Tag: movie review

Movie Review: What It Feels Like for a Girl – A Review of ‘Sunshine’

From my understanding, ‘Sunshine’ is the second of a trilogy of films about women by writer and director Antoinette Jadaone. It began with ‘Fan Girl’ and it continues now with ‘Sunshine,’ the story of a gymnast who is preparing to compete to qualify for the Olympics when she discovers she’s pregnant.

Jadaone has mastered what I’d like to call “the journey movie.” From ‘That Thing Called Tadhana’ to ‘Fan Girl,’ her characters take on a physical journey – in ‘That Thing Called Tadhana’ the main characters travel from the airport to Sagada while ‘Fan Girl’ follows the lead characters from a mall show to an abandoned mansion in the middle of nowhere – while also embarking on an emotional one. The movement through space runs parallel to the character’s own inner journey and struggle. In ‘Sunshine,’ the lead character played by Maris Racal has her own journey: through the streets of Quiapo and Manila, in search of abortificents that may help her with her situation. The distance is not as far as other Jadaone films, but the interior one is immense as the film tries to see the vast landscape of women’s issues surrounding pregnancy and abortion.

Sunshine, the main character, embodies a lot of the fears and anxieties that women have when it comes to their bodies. What the film manages to do is to show how much the burden of an unwanted pregnancy falls unto the woman. In the story, her boyfriend (played by Elijah Canlas) gives her money to have it aborted. He’s angry and dismissive and chooses not to deal with it at all. Sunshine lives with her sister (played by Jennica Garcia), caring for an infant, whose father is nowhere at all in the film. Their brother skirts away from doing chores and is barely a figure in their lives, doing his own thing.

All the while, Sunshine is visited by a little girl (Annika Co) who seems to know everything about her. The girl is abrasive, tough, and magical, in a way. She’s a lot like Sunshine. She’s a fighter and already, we know she’s more than just another character.

Throughout the film, we see Sunshine see the best and the worst of people. Her journey brings her to a public hospital where she meets two kinds of doctors – those with compassion and those whose principles and faith can turn away a young woman in need. Sunshine meets a young girl who also looking for help because of the frightening situation she has with the father of her unborn child.

‘Sunshine’ is a film about women and through Sunshine, we see all her hopes and dreams slipping away from her hands because of one reckless decision and a man who chose to not use a condom. What the film does is humanize this important discussion and show us the hard truths of the world that we live in and the current policies at play about abortion in the country.

Maris Racal is a force of nature. Her portrayal of Sunshine is a textured work that balances between Sunshine’s need to be tough but, deep inside, she’s vulnerable and breaking. She has an incredible screen presence that holds on to you and it makes Sunshine’s struggle very real and believable. It’s a daring performance that lays it all out there without playing for sympathy. The other standout performance belongs to Jennika Garcia. As the sister of Sunshine, she’s in charge of both her siblings and her own baby. There’s a story there that the film’s narrative never explores but Garcia carries that history in her movements and in the way her character just looks at a moment. She is warm when she needs to be and then finds strength and fire when her character surges like a lioness protecting her cub when she’s out to protect her sister. It’s a powerful performance despite its limited screentime.

What I love most about this movie is its ending. Jadaone makes a stand and in the most poignant way possible, using the whole narrative to push the characters into an ending that makes sense and without judgment.

The cinematography of Paolo Orendain is luscious, finding beauty in the dark, seedy streets of Manila at night. Rico Blanco’s music properly sets the mood while Benjamin Tolentino’s editing keeps it fast paced yet clear. Obviously, Antoinette Jadaone keeps a tight ship and of all of her works, of which there are many great ones, ‘Sunshine’ might be the best of them yet.

My Rating:

Sunshine is now showing in cinemas. Catch this bold and beautiful film that isn’t afraid to say what needs to be said. Don’t miss it! Get showtimes here.

July 28, 2025
Movie Review: ‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ Is a Grandiose, Genre-Bending, Hard Sci-Fi Epic

Speeding past the origin story, ‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ begins in medias res, four years after the team has gained their superpowers. They are now celebrated as global icons for all the good they’ve done. The film is set in Earth-828, a different universe from that of the MCU with The Avengers, and here they are the only heroes of this world. They are public figures and through a quick documentary feature very similar to the ones shown on the trailers, we get to know Marvel’s first family.

Director Matt Shakman and screenwriters Josh Friedman, Eric Pearson, Jeff Kaplan, and Ian Springer (from a story by Pearson, Kaplan, Springer, and Kat Wood) spend the first twenty minutes introducing us to the heroes and this brand-new world. It seems through the genius of Reed Richards, a.k.a. Mr. Fantastic, the world appears to be thriving. There’s a sleek, retro 1960s aesthetic to the technology and there’s a throwback in fashion and social norms. The film never mentions the year but it’s as if the ’60s found itself with superheroes with flying cars, and robots.

Director Matt Shakman on the set of 20th Century Studios/Marvel Studios’ THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS. Photo by Jay Maidment. © 2025 20th Century Studios / © and ™ 2025 MARVEL.

(L-R) Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic and Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm/Invisible Woman in 20th Century Studios/Marvel Studios’ THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS. Photo by Jay Maidment. © 2025 20th Century Studios / © and ™ 2025 MARVEL.

