Tag: movie review

MOVIE REVIEW: Crime 101

There’s something slick and glossy about writer-director Bart Layton’s adaptation of Don Winslow’s novella Crime 101. From its opening shot of Los Angeles at night, with all the city lights and cars on the 101 freeway, yet upside down, with the sky beneath and the city right on top. It’s a gorgeous, disorienting shot that creates tension. A woman’s voice narrates the usual meditation spiel (or later revealed to be part of a yoga practice). The two elements – the upside-down city and the meditation – contrasts to create an interesting effect. It sets us up for the crime thriller Crime 101.

Crime 101 is an ensemble piece that follows three characters – Mike (Chris Hemsworth), Detective Lou Lubesnick (Mark Ruffalo), and Sharon (Halle Berry) – whose lives intersect through a crime. Mike is a thief who plans untraceable robberies of insured items and jewels. He strikes along the 101 Freeway while ensuring that no one gets hurt. He is methodical, cautious, and as a person, very lonely. Lou is a cop who comes across as someone who seems past his prime. He’s always unkempt, no one respects him anymore, and his theory about the robberies along the 101 Freeway goes unheeded in the force. Sharon works at an insurance company serving the wealthiest clientele. She’s a vice-president at the company, but her promotion to partner is impeded by the old boy’s network. Their worlds collide when issues in their personal lives force urgency putting Sharon in the crosshairs of Mike while Lou finally finds a clue that can lead him to Mike.

Crime 101 Mike Davis (Chris Hemsworth) and Sharon (Halle Berry) in CRIME 101 | Photo Credit: Merrick Morton

What’s exciting about Layton’s direction is how he takes his time to establish the world, allowing us to get to know these characters and painting a portrait of a society bereft of integrity and decency. Lou is looked down upon by the rest of the force because of his old-school ways and values. Through his perspective, we see the rot within the police force and their own corruption. Sharon becomes a victim of a patriarchal system that undervalues women and their place in the corporate hierarchy, as well as being witness to the vulgar value systems of the extremely wealthy. These two storylines are meant to serve as a contrast to Mike’s own sense of honour and code. His methods are precise and deliberate, ensuring that no one gets hurt and only insured items are taken, so in theory, no one is meant to suffer a great loss. But of course, we also see how the insurance companies, through Sharon, do their best to get away from paying their clients.

Davis (Chris Hemsworth, right) and Lou (Mark Ruffalo, left) in CRIME 101

Layton uses clever editing techniques and vibrant mise-en-scene to link the three characters. A single motion from one character often cuts to another finishing the action, creating a semblance of inevitability. The film’s pace moves slowly to build the world and raise the stakes so that we sense that when these three collide, the impact will be explosive.

Crime 101 Tillman (Corey Hawkins, left) and Lou (Mark Ruffalo, right) in CRIME 101 | Photo Credit: Merrick Morton

Urgency is amplified when Mike starts to lose his nerve and cancels a hit, which his fence (Nick Nolte) is not happy about. He hands over the assignment to a fiery, unpredictable biker (Barry Keoghan), who is later ordered to follow Mike and rob him after his next gig.

Crime 101 Barry Keoghan stars as Ormon in CRIME 101 | Photo Credit: Dean Roger

While this is happening, Mike meets Maya (Monica Barbero), who catches his eye and tries to start a relationship with her while Lou is separating from his wife (Jennifer Jason Leigh). The events fuel the narrative to an explosive 30-minute finale, where Mike makes his final score, and everything is on the line.

Crime 101 Chris Hemsworth stars as Davis in CRIME 101 | Photo Credit: Merrick Morton

Honestly, this kind of movie might have worked better if it came out fifteen years ago. The Robin Hood angle of its protagonist no longer feels apt in our current global crisis of civilization decay. The narrative encourages us to cheer for Mike because he only targets the rich, to cheer for Lou because he’s a good cop, and to cheer for Sharon because she’s been treated unfairly and she deserves her flowers but at the heart of all this is a crime. We’re meant to excuse them because all the rich people in the film are despicable and I suppose we are to take a nuanced approach to the narrative but another wrong does not make it right.

Crime 101 Halle Berry stars as Sharon in CRIME 101 | Photo Credit: Merrick Morton

Perhaps fifteen years ago, when the illusion of a civilized world meant we could fantasize about a Robin Hood-like character coming in to mess with the rich but that isn’t justice. And Crime 101 paints a world without justice, and it feels so bleak. I loved the performances, Layton’s direction, and the way he subtly critiques the overwhelming number of cars in Los Angeles and how unhealthy it is – bright lights constantly moving on the 101 freeway that all I could think about is the pollution and how unfriendly it is to commuters – but I came out of the theater feeling empty. I couldn’t cheer for these characters. The film moved me, but it didn’t give me the justice I had been hoping it would deliver.

My Rating: 3.5 Stars

Thrills, crime, and high-stakes chaos await, watch Crime 101 on the big screen and feel the tension unfold. Check showtimes here.

February 21, 2026
MOVIE REVIEW: Hamnet

Coming into Hamnet without knowing anything about it left me for a loop. I hadn’t even seen the trailer, so coming in blind left me unprepared for the emotional onslaught of Chloe Zhao’s incredible direction, her moving screenplay (co-written with Maggie O’Farrell, based on her novel), and the breathtakingly brilliant Jessie Buckley in the lead role as Agnes. This is a love story, but it’s not a romantic film. It’s about a mother’s love, and how grief can tear us apart, and the healing power of art.

