In Napkins – the sixth episode of the third season of The Bear, a flashback centering around Tina’s journey to The Beef – Tina (Liza Colón-Zayas) and Michael (Jon Bernthal) have a heart-to-heart. They discuss life, work, and most importantly, of course, food. It’s Michael who ponders to Tina, “If …
It is always, always a delight to see a movie that should not exist. Whether the artistic ambition is implausible or the plot is incredible, it’s always a pleasure to see the impossible, especially when it’s so determined to entertain us. Hundreds of Beavers is a mixed-media (part live-action, part …
To this day, Apollo 11’s successful landing on the moon is one of humanity’s greatest feats – an inspiring amalgamation of ingenuity, ambition, and cooperation. Fly Me to the Moon, to this critic’s knowledge, is the first to use this mission for a romantic comedy setting. It’s certainly an unorthodox …
Making a career in the music industry is not easy. Yes, we have stories like Justin Bieber making it to the big stage after uploading videos on YouTube, but it doesn’t mean that it would happen every other month. A lot of aspiring musicians have to go through a lot …
A lot of people believe that friendship and intimacy are different. But friendship is one of the most intimate relationships we can have. In human relationships, the boundary between friendship and romance is often clearly defined, or so we believe. In Elina Street’s short film My Best Friend, the filmmaker …
What happens when two friends explore their sexualities and end up breaking the delicate boundary between friendship and romance? Well, we get to see one of the most intimate relationships that the world has ever seen. Elina Street’s short film My Best Friend explores friendship and romance, taking viewers on …
In Mira Shaib’s debut feature film, audiences are immersed in the bustling streets and vibrant life of Beirut through the compelling narrative of Arzé. The film chronicles the journey of Arzé (Diamand Abou Abboud), a single mother who is struggling to make ends meet. However, she never shies away from …
Despicable Me 4 sees Gru and the family take on a different dynamic. Instead of trying to achieve world domination as a villain, the Gru crew has to accomplish the most challenging mission they have ever faced. Somehow, they must achieve the impossible feat of “blending in.” On the surface, …
Producer Kayla Foster introduced Your Monster at the Sundance London Film Festival, describing it as a romantic-comedy horror. While this may seem like an unusual combination of genres, this is truly the best way to define what the film is and what makes it utterly unique. Combining elements of the …
A Family Affair is the newest rom-com from the streaming magnate Netflix. Directed by Richard LaGravenese and written by Carrie Solomon, the movie doesn’t positively add to the company’s track record. While it’s not a copy-and-paste version of it, the film is certainly deeply reminiscent of Prime Video’s rom-com from …
Writer and Director Liz W. Garcia is the latest to take on NASA and space with her new comedy, Space Cadet. In the movie, Emma Roberts is Rex Simpson, a brilliant Florida bartender with big dreams among the stars. She doesn’t exactly have the resume of a typical NASA astronaut, …
I appreciate all genres of cinema. It’s true: there’s no style of storytelling or any fictional setting that automatically puts me off – I genuinely believe all genres have their respective masterpieces. That said, like any viewer, I have my personal preferences, and, indeed, there are a few types of …
With On Becoming a Guinea Fowl, director and writer Rungano Nyoni returns to Cannes with an exciting sophomore feature after her successful feature film debut with I Am Not a Witch. Nyoni’s latest film competed in the Un Certain Regard section of the festival, where the Zambia-born director won the …
I can’t tell if Cora Bora is satirical, ironic, or sincere. That’s a problem. You know the type of humor: it’s funny in Portland or LA, but somehow loses its charm anywhere else. If you think that embodying and ever-so-slightly playing up the most annoying parts of Gen-Zers is funny, …
Land of Women is the new dramedy from Apple TV+, drawing inspiration from the Sandra Barneda novel La Tierra de la Mujeres. It’s a multigenerational story led by Eva Longoria as Gala, whose life has completely come undone in the clink of a wine glass. Apple TV+ has another well-balanced comedy on its …
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. In Mira Shaib’s Beirut-set drama, Arzé, the narrative framework that is imitated is that of Bicycle Thieves, a pantheonic piece of Italian neorealism. Vittorio De Sica’s 1948 classic follows a father and his son searching for a stolen bike, a symbol of means …
I have been a fan of The Boys since the jump. I love the way that it skewers Hollywood. I love the way that it skewers performative wokeness. I love the way that it skewers right-wing fanaticism. And, yeah, the voyeur in me loves the over-the-top violence and sexual content. …
No filmmaker is more unconcerned about the audience than Quentin Dupieux. His previous movie, Yannick, was an hour-long dark comedy that tiptoed around in circles as its titular character (played with pitch-perfect timing by Raphaël Quenard) turns a grating complaint about the play he’s watching into a total nightmare for …
Inside Out 2 is another home run from Pixar. It’s full of heart, honesty, and the stress-induced Anxiety of becoming a teenager. Almost nine years to the date, Pixar is releasing the follow-up to the 2015 smash hit Inside Out. Have you ever felt like your life is together as you prepare …
Comedy is one of the great cultural forces. It is, in many ways, the great equalizer. In the hands of a talented performer, comedy speaks truth to power, whether that means mocking our leaders or finding commonality in the human experience. It’s the latter of these that filmmaker Neil Berkeley’s …