The first twenty minutes or so are crucial, as they show the tight-knit family dynamic in action. Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal) and his wife, Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby) discover that she’s pregnant and the news brings out big emotions. Sue’s brother, Johnny (Joseph Quinn), and Reed’s best friend, Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), are excited to be uncles. Reed, on the other hand, is panicking. The cosmic storm they passed through when the four of them went on a mission to space four years ago altered their DNA and gave them powers. What effect might it have on their unborn child?

(L-R) Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm/Human Torch and Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm/Invisible Woman in 20th Century Studios/Marvel Studios’ THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS. Photo by Jay Maidment. © 2025 20th Century Studios / © and ™ 2025 MARVEL.

(L-R) H.E.R.B.I.E and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm/The Thing in 20th Century Studios/Marvel Studios’ THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios/Marvel Studios. © 2025 20th Century Studios / © and ™ 2025 MARVEL.

As Reed prepares for the worst, the rest of the world celebrates until the Silver Surfer (Julia Garner) arrives and declares that the planet was chosen to be devoured by Galactus (Ralph Ineson). The world waits in bated breath and looks to the Fantastic Four to save them. But Galactus is a powerful being that predates time. Can they really stop him?

Julia Garner as Shalla-Bal/Silver Surfer in 20th Century Studios/Marvel Studios’ THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios/Marvel Studios. © 2025 20th Century Studios / © and ™ 2025 MARVEL.

Everything about ‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ feels epic in both scope and scale. From Jess Hall’s incredible cinematography (I think the whole film is on IMAX, which means the best way to see it is on IMAX if you can afford it) and Michael Giacchino’s vibrant musical score, the movie feels big and important. It’s a hard-science fiction film that bends the genres, seamlessly switching from a family drama to an action-packed superhero movie to a commentary on how people can quickly turn on their heroes.

(L-R) Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm/The Thing, Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm/Invisible Woman and Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm/Human Torch in 20th Century Studios/Marvel Studios’ THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS. Photo by Jay Maidment. © 2025 20th Century Studios / © and ™ 2025 MARVEL.

(L-R) Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm/Human Torch and Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards/Mister Fantasticin 20th Century Studios/Marvel Studios’ THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios/Marvel Studios. © 2025 20th Century Studios / © and ™ 2025 MARVEL.

In this world, The Fantastic Four are the only hope the world has and they have a pretty direct line to them. The world is a huge part of this equation and by playing this off, The Fantastic Four somehow becomes symbolic of any person who comes forward to make positive changes; and they carry the burden of the world on their shoulders. If they succeed, they are loved. If they fail, they are persecuted and blamed.

Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic in 20th Century Studios/Marvel Studios’ THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS. Photo by Jay Maidment. © 2025 20th Century Studios / © and ™ 2025 MARVEL.

Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm/The Thing, Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic and Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm/Invisible Woman in 20th Century Studios/Marvel Studios’ THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2025 20th Century Studios / © and ™ 2025 MARVEL

(L-R) Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm/Human Torch, Julia Garner as Shalla-Bal/Silver Surfer, Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm/Invisible Woman, Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm/The Thing and Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic in 20th Century Studios/Marvel Studios’ THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2025 20th Century Studios / © and ™ 2025 MARVEL

The pacing of the film is relentless. Something is always happening, a choice needs to be made, a discovery is just around the corner, and a world slowly awaiting its demise. The film never lets up, and it’s a shame because this world is so rich and the characters so fully realised – both in the writing and in the performances – that I would have wanted another thirty minutes, even an hour of this movie to play out some of the narrative beats. At 114 minutes, it’s compact, but it speeds through certain moments that could have used a bit more drawing out.

Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm/Human Torch in 20th Century Studios/Marvel Studios’ THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2025 20th Century Studios / © and ™ 2025 MARVEL

(L-R) Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm/Invisible Woman and Ada Scott as Franklin Richards in 20th Century Studios/Marvel Studios’ THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2025 20th Century Studios / © and ™ 2025 MARVEL

But it has everything. It goes to space. As seen in the trailer, Galactus makes it to Earth, and buildings are destroyed, and The Fantastic Four work together and team up to do their best to win. The finale is breathtaking and it always leaves you at the edge of your seat. It has some stunning sci-fi imagery both in space and in the final battle that can really move you. Each character gets a moment to really shine, and every actor is bringing their A-game and it just makes the movie so an absolute thrill to watch.

This was such a fun movie to get into so much so that I wanted more of it. I wasn’t satisfied with just 114-minute runtime. I wanted more. I can’t wait for more. And with the post-credit scene (there are two at the end of the film) that they give us, it had the whole cinema screaming.

My Rating:

Catch The Fantastic Four: First Steps now in cinemas and experience the epic beginning of Marvel’s first family on the big screen. Don’t miss it! Get showtimes and buy tickets here.

July 24, 2025
Movie Review: ‘Bring Her Back’ Is an Emotionally Driven, Intelligent Horror Film With a Stellar Performance From Sally Hawkins

‘Bring Her Back,’ from directors Danny and Michael Philippou and written by Danny Philippou and Bill Hinzman, is a classic-styled horror film that is rooted in human emotion and opts out of CGI and favours practical effects to create a real sense of dread and terror. The scares come from amplifying the situation and how vulnerable and helpless our protagonists are. The film never employs cheap tricks or cheap jump scares for easy reactions but works slowly to get under our skin. And it succeeds immensely at this.