Agnes is known in town as a witch. Her mother taught her incantations and the power of herbs, and she possesses what seems like a supernatural gift. She’s of marrying age, but everyone is afraid of her except for her sibling’s tutor, William Shakespeare (Paul Mescal), who finds her absolutely fascinating. He courts her, they fall in love, and they have three children. She raises them while William heads to London to make a name for himself as a playwright. When tragedy strikes, grief tears the couple apart. The love that was once so strong at the beginning has been turned into resentment as grief speaks for her. What is William to do but write a play in the hope that he can find some measure of peace.

Jessie Buckley stars as Agnes and Paul Mescal as William Shakespeare in director Chloé Zhao’s HAMNET, a Focus Features release.
Credit: Agata Grzybowska / © 2025 FOCUS FEATURES LLC

Zhao is unafraid to bring us so close to her actor’s being, using a lot of handheld shots to capture every inch, every nuance of Buckley’s and Mescal’s faces, as well as those of their three children (played by Olivia Lynes, Bodhi Rae Breathnach, and the magnificent Jacobi Jupe). We bear witness to all their joy and sadness, their fears and hopes. Their entire being seems to be in full view for us to see. This amplifies the love story that brought Agnes and William together and to start a family, but it also shows us the way that grief can destroy us as well.

Jacobi Jupe stars as Hamnet, Bodhi Rae Breathnach as Susanna and Olivia Lynes as Judith in director Chloé Zhao’s HAMNET, a Focus Features release.
Credit: Agata Grzybowska / © 2025 FOCUS FEATURES LLC

But then Zhao and cinematographer Lukasz Zal also zoom out to show us the immensity of the woods, where Agnes feels most at home. There’s a sense of place and time that really impresses upon us the ways by which Agnes is a force of nature, and that her love for her husband and children has tempered her. The countryside landscape is lush and gorgeous, while London is dark, dirty, and cramped. The world William lives in away from his family is almost always devoid of light, though it is where he has found his fortune.

Actors Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal with director Chloé Zhao on the set of their film HAMNET, a Focus Features release.
Credit: Agata Grzybowska / © 2025 FOCUS FEATURES LLC

Mescal is good, but he’s merely playing supporting role to Buckley’s Agnes. As mentioned earlier, she’s a force of nature, and we see all of her, from a raw, and unfettered scene of her giving birth to calm and peaceful moments of teaching her children the secrets of the woods. We watch her fall in love with a man who is unafraid of her, the entirety of her, and we watch her crumble and break under the greatest loss one can endure. I was so sure Renate Reinsve of Sentimental Value would win the Best Actress at this year’s Oscar, but now I understand why Buckley is the frontrunner for that category.

Jessie Buckley stars as Agnes and Joe Alwyn as Bartholomew in director Chloé Zhao’s HAMNET, a Focus Features release.
Credit: Courtesy of Focus Features / © 2025 FOCUS FEATURES LLC

As the film’s title suggests – and as a written prologue at the start of the film makes clear – we are shown an interpretation of one of Shakespeare’s most famous plays. The way that it is used in this film, with the added layers of this story, creates a whole new texture for the play and adds a powerful emotional punch that had me in tears by the end of the film, aided by Max Richter’s indelible musical score.

Noah Jupe stars as Hamlet, Jessie Buckley as Agnes and Joe Alwyn as Bartholomew in director Chloé Zhao’s HAMNET, a Focus Features release.
Credit: Courtesy of Focus Features / © 2025 FOCUS FEATURES LLC

This is a powerhouse of a movie, and not one I would imagine would be best for Valentine’s Day or the month of hearts. But it does show the power of love and art in being able to deal with grief and loss. It’s a film that will leave you looking for someone to embrace afterward. Once again, it’s a showcase for Chloe Zhao’s wonderful direction and Jessie Buckley’s onscreen magnetism. We are going to see much more of her in the years to come.

My Rating: 5 Stars

Step into a world of love, grief, and unforgettable storytelling, watch Hamnet in theaters and experience Jessie Buckley’s powerhouse performance and Chloe Zhao’s breathtaking direction firsthand. Check showtimes here.

February 20, 2026
MOVIE REVIEW: The Loved One

There’s something about the dynamic between director Irene Emma Villamor and actress Anne Curtis. Their tandem in Sid & Aya: Not a Love Story showcased how Villamor understands all of Curtis’ strengths and fully utilizes them, highlighting the full range of her acting talents while maximizing her magnetic screen presence. Along with Dingdong Dantes, the three made Sid & Aya: Not a Love Story a wonderful cinematic experience that proved mainstream movies can be both surprising and intellectually as well as emotionally engaging.

So swapping Dantes for the ever-reliable Jericho Rosales, The Loved One ups the ante, with Villamor presenting us with another romantic drama that pushes the boundaries of mainstream cinema, opting for restraint and introspection. Villamor, Curtis, and Rosales deliver a powerhouse film that explores how a partnership can shift over time and how memory is always a subjective experience.

The Loved One tells the story of Ellie (Curtis) and Eric (Rosales). It begins with Eric waiting for Ellie to arrive at a restaurant – filmed in black and white – where tension simmers from their text message exchange. Something has clearly happened between them.

While waiting, Eric begins to reminisce, and all these scenes are shown in color: the beginnings of their relationship all the way through ten years until this point, from their first dates to moving in together, to each protagonist’s highs and lows in life. Through his recollections, we witness their past until Ellie arrives and we see what those ten years have come to mean.

