Dev Patel had a very hard task getting this film made, as he has said publicly. I personally don't know how he pulled off certain techniques here because everything felt raw and real. The editing and cinematography is also unique so I was never bored. I will say the pacing does slow down in the middle, but I enjoyed the story so much that it didn't ruin it, but that's definitely my biggest complaint. The first and third acts are incredible, with a decent middle act. I've also heard some viewers complaining about the shaky cam, but I found it to be used sparingly and made it more visceral.

Overall, Monkey Man is a film that I highly recommend seeing in theatres, if not for the sound design alone. From the first scene to the final shot of the film, I thought the story progression felt earned and the action was more than satisfying. It's a simple story, built out to feel much grander in scale (while being done on a low, ten million dollar budget). Everything about this small flick is impressive. I will warn that it has quite a bit of graphic violence, so if that's not your thing, Monkey Man isn't for you. Otherwise, I had a great time with this one and I absolutely recommend it.

I'll just start by saying that if you know what to expect from a movie like this and you still want to see it, then I can't recommend it enough. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is now in theatres and it's probably the most fun, bombastic, silly (as well as dumb) movie in this whole Monsterverse to date. When this franchise began in 2014 with Godzilla and then Kong: Skull Island shortly after, I never expected we would end up with a movie like this one. Look, this movie was made for people who want to see giant monsters fight each other, so if that's all you need from this, it delivers. Here's why this big, dumb movie gave me an awesome experience.

Picking up after the events of Godzilla vs. Kong, the majority of this movie takes place down in hollow earth. Still unravelling secrets about Skull Island, a group of new and old cast members journey into the depths of hollow earth, making discoveries about ancestors and possible, current civilization. This continues throughout the movie as Kong discovers a leader of apes, Scar King. This leads to Kong needing the help of Godzilla, who has spent the entire movie charging up at random nuclear locations around the world. Yes, the overall plot is that silly and all over the place, but it all builds up to a 20-30-minute battle sequence that was just pure fun.

I will say, as expected, the human story is thin, but I really didn't care, and that's because of Dan Stevens' performance. He knew the movie he was in and he was just having a blast with his character. He livened up the movie when the monsters weren't there (which is also not very often this time around). A nice story continues from the previous instalment about Ilene (Rebecca Hall) and her newfound daughter Jia (Kaylee Hottle). But, Kong with a giant robotic glove, Godzilla being the most powerful he has ever been, zero gravity action scenes, and surprise monsters all clashing together just made me smile. If you're looking for something deep, look elsewhere.

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire may have been exactly the movie I was searching for at the time, but I can't deny that it worked for me. The movie's premise is honestly just a bunch of nonsense to build up to awesome action, and that was clearly director Adam Wingard's plan from the beginning. This is a movie built specifically for fans of giant monsters and for that, I have to give it up for it delivering that. Will there be a dumber big-budget movie this year? Probably not, but this is an example of dumb done amazingly well. If this review sells you on seeing it, then I absolutely recommend it.

I can't remember the last time I watched a new movie and had so much fun watching it that I forgot I was just watching something that was just okay overall. After finally getting around to seeing the original Road House, I can say that I thoroughly enjoy it, but if you're a fan of that movie and hope for the same with this version, I would temper those thoughts. This version does its own thing and only takes the bones of the original story, as well as some character names. For what this movie is, it will be a movie I recommend and mention for a bit, simply due to how much fun I had with it. It's not great by any means though, so let's dive into it.

Elwood Dalton (Jake Gyllenhaal), an Ex-UFC fighter, takes a job working at a Road House in Florida, where he is meant to maintain peace and clean up the terrible nightly patrons. What comes into play shortly after this is that Ben Brandt (Billy Magnussen) wishes to tear down the Road House to build condos. I'll be honest, that plotline almost completely ruined the movie at first for me because that is the villain storyline in so many terrible movies in the past, but I went with it. Magnussen's performance as that character was hammy enough to enjoy anyway, so when his character evolves and sends out Knox (Conor McGregor) to take out Dalton, the movie gets a significant burst of energy.

Daniela Melchior as Ellie also shared some very solid chemistry with Gyllenhaal and I really liked Frankie (Jessica Williams) as the bar owner, but I truly believe the make or break of the movie is McGregor's over-the-top, Irish villain. He goes for it with a crazy accent and his back-and-forth with Gyllenhaal had me cracking up throughout. The action in this film and the fight scenes were a ton of fun, and that's all I really wanted. I think this film should've been put in theatres instead of straight to Prime Video (Amazon, what are you doing?), but I still enjoyed it at home. Again, if for nothing else, this is supposed to be a fun and exciting movie and it ends up being just that in my opinion.