The film is the story Andy and Piper. The two are siblings and Piper being partially sighted. At the get-go, we can see how close the two are, with Andy protecting Piper from the harshness of the world through little white lies and their closeness is displayed in ways like their secret codes and catch words only both of them understand. The siblings share a father, though their mothers are different but the closeness of the two is evident. When their father dies from an accident, the two are sent to foster care. Andy is only 17 but he fights to stay with Piper so that he can adopt her as her legal guardian when he turns 18. Enter Laura, a kooky, eccentric former counselor, who becomes the foster mother of Piper. She takes in the two siblings under her care but she harbors a dark secret and her closeness to Piper hides sinister plans.

The set up is long but it is not uneventful. From the get-go, we already know or feel something is up with Laura. The directors take their time to present us with myriad obstacles – Piper’s partial blindness, Andy’s former difficult past, how reclusive and isolated Laura’s home is to the rest of the city, the fact that Laura has legal guardianship of Piper and Andy is only living with them as a technicality – these already create tension and suspense. Things are exacerbated as Laura is also caring for another foster child, Oliver, who is unresponsive and sometimes violent. He is locked up in his room when Laura is not present and you just know things are not right here.

Soon, the film begins to peel back the veneer and we can see Laura trying to drive a wedge between Andy and Piper and the stakes got higher and Andy starts to catch on that everything is not right. Tensions build and the battle for Piper goes full blast.

‘Bring Her Back’ is pure horror. Just the idea of how vulnerable Piper and Andy are is already a cause for fright but the weirdness and the supernatural elements that are slowly revealed makes everything even more thrilling. Oliver’s transformations throughout the film is awe-inspiring and also fearsome. The fact that it’s not CGI but really good prosthetics and a fantastic performance by Jonah Wren Phillips is astounding.

In fact, the whole cast is incredible from Billy Barratt as Andy and Sora Wong as Piper; Wong, who really is partially sighted. The two have incredible chemistry and really ground the film’s story by making you really root for them.

But the real star of this movie is Oscar nominee Sally Hawkins as Laura. Her Laura is a riveting, fascinating character study of grief and pain and loss. She manages the backstory of Laura through her ability to shift gears emotionally throughout the film. As more and more is revealed about her character, we start to see the layers that she has carefully built in her performance from the first moment we see her as a kooky, eccentric woman to the fearsome thing she has become because of her character’s history. She’s a force of nature that manages to humanize her and allows us a glimpse of who she is that allows her to the monstrous things she does is the movie.

From the same directors of the hit horror film ‘Talk To Me,’ the Philippou brothers does it again by giving us a wonderfully layered, very human horror film that never pulls back on the scares. By using primarily practical effects, what we see on screen can move us while also scaring us fully. ‘Bring Her Back’ is an intelligent horror film that will get you engaged and invested in the characters and the story.

My Rating:

Bring Her Back is now showing, don’t miss this hauntingly powerful horror on the big screen. Check showtimes and catch the action on the big screen here.

July 18, 2025
Movie Review: By Focusing on His Humanity, ‘Superman’ Feels Refreshing and New

It’s so refreshing to watch a new Superman movie that doesn’t go over the backstory again. How many times do we have to see Superman’s home world Krypton explode and the young infant Kal-El is sent to Earth to live with humans? What’s refreshing about James Gunn’s ‘Superman’ is that it starts the story in medias res with Superman already having saved Metropolis enough times to be beloved by all and his longtime nemesis Lex Luthor is knee-deep in a new plan to destroy him. In fact, the film starts with Superman in mid-battle and it’s brutal. It kicks off the film with a lot of energy, taking all our expectations and throwing it out the window because everything looks stunning.

But more importantly, what I find truly engaging is Gunn and David Corenswet’s take on the metahuman Superman. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a huge fan of Christopher Reeve, Henry Cavill, and even Brandon Routh’s portrayals of the iconic hero. But all of their versions carry a lofty, otherworldly goodness that leans heavily into the archetype of the boy scout: infallible and overflowing with kindness. Of course, Cavill’s take is a little darker, a little more tortured, because of Snyder’s grasp of the world but it’s still more than human. But Gunn and Corenswet makes Superman very, very human.

He gets frustrated. Little things bother him. There’s a joy he has when he does something good, like a teen winning an award at school. He can even be a bit cocky, which gives him a bit of an edge. It’s these little touches that makes Corenswet’s Superman so believable, especially when the film tries to paint him as a human being with godlike powers. For the first time, I believe in Superman as a character.

Gunn also manages to build a world where metahumans are a normal part of everyday life. When they battle in the middle of the city, some people stop to stare or take videos, while others run for cover. It’s all part of life in a superhuman world. In one hilarious scene, Clark and Lois (Rachel Brosnahan) share an intimate moment while, in the background, a group of heroes fights a massive creature. It’s probably just another Tuesday in this version of reality.

In the film, Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) uses the resources of his billion-dollar empire to try and take down Superman. The caped hero is in hot water because he stopped a war between two nations, the nation that started the conflict being an ally of the United States of America. His intervention has caused a geopolitical mess that has Luthor lobbying for the banning of metahuman activities.

But Superman just wants to do good and in a brilliantly written and performed scene by Corenswet and Brosnahan, Lois interviews Superman and asks him the tough questions about the dangers of overstepping his authority in matters of geopolitics.

This and other events lead to Superman losing the public’s trust, and it’s quite brilliant how Gunn weaves in politics, foreign policy, and social media to become a greater threat than Lex Luthor ever could be. Gunn manages to maintain a sense of whimsy and comedy (which he has mastered in previous comic book films) while using the narrative to allude to real-world issues and forming an allegory for the problems that’s happening in the world and in America today.