Villamor first posits that one person in any relationship is “the lover,” the one who loves more, while the other is “the loved one,” or the person who receives more of the love in that partnership. In the hodgepodge of memories that Eric brings up, all from various parts of their relationship, we see the less privileged Eric juggling work and his relationship with Ellie, while also providing for his family and we bear witness to his struggles and effort that he has put into his life. What’s wonderful about Villamor’s film is that its politics is toned down, though very clear in every scene. Ellie, coming from a more privileged background, lives in a huge house, practically a mansion, and all her magnificent wardrobe are either designer or custom-made clothing.

The restaurants they dine in are all fancy, and while the film never preaches about their rich-girl, poor-guy dynamic, it’s there for us to see. Eric never really brings it up, but it is something we notice, adding another layer to the effort he has taken to push their relationship for ten years.

But memory is subjective, and near the midpoint, Villamor does an incredible trick where Curtis’ Ellie looks directly at the camera and we begin seeing events from her point-of-view. Scenes are revisited, but through her perspective, and what we get is a full picture of a relationship that began earnestly and with the purest intentions. Yet, as life got in the way and the couple grew and changed, something was left behind.

Curtis and Rosales are in excellent form here. They deliver the carefully scripted lines so effortlessly that they make it sound casual and spontaneous. These are lived-in performances, and they communicate with their whole being that as Villamor directs the entire film to never lean into over-dramatics, the inner worlds of both characters are there for us to see.

While Rosales embodies the typical Pinoy man with big aspirations and dreams (which he does effortlessly), Curtis has the unenviable task of playing the far more complex Ellie. She’s a rich girl, but there’s an entire world inside of her and Curtis fully understood the assignment. Even when portraying Ellie in Eric’s recollection of events, the real Ellie is present, unseen by Eric but visible to the audience. When she takes over the narrative, we see it full stop. It’s such a detailed and nuanced performance that this might be the best Anne Curtis performance I’ve ever seen. I’m such a fan.

This film takes the personal and the specific and opens it up to the realm of the universal. The little fights they have, the joys they find in each other, the little things that make a relationship – both the good and the bad – are there for us to see. I’m very moved by this film, and it might be one of my favourites in Villamor’s impressive filmography.

My Rating: 5 Stars

Experience love, memory, and all the little moments in between with The Loved One. Anne Curtis and Jericho Rosales shine in Irene Emma Villamor’s deeply moving romantic drama, now showing in cinemas. Don’t miss it.

February 13, 2026
MOVIE REVIEW: Wuthering Heights

I’ve never read the novel by Emily Bronte, but I have seen my fair share of BBC adaptations of Wuthering Heights. But after reading through all the sentiments on social media about Emerald Fennell’s new film adaptation of the 1847 novel, and considering what I know of Fennell from her films Promising Young Woman and Saltburn I kind of curbed my expectations. Even the idea that the soundtrack would include new songs from pop singer-songwriter Charlie XCX told me a lot I walked into the film.

Fennell had stated that she is merely doing her own version of the story, and in this take, it is the story of two children, Cathy and Heathcliff, who become close friends when Cathy’s drunken father, a somewhat disgraced lord, adopted Heathcliff as a ward. In the decrepit home of Wuthering Heights, the two grow up finding solace in each other, with Heathcliff promising to protect Cathy and Cathy promising to never leave his side. They grow up with deep affection for each other, but their circumstances would not find their marriage favourably. Cathy’s father is perpetually broke from gambling and drinking, and her only real prospect is to marry rich. Heathcliff, merely a ward of questionable origins, has no chance of marrying someone like Cathy.

As their love for each other grows from familial affection into something romantic coinciding with their sexual awakenings, something even more primal than that, their love and friendship constantly push them toward hurting each other. When life at Wuthering Heights becomes dire, Cathy chooses to marry their wealthy neighbour, Edgar Linton.

Heathcliff takes a horse and leaves before he discovers the truth about Cathy’s feelings for him. Years later, Cathy is living in wealth and privilege and is with child when Heathcliff returns. He has become wealthy, having purchased Wuthering Heights. The passion they still. harbor for one another ultimately destroys them and everyone around them.

If anything, Fennel has a striking visual style and creates some very powerful imagery throughout the film. The way she captured sensuality in Saltburn finds its way here as well. She plays with the film’s sound design so that the heavy breaths characters take almost evokes a sexuality, even when the imagery suggests the opposite – take note of the opening scene. It’s as if she’s deliberately creating a link between sex and violence.

She also uses elaborate set pieces that look like intentionally constructed, emphasizing to show off the movie’s artifice. Everything is hyper-real as if signaling to us that this is adaptation is not to be taken too seriously.

Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi, as Cathy and Heathcliff have an undeniable chemistry. However, while Elordi’s has proven his range in Priscilla, his performance here feels somewhat one-note, it’s a shame that his full range isn’t utilized here, and it’s Robbie who takes center stage. She’s a wildfire, a tempest and she does not play for our sympathy. Instead, she portrays Cathy as a spoiled woman unable to control her innermost desires.

The perfect foil for her is Hong Chau as Nelly, Cathy’s companion. Caught in the crossfire of Cathy and Heathcliff’s destructive love, Nelly becomes the grounding force, attempting to impose a sense of order on her childhood friend. Yet even she takes things to an extreme, having a hand in the separation of the two. Chau is brilliant. While her work is less explosive than Robbie’s, as a more dignified character, she has to hold her emotions close, revealing what she really feels through subtle gestures and looks. Despite Nelly’s flaws, she becomes the only character I could truly grasp and connect with.