Road House is directed by Doug Liman, who did a great job at the helm, but with as many writers as this film has, it feels messy, storywise. I rolled my eyes multiple times but also equally wanted to clap at everything. It's weird because I can't say this is a great movie, but it's a movie I had a great time with and would watch again. Road House is now streaming and I think people will have a good time with it, regardless of whether they've seen the original. Check it out.

The Ghostbusters franchise is one that I got into much later in my life, but I do think the original film is great. I never liked any other rendition or sequel though until Ghostbusters: Afterlife in 2021. I found that film to just be a wonderful adventure that just happened to take place in continuity with the first two films. Well, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire takes those characters, makes a direct sequel to that story, but also makes it feel like the original by taking place in many of the same locations. While this is filled with too much nostalgia, I still had a good time watching it because I like this new cast. If you liked the last one, here's why I recommend this.

The film begins with a flashback to the 1800s where we are shown an ancient orb that froze people to death. Cut to the modern day when Nadeem (Kumail Nanjiani) chooses to sell this orb (that has been passed down to him) to Ray Stantz (Dan Aykroyd) and he buys it immediately. As a new team of investigators keeps these ghostly objects under experimentation, this orb eventually unleashes numerous ghosts, with the main one from the 1800s (Garraka) controlling everything. The premise is very similar to the original film, especially in the final act. We are even shown the same ghosts and locations numerous times, which feels tedious and forced. Still, I went for the cast and I was not disappointed.

Gary (Paul Rudd), Callie (Carrie Coon), Trevor (Finn Wolfhard), and Phoebe (Mckenna Grace) all return here and their family dynamic is still just as solid as it was before. I thoroughly enjoyed the relationship between Gary and Phoebe, as he slowly becomes the father figure in her life, and yes, of course, the original cast is fun as well. Dan Aykroyd is one of the main side characters here which felt nice and Ernie Hudson actually has more to do than I was expecting. I will warn those who want to see Bill Murray though, that he probably has about ten minutes of screen time. He does have one moment in particular that had me cracking up and that's all I needed from that. I have to admit though, even if this may be unpopular among most viewers of this film, that I think Kumail Nanjiani is my favourite part of the film.

Some viewers will find his character annoying, but his character is the backbone of this story and where he begins as opposed to where he ends up by the end, had me laughing throughout. I loved that he was having a blast with this wacky character. What I didn't notice though, surprisingly, is that Gil Kenan took over as director from Jason Reitman. It seemed that the same level of care was put into the emotional and sweet moments, which fell right in line with the last film. He and Jason wrote the screenplay together though, so that's probably why.

Look, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire will annoy people who are tired of nostalgia in their films, but I was able to look past that and have a good time regardless. I liked seeing the original cast having some fun and I would gladly watch one more film with this new cast. Do a couple of jokes fall flat? Yes. Does it feel like it's overstuffed with characters? Yes. Did I have a good time though? Absolutely. I pretty much got exactly what I expected from this one and I'm not mad about that.

The Kung Fu Panda movies have always just been well-done pieces of family entertainment. Nothing more and nothing less, but the first movie in particular was far better than I expected it to be. For that reason alone, I'll always give the sequels a chance. I have to admit though that I thought this franchise had reached its conclusion with the third instalment, which was eight years ago now. Well, after watching this fourth instalment, even though I didn't mind watching it, it's not as special as it once was. Here's why I feel this is the weakest Kung Fu Panda movie.

About to become a new leader for his people, Po (Jack Black) must find a replacement for his title of Dragon Warrior. With the emergence of a new villain in The Chameleon (Viola Davis), Po teams up with a new character named Zhen (Awkwafina) and they embark on a journey to find her. Her powers can bring back previous franchise villains from the spirit realm and Po may have to face some old enemies along the way. She can also shapeshift into anything and anyone, including our main characters, which is a trope many movies have done before, but it was enjoyable enough here. Look, there just isn't the same amount of heart as the previous movies and the biggest glaring issue is the absence of the Furious Five.

The Furious Five (for those of you unaware of the previous movies) is an elite team that eventually put Po in the position he is in now. Their presence as side characters throughout the franchise was honestly what added to the stories. This time, they are completely written out in favour of one sidekick and a smaller budget for the movie. This bled through and became a distracting piece that just felt missing. I'm sure a far better film could've been made that didn't include them, but having the same energy as the first three, while not nearly as much fun, made Kung Fu Panda 4 kind of feel pointless, even though I still enjoyed watching it for what it was.