By bringing in the importance of public opinion, Rachel Brosnahan’s Lois Lane becomes an active player in the story and not just Superman’s love interest. As a reporter, she has the means to go against Lex Luthor in the public sphere while Superman handles the superhuman threats the comes along.

And Superman is not alone.

‘Superman’ is a big, fun, and fast-paced comic book movie. It’s irreverent, packed with stunning visual effects, and filled with high-flying, high-octane fight scenes. The editing is sharp, quick without ever losing clarity. Corenswet and Hoult are both incredible, and Brosnahan holds her own, never fading into the background. While Nathan Fillion’s Guy Gardner is bound to become a fan favorite, it’s Edi Gathegi’s Mr. Terrific who might surprise new viewers with a quiet meaty role and has a lot of standout moments.

Superman, as a character, has always been so invincible that writing a story for him for the movies seemed impossible to bring it down a scale to something relatable. It’s always so big and massive because of the power he wields. What James Gunn and his team does is not bring down the scale but amplifies his humanity making ‘Superman’ something new, especially for people like me who has never read his comics.

My Rating:

Catch Superman now in cinemas and see the Man of Steel like you’ve never seen him before. Check showtimes and catch the action on the big screen here.

July 10, 2025
Movie Review: ‘Jurassic World Rebirth’ Doesn’t Do Anything New to the Franchise but Is Still Great in Parts

Looking for a compelling story outside of ‘Jurassic Park,’ the first film in the franchise, might be asking for a bit too much. The original movie, released in 1993, warned us about the dangers of using science to play God. It served as an allegory for human hubris and how, as the film famously put it, “nature always finds a way.” The films that followed explored similar themes, but the real attraction has always been seeing the dinosaurs interact, engage, and appear as majestic and terrifying as ever. This has remained the main draw of the ‘Jurassic Park’ and ‘Jurassic World’ movies. The latest installment, ‘Jurassic World Rebirth,‘ stays true to this formula.

Following the preceding film, ‘Jurassic World Dominion,’ we are now in a world where dinosaurs are part of the culture. Because the environment is no longer suited for them, the dinosaurs stay mostly within the tropical belt near the equator, which have been made illegal for humans to visit or even come near. Once in a while there are still a few left in the mainlands but they are dying out. The pharmaceutical company ParkerGenix recruits a mercenary and a scientist to sneak into one of the islands to retrieve blood samples from three of the largest dinosaurs in the sea, land, and air. They plan to use the genetic code to create a drug that may cure all forms of heart diseases. While on their mission, they come across a family who were travelling the Atlantic by boat but found themselves attacked by one of the aquatic dinosaurs and in a bid to escape, they find themselves right at the island running for their lives.

Story-wise, there’s nothing more generic than what we are given here in ‘Jurassic Park Rebirth.’ Once again, a corporation spends millions of dollars to send a group of people on a suicide mission to retrieve something they shouldn’t, all to create a drug the world desperately needs but will ultimately be sold for profit. In this case, the mercenary Zora Bennett (Scarlett Johansson) and the scientist Dr. Henry Loomis (Jonathan Bailey) represent two sides of the ethical debate. Zora is in it for the money, hoping to retire, while Henry wants funding for his team. Museums and dinosaur research are no longer in trend, as public interest has waned, and he dreams of seeing a real dinosaur at least once in his life.

The interplay feels a little thin because the story is rushed, unfolding over just three days. The characters quickly encounter the three dinosaurs they were sent to track while also dealing with a family that ends up caught in the middle. As a result, the plot feels underdeveloped and lacking in depth.

It doesn’t help that the story gets split in two once they reach the island. The characters are separated but maintain the same group composition as when they began. The family is on one storyline and the expedition is on another. The family has the least interesting storyline because they don’t belong in this island or this story. Strategically, you feel that they were put there because they are more “relatable” as characters but we have seen enough of these movies to know that they just don’t belong. You’d rather spend more time with the expedition team, who get the more engaging moments, especially since their mission involves getting close to the dinosaurs to extract blood samples.

Luckily, despite its thin storyline, the film is directed by Gareth Edwards, who knows exactly how to maximize big-budget moments for full effect. The film is action-packed and delivers plenty of thrilling scenes that can keep you on the edge of your seat. Sadly, though, the two best moments with the dinosaurs happen early on in the film – the ocean-dwelling Mosasaur and the high-flying Quetzalcoatlus – that the final act feels belabored and extraneous.

Johansson and Bailey are wonderful foils to follow in this adventure, making their characters feel believable. Mahershala Ali, who plays Duncan Kincaid, Zora’s team leader, is unfortunately underutilized. Everyone else just seems to blend into the scenery and can’t find their spot underneath the shadow of the dinosaurs when Edwards has them in his frame.It’s a pretty straightforward and decent film within the franchise. It doesn’t feel as bloated as the other films in the ‘Jurassic World’ franchise and has a lot of homages to the first movie – much like composer Alexandre Desplat incorporating the original John Williams score into his work.

My Rating:

‘Jurassic World Rebirth’ is now showing in cinemas. Check showtimes and catch the action on the big screen!