Despite Robbie and Chau’s performances and Fennell’s powerful visual style, I am made to feel uncomfortable with how the film positions the love story as a tragic romance when they are so toxic to each other and to everyone around them.

Their destructive choices and the film centers this as the driving force of the narrative. The music swirls when they find themselves intertwined. At some point, I did feel that there is a commentary here against the class system that puts Cathy’s future in the hands of a wealthy husband and not with the person she truly loves, who has no prospects. It could be a message that Fennell is going for if she didn’t seem to put so much emphasis on how wonderful it is to be rich during this era of civilization. Robbie has a plethora of costume changes, each one more grand, more stylish than the last. If the film is attempting to make any commentaries against social class inequality, it falters by enjoying the moments of privileges Cathy gains from marrying a man for convenience rather than love.

The film focuses more on the passion and illicit affair between Cathy and Heathcliff than on the damage they inflict on those around them, which makes it feel as though Fennell is more fascinated and interested by the subject matter than by its consequences. This is what makes the film so hard to stomach despite its gorgeous visual elements.

My Rating: 2 Stars

Love. Obsession. Destruction. Experience the stormy passion of Cathy and Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights on the big screen. Catch Emerald Fennell’s daring adaptation in theaters now, and don’t miss the drama, the visuals, and the unforgettable performances of Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi.

February 13, 2026
MOVIE REVIEW: Send Help

I want Rachel McAdams to get acting nominations for her performance in this campy, gory suspense/thriller, that’s actually pretty funny if you can get past director Sam Raimi’s affinity to blood and gore. It’s definitely a feminist film, maligning the toxic masculinity that seems very apparent in corporate America. And what I love about its feminism is that it isn’t afraid to make McAdams’ Linda to be a heavily flawed character. She’s as human as the rest of us – awkward, a little obsessive, a bit unkempt and untidy – but her rage is justified. And when the narrative beats pushes her to cross the line, the film is unafraid to show that she’s just as much the villain as her boss, played by Dylan O’Brien.

Send Help follows Linda Liddle, a hardworking employee in a corporation run by the father of Dylan O’Brien’s Bradley Preston. Bradley is set to take over the company after his father’s passing, and Linda, who has been carrying the bulk of the work in her department, is hoping that the senior Preston’s promise of making her a vice-president will be honoured by Bradley. But to her shock, she’s passed over by her direct supervisor, who has taken credit for all her accomplishments at work. When she confronts Bradley head-on, he tells her she should join them on a trip to Bangkok for a merger to prove herself. But the plane malfunctions and crashes into the ocean, leaving Linda and Bradley on an island. With only Linda’s survival skills – she dreams of becoming a contestant on the hit television reality show Survivor – to keep them alive while they wait for rescue.

The screenplay of Damian Shannon and Mark Swift takes a satirical tone, over exaggerating the worst of corporate structures, toxic masculinity, and giving a fantastical take on Linda’s duality. At the office, she’s a mess, her hair is always untidy, her clothes are devoid of femininity, and she’s criticized for having an “odious smell” stemming from her love of tuna fish sandwiches. She’s socially awkward, and no one likes her, despite being a genius with numbers and a highly efficient workhorse. On the island, stripped of the social hierarchies and mind games of corporate life, she blooms. All her books on survival and her dreams of becoming a cast member of Survivor bring out her full potential. Here, she’s in charge. Her hair is gorgeous. In the office, her makeup is pale, attempting to give her the no-makeup look and tries (a challenge for McAdams) to make her look plain. But on the island, the makeup artist gives her a radiant glow. And the Rachel McAdams we know, who made a breathtaking debut in the Mean Girls and rose to superstardom in The Notebook makes a striking reappearance.

It’s almost a toxic masculine wet dream, but Shannon, Swift, and director Sam Raimi quickly subvert this. Linda’s personality quirks still remain, yet the power being the sole provider for her horrible boss brings out a side of her she didn’t know she had. Of course, at first, Bradley orders her around, belittles her, and mocks her, but when he realises he cannot survive on the island without her, he begins to take a more submissive role. This shift not only encourages Linda’s growth but also nudges her further tipping into the darker side of her personality.

The film is funny, action-packed, and horrifying all at the same time. Raimi’s use of unconventional camera angles, perspectives, and his penchant for jump scares and gore keeps the film exciting, perfect for audiences who have come for a roller-coaster ride. Even as Bradley and Linda start pushing each other’s buttons, bringing out the worst versions in themselves, you can’t help but root for Linda. The film has already positioned her as the initial victim – even as the twists and turns of the film’s narrative quickly turns that around and shift her into a perpetrator as well – and in a way, the film tackles the underdog story of gaining power and becoming the aggressor. The comedic aspect of the movie allow us to bend our morality for this film so we can excuse all her behaviour on the island.

The crowd around me as I was watching was firmly on her side, even when she went too far.

O’Brien serves as a great foil, portraying the toxic male nepo-baby to a tee. You enjoy hating him and constantly question when he starts to show kindness towards Linda. But make not mistake, this is McAdams’ movie through and through. She’s an amazing actress who understands the tone of camp, hitting it precisely at that frequency, yet she is able to switch it when her character undergoes an internal crisis. She finds pathos in the character and manages to bring it out even in the moments of Linda’s turn to the darker side of herself. Linda is slowly unraveling, but McAdams does it so naturally that it never feels like “a performance.” It simply settles into the rhythm of the film. I really want people to take note of this performance as a high-wire act that is not easy to do.