This is a movie that will probably find a large audience with kids, but I'm not sure how many adults will find this one entertaining. For being a movie about Kung Fu, there's also a lot less action and it's by far the shortest entry when you take out the credits. In many ways, this feels thrown together for a quick cash grab, which I honestly understand if you're a studio thinking about which franchises can still be profitable, it's just that more care could've easily been put in. This is in no way a bad movie, it's just a watchable animated sequel that had a few nice moments. With a couple of solid laughs and a touching finale, I'll recommend this one to kids, but it's not something to rush out for.

I will be pondering this film for many days after this review, but I will give it my best shot for now. For context, I am someone who has never read the source material, never seen the David Lynch adaptation, and never seen the mini-series from the year 2000. I went into Dune: Part One a couple of years ago and the story was completely fresh for me so I loved it, but it also felt slightly unfulfilling. Well, I take that last comment back now, because once I dove into the real meat of the story with Dune: Part Two, this duo of films became one of my favourite sci-fi stories ever. Here is why I found Dune: Part Two to be a genuine masterpiece.

Picking up right where the first film leaves off (with a bit of time passing in between), Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) is now living with the Fremen and learning their ways. His mother Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) being pregnant definitely raises some issues amongst the people, but they believe Paul is their saviour, so they choose to follow him. After having visions throughout the first film of a woman named Chani (Zendaya), they form a bond in this film that seems unbreakable. The Harkonnen family is also not about to slow down and Paul will lead anyone and everyone he has to, to stop this family from succeeding. With the introduction of the Emporer (Christopher Walken) as the man who was truly behind past destruction, this addition made for a far deeper story for me. He doesn't have a lot of screen time, but his presence opened a lot of doors for further storytelling. When it all comes down to it, this is a spiritual, thought-provoking, exciting, and subdued epic sci-fi film that has layers upon layers of storytelling, that's almost too much to get into here.

I will say that where the story takes the character of Paul by the end of the film is not what I expected in the least. Once the first act of this film wrapped up, I found myself completely unaware of where the story was going. Again, since I had no prior knowledge of this story, this was unpredictable for me in all the best ways. A couple of surprises and twists absolutely blew me away and had me thinking it's some of the best Blockbuster storytelling I've seen in years. Timothée Chalamet also gives one of the best performances of his career to date here, which just elevated this already incredible story. My only complaint with this film though, is actually also a massive compliment.

There are a couple of characters that are introduced in this film that feel so vital to the story coming to an end, that I found myself perplexed why we didn't see them in the first film. With that said, Dune: Part Two doesn't waste a second of its run time in that regard. Characters are introduced, made incredibly important, and performed insanely well, and they help bring the overall story to a close. I may be disappointed that they aren't introduced in the first, director Denis Villeneuve just simply knew what he was doing and my complaint ended up becoming praise.

Villeneuve is one of the best directors out there today, without question, and the work he was able to get out of his cast and crew was breathtaking. From jaw-dropping Cinematography by Greig Fraser, to stunning visual effects by hundreds of VFX workers, to the pulse-pounding and goosebump-inducing score, down to the perfect editing and masterful costumes and sets, there's nothing I can complain about. On a technical level, Dune: Part Two is perfection and with a more than satisfying story to go along with that, I just can't remember the last time I watched a movie this good on the big screen, especially on this scale.

I could gush about Dune: Part Two for many hours, so I'll just wrap this up by commending this entire cast and crew for creating such a piece of art. This is a remarkable achievement in cinema and it better be recognized at next year's Oscars. I know that releasing a film this early in the year is questionable, but I believe the love this film is getting will propel it forward. My jaw is still on the floor from experiencing this film yesterday and I can't wait to watch it again and let it all sink in. It's not the type of sci-fi film that will be for everyone, but if you've seen the first instalment and at least liked it, I can't see how this would let you down in any way. Dune: Part Two is now playing in theatres and I highly recommend checking out this masterpiece on the biggest screen you can find.

When Adam Sandler changes gears to work on a dramatic film, I'm always intrigued and willing to give it a chance. I'm not sure if he will ever top performances like he gave in Reign Over Me or Punch Drunk Love, but these days, I feel that his comedy has slipped away from him (in terms of feature films). Well, I stand by that last statement because Netflix has just released his latest dramatic effort in the film, Spaceman, and while I have my complaints, this is a good film with a solid performance at the forefront. It's been a while since I've liked Sandler this much to be honest. If you're into sci-fi, I recommend this one and here's why.