July 9, 2025
Movie Review: Leaning Into the Camp, ‘M3GAN 2.0’ Sidelines Horror and Leans Into Comedy and a Whole Lot of Action

Right from the start, ‘M3GAN 2.0’ immediately shifts gears by giving us a prologue featuring a new robot that will play opposite M3GAN in an action-packed scene involving a military operation. We’ve all seen it in the trailers: AMELIA is a military weapon using the same technology as M3GAN, but as she becomes self-aware, she uses her abilities to return to the United States and wipe out the people who created her. We then catch up with the main characters, Gemma and Cady, two years after their ordeal in the first movie. While Gemma has become a staunch advocate for AI regulation and of active participation in parenting, Cady has grown into a prickly preteen (now 12 years old) who has taken up aikido and feels resentful toward Gemma for being, ironically, too busy to be more involved in her life.

Director and screenwriter Gerard Johnstone flexes his comedic flair by laying down farcical moments and allowing the scenes to fully bring out the comic and satirical tone of the film, all while building the tension of AMELIA closing in on Gemma. However, that danger feels more in line with the conventions of action and suspense than of horror. While ‘M3GAN 2.0’ remains gruesome and brutal, it is more hard-hitting than it is spooky.

(from left) Gemma (Allison Williams) and M3GAN in M3GAN 2.0, directed by Gerard Johnstone.

Of course, M3GAN is still around, and she comes back with a vengeance. Now, she’s more self-aware, and this is presented through her snarkier attitude and less restrained behavior toward everyone except Cady. She knows what they did to her, and she is unafraid of ruffling feathers. This makes for some great comebacks and very campy moments.

The film doesn’t shy away from the things that made the first movie so enjoyable. What it does is add bigger set pieces, larger action sequences, and a plot that gets bigger, weirder, and more explosive. If you regularly read my reviews, you know I don’t always think that bigger is better, but in this case, it works. For camp to be truly campy, it needs ambition. And this bursts through the ceiling the first film built, going over and beyond what we expected it to be and that’s perfectly fine.

But surprisingly, through its satirical take on the AI rush, the movie explores several compelling insights about the ethical use of AI and the dangers it can bring. An early sequence set in Gemma’s house, which is equipped with smart AI technology, shows how it becomes a threat to everyone inside when one of the robots takes control of the entire infrastructure. Everything from cabinets and refrigerators to even the robot vacuum becomes dangerous.

(from left) Gemma (Allison Williams) and Tess (Jen Van Epps) in M3GAN 2.0, directed by Gerard Johnstone.

Even Gemma’s shift into developing human enhancement hardware, which is meant to help disabled people walk again and make work easier and more efficient for blue-collar laborers, is shown to be dangerous if taken over by an outside source.

M3GAN in M3GAN 2.0, directed by Gerard Johnstone.

Sure, ‘M3GAN 2.0’ has a lot of fun with two deranged robots going at it, and we get a kick out of all the fight sequences and punchlines, but the film also underlines the real dangers of turning our world AI-dependent. There are no safeguards for what might happen if AI technology ever becomes self-aware, or if another human being takes that technology and uses it for their own purposes. The military is always the first suspect.

At the same time, the film manages to shed light on the importance of active parenting and not relying on gadgets to do the job of real people. We are too locked in to our phones and the internet. We have forgotten how to be human and how to interact with each other as humans. Some of the most interesting moments come from the evolving dynamic between Gemma and M3GAN.

Ivanna Sakhno as Amelia in M3GAN 2.0, directed by Gerard Johnstone.

I’m very happy that ‘M3GAN 2.0’ didn’t try to take itself seriously. By doing so, the filmmakers presented a film that is laugh-out-loud funny while still driving home the message about the dangers of unethical, unregulated AI development.

My Rating:

Curious to see what happens when killer AI meets campy fun and over-the-top action? Catch M3GAN 2.0 in cinemas now. Check showtimes and book your tickets here.

June 26, 2025
Movie Review: The Unexpected Duality of ‘28 Years Later’

What is most surprising about director Danny Boyle and screenwriter Alex Garland’s 28 Years Later is the tender heart beneath the story. Considering both are known for their hard-hitting approaches to the subjects of their films, the third installment in the trilogy that began with their collaboration 28 Days Later does not hold back on the tension and horror. However, after the first hour, it shifts direction to bring us something poignant and intimate in the second half.

As indicated by the title, the story is set 28 years after the rage virus destroyed the United Kingdom. The world was able to contain the pandemic within the UK and has since moved on, but anyone left in the country must fend for themselves. On a small island off the coast of Scotland, a community is thriving. Remote and accessible only by a causeway that disappears when the tide is high, the community has found a way to survive. Here, Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) is taking care of his sick wife, Isla (Jodie Comer), and their 12-year-old son, Spike (Alfie Williams). In this town, part of the children’s education includes learning to fight and protect themselves from the infected. Jamie is taking Spike to the mainland, against the elders’ wishes, as the rite of passage usually happens at 14 or 15, so he can make his first kill.

In Scotland, the infected are scattered. Without the rush of industry and civilization, Boyle and Garland imagine the rich, bountiful Scottish landscape as a forest primeval. Jamie is preparing Spike for more adult responsibilities. What appears to be a father-and-son hunting expedition is actually a test of Spike’s survival instincts, stamina, and his ability to stay calm and collected.

An infected in Columbia Pictures’ 28 YEARS LATER.

Of course, things do not go as planned. They are chased by a pack of infected, now led by a bigger, stronger one who is smarter than the rest, whom they have called Alpha.

Jamie and Spike are forced to spend the night on the mainland before they can attempt to return, hoping that the low tide has made the causeway passable. Throughout the first hour of the film, the atmosphere is filled with tension and suspense. And despite Taylor-Johnson’s charm, his character Jamie is marked by a toxic masculinity that contrasts with Spike’s more gentle nature.

