Over the decades, slapstick comedy and deadpan humor have become increasingly rare. In a cinematic landscape where physical satire and innocent laughter have given way to biting irony or postmodern self-referential humor, the return of the The Naked Gun franchise feels like a breath of fresh air… or, forgive me, …
Before the review begins: an apology. I originally misgendered Murderbot in my reviews of the previous four episodes, which have now been corrected. A publicist got in touch to inform us that Murderbot has no gender; I should not have presumed the gender of the human actor playing it had …
There are films that, regardless of their cinematic quality, earn a very special place in the hearts of audiences. Happy Gilmore (1996), starring Adam Sandler and co-written with Tim Herlihy, is one such case. Much like many of Sandler’s comedies from the ’90s and early 2000s, it didn’t stand out …
In Irish folklore, the presence of a banshee symbolises the impending death of a family member. On Inisherin, a small island off the coast of Ireland, where everyone knows everyone, everyone is family. No one in this macabre comedy is safe from the wail of The Banshees of Inisherin. April …
After the laugh-a-minute riot that was Booksmart, Olivia Wilde turns her attention away from comedy to attempt a pulpy, adult thriller in the form of Don’t Worry Darling, a film that embodies the notion of sophomore slump as it wears its message on misogyny loudly, proudly and with a nuanced …
Final Destination was never a franchise that interested me as a viewer. The bloody and gratuitous violence proved an immediate turn-off. The concept of the series alone was enough to make it something that I simply never found interesting. That is what made Final Destination Bloodlines a mystery. Released back …
We are now coming to the final leg of our Superman review journey. Seven years after Superman Returns, another attempt was made for the titular hero on the big screen. Directed by Zack Snyder, this was an attempt to jumpstart a new universe. As many know, that universe never came …
Physical media shaped different generations of filmmakers. One of them, Alex Ross Perry, studies the golden age and the downfall of the video stores in Videoheaven. Consequently, the film explores the home video as the main distribution format after the original theatrical window. Known for his independent films, such as …
Superman IV: the Quest for Peace was considered a massive failure upon release. With such a poor response, it forced film studios to evaluate the need for more Superman movies. The result of which forced the franchise to remain dormant for years. Nineteen years later, another attempt was made with …
The duo of directors Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani is known for their approach to genre cinema, especially the giallo, an Italian sub-genre of slasher films marked by its distinctive visual style. They are back with their latest film, Reflection in a Dead Diamond (Reflet dans un diamant mort), a …
Eight years after Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, it became apparent that a sequel wasn’t going to happen. While financially profitable, neither film (including the 2005 original) was a critical success. That made the prospect of an eventual Fantastic Four remake feel inevitable. That is what intrigued everyone …
Pulitzer Prize-winner David Mamet is no stranger to filmmaking. Besides his iconic writing efforts like Glengarry Glen Ross and Wag the Dog, Mamet is also no stranger to directing. With a focus primarily on short films and TV movies, he has directed relatively few theatrical features. Granted, not all of …
One of the neatest tricks Carême has pulled over the course of this fine first season is erasing Napoleon. He is there, when he needs to be, but he never speaks and the face of the actor playing him is rarely shown. The focus on the power games swirling around …
After all the machinations of the previous episode it’s no wonder this course of Carême chooses a different focus for all its power struggles. The episode takes place entirely within Talleyrand’s (Jérémie Renier) estate and revolves around Hortense (Lily Taieb) unexpectedly going into labour. For those of you not keeping …
During Jamie Adams’ whimsical, flimsy romance, She is Love, a character is told while reading a script that “the less you rehearse it, the better it will be”. This, it turns out, is Adams’ motif. The film and script is crafted through non-traditional methods. The cast and himself will propose …
With the success of 2005’s Fantastic Four, a sequel seemed like a rather obvious feat. That is, especially in an era when superhero movies were emerging. Grossing over 330 million dollars worldwide (a massive hit for the time), a sequel was inevitable. Even against lackluster reviews, audiences wanted to see …
Five minutes into Food Delivery: Fresh from the West Philippine Sea, the latest documentary from Filipino filmmaker Baby Ruth Villarama, we are presented with a patchwork of news headlines, archived footage depicting Filipino and Chinese maritime vessels ramming into each other, and graphics mapping the Philippines’ nautical borders. A propulsive …
The Slovak director Miro Remo presents an alternative way of living in his film Better Go Mad in the Wild. In his fifth feature-length film, the director closely observes the twin brothers František and Ondřej Klišík. They live in the inner countryside of the Czech Republic, in the Sumava. The …
Following the 2019 Academy Award nominee for Best Documentary Feature, Edge of Democracy, Brazilian filmmaker Petra Costa presents her spiritual sequel to it, Apocalypse in the Tropics. Five years after, the film narrates the downfall of the Partido dos Trabalhadores (Workers’ Party), the impeachment of Dilma Rousseff from the presidency, …
2025’s Fantastic Four: First Steps hopes to reignite the love for The Marvel Cinematic Universe. That film aims to continue the larger story at play, while also reintroducing classic heroes into an ever-expanding framework. It’s a tall order due to the history of these characters and their previous lackluster adaptations. …