The majority of the film takes place on a spaceship near the planet Jupiter. This backdrop ended up being slightly disappointing though because the film is really about the reflection of a love story between Jakub (Adam Sandler) and Lenka (Carey Mulligan). Being alone in space has him grieving the ending of their relationship in his way, but things switch gears when he is visited by a giant spider, voiced by Paul Dano. This aspect may seem bizarre and at first, I even thought it didn't fit with the rest of the film, but it grew on me. The meaning of the spider is what made the movie what it is ultimately, so I liked it. My biggest complaint with this film in general though is the fact that the sci-fi elements are quite cerebral and engaging, so why didn't they choose to explore that a little more? Those were easily my favourite moments of the film.

Sandler gives a surprisingly restrained performance here, never going over the top or trying too hard and never getting too sentimental either. I'm surprised they gave his character barely a line of humour and his few brief scenes with Milligan felt authentic. Director Johan Renck helms his very first feature film after working as a director for many years on television and music videos. He cut his teeth on shows like Breaking Bad and Chernobyl, so it's no surprise that this was also well-directed. Some viewers may find his choice of pacing a tad slow, but I was sucked in by it. I truly feel that the lack of exploration outside of the romance story did hurt my experience though.

Spaceman is a film that satisfied me in terms of the story it was choosing to tell, but I felt like so much more could've been explored, which I admit is a personal nitpick, but it stuck with me. There are a few metaphors I enjoyed as well and it's all around a solid, solid movie, right down to the great score and pretty decent CGI. Scoring this one is odd for me, so due to my complaints, I'll knock it down a few notches, but I still recommend it and think it's really good for what it is. Now streaming on Netflix, there are far worse films out there than Spaceman. So again, I recommend this one.

The first Ted movie is a very enjoyable one and I even liked the sequel, but I found the idea of a prequel sit-com television series to be odd. Still, I liked the movies enough to give it a shot and I found it to be superior. Like the movies, Seth MacFarlane also wrote and directed this series and he basically made a merger of Ted and Family Guy. It's done in the style of Family Guy, with humour that falls in line with the Ted films, and also has its own new flare. This raunchy and risky series is more than worth a watch and here's why.

Taking place in the 1990s, young John Bennett (Max Burkholder) is in his high school years and his old friend is a Teddy bear named Ted (Seth MacFarlane) who came to life during his childhood. Ted follows John everywhere, even having all of the same classes. They learn about sexuality, smoking marijuana, finding their love for the movie Flash Gordon, and just about anything that fans of the movies could ask for. It's not just about references though, thankfully. The family dynamic is also just as good as the humour between the two main characters.

John's mother Susan (Alanna Ubach) is a housewife who sees the most precious sides of people, making for some great moments. John's cousin Blaire (Giorgia Whigham) is probably focused on as the largest secondary role in the series and I enjoyed the arc they took her character on. Her back and forth with John also felt real which was nice. Now for the most controversial character in John's father, Matty (Scott Grimes). This character is used as a vessel to have very risky, homophobic, and sexist humour throughout, all while the series makes sure the meaning/lessons of the jokes are the opposite of what is being said. I thought the risky humour was some of the best MacFarlane has ever put to screen. As a sitcom, Ted is great.

Ted is simply a series that goes for the humour, excels in the emotional aspects of certain characters, and has a few episodes where I was wondering what I was watching (in a good way). There is one episode in particular where John's father has a companion and I couldn't believe what I watching, but I'm not ruining that here. This type of series all comes down to the humour and if the writing cares enough to put in the effort to have character arcs, and it definitely succeeded at those. It's a mini-series that's only seven episodes long, so it's not a huge investment of your time either. It's a breezy, funny, and heartfelt series that I recommend, especially if you liked both prior movies. All episodes are now streaming.

It took me a couple of months to get around to watching Anyone But You, but I'm happy that I finally did. Being a huge Glen Powell fan gets me to watch anything he is a part of eventually, so it was on my list anyway. I'm also happy to say that it's better than your average romantic comedy. Yes it's predictable and yes it has cliches riddled throughout, but the cast was likeable and it was done in a way that didn't feel stale. Here are my overall thoughts on Anyone But You.

The film begins with a meet-cute, as Bea (Sydney Sweeney) and Ben (Glen Powell) meet at a coffee shop. They share a great night together before Bea decides to slip away and blow him off. Months later, they both are invited to the same destination wedding due to mutual friends/family. Hating that they are on this trip together while also wanting to make their families happy, they decide to fake being in love. Of course, this makes for some drama and laughs. I'm sure you know how the rest of the story plays out, it's still worth watching though.