As the relationship between father and son becomes more and more fractured, Spike takes it upon himself to bring his mother back to the mainland after discovering that there is a doctor there who may have gone insane. The second half of the film is the reverse of the first, with the tenderness between mother and son providing a striking counterpoint. They have their own misadventures, but it is the contrast between both parents makes the movie what it is.

There’s a highly stylized filmmaking approach that Danny Boyle takes for ‘28 Years Later.’ His fast-paced editing intercuts scenes with gory images and old video footage, creating a link between the past and the present. This broken world has been broken before. This is not an unfamiliar world. These dangers, and the means of survival, are nothing new. It makes for a stirring watch – not to mention there are fantastic sequences that are wonderfully cinematic including the traverse through the causeway.

The music by Young Fathers and the exceptional sound design make this world feel visceral and emotional. It never stops, even in its quiet, somber, and tender moments. When they finally meet the doctor (Ralph Fiennes), the story shifts in an unexpected direction and features impressive production design elements that turn the film into a visually stunning cinematic experience.

Taylor-Johnson and Fiennes are amazing, and Williams grounds the film by reminding us that he is portraying a 12-year-old so his choices are less rational and more idealistic. He is an amazing anchor for the film and hits the right buttons. However, it is Jodie Comer who completely steals the spotlight in the latter half of the film, revealing the beautiful heart at the center of this story.

This is not the film I was expecting to see, but I enjoyed every bit of it. It is character-driven, and the world-building is solid as it expands the lore behind the infected. It teases a sequel and there’s talk about a new trilogy to follow starting with this one. I was pleasantly surprised by this film, and I am in it for the rest of the ride.

My Rating:

Witness the evolution of fear and survival. 28 Years Later is now in cinemas. Check showtimes and book your tickets here.

June 18, 2025
Movie Review: Fighting Like a Girl: A Review of ‘Ballerina’

While the first ‘John Wick’ was definitely a surprise, it was a revenge film with great action sequences that elevated the genre while still managing to show a lot of heart. Its sequels only upped the ante with even more fantastic action sequence and expanding an unbelievable world filled with assassins. By the second film, it had already embraced a sense of camp. Seriously, how many assassins can there be? But it never took itself too seriously, fully aware that what it offered was action that pushed the boundaries of what could be done within the genre.

‘Ballerina’ offers more of the same. The story is quite familiar. It’s a revenge tale set in the world of John Wick, promising a lot of hard-hitting action sequences with Ana de Armas front and center as the titular character. The film begins with our main character, Eve (played as a child by Victoria Comte), in hiding with her father (David Castañeda), but they are soon discovered. A major fight breaks out, and Eve learns she is being targeted by a man known as The Chancellor (Gabriel Byrne). Her parents were once part of a cult, and her father tried to take her away in hopes of giving her a normal life. However, no one leaves the cult. The Chancellor wants her back, but Eve’s father fights to keep her safe. He succeeds, but dies in the process.

Ana de Armas as Eve in Ballerina. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Lionsgate

Taken in by Winston (Ian McShane), she is brought to the Ruska Roma, her father’s “family,” and Eve decides to become one of their assassins and bodyguards. She trains and thrives, but during one assignment, she is attacked by another assassin and notices a tattoo on him that resembles those worn by The Chancellor’s men. When she confronts the head of the Ruska Roma (Anjelica Huston), she is told to stand down, as there is an uneasy truce between their faction and the cult. Naturally, Eve goes rogue to hunt them down and take her revenge.

Ian McShane as Winston and Ana de Armas as Eve in Ballerina. Photo Credit: Larry D. Horricks for Lionsgate

Under the direction of Len Wiseman (of the ‘Underworld’ franchise and ‘Live Free and Die Hard’) and screenwriter Shay Hatten, ‘Ballerina’ doesn’t linger on the emotional aspects, relying instead on clichéd moments. It never truly explores Eve’s relationship with her father or the depth of their connection. These elements are taken for granted. The film also avoids examining the emotional conflict Eve might feel as she becomes a killer. This is not that kind of film. What it does show is the toughness Eve adopts as her past shapes her present: she’s cold-hearted killer who is quick on her feet and can take a punch.

Anjelica Huston as The Director in Ballerina. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Lionsgate

Len Wiseman is very good with action. He allows us to see the brutality of each fight and frames the scenes so that we get the full range of motion with every punch and kick. It’s bloody, gory, and ruthless. With three other ‘John Wick’ films already released, Wiseman needs to find a way to keep things fresh and surprising, because at some point, it feels like we’ve seen it all. In this story, Ana de Armas’ Eve is not as seasoned as John Wick. She’s only months out of training, so she still makes mistakes. She gets beaten and takes hits, but the training montage early in the film shows us why she can recover so quickly. Sure, there are blows that no one should be able to get up from, but this is a ‘John Wick’ movie. Of course they get back up.

Ana de Armas as Eve in Ballerina. Photo Credit: Larry D. Horricks

There is an attempt to frame the movie with a feminist lens. In a training sequence, Eve’s mentor Nogi (Sharon Duncan-Brewster) tells her that she always loses because a man will always have the physical advantage. She advises her to do whatever it takes to win: improvise, cheat, set the terms of the engagement, and never fight on their terms. She tells her to “fight like a girl.” And then, Eve starts to win. What’s funny is that, aside from this one bit of dialogue, we don’t actually see her do anything noticeably different from what she was doing before. Yes, she improvises, but so did John Wick. They even bring in Amy Lee of Evanescence to perform a song called Fight Like a Girl for the closing credits. It’s all fair and fine, but it doesn’t quite deliver the feminist perspective the film seemed to be aiming for.