This movie itself is pure fun. Be ready to be grossed out, scream in agony and fright, and laugh at the absurdity of what Raimi, Shannon and Swift put these characters through. And keep your eyes on McAdams who nails this character and makes Linda completely unforgettable.

My Rating: 4.5 Stars

Get ready for laughs, screams, and pure chaos. Watch Send Help in cinemas now and witness Rachel McAdams’ unforgettable performance!

February 8, 2026
MOVIE REVIEW: Nobody

I love a good underdog story. The Chinese animated film Nobody takes a familiar narrative trope – the bad guys pretending to be good, only to discover their own innate goodness along the way – and presents it as a hilarious fantasy adventure rendered in stunning 2D art that imitates the ink-wash painting style. The humor is so surprising, and the film’s character work is so detailed that, despite the protagonists being liars, bullies, and thieves, they still endear themselves to you and carry with them a universal characteristic: to go beyond what the social order has imposed upon them.

Yao are supernatural creatures that take the form of animals. They are called demons, they rob humans of food and belongings. Yao also have their own social order. Nobody follows two low-ranking yao of King’s Cave – Pig (Ziping Chen) and Toad (Yang Lu) – who work in the kitchen of the King’s Cave leader. Toad is happy having a job, but Pig desires more. He wants to be a powerful yao, rise through the ranks of King’s Cave, and become an enforcer.

But a hilarious mishap while cleaning dirty heirloom cauldrons leads to Pig and Toad being banished from King’s Cave. With no prospects ahead of them, Pig and Toad discover that the monk Tang Sanzang will soon be passing through the area on his way to seek powerful scriptures, along with Sun Wukong and other mighty warriors. Legend has it that any yao who eats Tang’s flesh will become immortal. Knowing that Sun Wukong could easily defeat any yao who tries to attack Tang, Pig and Toad decide to impersonate Tang and his group, hoping to beat them to the scriptures first, because whoever finds the scriptures would become powerful as well as immortal.

With the help of a weasel (Wenliang Dong) and a gorilla (Cong Liu), the four yao impersonate the famous Chinese heroes (immortalized by the novel Journey to the West) and embark on an adventure that uncovers the heroes within themselves.

Directed by Yu Shui and written by Yu Shui and Liu Jia, Nobody is a comic onslaught set within a fantasy adventure. The dynamic between Pig and Toad is reminiscent of many buddy films, with one being the more active and brash, while the other is more careful, cautious, and prefers the simpler, practical solution. Toad is often frustrated by Pig’s stubbornness and his penchant for getting them into danger, but he always returns. Their friendship is clear as day and serves as the emotional core of the story.

When weasel joins the group, he is a nonstop chatterbox that cannot stop talking – a source of many hilarious comics setups – while Gorilla is an extreme introvert who struggles to express himself and is prone to crying. From the get-go, we are introduced to four underdogs: yao who are truly at the bottom of the totem pole. They are so funny, and their relationships so well developed, that they quickly endear themselves to you, leaving you rooting for them to succeed.

The jokes are plenty and come in various styles – slapstick, witty banter, visual comedy, farce, and irony – and it translates well. As a fantasy adventure, we get to see quite a bit of fight scenes, and Nobody is unafraid to go over-the-top and truly explosive at the finale. It’s a careful buildup, so well executed that you don’t immediately realise how meticulous the script is in building up to its climax.

As an underdog story, what’s wonderful to watch here is the growth of Pig, Toad, Weasel, and Gorilla. It’s quite surprising that despite all the chaos and laughter that this film manages to evoke, it still manages to hit you at the center of your chest and leaves you with warm feeling inside. Much of the careful character work, often disguised as jokes, is actually setups that prepare you for the way by which the film turns 180 by the end of the second act. This is a film that can be enjoyed by both young and old (given that they are willing to read the subtitles).

Nobody was an extremely pleasant surprise for me, and I couldn’t believe how much fun I was having watching this movie. I’m not surprised it is the most successful 2D animated movie in China, and I’m so open to seeing more.

My Rating: 5 Stars

Big laughs, bigger heart. Nobody is a wildly entertaining animated surprise that deserves a big-screen watch. Check showtimes here.

February 5, 2026
MOVIE REVIEW: It Was Just an Accident

Nominated for four Golden Globes and two Academy Awards, Jafar Panahi’s It Was Just an Accident is a politically charged thriller that is entertaining and insightful in so many ways. Part of the Film Development Council of the Philippines’ A Curation of World Cinema and screening in selected theaters around the city, I came into this movie not knowing a single thing about it. The film surprised me at every turn, delivering both a well-crafted thriller and powerful human moments that are equally dramatic and comic. It was a roller-coaster of emotions and it gave me a glimpse into the day-to-day world of Iran, a country I know very little about beyond what Western news has told me.

The film follows the story of Vahid (Vahid Mobasseri), an auto mechanic whose garage is visited late one night by a man with a prosthetic leg (Ebrahim Azizi) and his family, who have come to repair their car after hitting and killing a dog. Vahid is certain that the man is Eghbal, an Iranian soldier who tortured him in an Iranian prison, convinced by the sound that his prosthetic leg makes as he walks.