Powell is great as always and this is actually my favourite performance I've seen from Sweeney. I liked her role in the Netflix series Everything Sucks, but she never jumped out at me since then. I thought their chemistry here was pretty good and their back and forth had me laughing often. There are some big eye-rolling moments for sure and a cheesy ending, but again, the characters and situations are all enjoyable. It's been a while since I enjoyed a new Hollywood romantic comedy, so I was pleasantly surprised.

Look, this is a film where you should know what to expect and the film gives you exactly that. It's a light, breezy good time that I wouldn't be mad at watching again. I see why word of mouth has really kept the box office moving for this one. For anyone who wants a new rom-com, it definitely does the job. It's pretty standard in terms of filmmaking so I don't have much to say on that front. I would say check it out if you're wondering what to watch with your partner. I had a good time with Anyone But You.

Knowing that Bob Marley was too young when he passed away and knowing that he made fantastic music that was meant to bring peace and happiness was really all I knew about his life. Anytime I hear his music today I will gladly listen, but the fact that I didn't know too much about him is the main reason I wanted to see Bob Marley: One Love. I'm glad that I did because I think it's a solid film, but I believe only focussing on this one moment in his life made his story feel too short and simple. It has a lot of elements going for it, which is why I'm going to be positive, but it's not without its issues. Here are my thoughts.

At a time in Marley's life when crime was high in Jamaica, Bob Marley: One Love explores his life towards his final years. He has already made music and performed concerts but is now focussing on the album, Exodus. Aside from him making this album with The Wailers, the film's substance ends up coming down to his personal life and the crime surrounding it. It's a great showcase for the person he was and is still seen today, it's just that I think I expected more meat to the story. There are multiple times when he is about to perform a concert but the film doesn't show any of it, or text on screen to explain things that would've made for some great filmmaking. What was filmed for the screen was all good stuff, I just found it had a lot of missed opportunities and it could've been longer.

My easiest praise goes out to both Kingsley Ben-Adir and Lashana Lynch though, as their performances of Bob and Rita Marley were amazing. I've always loved Ben-Adir in films like One Night in Miami... or even in small roles like the recent Barbie film. Lynch never gives a bad performance either. I bought them as this couple and there is one scene in particular where Lynch gives it her all and shines. The performances, obviously the music, and even the direction by Reinaldo Marcus Green were all the best aspects of this film, it all comes down to the writing for me and what was opted not to be a part of the story, visually.

Overall, I don't have too much more to say about this film because they keep the story very straightforward. Yes, there are flashbacks to his childhood to give a little bit of backstory, but I felt the film didn't go far enough, and maybe that was because it had four writers. Maybe they didn't know what to show and what not to, but I think this film was an example of too many cooks in the kitchen, even if the result was still good. Look, Bob Marley: One Love is a movie that I liked and would recommend, and some viewers will likely love it, it's just that I think more could've been done. Now playing in theatres, I believe Bob Marley: One Love is a nice showcase of his life.

I'm a huge fan of Marvel, whether you're talking about the MCU franchise or what other studios have done with the characters. For that reason, I'll always give each of them a chance. Upon hearing such awful things about Madame Web, I was worried but still open-minded. Well, I do believe certain critics are being a little too harsh on just how bad it is, but yes, it's not a good film at all. There are some nice ideas and a few positive things going for it, but as a whole, it all came down to the screenplay for me, which is easily the worst aspect here.

The film follows Cassandra Webb (Dakota Johnson) as she begins to gain the ability to see into the near future. This ability enables her to try and prevent people from dying, which comes in handy because a man by the name of Ezekiel Sims (Tahar Rahim) is after her and three other women, simply because he has had visions that they will murder him in the future. Julia (Sydney Sweeney), Anya (Isabela Merced), and Mattie (Celeste O'Connor) round out the main cast, but never did I sense the chemistry between these three. Cassandra is the main character, but the film doesn't work if these other three characters aren't given anything to work with, which is exactly the case here.

Instead of letting you experience the film and figure things out for yourself, this is a screenplay that spoon-feeds everything to you. After Cassandra discovers her abilities, the audience should easily understand how they work. Still, for some reason, lines of dialogue are said that literally express what she just did, even if she's the only one in the room. There are also far too many plot conveniences that make the story easier to tell and that just hurt my head. Each of the side characters has a similar backstory, which makes it easier for them all to be there and not have families worried about where they are. On top of that, either there was a lot cut out of this film, or there were a lot of bizarre editing choices. Either way, Madame Web felt slow, rushed, messy, and disjointed all at once.