Norman Reedus as Daniel Pina in Ballerina. Photo Credit: Larry D. Horricks for Lionsgate

What the film does show, however, is how hard Ana de Armas worked to make everything look fun, believable, and thrilling. She moves like a champ, and with the choreography, sound design, and strong performances, she really takes a beating. Yet she gets back up again and keeps going. That, in itself, feels more feminist than any contrived appeal meant to speak directly to the women in the audience.

The plot is pretty by-the-books and rather thin, but we’re not here to watch a film with a serious story. We’re here for the action, and the film delivers on that, hands down. There’s even an extended fight sequence with a flamethrower that turned out to be one of the most cinematic moments I’ve seen in an action film. It genuinely surprised me. I wasn’t expecting to enjoy it, but I had a lot of fun. And I was nervous about Keanu Reeves returning as John Wick, but the way it was written didn’t take anything away from Ana de Armas. Instead, it helped show that Eve is not yet on John Wick’s level, but she could be. And since the film ends with an ellipsis, we know a sequel is likely if this one makes money. I’m all in for it.

My Rating:

Ballerina is now showing, serving up killer moves and nonstop action in the world of John Wick. Catch all the thrills on the big screen. Check showtimes and book your tickets here.

June 13, 2025
Movie Review: Another Kind of Love Story: A Review of ‘Only We Know’

I think anyone who has been following my reviews knows that I’m a big fan of Irene Emma Villamor. Other than that, one movie, I’ve always enjoyed her approach to love stories. She likes to really dig deep and explore the way broken people seem to gravitate to each other; trying to figure out if this relationship would be the one to fix them and as the movie progresses, they discover through each other that there’s still a lot of self-reflection they must do before they can find happiness. Her works always have a measure of violence in them: whether it be emotional (‘Sid & Aya: Not a Love Story’ and ‘On Vodka, Beers, and Regrets’) or the actual threat of danger (‘You and Me and the End of the World’). So, it was my pleasant surprise to find that ‘Only We Know’ to be Direk Irene’s most tender work yet. Out of all her movies – including ‘Ulan’ – this has the warmest heart.

Set in Tagaytay, Betty (Charo Santos) and Ryan (Dingdong Dantes) are neighbours. In the many years that they’ve lived beside each other; they have barely interacted. But as the film begins, Betty retires from her teaching position and is now spending a lot of time at home, tending her garden and painting. Ryan, on the other hand, is still grieving the passing of his wife (Max Collins), and has become reclusive, drinking all the time, and only leaving for work or to buy more spirits. Their first encounter is awkward, but Betty is a nurturing, caring person and she takes it upon herself to invite Ryan to dinner at her place. In each other they find a kindred soul. There’s an emptiness that the other manages to fill and a friendship begins to blossom; one that potentially can lead into something more.

And this is what is so endearing about Villamor’s film. She takes her time to show us Betty and Ryan’s world. The lives that they lead and how the other fills the gaps that their personal stories have put upon them. The film is not concerned about plot. It takes on a slice-of-life narrative, showing us how one’s grief can break someone and how another can ease the longing. While retirement can bring up issues of loneliness and how the other can bring surprises at every turn.

There are cliche elements that are presented – Betty’s best friend Cora (Shamaine Buencamino) wants to set her up, Betty’s ex-husband makes an appearance, the unprocessed grief of Ryan will take its toll, and there’s a medical discovery that tends to follow these sort of storylines – but Villamor skirts around them and never uses them for unnecessary drama or lets it linger.

Her focus is on the complex layers of Betty and Ryan’s friendship and withholds key scenes to make us wonder the true depths of each other’s feelings for the other. By doing so, Villamor turns the audience into the nosy Maritess asking for answers to questions they really have no business to ask. We are made to see the symptoms of their relationship but are never really invited in. It makes the title so much more powerful because what is between them is something only, they know.

By using the film language of the romantic-comedy, Direk Irene leads us to everyday, ordinary expectations from a pairing such as this but then she side-steps to present to us the power and importance of friendship. The expectation of romance is our down doing, reducing their need for companionship to something so basic and banal. Once you’re able to let that go, what you will start to see is how love can be a lot more dynamic than what movies usually present to us.

Other than Villamor’s direction, what else drives this movie forward is the incredible skill of Charo Santos and Dingdong Dantes to make this feel all so real. They completely imbibe their characters that every move, every expression, every line delivery feels so natural and organic. Their chemistry even evolves throughout the film. Their awkward first encounter in the film and first few interactions are just that: awkward, unbalanced, odd. But as they keep meeting, talking, helping each other out, they start to connect, and their chemistry begins to grow. It’s a wonderful thing to see in a movie of this nature where usually the chemistry must be there at the onset. Here, we see it bloom. It’s really a testament to the Santos and Dantes and their commitment to the characters and to the story.

With the absence of dramatic cliches, ‘Only We Know’ is a refreshing story about love and friendship that people don’t quickly understand. It’s wonderfully acted, and it carries with it a beautiful warm heart that’s just perfect for this rainy June.

My Rating:

Catch Only We Know in cinemas now. Don’t miss this touching story. Check showtimes and buy your tickets here.

