Tag Archives: reviews

Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty! Review

Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty!

  • Director: Josef Kubota Wladyka
  • Writer: Josef Kubota Wladyka, Nicholas Huynh
  • Starring: Rinko Kikuchi,Alberto Guerra, Alejandro Edda, YOU, Yoh Yoshida

Grade: B+

Ballroom dancing is rarely explored in film nowadays, in spite of the possibilities it can showcase for filmmaking. There’s layers where it can express a character’s thoughts and display great crafts, like cinematography and editing. Some prime examples include Dirty Dancing and Silver Linings Playbook, but director Josef Kubota Wladyka explores various ideas through his third feature film, Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty! 

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Heart of the Beast Review

Heart of the Beast

  • Director: David Ayer
  • Writer: Cameron Alexander
  • Starring: Brad Pitt, JK Simmons, Uber

Grade: A-

Man’s best friend is no stranger to the silver screen, and Heart of the Beast offers up the next worthy entry in a genre that has captured audiences for decades. The film introduces us to James Belmont (Brad Pitt), a recently retired Green Beret who spent thirty years of his life in brutal combat service. Close by his side is his loyal German Shepherd, Odin (played by newcomer Uber), who served as Belmont’s combat scouting dog and is himself adjusting to post-military life alongside his partner. What’s intended to be a therapeutic bonding trip in the heart of the mountains turns treacherous, as Belmont and Odin once again find themselves relying on each other for survival. 

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The History of Concrete Review

The History of Concrete

  • Director: John Wilson

Grade: A-

Who cares about concrete? Who even notices the stuff, in spite of its ubiquity? Those that were smart enough to watch John Wilson’s stellar HBO show will know that these questions, and many more, will come up throughout the runtime of The History of Concrete, but they’re really just set-ups for his keen observations on humanity. But even if the film is your first ever exposure to Wilson or his style, it immediately announces itself as a funny, thoughtful exploration of multiple, easily accessible ideas – including, yes, concrete.

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American Doctor Review

American Doctor

  • Director: Poh Si Teng

Grade: B+

For the two years following October of 2023, Israel’s genocide in Gaza has claimed the lives of more than 1,700 healthcare workers (a number that’s surely ballooned in the intervening months). This stat comes as a post-script to American Doctor, the feature debut of documentary director Poh Si Teng, which covers a select number of doctors as they fight the uphill battle of saving as many Gazans’ lives as possible. But rather than an on-the-ground accounting of the everyday struggles of the medical professionals tasked with helping, the film also shows their advocacy for the American government and media to accurately portray the realities they face.

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The Sun Never Sets Review

The Sun Never Sets

  • Director: Joe Swanberg
  • Writer: Joe Swanberg
  • Starring: Dakota Fanning, Jake Johnson, Cory Michael Smith, Debby Ryan, Karley Sciortino, Lamorne Morris, Anna Konkle

Grade: B+

“Not everyone’s next chapter has to look the same,” says Wendy (Dakota Fanning) upon learning that her best friend is pregnant, while simultaneously defending her uncertain lot in life. Throughout the events of The Sun Never Sets, those words will be tested for Wendy in unexpected ways as she volleys back and forth between relationship prospects. The result is an emotionally honest romance that leans into romantic drama’s conventions but keeps its characters front and center, thanks to the best performance of Dakota Fanning’s career.

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It Ends Review

It Ends

  • Director: Alexander Ullom
  • Writer: Alexander Ullom
  • Starring: Phinehas Yoon, Akira Jackson, Michell Cole, Noah Toth

Grade: B

Life is a highway, and writer-director Alexander Ullom’s It Ends – finally making its way to theaters nationwide this weekend – may be the most existential representation of the endless road of life in cinemas today. 2026 has been a banner year for horror that appeals to Gen Z from young directors, and while the film may initially seem targeted to the demographic because of the makeup of its cast, Ullom taps into fears felt by anyone who feels trapped by life’s mundanities. But those walking into the theater hoping to be as frightened as they were with films like Backrooms or Obsession will find themselves disappointed by the film’s bloodlessness.

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Colony Review

Colony

  • Director: Yeon Sang-ho
  • Writer: Yeon Sang-ho, Chi Gyu-seok
  • Starring: Gianna Jun, Koo Kyo-hwan, Ji Chang-wook, Kim Shin-rock, Shin-Hyun-been, Go Soo, Lee Junk-ok

Grade: C

A normal day at a shopping mall turns into chaos as a scientist launches a bioterrorist attack. Horror has seen its fair share of subgenres, and one of the big ones that is rarely done well is the zombie genre. We have our bright spots such as 28 Days Later – along with two of its sequels 28 Years Later and 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple – Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead (1978 and 2004), Shaun of the Dead, and Train to Busan. Ten years following the release of Train to Busan, South Korean filmmaker, Yeon Sang-ho, attempts to recreate what made that film a massive success that its 2020 sequel, Peninsula, could not for audiences with Colony. 

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Buddy Review

Buddy

  • Director: Casper Kelly
  • Writer: Casper Kelly, Jamie King
  • Starring: Cristin Milioti, Delaney Quinn, Topher Grace, Keegan-Michael Key, Michael Shannon, Patton Oswalt, Clint Howard, Eric Bauza

Grade: B+

What if the cuddly, loveable plush mascot of your kids’ favorite daytime TV show was actually a controlling, murderous sociopath? Director Casper Kelly’s comedy-horror film Buddy thankfully doesn’t just rest on this first-thought premise, instead adding in a twisted coming-of-age tale and a subplot about grief amongst the bloodshed. The gambit doesn’t always work, but Kelly is a master of subverting extremely specific, classic TV genres, so at the very least, there’s an incredible attention to detail to be found in every corner.

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Mutiny Review

Mutiny

  • Director: Jean-François Richet
  • Writer: Lindsey Michel, J.P. Davis
  • Starring: Jason Statham, Annabelle Wallis, Roland Møller, Arnas Fedsravičius, Adrian Lester

Grade: C–

Jason Statham is back on the big screen in the action thriller Mutiny, which he produces and stars in as Cole Reed, an ex-police officer turned bodyguard who embarks on a vengeance mission after being framed for his boss’s cold-blooded murder. Cole’s operation veers in a new direction, however, when he discovers unscrupulous activity aboard the cargo ship he has infiltrated. From there, we go through a “play the hits” formula that will be expected for anyone familiar with Statham’s catalogue. There are a few successful elements, but overall the film sinks more than it sails.  

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What Tomorrow Brings Review

What Tomorrow Brings

  • Director: Matt Engelbert
  • Writer: Joely Engelbert, Matt Engelbert, Phoebe Engelbert
  • Starring: Grace Bydalek, Joely Engelbert, Phoebe Engelbert, Hugh Entrekin, Jessica Grové, Zoey Engelbert, Ariel Engelbert

Grade: C

In the immortal words of Chef Gusteau, “anyone can cook”. But Remy the rat counters that, yes, anyone can cook, but not everyone should cook. Of course, he eventually comes to learn that it’s not one’s circumstances which determine whether or not someone is great at something; rather, it’s their passion and determination in spite of the odds. On the surface, Brad Bird’s animated masterpiece has nothing to do with What Tomorrow Brings, but it does show that anyone can bring their passion to life, in spite of the overwhelming odds.

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