I enjoyed the dead-pan performance from Dakota Johnson though. Her line delivery, even with the poor dialogue, was enjoyable to me. The villain storyline could have been interesting as well, it's just that the performance by Rahim feels very wooden and it was obvious that they changed his dialogue in post-production. The ADR work here is very much visible. Look, I'm a huge Spider-Man fan, so I'll be watching anything that's related, but I just can't recommend this one at all. There are a few moments that got a chuckle out of me and I liked the central performance, but other than that, Madame Web is a failure.

This may be the first time writing a review for a film that I disliked watching, but really, really liked. Every year there is a feel-good drama that comes along and captures my heart, and while Suncoast absolutely did that for me, there is one thing it also did to really turn me off. I believe this is a film worth watching and it hits all the right emotional notes. I'll get into what made this one a hard watch for me, but I just wanted to state that this is a great story overall. Here are my thoughts on Suncoast.

Taking place in the 2000s, Doris (Niko Parker) is trying to find her place in life, in school, and trying to find friends, all while dealing with her harsh mother (Laura Linney) and the fact that her brother is about to die. This is a lot for a teenager to deal with and that made for a very emotional story from start to finish. The third act of the film had me in tears and I loved where each of these characters ended up in terms of their arcs. The one positive thing in Doris' life is when she meets a protestor near the hospice centre, by the name of Paul Warren (Woody Harrelson). Their friendship is easily my favourite overall portion of this film, but that's honestly because almost every single character is way too unlikable, almost to the point that I couldn't enjoy the film.

Laura Linney in particular is giving it her all as a hard-as-nails mother and she deserves an award for how well she conveyed this character. Lauren Chinn wrote and directed this film based on people in her own life, so this is a true story and I accepted that she was probably like that in real life. The dialogue here is very harsh at times though, and not even just with the mother. Doris' friends (for the most part) are all stuck-up and since they are all the secondary characters who get a lot of screen time, there just weren't many people to latch onto or root for. What I got from this film is the evolution of people who may need to see things from a different perspective and in that way, it very much worked for me.

Suncoast is a film that rests on the shoulders of Paul getting through to Doris so that she can see how she has been treating her family and if that aspect didn't work, this film would have collapsed. Thankfully, that's the best stuff here. Niko Parker is great in the lead role and Woody Harrelson is great as always, so this held it all together. I highly recommend this film, solely based on the story itself and the final act being very well done. It's just that I'm not sure if I'll be revisiting it soon and that simply comes down to the dialogue being way too harsh, even for someone like me who has heard it all. It was so harsh that it almost felt unnatural at times. Overall though, this is a very good movie.

This is one of the oddest experiences I've had at the movies in a while. Lisa Frankenstein is a film where the idea seemed fun, the people involved have made things I've enjoyed in the past, and the cast seemed to be having a great time, so what went wrong for me? Well, I think it all comes down to the fact that this movie is trying to be accessible to a wide age spectrum, but that made the movie lose a bit of its charm. This is easily a script that should've taken it one step further and been rated R. Many films have done similar premises to this one in the past, and while I won't say they were all better in concept, the final products say otherwise. Let me explain myself.

Taking place in 1989, Lisa (Kathryn Newton), a teenager with a few questionable traits, wishes to be with someone who is dead and she has never met. His corpse is reanimated after she wishes upon his grave and a mysterious storm hits. From here, even though he can't speak, they become close and kind of psychotic. This very quickly becomes a twisted and messed up movie, but under the PG-13 banner, it just felt watered down. There are multiple instances when limbs are chopped off or people are murdered, and while it all is done in the spirit of having a good, weird time at the movies, it lacks the visuals of everything that was going on.

Kathryn Newton is quite enjoyable as Lisa and I wish the film had better dialogue for her because even though there is some clever writing and she made me laugh quite often, she is a much darker character than the PG-13 rating allowed her to be. Cole Sprouse (in my opinion) has honestly never been better though. He has no lines, but that made for some great physical acting. For a character without dialogue, he held his own against Newton here. Carla Gugino plays Lisa's stepmother and where that story leads is easily the highlight of the film, but again, every great idea this film had just felt watered down. I feel like a broken record talking about this one simply because I think this had all the bones of a great, fun, weird movie. There is also one scene in particular where I was laughing because I couldn't believe what I was watching, but the movie couldn't go far enough to show it actually happening. That was the majority of my experience here, even though the film was clever enough to be mildly enjoyable as it is.