It Was Just an Accident Une Simpe Accident | (c) Les Films Pelleas

The next day, Vahid follows the man he thinks is Eghbal and kidnaps him to bury him in the desert. But unsure, he ends up gathering other survivors of the Iranian prisons who were also tortured by Eghbal. These include Shiva (Mariam Afshari), a photographer who is taking pre-wedding photos of Goli (Hadis Pakbaten) and Ali (Majid Panahi). Shiva also suspects Eghbal is their tormentor from his smell, though isn’t sure because they were blindfolded during interrogations and torture, while Goli, also a survivor of Eghbal’s torture, cannot be certain he is who they think he is. So, they then enlist the help of another inmate, Hamid (Mohammad Ali Elyasmehr).

It Was Just an Accident Une Simpe Accident | (c) Les Films Pelleas

In one van, six people – one drugged and unconscious – head to the Iranian desert to contemplate revenge, and what we see is a biting commentary on the horrors of authoritarianism.

It Was Just an Accident Une Simpe Accident | (c) Les Films Pelleas

The genius of Panahi’s film is how he manages the tone of the entire film. The four former prison mates are deadset in killing this man, but they are not sure if he is who they suspect him to be. There’s a moral line that is constantly being blurred. They feel justified in their extreme measures – drugging and kidnapping, and perhaps even murder if he is Eghbal – but until they are certain, they still operate within the bounds of societal morality. Each character is distinct and explosive, and every actor delivers an incredible performance, amplifying the reality of the situation that truly speaks about the social and political realities of the country. It’s devastating once you begin to really imagine what these characters have endured and what this means about the nation as a whole.

It Was Just an Accident Une Simpe Accident | (c) Les Films Pelleas

But what struck me the most is how Panahi leans into the absurd at times, creating humorous situations. Even the image of Goli and Ali, dressed in their wedding attire, jumping into a van with a man drugged, unconscious man in the back while contemplating murder is surreal and brings out so much laughter. Yet the humor also comes at a biting cost because we know and really feel how desperate Vahid, Shiva, Goli, and Hamid want some level of retribution.

It Was Just an Accident Une Simpe Accident | (c) Les Films Pelleas

What the film depicts is a broken society, shattered by an authoritarian regime, where people cannot move forward because the scars of the past hang fresh on their skins. It may not be evident but it’s there. And as the film’s drama unfolds, it becomes painfully obvious for us to see. This is an incredible film, and I think it’s the first Iranian film I’ve experienced. I’ve been told by my cinephile friends that this is the kind of work Panahi is known for, and I’m excited to see where else I can find his filmography.

My Rating: 5 Stars

Experience the gripping tension, dark humor, and moral complexity of Jafar Panahi’s It Was Just an Accident, now showing in select cinemas. Don’t miss this unforgettable Iranian thriller on the big screen.

February 3, 2026
MOVIE REVIEW: Sentimental Value

As part of the Film Development Council of the Philippines’ A Curation of World Cinema, Joachim Trier’s marvelous film Sentimental Value makes its way to selected cinemas around the metro. This stunning film won the Grand Prix at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival and has earned nine nominations at the upcoming Academy Awards – including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress (Renate Reinsve), Best Actor (Stellan Skarsgard), and Best Supporting Actress nods for Elle Fanning and Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas; all of which are deservingly so.

A beautiful story of a family broken apart by generational trauma and a resistance to facing their own dysfunction, Sentimental Value never plays for the drama. Instead, it shows great restraint, completely capturing the textures and layers of this kind of family strife.

Sentimental Value | Renate Reinsve, Stellan Skarsgård | Photo: Kasper Tuxen Andersen

Interestingly enough, the film centers on a house, the family home of Gustav Berg (Skarsgard). Gustav is a film director, an alcoholic and absentee father to Nora (Reinsve) and Agnes (Lilleaas). Nora is an actress of some renown, but her personal life is a mess. She cannot seem to find love and is currently having an affair with a married man, who happens to be a co-worker.

Sentimental Value | Renate Reinsve and Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas | Photo: Kasper Tuxen Andersen

Agnes is married and has a son, Erik (Oyvind Hesjedal Loven), but she too carries the weight of her father’s absence, and from having been cast in one of her father’s landmark films as a child. When the sisters’ mother dies, Gustav’s ex-wife, Gustav returns to their lives to reclaim the house they grew up in because that house belongs to him.

Sentimental Value | Øyvind Hesjedal Loven | Photo: Kasper Tuxen Andersen

While Agnes is more tolerant and accommodating towards her father, Nora is constantly butting heads with her father. He wants to direct a film set in their home, a story inspired by his mother who was tortured during the Nazi occupation and later took her own life in that very house; the suicide being the film’s climactic scene. He wants Nora to play the character of her grandmother but Nora refuses.

Sentimental Value | Stellan Skarsgård and Elle Fanning | Photo: Kasper Tuxen Andersen

To get the project going, Gustav chooses to go with the Hollywood star Rachel Kemp (Fanning), a decision that further strains his relationship with Nora. As Gustav and Rachel rehearse scenes inside the house, Nora spirals with her mental health and the looming prospect of losing the home to her father.

What is incredible about Trier and co-writer Eskil Vogt’s screenplay is how each of the four characters – Gustav, Nora, Agnes, and Rachel – are all primary characters with their own character arcs and emotional journeys. They intersect yet each feels like the lead of their own film, and it just so happens that everyone is part of the same film. There’s so much weight in these character’s struggles, along with the insights and their discoveries about themselves as they navigate the emotional turmoil of their interconnected relationships, makes Sentimental Value utterly arresting; I couldn’t take my eyes off it.