June 11, 2025
Movie Review: While It Delivers Awe-Inspiring Stunts and Action, ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’ Struggles with the Weight of Its Narrative

I’ve been a fan of the ‘Mission: Impossible’ series since the third film. There’s an old school vibe to the whole franchise where the villains were one-dimensional, the geopolitics were never that complicated, and it was just a battle between Ethan Hunt’s Impossible Mission Force agents representing the force of good and whoever was the big bad in that installment. What was at the forefront were the use incredible stunts and fight choreography. It takes on the genre of the caper film, detailing a verifiable complicated plan to stop the villains from succeeding. It truly captures the idea of “impossible” but it’s done with such flair and shot and edited with such mastery that each film has always been a benchmark for Hollywood blockbuster excellence. Not to mention Tom Cruise’s penchant for doing all his death-defying stunts himself, without the aid of CGI or green screen.

While ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning’ did not do too well on the box office due to its schedule (it opened a week before the ‘Oppenheimer’ and ‘Barbie’ release which totally eclipsed the film and took away its theaters), I very much enjoyed the film. The new enemy is a state-of-the-art AI called The Entity who can hack into any system and corrupt it and its human counterpart, Gabriel (Esai Morales). That film introduced us to new characters – Grace (Hayley Atwell), an expert thief and pickpocket; Paris (Pom Klementieff), an assassin who was working with Gabriel but was betrayed by him and is now aligned with Ethan – and has Ethan on the run and in hiding from his own government as he has taken it upon himself to destroy The Entity as he believes that no power in the world should be able to control it.

Tom Cruise plays Ethan Hunt, Pom Klementieff plays Paris, Greg Tarzan Davis plays Degas, Simon Pegg plays Benji Dunn and Hayley Atwell plays Grace in Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning from Paramount Pictures and Skydance.

‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’ takes place two months after the events of the previous film and spends the next half hour catching us up. In fact, there’s a whole lot of exposition in this film, considering that this is the final installment of the franchise (or so they say), you’d think we’d get right into the action. But ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’ isn’t just a big finale, it’s also a send off. The script then tries to tie up this film with every other film in the franchise, creating links of the rabbit’s foot of the third film to the Entity and having other characters from previous movies referenced or even show up.

And so the 170-minute running time of the film is not just action sequence after action sequence. Even as he is running from his government and trying to avoid any of the chaos happening globally caused by The Entity corrupting the internet and fostering a world where we no longer trust anything and anyone, Ethan must appeal to various people – high ranking American military personnel – who can get him closer and closer to a sunken submarine, which holds the key to stopping The Entity.

Nick Offerman, Charles Parnell, Angela Bassett, Mark Gatiss and Janet McTeer in Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning from Paramount Pictures and Skydance.

These scenes are a lot of tense moments of Ethan trying to convince people to go against their chain of command to take lead from a rogue operative. These scenes are shot with intense drama but we all know how it is going to turn out.

Tom Cruise plays Ethan Hunt, Hayley Atwell plays Grace and Simon Pegg plays Benji Dunn in Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning from Paramount Pictures and Skydance.

In fact, unlike ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning’ and other films in the franchise, there’s a rushed feel to the whole film. It’s an unbalanced narrative with a lot of exposition punctuated by a high pressure, well-executed fight scene. Each time the film does try to do some character work, especially when it involves Ethan and Luther (Ving Rhames) it leans towards the sentimental that feels heavy-handed. As Ethan faces the consequences of all his choices throughout the whole franchise, this movie will bring up another character who will tell him that he did good. There’s an overall feeling that there or no real consequences in the franchise. Characters can die – like Keri Russel’s Lyndsey Farris in ‘Mission: Impossible III’ and Rebecca Ferguson’s Ilsa Faust from the last three installments – but Ethan’s morality, despite all his skill and resources, is never compromised.

It’s funny because it’s this old school appeal of absolute good and evil that I remarked at the start of this review but in this movie, it builds a tone that makes the film feel less serious than the others. Tonally, it feels off.

Tom Cruise plays Ethan Hunt in Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning from Paramount Pictures and Skydance.

At least, the film tackles and shows us the dangers of unmitigated AI but as terrifying as The Entity is in ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning’ it is barely present in this movie. Gabriel is the main antagonist here, and Morales’ approach feels more suited for James Bond than Mission Impossible.

Tom Cruise and Director Christopher McQuarrie on the set of Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning from Paramount Pictures and Skydance.

But while the tone isn’t synched, the film delivers its promise of incredible stunts and action sequences that are the trademark of the franchise and Tom Cruise and director Christopher McQuarrie. There’s an underwater sequence involving the sunken submarine and a fight between two biplanes, with Cruise jumping unto one and doing acrobatic fight scenes high up in the air. As always, these are the scenes we are all waiting for and as they are shot without CGI, all practical stunts, the effect on the big screen is awe-inspiring and thrilling.

As a fan of the franchise, this wasn’t exactly the film I had wanted the franchise to end on. The narrative is messy and loaded with exposition that kills its pacing and dripping with sentimentality. It underutilizes Hayley Atwell, who is introduced in a big way in the previous film but is minimally used except for two scenes. Luckily, the film’s action sequences, and impressive stunts still make it fun to watch but it’s 50-50. It’s not the big finale the series deserves.

My Rating:

Witness the ultimate finale! Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is now showing. Check showtimes and buy your tickets here.

May 17, 2025