Look, Zelda Williams does a solid job at directing here, Diablo Cody's script is sharp, but does add the extra flare that was needed, I liked every performance, and it absolutely felt like it was from the '80s/'90s. Everyone did a very solid job bringing this screenplay to life. Everything about this movie from the set design to the bright, visual aesthetic all worked for me and should be commended, I just can't wrap my head around why this one wasn't rated R, especially considering certain things that happen or are implied here. It's a head-scratcher for me. I still had a good time though and I feel that the crowd that will like this one the most are teenagers in high school who get the humour. Otherwise, it's okay, but it had so much potential.

I'm not going to lie, seeing big companies like Dreamworks Animation making feature films that go straight to streaming services is becoming upsetting. I believe great stories deserve to be seen on the big screen, and even though this was clearly done on a smaller budget, this is a story that families need to show their kids. There were moments of this film that I found to be so good that it almost rivalled the great Pixar films. No, I don't put Orion and the Dark on that level of greatness, but overall it's a very, very good film. For a film aimed at a young audience, it can be pretty profound.

Orion (Jacob Tremblay) is a scared-of-everything middle schooler who wishes to grow up and not be this way, but when his biggest fear of all, the dark (Paul Walter Hauser), becomes a real, speaking entity, his fears must be faced. Along with appearances from entities Light (Ike Barinholtz), Insomnia (Nat Faxon), Sweet Dreams (Angela Bassett), Quiet (Aparna Nancherla), Unexplained Noises (Golda Rosheuvel), and Sleep (Natasia Demetriou), everything we experience on a nightly basis, especially as children, are all personified here. At first, I figured this would feel too similar to Inside Out or Elemental, but found it to be its own original idea that fits right in with those films. This is a story about a young boy uniquely facing his fears, and profound dialogue (even for a kid's film) is expressed along the way. I guess I should have expected great dialogue though, since this was written by the one and only Charlie Kaufman.

From Being John Malkovich to Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and even more recently with I'm Thinking of Ending Things, Kaufman is a writer that I have loved. I need to see more of his work on-screen, but I have yet to watch a film he has written that I didn't think was at least very good. Yes, his thought-provoking nature is toned down slightly here because his live-action work isn't exactly for children. It's almost like he took one of his amazing, adult ideas, and wrote it for kids. I thought in that way, Orion and the Dark really worked. It can be a little childish at times, but the messages are fantastic. Where this film took a slight dip for me though was in the final act.

This film is told both in the past and present, with Orion going through these crazy events and also telling his daughter about them in the present. Once this aspect of the film took a bit of a turn, I found it lost a bit of focus and became a little disjointed in the last 20-30 minutes. The final couple of scenes are great, but how the film ends up there feels messy. I will say that Orion and the Dark is one of the better films I've seen that was a Netflix original lately, so if you're into animation or have children to show a new movie to, I highly recommend this one. It's a film I loved watching, but have issues with at the same time. Check it out.

Matthew Vaughn has always been a director I have admired. Whether you are talking about his earlier works in Layer Cake or Stardust, or his over-the-top action films in Kick-Ass or The Kingsman films, I have never disliked his work until recently. It was not until 2021's The King's Man that I found his work to feel a little stale. That film didn't work for me on many levels, but I have either liked or loved the rest of his filmography otherwise. Well, you can put Argylle down as another one of his that I liked. There has been a lot of criticism, but I do not fully agree with it.

This is going to be a difficult one to describe without sounding confusing, but I will give it a go. Elly Conway (Bryce Dallas Howard) is a novelist who has written a book series known as Argylle. What she does not realize is that the events of the book have actually happened in reality and continue to happen in real-time as she writes her next sequel. In comes Aidan Wilde (Sam Rockwell), a spy who shows up to protect Elly and takes her on a crazy adventure, avoiding a real-life spy organization out to get her. While this plot goes on, Elly sees visions of the main character in her book, Argylle (Henry Cavill), who helps her both keep and lose focus on her tasks. What I will say is that this film did not market itself well.

Audiences see Henry Cavill, Dua Lipa, and John Cena all over the posters and trailers, but in reality, they collectively have about 10-20 minutes of screen time in a film that is nearly two and a half hours long. Some viewers will be bothered by this so I thought I would mention it, but the fact is, I love both Sam Rockwell and Bryce Dallas Howard and I thoroughly enjoyed their chemistry together here, so I was easily able to forgive that. Where I will complain about the film though, is the fact that it tries to be too clever for its own good. Once something is revealed to the audience as a twist, another twist or two is layered within that twist, and then another few twists are just around the corner. It kept me on the edge of my seat and made it impossible to predict what was coming next (even though I kind of predicted the ending), which was nice, it was just too much all at once.