Sentimental Value | Stellan Skarsgård and Jesper Christensen | Photo: Kasper Tuxen Andersen

Trier and cinematographer Kasper Tuxen have a beautiful habit of capturing these characters at their most unguarded moments. The way by which they shoot the house allows the setting to be an important character in the film. That house becomes the metaphor for their dynamics and for what they mean to each other.

Sentimental Value | Stellan Skarsgård and Elle Fanning | Photo: Kasper Tuxen Andersen

But what really drives this film are the performances. Everyone is so good here – Skarsgard and Fanning are tremendous in their roles, playing off of each other and allowing each of their characters to be revealed in how they interact with each other – but I really took notice of Reinsve and Lilleaas in this film. Nora is a powder keg, always ready to burst. Her opening scene, a panic attack just before she goes on stage to perform. It’s a high-wire act of a performance and she nails it in her very first scene. She maintains this energy and unpredictability throughout the film, that she’s currently my favourite to win the Best Actress trophy.

Sentimental Value | Renate Reinsve | Photo: Kasper Tuxen Andersen

Contrasting her is the more mellow, more rational Agnes. Lilleaas has the toughest role because it’s the most subdued amongst the four primary characters, yet it is her warmth that serves as the foundation that allows the characters to feel their most human side. She is such a discovery for me.

Sentimental Value | Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas | Photo: Kasper Tuxen Andersen

I love these well-made, personal, and intimate slow films that explore human nature. Sentimental Value is a lyrical work, yet it remains grounded and rooted in very real family struggles. Sure, Gustav is a director and Nora is a great actress, they are not the most relatable people but the way they navigate through their issues with each other is so prevalent in any real powerful father-daughter dynamic. This film is so insightful, so tender, so heartbreaking. I am so glad that we get to see it on the big screen.

My Rating: 5 Stars

Don’t miss Sentimental Value on the big screen, experience this tender, heartbreaking, and unforgettable family story for yourself. Check showtimes at selected cinemas and let Joachim Trier’s masterpiece move you.

February 3, 2026
MOVIE REVIEW: Return to Silent Hill

I’ve never actually played the video game Silent Hill, though I did watch my cousin play the very first game on her PlayStation. That game scared me half to death, and I was just watching it. It helped me better understand the film adaptation Silent Hill back in 2006, starring Radha Mitchell and Sean Bean and directed by Christophe Gans. I remember liking it. I remember being scared, and I do remember talking about how much I enjoyed the experience with my friend.

So, I was a little excited to see Return to Silent Hill, since it is also directed by Christophe Gans and co-written by Gans, Sandra Vo-Anh, and Will Schneider. Based on the Konami game Silent Hill 2, Gans delivers breathtaking imagery and immerses us into a post-apocalyptic hellscape. Unfortunately, its weak story and character development, as well as its continuously jumping narrative between the present day and flashbacks holds back what could have been a genuinely scary movie.

Return to Silent Hill follows the story of James (Jeremy Irvine), who meets Mary (Hannah Emily Anderson) after he accidentally runs over her bag at a highway bus stop. She misses her bus, but the two manage to see a spark that prompts James to walk Mary back to the picturesque town of Silent Hill.

Image Source: 888 Films International FB Page

The film then jumps a year later and James is now an alcoholic living in the city, who has dreams of Mary. He’s causing trouble at a bar, and his therapist (Nicola Alexis) keeps calling him to make sure he shows up for his visit as he is spiraling. But as he gets home, he finds a letter from Mary asking him to return to Silent Hill.

When he returns, he finds the town covered in ash. It’s worse than a ghost town. And when a siren wails, the world transforms into a dark, brimstone world where creatures roam freely. As James wanders the empty streets (and sometimes monster-ridden) looking for Mary, the film shifts to the past to reveal why he left her in the first place.

From the get-go, the film quickly assumes we believe in the love story of James and Mary, which is the crux of the film’s emotional core. But since the love story is revealed through flashbacks as the story unfolds, we really question the characters’ motivations and really wonder whether James really can’t let go of Mary. It doesn’t help that many of the flashbacks show the two in love – constantly kissing and embracing – but doesn’t delve into why they’re in love. It’s a love story for the sake of the plot.

Irvine and Anderson don’t have the kind of chemistry that tells its own story, so without the narrative beats of a true love story, the film feels very forced. It doesn’t help that the film takes a lot of short cuts to explain things that are happening – people suddenly appearing to serve as exposition and then quickly discarded – and then after everything has been said, the world building of how Silent Hill came to be this way was still left vague and obtuse, and not in a good way.

What the film manages to deliver, though, is gorgeous imagery. The set pieces of James walking through the empty, ash-covered town are just simply gorgeous to look at. Gans and cinematographer Pablo Rosso play with the angles so that the camera swivels up into the air to give us top shots or comes really close to give us an over-the-shoulder shot, which feels reminiscent to many video games. It also creates a tension because we know we are watching a horror film, and the long shots set up the fear that creatures will be rushing forth, or worse, in the tight shots from James’ point-of-view, when he turns a corner, will we see a creature there? This creates real dread so that three or four major jump scares feel unnecessary.

But the creature designs are also breathtaking, and the way Gans features them is quite impressive. From a bit of reading online, it seems that Gans had permission to redesign the creatures and Patrick Tatopoulos, who is credited as Creature Designer, did an amazing job with some of the monsters, most especially the Moth Lady and the Red Pyramid (who apparently is taken from the game).

It’s such a shame because the film had all the elements to deliver a good scary movie, but because I couldn’t get hooked into the characters, I couldn’t feel scared. I’m still amazed by the visuals and the direction, though it felt like it belong in a different movie.

My Rating: 2.5 Stars

Step back into the haunting world of Silent Hill with Return to Silent Hill. Check showtimes near you and experience the terror on the big screen.

January 27, 2026
MOVIE REVIEW: Primate

As a creature feature, Primate gets a lot of things right by simplifying the story and putting the horror at the center. Director Johannes Roberts and screenwriter Ernest Riera, alongside Roberts, removes all the unnecessary story and puts the focus on serving some delicious scares. It’s a tight film at 89 minutes, quickly going over the exposition so the thrills can start as soon as possible. The film works because of this narrative economy and it amps up the joy of screaming your guts out at every turn.

Primate follows Lucy (Johnny Sequoyah), who returns home to Hawaii during a college break with her good friend Kate (Victoria Wyant) and Kate’s friend Hannah (Jessica Alexander). Lucy hasn’t gone home in a while because of her dad, Adam (Troy Kotsur), a popular deaf author who is rarely home. Lucy’s absence is felt strongly by her sister, Erin (Gia Hunter).

Victoria Wyant as “Kate”, Troy Kotsur as “Adam”, and Gia Hunter as “Erin” in Primate from Paramount Pictures.

To Hannah’s surprise, she discovers that Lucy’s family has adopted a chimpanzee, Ben, who has been taught sign language and can “speak” through an ipad. There are variables involved like Kate’s brother Nick (Benjamin Cheng), who is Lucy’s crush, and two guys they meet on the plane, whom they might invite over to party with them as Lucy’s dad leaves – yet again – for another book event.

Benjamin Cheng as “Nick”, Victoria Wyant as “Kate”, Jessica Alexander as “Hannah”, Johnny Sequoyah as “Lucy”, and Miguel Torres Umba as “Ben” in Primate from Paramount Pictures.

All of this unfolds quickly, with the friends all partying while Lucy’s dad is away, completely unaware that Ben has been bitten and contracted rabies. When Ben goes feral and starts attacking, the teens are stranded in the pool – because Ben can’t swim and most likely afraid of water – away from their phones, while a rabid, intelligent chimpanzee lurks, just waiting to tear them apart.

Victoria Wyant as “Kate”, Jessica Alexander as “Hannah”, Gia Hunter as “Erin”, and Johnny Sequoyah as “Lucy” in Primate from Paramount Pictures.

Roberts and Riera do a clean job of showing us the size and scale of the house, which becomes a death trap for these teens. The characters are typical but not annoying, and their reactions to the situation are apropos to the dangers they are in.

Victoria Wyant as “Kate” and Johnny Sequoyah as “Lucy” in Primate from Paramount Pictures.

So you might not like the characters for whatever reason, but you can’t help empathizing with them because it is such a horrible situation to find yourself in.

Director Johannes Roberts in Primate from Paramount Pictures.

Roberts has a natural feel for this kind of horror – making use of darkness, tight shots, the absence of music, and the idea that a chimpanzee is extremely mobile and strong – that makes every scene a tension-filled exercise in pure horror.

Victoria Wyant as “Kate” and Johnny Sequoyah as “Lucy” in Primate from Paramount Pictures.

And the horror is gruesome. It is bloody and brutal. When I watched, women were screaming and men were too, though they were also cheering when heads were bashed and skin torn from the flesh.

Miguel Torres Umba as “Ben” in Primate from Paramount Pictures.

This is a film that pulls no punches. It’s as edgy as a horror film should be and because the film never weighed itself down with unnecessary plot points – the family drama is never overplayed, the slight romance angle between Lucy and Nick is quickly shut down before the film’s inciting incident – the only thing we have to focus on is whether these kids will survive.

Miguel Torres Umba as “Ben” and Johnny Sequoyah as “Lucy” in Primate from Paramount Pictures.

The film sort of gives a nod to the classic horror novel (and film) Cujo by Stephen King with the film adaptation directed by Lewis Teague. But Primate comes off equally scary – if not scarier – because the chimpanzee is smart and strong and fast, while Cujo is only really two of the three.

Johnny Sequoyah as “Lucy” and Director Johannes Roberts in Primate from Paramount Pictures.

At the same time, there is a faint recognition of family as Ben grew up with Lucy, so much so that even Kate and Nick know quite a lot about him. While Lucy and the rest are not keen to go easy on the ape, that adds an extra tinge of pain running through the story. It almost feels like betrayal.

Jessica Alexander as “Hannah” and Miguel Torres Umba as “Ben” in Primate from Paramount Pictures.

I could go on about how the film seems to mock humans trying to upset the natural order—teaching an animal human language and treating it as family—but that argument doesn’t fully hold up. Chimps are intelligent, can be trained to communicate, and we naturally love our pets as part of the family. More importantly, the film isn’t trying to make a deeper point; it’s focused on delivering some genuinely thrilling scares. And in that, it succeeds spectacularly. Primate is a ton of fun and probably best experienced in the cinema with friends.

My Rating: 4 Stars

Primate delivers heart-pounding scares, a smart and terrifying chimpanzee, and pure adrenaline. Check showtimes near you and scream along with your friends in theaters now!

January 23, 2026