Aside from the ridiculous amount of twists, this film (aside from the opening action sequences) has a fun story and quite a bit of action, especially in the last act. With that said though, as long as you are in for anything (as I was being a Matthew Vaughn fan), the last 30 minutes are just simply wild. Once the main plot twist occurs in the film, it becomes a completely different experience and it shifts gears into silliness, but because I like how Vaughn does silly, I was still in for the ride. I also liked the second Kingsman film, so I know this one won't be for everyone. Simply put, this film is too much, but it was too much of a bunch of things I enjoyed watching, so I can't be overly harsh here. In my opinion, Argylle is a good time and I recommend it, but be aware it gets pretty bonkers.

Everyone knows the name Ferrari. Whether you're talking about the man himself or the cars that have been around for decades, I think it's safe to call the name at least recognizable. With that said, I never once looked into the backstory of Enzo Ferrari's personal life; this film focuses almost exclusively on that. Not knowing his backstory may have led to me liking this film more, but all I know is that I enjoyed it far more than it seems the critics did. Michael Mann's latest directorial effort is still playing in theatres and available on demand. Here are my thoughts.

This true story takes place back in 1957, as Enzo Ferrari's (Adam Driver) company is on the verge of going bankrupt. His only hope is for one of his drivers to win the Mille Miglia race across Italy to put his brand back in the spotlight. This story is only the beginning and ending of the film, as it takes much more time to focus on his personal life throughout the majority of the runtime. His wife Laura (Penélope Cruz) and his mistress Linda Lardi (Shailene Woodley) are the true supporting cast members here and they are both terrific. The drama here had me completely engaged and the fact that there is basically no racing in this film until the final half-hour didn't bother me in the slightest.

I can see where people may find this film boring, but the slow pacing made the ending that much more impactful in my opinion. In terms of biopics though, it is fairly standard in how the film is structured. Michael Mann is a great director, but I feel his visual style has become a little more generic looking as of late. I can't quite put my finger on what I would have improved there, but it felt dull in terms of its aesthetic. Still, I enjoyed watching it and the last couple of scenes shocked me. A certain incident that I'm sure was all over the news back in the 50s was not one I had known about before watching.

Ferrari is a film that's not quite awards-worthy, but I'm surprised Penélope Cruz hasn't really been talked about for her performance here. The sound design during specific sequences is also fantastic, so it's a shame. It's a well-crafted story that I thoroughly enjoyed and felt satisfied with, it just looks dull and the film itself feels like a standard biopic, as I said. Overall though, this is quite a good film in my opinion and I believe more people should be seeking it out. Now in theatres and available at home, I say check it out.

A24 is a studio I just can't get enough of and they have released yet another superb picture in The Zone of Interest. Director Jonathan Glazer is a filmmaker I haven't seen much work from (which I need to change), but ever since watching Under the Skin, he has been a director on my radar. The story behind this film and the trailer intrigued me and made me want to see this one in a theatre. Well, after a disturbing watch in terms of the material being displayed on-screen, I can confidently say that this is one of the best films of 2023. It deserves all of the praise and nominations it has been receiving and here's why I believe that.

In a film where there's truly nobody to root for on-screen, The Zone of Interest follows Rudolf Höss (Christian Friedel), the commandant of Auschwitz (and one of the right hands of Hitler), as he and his wife Hedwig live right next door, raising a family and gardening. His wife knowing full well that he murders and works for Hitler, chooses to embrace this lifestyle and has nothing to say about it. Watching these two alone was disturbing enough, but the backdrop of the Holocaust is heard throughout the film as well. The film chooses not to show any of the brutality, but rather showcases the happiness of this family as the sounds are heard in the background. This made for an incredibly uncomfortable experience, but it was masterfully done.

From the sound of guns to the visuals of trains passing by, you truly feel like you are right there in the moment. That terrified me, due to the spectacular sound design that deserves all the awards this year. This aspect in particular is what sells the movie as what it is. This story is scary enough, but the sound is a character in this horror story. This is some of the greatest, subtle audio work I've heard in quite some time. Telling the story from this perspective was a bold choice, but one that made this film stand out to me in every way on a filmmaking level.

The Zone of Interest is also beautifully shot and well-scored, making for an all-around amazing package. With that said though, there are absolutely some viewers out there that will find this film utterly boring. The quiet nature, along with the long takes and odd visuals will turn them off. To me, those are all of the things that put the film on the verge of brilliance. This is a film that I walked out of, horrified, disgusted, and honestly, kind of blown away. The Zone of Interest is now playing in select theatres, and if you think this is your kind of film, it's fantastic (even though I'm not sure if I'll watch it again).